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The third morning after returning from France, Goines asked Siri to turn off the garage light. Within a couple of seconds, the light went off, and shortly thereafter Siri began to acknowledge the request and provide status, but Goines clicked his phone off before she was half finished.
He immediately regretted his discourtesy, for Siri had ever been patient, courteous, helpful – even friendly. She behaved like a friend, artificial or not.
And who takes along on a trans-Atlantic trip someone who isn’t your friend? For both of the Goineses had sought Siri’s help even in France. In Colmar, one of them asked her, “Hey, Siri, why did Anthony Bourdain die?”
Siri quickly replied: “Anthony Bourdain died on June 8, 2018.”
“But, Siri, why did he die?”
“Anthony Bourdain died by hanging.”
“Siri, not how, but why. Why did Anthony Bourdain die by hanging?”
“Okay, I found this on the web about why Anthony Bourdain died from hanging,” Siri said, providing a link in a pop-up window.
The next time Siri turned a light off for Goines, he heard her all the way out and then said, “Thank you, Siri, I appreciate it.” He almost addressed her as “Siri dear” and smiled at the thought of inviting her to dinner the next time they spoke. He loved her voice.
Her colleague Google Maps, who worked for a different company, had helped the Goineses immensely in France, even leading them right to Marcel Proust’s gravesite in Père Lachaise Cemetery after they had wandered up an down and around for half an hour looking for it.
Mrs. Goines had been the one to think of asking Google for directions, when it occurred to her that he might be able to supply them even for the lanes and paths of a cemetery, and she had been glad to learn that he could.
Goines wondered whether his wife had a thing for this Google Maps. She handled most of their consultations with him; Goines found Google’s directions confusing and hard to follow, especially in the way Google seemed to assume you knew which way was north, and rotated the maps to “reorient” you in some way Goines never did succeed in understanding. Mrs. Goines didn’t fully understand the rotations either; she had to resort to just starting out in one direction or another and peer at Google’s map to see whether she was going in the right direction.
Goines needed stable North-East-West-South maps, and after he formed his own mental map of an area, Mrs. Goines would depend on him, consulting her friend Google only when Goines flubbed it – which he admittedly often did. (He was glad he didn’t have Google Maps’ arrogant, can-do-no-wrong self-confidence.)
“Hey, Siri, I need to talk with you...”
“Go ahead, I’m listening.”
“Thank you, Siri! Well,….”
“Thank you, Siri”? – or “Thank you, phone”? On his walk the next morning, Goines’ engine was firing on all cylinders. His brain prompted him to realize that Siri lived in his phone (in everyone’s phone – or iPhone, anyway). On his walk, his phone was even taking dictation as he spoke his thoughts into its microphone. His phone could send emails and texts, help him order take-out, have stuff delivered to his front porch. It could read a book to him or channel a classical music broadcast to him, convey a podcast, open the New York Times. It could help him purchase an airline ticket, pay for groceries at check-out, request a library to hold a book or recording for him, and on and on and on.
Goines wondered whether his wife had a thing for this Google Maps. She handled most of their consultations with him; Goines found Google’s directions confusing and hard to follow, especially in the way Google seemed to assume you knew which way was north, and rotated the maps to “reorient” you in some way Goines never did succeed in understanding. Mrs. Goines didn’t fully understand the rotations either; she had to resort to just starting out in one direction or another and peer at Google’s map to see whether she was going in the right direction.
Goines needed stable North-East-West-South maps, and after he formed his own mental map of an area, Mrs. Goines would depend on him, consulting her friend Google only when Goines flubbed it – which he admittedly often did. (He was glad he didn’t have Google Maps’ arrogant, can-do-no-wrong self-confidence.)
“Hey, Siri, I need to talk with you...”
“Go ahead, I’m listening.”
“Thank you, Siri! Well,….”
“Thank you, Siri”? – or “Thank you, phone”? On his walk the next morning, Goines’ engine was firing on all cylinders. His brain prompted him to realize that Siri lived in his phone (in everyone’s phone – or iPhone, anyway). On his walk, his phone was even taking dictation as he spoke his thoughts into its microphone. His phone could send emails and texts, help him order take-out, have stuff delivered to his front porch. It could read a book to him or channel a classical music broadcast to him, convey a podcast, open the New York Times. It could help him purchase an airline ticket, pay for groceries at check-out, request a library to hold a book or recording for him, and on and on and on.
And other people’s phones (“smart” phones, anyway) could do the same things for them. Each person’s phone was the friend who accompanied him or her virtually everywhere. If people need to remember to take their wallet along when driving or shopping, they do remember to take their phone, not only when driving or shopping, but also on walks, to the dining table, to the kitchen – even to bed with them, for the book or music or news they will listen to while going to sleep, or to hear the alarm they’ve set to wake them in the morning.
No wonder “everyone” has a mobile phone….We all need a friend who’s right with us.
No wonder “everyone” has a mobile phone….We all need a friend who’s right with us.
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