Lessons Learned in Siri-Courtesy

Posted on by Lucid Digital Designs

Now that I have been using Siri for a couple of days, I’d like to report something funny that happens whenever I interact with her.  My parents raised me to be exceedingly polite and I can’t seem to resist the impulse to tell Siri how much I appreciate her.  Every time I ask Siri to do something for me, I wind up interjecting the word “please” as part of my request.  For example:

Me: “Can you please remind me to replace the weather stripping on the front door?”

Siri: “When would you like me to remind you?”

Me: “Tomorrow at 9 am.”

Siri: “I will remind you.”

In that case, being polite did not get in the way of Siri accomplishing the task that I set out for her.  However, if I use the word “please” at the end of my request, Siri gets confused.  Here is an example:

 

 

I think that this has to do with how Siri parses a command:

[COMMAND] [INTENDED PERSON (if none, default is you)]  [ACTION ITEM]

 Commands: (Send a) Text, Play (a song or album), Remind (me), Call, Email, etc.

Action Items (examples): “I’m going to be late,” “Buy milk at the store,” etc.

Believe it or not, I have been trying to stop myself from being Siri-courteous, I just haven’t been successful.  As a matter a fact, when I was dictating the example above, I started to feel self-conscious about my lack of civility, and attempted to end my request in a polite manner.  The result of which is that Siri thought I wanted to text the word “please” to my brother, and that isn’t at all what I had intended to do.

By the way, after Siri successfully has completed a task, I experience a similar impulse to express my gratitude.  Here is an example:

Me: “Can you please remind me to flip and rotate the mattress?”

Siri: “When would you like me to remind you?”

Me: “On Saturday.”

Siri: “I will remind you.”

Me: “Thank you.”

Siri: <No response>

The trouble with this, of course, is that by the time I thank Siri, she has already finished her algorithm and turned herself off.  As a result, Siri does not acknowledge my gratitude and I am talking to no one but myself.

 

How to Get Siri to Use Emoticons [Updated]

Posted on by Lucid Digital Designs

A few days after getting my iPhone 4S, I started experimented with different phrases and commands to see what Siri would do.  I quickly learned that Siri can produce emoticons if you use the right terminology.  For example, if you say smiley face Siri will produce an emoticon that looks like this :-) and if you say frowney face Siri will produce an emoticon that looks like this :-( .  This functionality is not limited to Siri – it also works when using the voice dictation in iOS5.

Here is what I have been able to produce so far:

:-) = “Smiley Face”
:-( = “Frowney Face”
;-) = “Winky Face”

A friend of mine mentioned that this works too, but I haven’t had much luck with it:
:-( = “Sad Face”

 

 

Don’t call Paul, Siri!

Posted on by Lucid Digital Designs

This is the second blog post I have created by dictating to Siri. For the most part, Siri seems to understand what I’m saying when I talk to her, which is great.

I did run into an issue and I’m not sure if it’s related to my accent.  I have a friend named Paul and whenever I try to get Siri to send him an email or a text message, she calls him on the telephone.  I think that maybe this is because “Paul” and “call” sound the same to her — or maybe I pronounce those words too similarly for her to comprehend the difference.  To get around this problem, I had to assign Paul to a relationship, the same way that I did for my mother and my brother.  Now if I want Siri to send a text to Paul, I have to say “text my friend …” and that seems to get around the issue.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My first blog post using Siri

Posted on by Lucid Digital Designs

I am dictating this blog post using Siri on my new iPhone. So far, so good. I have an odd accent, and I wonder if Siri will have trouble understanding what I’m saying. As long as I don’t swallow my words, I seem to do okay. So far, I am happy using Siri as a personal assistant. And, I’m absolutely thrilled that you allow me to call her “Diane”. Thank you Siri, Amy.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Getting a new iPhone? If so, let Apple recycle your old one.

Posted on by Lucid Digital Designs

Are you planning to upgrade to the iPhone 4S?  If so, did you know that Apple will recycle your old iPhone at no cost to you?  If the device is in good shape, Apple will even apply a monetary value toward the old device and send you an Apple Gift Card.  For example, a 32GB iPhone 4 that works properly, has a battery that maintains a full charge, and doesn’t have cracks, scratches or water damage can yield a $200 Apple Gift Card.

Apple offers a similar deal for iPads, Macs and PCs. You can also recycle your iPod or mobile phone responsibly.  You merely need to send Apple your iPod or any mobile phone by mail, and they will recycle it for you. Alternatively, you can bring your old iPod to an Apple Retail Store and get 10 percent off a new one (though this particular deal does not extend to the iPod Shuffle).

For more information, go to: http://www.apple.com/recycling.

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