Alexa is alive!

It's quiet in the house. Not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse. Suddenly you hear a woman's laughter...but where is it coming from?

No, you're (probably) not being haunted, it's just Amazon's Alexa voice assistant malfunctioning in a profoundly creepy way.

Some Alexa users have reported hearing an unprompted laugh from their smart speaker devices in the last day. The laugh is three short "Ha" sounds in a female voice that actually doesn't sound like Alexa's normal voice. It happens randomly, when nobody is using the device, or in response to request to turn on or off lights.

Amazon is aware of this and working to fix it. The company has not elaborated on what was causing the laugh or how widespread it is.

Alexa's laugh isn't the only thing that's freaking out users. Others have claimed Alexa has stopped responding to requests. One Twitter user said their Amazon Echo suddenly began listing names of local funeral homes and cemeteries, also unprompted.

Of course, when voice assistants start acting on their own, it also raises concerns about what artificial intelligence might be capable of. But it's unlikely that Alexa has become sentient and is intentionally frightening users with the laughs.

Sure, Alec Baldwin and Missy Elliott can ask Alexa to have a dance party. But soon you may be able to tell Alexa to start your car.

By now you have seen the commercial below, which shows Amazon's Echo basic features. But did you know that more advanced features are coming soon? Ford announced Wednesday at CES 2017 that its newer vehicles will work alongside Amazon's popular Echo smart speaker and its voice assistant Alexa.

The move will allow select Ford owners to make voice requests via the Echo such as "Alexa, ask MyFord Mobile to start my car," provided they're within earshot of the smart home device.
Other capabilities include the ability to turn off the car, lock or unlock the doors and check a vehicle's battery power level. The technology could also be useful for those who want to loan a car to a friend without handing over a key. A car owner could ask its Echo to unlock and start the car, even if its miles away.

The partnership will come this month to three existing electric Fords - the Fusion Electric, Fusion Energi and C-MAX Energi - as a free upgrade to its built-in Sync 3 tech platform. Ford will roll it out the upgrade to more vehicles later in the year.

Eventually, Ford drivers will be able to make Alexa requests from directly within the car. For example, a driver could ask the technology to play an audio book or turn off their smart lights at home.

In addition to an Amazon Echo, eligible Ford owners will have to pair an Android device to Amazon's Alexa app. Meanwhile, iOS users are required to connect to the car with a physical cord. Drivers can tap the existing voice recognition button on their steering wheel to speak to Alexa.

By embracing voice commands, Ford intends to make it easier for drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. The effort comes as motor vehicle fatalities spiked in 2015. Experts believe distracted driving is a key contributing factor.

Newest Amazon patent shows plans to ship your purchase before you even know you'll be buying it.

Amazon has filed a patent called "Method and System For Anticipatory Package Shipping."
The essence is this: Amazon believes it has a good idea which item of clothing, electronics or beauty product you will covet next.

As with so many retailers, it has come to deduce from your buying patterns and other data what sort of person you are. Because we're all, you know, one sort of person or another.

So with this system, it intends to ship those products to the vast warehouse nearest you, in anticipation of your predictable behavior.

There's even a suggestion in the patent that it might be more cost effective to give the customer the product for free, even if they haven't clicked to buy it, rather than ship it back where it came from.

With this system, Amazon is laying down a challenge not merely to other retailers, but to those closest to you.

Source: CNET

A lesson in social media marketing, courtesy of Amazon's latest failure.

What's the first lesson of social media? Know what you're posting!

Amazon Student recently found themselves in a situation where a post about "manscaping" was created to promote a new grooming store. Probably unknown to Amazon at the time of the posting, the word manscape is defined as: "A term used to define male grooming below the belt". However, in the following 6 hours, nearly 70 people commented with a snarky response. (Some of which are below).

So, what's the lesson to be learned here? Be sure the person in charge of your social media is up to date with the latest slang of your target audience.

Internet sales tax, here we come?

The days of shopping online and being able to duck sales taxes may soon come to an end. The U.S. Senate is slated to vote on the Internet sales tax sometime next week, according to Reuters.

Internet tax supporters, with backing from Walmart, Macy's, and Best Buy, are hoping a Senate vote will give them enough political leverage to require Americans to pay sales tax whenever buying goods online. This could usher in the first national Internet sales tax ever.

According to Reuters, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed a motion on Thursday supporting the proposal. Since Reid filed the motion, the Senate is now expected to vote as soon as Monday on the motion, but it could come later in the week.

The way the law now works is that states can only require Internet retailers with physical stores within their borders to collect sales tax. This means that online shoppers are supposed to self-report sales tax when making purchases -- but many don't.

Still, several major Internet retailers, like Amazon and Apple, which have opened stores and warehouses in more states, are now requiring shoppers to pay sales taxes on Internet purchases. Smaller retailers and eBay sellers, however, are less likely to enforce the self-reported sales tax.
Last month, the Senate voted overwhelmingly, 75 to 24, on a nonbinding version of the bill despite warnings from a handful of senators that the proposal is antibusiness, harmful to taxpayers, and will be a "bureaucratic nightmare."

Besides Walmart, Macy's, and Best Buy, other retails backing the tax include Target, AutoZone, Home Depot, OfficeMax, and the Container Store. They argue that online retailers often do not collect sales taxes at checkout and thus enjoy an unfair competitive advantage over the big box stores.

Those who are against the proposal say that it amounts to a multibillion dollar tax hike on American consumers. Last month, the National Taxpayers Union set up a petition to Congress saying the tax was "really just a way to unleash state tax collectors on the Internet," and 15 conservative groups also sent a letter to members of Congress saying an Internet tax law is "is bad news for conservative principles and the cause of limited government."

Several online tech companies are also against an Internet tax, including eBay, an association of small Internet sellers called WE R HERE, and NetChoice, which includes Facebook, Yahoo, LivingSocial, and AOL as members.

According to Reuters, the measure needs 60 Senate votes for it to move forward.

Original story courtesy of CNET.