Alexa does not record everything being said in your home. It does keep a timestamped log of all the requests you make. The murder investigators in Ark. want the log to help in a timeline.

The log is not kept in Alexa(which has relatively little disk space... mostly used for the operating system). Amazon has the logs and are refusing to release them citing the same privacy concerns that Apple has cited in the past.

I absolutely love my flameless candles with self timers!

So the next time your being attacked be sure to tell Alexa the name of the intruder..

roarah, I use my Echo Dots like you do. As much of a technophile as I am, I'm not in any hurry to update appliances and devices to "smart" status. I absolutely refuse to use LEDs and every light in the house, except the laundry room, is already on Lutron dimmers (including bathrooms).

arkansas girl, it's always all about companies making money...that's what they're in business to do :) It keeps the world turning and people working :) Consumers have to be diligent about and guardians of their own money. I won't be rushing out to further automate my home. If it gets much more automated, my fingers will get fat(er) (g)

As mentioned above, Alexa isn't recording everything but she IS listening all the time so that she can hear her "on" word (Alexa, Echo or Amazon). In theory she only records after hearing her name...but who REALLY knows! I certainly don't trust it or our phones, computers or even some tvs not to be listening and/or recording. My car could even be listening and recording. It has the technology to do it. I don't think there's any escaping it any longer unless you want to live in a cave.

4boys2, I read about Ford and Alexa last week. I have a Ford Flex but it has the first generation Sync (the one that worked) Then they came out with My Ford Touch. It was plagued with problems and now Sync 3. That's the one that will work with Alexa. If your car has a built in wifi hotspot OR if you wanted to download FoxFi to your cell phone, one could have a working Echo Dot in the car :) I've had Foxfi on other smart phones. It ran my tablet perfectly during car trips. I may download it to my current cell phone and try Alexa in the car.

Without having to move out from under 4 layers of blankets (and a heating pad) last night to reach for my cell phone, I was able to ask Alexa "what's the temperature?" "It's currently 12 degrees in ** ** right now" YIKES!

DH can add things to my shopping list without me having to remember to add it (I often don't remember). And if I were on my way to the store and he remembers something to add, he just tells Alexa. When I get to the store it's on my shopping list :)

Alexa gets smarter all the time. It's constantly being updated with new commands. Just recently added is the ability to set a repeating alarm...

Set a repeating alarm: "Alexa, set a repeating alarm for weekdays at 7 a.m."

HERE is a good website with lots of commands.

Roarah, thank you. DH became a citizen before Sept 11, so he was not tapped.

As to things I can't live without: I guess I did know it existed, but how did I get around without spoken directions from my phone? When DH is in the car, I drive and he navigates. But without him, I never would have managed all the college visits this go-round. Well, maybe I would have, by looking at the map and using my brain cells while driving (and making U turns). I think that my phone can hear me. I need to figure out if there is a "what did you just say? Turn right or turn left?" if I have the radio on when she pipes up with the next instruction.

We've had the headlamps around for years. DH will walk out in the snow to his truck to get his, even though there is one in the drawer. His is better, of course. :eyeroll: We have always called them "geek lights." :P

My newest must have is old-school. I got a pressure cooker. Never used one in my life, but I got it for cooking on the boat. Holy cow, how did I live without this thing? I've been using it a home, to learn how. Now, if only it would make toast!

On FB a few people are talking about their new Botvac's they got for Christmas, and I think they're half the price of a Roomba.

I've thought about getting one of these vac's, but tell me, don't the bags fill up pretty fast? Do they stop when the bag is full? Being in the country we get a lot of dust, and our two dogs shed all the time.

We got LED headlamps years ago for walking our dogs at night and finding their droppings in the dark!

Mimi, tomorrow morning, ask Alexa to play Reville. Or Taps when you climb in bed.

Here's what I use to operate bathroom fans.

Ford with Alexa. Great. Except I don't want to buy a new car. MyQ is less expensive and works with Siri.

Errant, I upgraded the existing LiftMaster MyQ with a $59 gateway. It will respond to HomeKit with Siri voice, or Android with a touch app. Waiting for Wink2 Hub to add HomeKit.

To some, it may seem lazy to use voice to control the garage. However, I use it as security. Leaving a remote in your car along with your registration may lead the thief right to your door.

Agree with the bathroom fan timers, just said that last night, best thing we did. And timer for the heated towel rack. One less thing to remember to turn off.

Brushworks Spectacular Finishes

Mimi, tomorrow morning, ask Alexa to play Reville. Or Taps when you climb in bed.

Here's what I use to operate bathroom fans.

*******

I'm going to surprise DH with Reville!! He'll think he's in his submarine bunk ;-)

Here's our (Lutron) bathroom set up, from left to right:

Lutron fan switch with 5-60 min timer.

Tub/shower alcove and recessed lights on dimmer.

Vanity wall lights on dimmer.

Alexa (and other automation) in cars worries me. People think these things are safe b/c they are hands free, but they are NOT. Studies have shown using the voice control devices while driving may actually be more distracting than handheld devices.

I do love my Alexa in the house though. Also love my aromatherapy diffuser and would not want to be w/o that!

I believe that, beagles. I find I need to focus more and more on the road now. Multi-tasking is a myth!

mimi,

Let us know your husband responds to reville.

I've known that it's existed for years, but I recently tried Tajin seasoning - I love this stuff! We bought some a while ago to put on the rims of glasses for bloody marys, but it sat in the cupboard for a long time before I tried it on some vegetables, then fish and other things. It's super yummy on scrambled eggs too. One thing that I haven't tried it on is fruit, which is popular in Mexico.

mimipadv, this is the setup in my bathroom. 3 gang outlet. One for the light in the potty alcove, one for the exhaust and the fan timer. Lutron :)

Ophelia, my housekeeper. I never thought I would be able to have someone in my house doing my laundry. Now, forgetaboutit. I will never be without one.

Well dang. I'm going to order an Ophelia on Amazon Prime right now!

;-)

OMG, so many interesting and amazing things mentioned here! I'd never even heard of dry brushing or Alexa, to name just two! Mine are much more mundane, but they are things I'm so glad I've found and never want to live without again.

* my Silgranit kitchen sink in anthracite (a dark gray black color). It doesn't chip, show water spots, stain, etc. After 9 years, I still am so happy I chose it when we gutted and redid our kitchen. I'm planning on replacing our laundry room sink with one next.

* Quartz counter tops: I've had butcher block, granite, tile, marble and stainless steel. I love that I don't have to remember to reseal it like the granite; it doesn't stain like granite or marble or spot like stainless steel. No grout to chip and stain like tile.

* Silicone Basting/Pastry brushes: once I discovered them I vowed I would never go back to the old kind that smelled rancid so often and left strands on my food, no matter how expensive they were.

Lynn, I need those cups! Very cool.

Yes to silicone basting brushes!

And, most things Oxo ;-)

Agreed, most things Oxo. Lynn, I have both the basters and measuring cups and they are fantastic. Years ago when I learned about the cups, my DIL wanted a set also. So we bought each other a set at Christmas and we were as giddy as little girls. lol

This angers me though. I'm sure most of you have the clear glass 2 cup measuring cup by Pyrex, with red print measurements. It has a spout. All the print has been washed off from the microwave. Now I only use it to mix a small amount of something and to melt/soften butter.

Oakley, agree about OXO utensils. I have many of them including the basters, spatulas, magnetic measuring spoon set, bottle brush (so handy washing glasses by hand!), silicone sink strainer, nylon tipped locking tongs, etc.

OK, here's one I thought of another use for myself: a large carabiner that I bought at Walmart for probably $5 in the outdoor section. You can also find them at many outdoors stores, and online at Amazon.

Mine is black (they come in several colors), and about 6" long. I keep it on the console of my car (or in my purse) to use whenever I'll be using a shopping cart in a store. I use it to hold my purse while I shop, if I'm not using a cross-body purse. After my friend got her purse snatched out of her shopping cart, I was trying to come up with a way to keep mine safer. I clip the carabiner to the metal rod right under the cart handle. I then clip it to my purse strap(s). This keeps my purse visible and accessible to me, but a would-be thief would have to practically stand on his head to access anything in my purse. And, no, I don't walk off and leave it dangling there while I wander down the aisle to look at something. It's not that foolproof!

When I get up to checkout, if I need to unload the cart myself onto the counter, I unclip it and clip it to the cart in front of where I'm standing. And, after I accidentally left my first one still on a cart handle, I now either leave it hanging off my purse strap or put it immediately into my purse when leaving, if I want to carry my purse. At the grocery store, I leave my purse clipped to the side of the cart closest to my car while I unload groceries into my car, so that it's not easily visible or accessible to a thief. Anyhoo, it's worked great for me for a number of years now.

Those OXO measuring cups are great! But, they can develop a little leak on the bottom after a while. Not too major but if you leave it set with an olive oil marinade for several minutes, you have a little puddle on the counter.

Did someone mention an electric mattress pad? I got my mother one for Christmas and she slept warm for the first time in ages!

All the print has been washed off from the microwave.

Are you sure that it was from the microwave, and not the dishwasher?

Those large carabiners are also great for carrying several plastic or cloth grocery bags at once into the house.

I never put my purse in the grocery cart. I use a crossbody purse, so it's always on me.

Love all things OXO. I have the 2 cup OXO slanted measuring cup and the itty bitty one. Lynn, the carabiner is a great idea for carrying grocery shopping bags into the house. My WM has them. I just added it to the Alexa shopping list. Thanks.

I'll admit I'm very lax about my purse while shopping. I'm just entirely too trusting. In one year, I left my purse in the buggy at the WM parking lot SIX times! It was returned to the service desk each time...whew!

I will add my wallet on a string as another item I will ever give up. I love being purseless! I noticed that everyone would hand me their stuff to hold in my bag...my husband's phone, water bottle, sunglasses etc! It was a weight I should not have been expected to hold but because I carried the diaper bag or large purse it was assumed I could! It has taken a year for my family to finally stop asking if they could put this or that in my bag now that I do not have a bag they are on their own and my shoulders and neck feel years younger! Love my wallets on a string! I keep the diaper bag stuff in my car now...

Just dry shampoo. I can only stand to use it one day but it's very helpful at this point in life.

A 'little thing' that I think can help a lot of people-women especially-is getting a (bedroom) ceiling fan that has a remote.

I know a lot of us use ceiling fans to help cool us down when it need it (no matter the season!), and being able to control the fan without having to get up is something I can't live without!

WTH is an Ophelia? I typed it in at Amazon and got music and literary suggestions.

Such great ideas. I love my backpack purse for hands free shopping and restroom using while out and about. I also love my small silicone spatulas. I use them for all kinds of mixing and scraping. Lavender essential oil swiped under my nose at night for relaxation. Weather Tech molded floor mats for my vehicle - a real help in the winter.

All the print has been washed off from the microwave.

Are you sure that it was from the microwave, and not the dishwasher?

I washed both the 1-cup and the 2-cup numbers off using Lemishine in the dish washer. It only takes once to wash it off - but apparently twice for me to learn from doing it.

Speaking of Lemishine, it's great for cleaning the calcium buildup out of your dishwasher. Best to not put your Pyrex measuring cups in the load.

Littlebug, I think Ophelia is her real, live, housekeeper lol!

Oh! Teehee. Minipadv's comment threw me off!

I unclogged my shower drain last week with Lemishine (citric acid). It worked great.

All my Pyrex measuring cups still have their printing. I use Lemishine with every dishwasher load. There is usually one or two measuring cups per load. Glass ones? Mine are glass.

Bad typo, Yes, the dishwasher. Hooveb, I'm a Lemishine junkie! It sells out fast where I live so I buy two bottles at a time.

Could you use citric acid in place of Lemishine? I have a whole container of citric acid doing nothing in the cabinet.

I've never used Lemishine. I'll have to look that up. I have two of the larger pyrex measuring cups that I use constantly. One is my late grandmother's and is shaped just a tad different - that's how old it is. Both of mine go in the dishwasher and the microwave, and have all the lettering! Maybe it's the detergent used?

Lynn, I do agree with you on the quartz countertops - we love ours. I love being able to sit something hot on the counter and not have to worry about it.

I've never heard of Lemishine either. How do you use it to clean the shower drain?

I have to admit I prefer a zip-it for cleaning the shower drain, but I would never say I couldn't live without it. I used to use a crochet hook that I kept just for that and it also works well, but doesn't reach down as far as a zip-it will.

I wouldn't want to be without my OXO hair trap!

I also like my car's backup camera, although I refuse to rely on it solely and still physically turn to look in all directions before backing out. Recently I rode in the car with someone who put her car in reverse, checked her backup camera, and then just roared out of the parking space. Her confidence in that thing kinda freaked me out!

Also love having Bluetooth/hands-free phone ability in the car. It looks funny to me now to see someone driving and holding a phone to their ear, and no longer looks odd to see someone driving alone and carrying on an animated conversation. ;-)

When I think about it, I AM self-conscience carrying on an animated conversation while in my car alone lol It's normally not an issue living in the country and frequenting towns with populations of 3200 and 4500. But when I go to the city and I'm sitting in traffic, I'm thinking people are probably keeping one eye on me and a finger on their 911 button :o

Surely people know by now about hands free phones? Right?

I have a hair catcher in my bath drain! I love it! I have not had a stopped up drain since I started using it in 2010.

Bluetooth headphones for car passengers. Getting the headphones synced with individual cell phones can be tedious, but once everyone's connected they are great.

Lemishine: I used it with Cascade orange cap liquid dish washing detergent. Took the lettering right off.

Has anyone found a permanent marker or paint to re-mark the glass measuring cups?

Regarding LemiShine: there may be a warning on the label that I didn't read, but several years ago when I used it in my dishwasher on a new dish set, it ruined them. They were dark green with silver scrollwork and the LemiShine turned the silver to BLUE. I tried many ways to get it back to silver again, to no avail. This was not an expensive dish set, but I was so disappointed. I thew away the bottle and haven't used it since. Your stories here are making me reconsider, though.

Heck my glass measuring cups lost their writing long ago from seventh generation powder detergent.