Don\u2019t knock the timers and reminders though; I feel like my life couldn\u2019t function without Alexa\u2019s constant prompts and alarms to remind me of something or other, including when to leave the sanctity of my bed in the morning, or cut the grass at my parents’ house.<\/p>\n
Jessica Miller, head of data insights at FDM\/CCS Insight, reckons reactions could be \u201cpolarising\u201d \u2013 which is analyst-speak for \u201csome people will love it, others will ask it to please stop talking immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, Alexa has numbers on her side. More than half of the UK and Ireland have tried an Echo device, and there have been a staggering 114 billion interactions since 2023 \u2013 that\u2019s roughly 1,500 per person, with some likely leaning on their devices for daily conversation.<\/p>\n
My typically most-asked questions include the following: \u201cAlexa, when is Man Utd\u2019s next match?\u201d; \u201cWhat age is such-and-such a celebrity?\u201d and \u201cWill it rain in the next hour?\u201d.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s usually bang-on with the first two queries but less so on the weather, which, in fairness, aint an exact science.<\/p>\n
Anyway, Alexa+ will cost you a cool \u00a319.99 a month, unless you\u2019re an Amazon Prime subscriber, in which case your newly talkative housemate comes included.<\/p>\n
Incidentally, I just asked the question \u2013 \u201cAlexa, is it worth the upgrade to Alexa Plus?\u201d and got the following reply back verbatim: \u201cUpgrading to Alexa Plus can offer benefits like faster setup and premium support but whether it\u2019s worth it depends. It\u2019s best to review the features on the Alexa website to see if they match what you’re looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bit diplomatic and dull if you ask me. Time to upgrade?<\/p>\n
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Niall Horan refreshingly real despite global success<\/p>\n
I must say singer Niall Horan came across as a very decent and well-rounded guy on the still-worth-watching Tommy Tiernan Show the other night.<\/p>\n
The former One Direction superstar might have been the first guest to get two full segments of the RTE Saturday night show to himself, and he didn\u2019t disappoint.<\/p>\n
The 32-year-old artist revealed how he\u2019s a lifelong Derby County supporter, following in the footsteps of his dad, and a fanatic for the game of golf, aside from the singing, which he\u2019s pretty handy at too.<\/p>\n
The Mullingar native quickly won over audiences, including this writer, with his relaxed, chatty manner and unmistakably grounded outlook.<\/p>\n
Despite selling millions of records worldwide and performing to huge international crowds, Horan spoke candidly about his upbringing, recalling a modest childhood, the break-up of his parents when he was five, and an ordinary life in a housing estate.<\/p>\n
His down-to-earth presence is a rare and welcome quality in someone who has operated at the highest level of the music industry. And in an era of carefully curated celebrity personas, Horan\u2019s unscripted appearance felt refreshingly real.<\/p>\n
So swayed was I, that I might even check out his new album \u2018Dinner Party\u2019 set for release in June.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlexa, what is Niall Horan\u2019s net worth?\u201d \u201cNiall Horan is worth an estimated 52 million euro.\u201d Impressive.<\/p>\n
Everyone should read books by Jonathan Franzen<\/p>\n
I have just finished Jonathan Franzen\u2019s sprawling and brilliant novel \u2018Freedom\u2019, whose 600 pages I thoroughly enjoyed and flew through [by my slow standards].<\/p>\n
Now, I realise I\u2019m a decade-and\u2013a-half late to the party, given that it was published in 2010, but better late than never.<\/p>\n