I love Amazon as both a customer and a long-term shareholder. As we all know, we can find anything on Amazon and it will be delivered to our doorstep in record time, sometimes overnight. Returns are easy, just drop at Whole Foods.
As a shareholder, I have shares that I bought at $6.99, that are now worth $176.25. That’s over a 2,000% gain.
I love Amazon.
So today was a “say it ain’t so” day for me when I read about Alexa’s political bias on my favorite news site Allsides. The article is titled: Alexa Responds to Trump, Harris Questions Differently. You can read the full article here.
Alexa
Alexa is Amazon’s electronic personal assistant. It comes in several smart-speaker forms and is also built into some TVs, Cars, and other tech appliances. I can say “Alexa, play some Foo Fighters” and I hear a playlist of songs from Amazon Music. While cooking, I can say “Alexa, remind me to take the brownies out of the oven in 20 minutes.” And she does.
My neighbor’s name is Alexa and I expect that could be problematic, but all in all, people seem to be quite happy with these devices.
Big Tech Bias
It’s unfortunate that her creators are influencing her answers to try and sway our opinion. I wrote recently about bias at Facebook (Meta) and Google (Alphabet). Why shouldn’t Amazon join the party? Read more here, here, and here.
All joking aside, the media, whether it is Google Search, Youtube, Facebook, or our favorite news website or broadcast, tends to be our main source for the information that shapes our opinions. If information is being withheld, or stories reflect a particular perspective, we may be unduly influenced.
This is a serious topic, and I am quite disappointed with these stories that I’m reading on both right-leaning and left-leaning news outlets.
…And in Other Surprising News…
I read this one yesterday and had to laugh.
From the NY Times: An Obesity Drug Prevents Covid Deaths, Study Suggests . A key quote: “Wegovy, the popular obesity drug, may have yet another surprising benefit. In a large clinical trial, people taking the drug during the pandemic were less likely to die of Covid-19, researchers reported on Friday.
In a surprising turn of events, weight loss may have health benefits. Surprising at least for Gina and her editors at the Times.
Comorbidites
We all learned about comorbidities during the Covid crisis. The word had never been uttered before, but all of a sudden it was everywhere and we all flocked to Google to find out what it was.
While the Cleveland Clinic defines it as “Comorbidities are medical conditions that you have in addition to a primary diagnosis.”, I prefer Jim Gaffigan’s explaination here. It’s a quick watch and will enlighten you and make you smile.
Wrap-Up
So that’s it for today. I continue to be disappointed with the news media and big tech, but my stock gains and sites like allsides, help me work through it.
I take everything I read and hear with a huge grain of salt.
I also read Why are you so angry? Maybe it’s because politicians (and social media companies) want you that way. on the Boston Globe site today.
Don’t let the media bring you down. It’s a beautiful day here in New England, I just had a nice cup of coffee, and I’m going to do some work in the yard and then hit the driving range. I also had some fantastic BBQ at The Coop in Millbury last night with Mike (friend Mike, not neighbor Mike).
Stay happy.