Are Vehicles Becoming Too Emotional?
Vehicles and emotion may not seem like two things that go together, but as I found out a couple days ago, cars are getting more involved with human emotion.
Before you dismiss me as crazy, read the rest of this story and decide for yourself.
It all started innocently enough, with my wife sending me a photo of the rabbit that decided to take up winter residence under our shed. It is not like he is bothering anything. He had a roof over his head and what he feels is a safe spot from the coyotes and foxes that patrol our part of the county in search of an easy meal.
The issue with photos being sent when the phone is connected to the car is the car does not have the ability to describe the image, so it goes into freak-out mode and looks for the last test that contained words. It does not matter how old the test is, what the context of the conversation was, or how benign the phrase may be.
After a quick succession of tests that the phone and car could not relay to me due to the contents being photos, the last text my wife had sent that contained words was read out loud by my car.
Hahaha. Yep.
This had been the final exchange in a conversation we were having while I sat in the exam room at the local urgent care waiting on the results of a chest x-ray to be provided to the doctor. Hopefully it was not another bought of pneumonia.
While I was sitting there, waiting patiently, struggling to breath, the local news announced that what has to be the most disinterested looking reporter in local market was going to be covering the vigil at the St. Clair Fire Station for the Officer and child that were shot in a tragic altercation between the local police department and a mentally disturbed, suicidal person.
Her ability to look like she would rather be anywhere other than covering whatever story she is reporting on always makes us laugh when we see her. While she is not a bad reporter, she could benefit from a makeover more that anyone I can think of. Hair, eyebrows, makeup clothes, everything could be worked on and tweaked to make her a better, more professional looking member of the local media.
I made the comment that I should go to the vigil and offer her a hug for her willingness to brave the cold to show up and cover the somber event. It would be the highlight of her career.
The response to this was sent as the doctor entered the room to give me the results of my x-ray.
After getting the good news that it was not pneumonia, I was given a prescription for an inhaler to help with the asthmatic symptoms the viral infection was causing me and headed home.
My car had no issue with the test at this point. The entire conversation was ignored given the fact the last test had been read while I was still in the urgent care exam room.
The next morning, after the photo of the rabbit left the car and phone unable to relay the info in the text, the Hahaha. Yep. took on an unexpected meaning for my car.
As I began to speak my reply to the phone via Android Auto, the system interrupted me. It had taken offense to the words Hahaha. Yep.
My car suddenly began to inform me that this appeared to be abusive language directed toward me. It then advised me to find a trusted, close friend to talk to about this abuse, work to cut this abusive person out of my life, and offered to find a local counselor for me to speak to if I didn’t have a close friend that I felt comfortable talking to about this abuse.
Before I could respond, I was offered a google search for ways to recognize abusive behavior to go along with a list of mental health counselors in my area.
All this just because a rabbit had taken up residence under my shed and had ventured out at just the right time for my wife to take a couple quick photos of it with her phone and send them to me.
If it is this worried about me based on a couple words that were taken out of context, all I can wonder is what it thinks if it is constantly listening to me as I talk trash about the other drivers on the road. It can only be a matter of time before it interrupts me and suggests anger management counseling or places a call to the police to have them pull me over before I act out on my issues over being cut off by someone who then proceeds to drive 15 miles under the speed limit.
Perhaps modern technology is becoming too smart for our own good.