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P2P Alarm Clock Service
bs0d3 writes "Instead of waking up to a regular alarm clock, TalkO'Clock will let others help you get out of bed. The service allows you to choose whether you want to be called by a male or a female stranger, and it has a robot – CallO'Bot – lined up in case no one is available at the time you have to wake up. All completely anonymous of course." Not sure why this is better than your phone alarm, but if you're starving for human contact this might not be a bad option.
I can finally have a woman wake me up in the morning, other than my mom shouting down the basement stairs!
start by registering on facebook... WTF?!?
Do I have the option of a custom phrase to wake me up?
I'm thinking something along the lines of Moan My IP.
This isn't so much 'too good to be true' as it is 'too weird to be true'.
Remember the 4853th rule of the internet: find out where they get their money.
At first blush I'm guessing they're scamming for access to people's facebook data. What other angle they have, I don't see.
The English word fart is one of the oldest words in the English vocabulary.
What? Why? What am I missing? I don't even... Who would even want this?
Hmm, you mean there is a service that will let you troll random strangers in the morning via telephone! I'm sure that will work out wonderfully!
Color me skeptical, but to get a call or make a call, you have to give them your phone number. If I'm reading the site right, you have to confirm a text message sent to you to be the alarm clock. What I'm a bit concerned about is that they will sell this information to third parties, and I'll start getting texts from advertisers on my phone.
Maybe I'm wrong; I hope I am. Maybe these really are just nice folks who want to create an interesting service. They are in Russia (the "heart of Siberia," according to their web site), though, so although I really want to believe this is completely honest and above-board... Enh. I think I'll pass and let other people be the guinea pigs and see how it works out for them.
Knowing my luck, I'd get an old Jewish woman screaming at me every morning. "Who's there?! Are you a sex criminal?!"
...And there it is. Pulled out of the site's Privacy Policy (emphasis mine):
"Personally Identifiable Information" means any information that may be used to identify an individual, such as, without limitation, a first and last name, home or other physical address, an email address, phone number or other contact information, whether at work or at home.
...
We may use your Personally Identifiable Information to complete transactions, respond to your requests, answer your questions, and notify you of promotions, updates, or special offers that we think may interest you.
Is it a clever idea? Yes, it is, and it really sounds like a fun thing to participate in. But if it means that I might start getting advertising texts--or worse, phone calls--then hell no. Count me out. I sympathize with them needing money to keep the service up and running, but that's just way over the line for what I'm willing to give people just for a few minutes here and there of amusement.
"You do not want your head to leave the pillow... Your eyelids are growing heavier.... ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" I can't imagine how many people will be late to work because of this.
It would make a great prank to pull on one of my homophobic friends, being awoken to a man saying something along the lines of "hey there sexy"
If that's all you want to do... just post his number here, we'll be happy to help!
They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it's not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance. - Terry Pratchett