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Clever Hack Fakes A Sleep Timer For Google Home (vortex.com)
Slashdot reader Lauren Weinstein writes:
I've long been bitching about Google Home's lack of a basic function that clock radios have had since at least the middle of the last century -- the classic "sleep timer" for playing music until a specified time or until a specific interval has passed... Originally, sleep timer type commands weren't recognized at all by GH, but eventually it started admitting that the concept at least exists... Officially, GH still responds with "Sleep timer is not yet supported" when you give commands like "Stop playing in an hour"... A somewhat inconvenient but seemingly serviceable way to fake a sleep timer is now possible with Google Home. I plead guilty, it's a hack. But here we go.
The hack exploits the new "Night Mode" in the firmware, which lets you set a maximum volume for specific hours of the day, creating silent (but still-active) music streaming. "Yep, a hack, but it works," writes Lauren. "And it's the closest we've gotten to a real sleep timer on Google Home so far."
Any other Slashdot readers have their own favorite personal assistant tricks?
The hack exploits the new "Night Mode" in the firmware, which lets you set a maximum volume for specific hours of the day, creating silent (but still-active) music streaming. "Yep, a hack, but it works," writes Lauren. "And it's the closest we've gotten to a real sleep timer on Google Home so far."
Any other Slashdot readers have their own favorite personal assistant tricks?
"slashdot readers have their own favorite personal assistant" ./ reader, who uses a "personal assistant"he cannot hack as he wants, is a moron who fails to understand anything he reads
... is to leave such privacy-invading devices unpurchased at the store.
#DeleteChrome
Here to help.
Google Home is when you Google stuff at home.
If you are away from home, be sure to try Google Mobile, found on most smart phones and tablets and on desktops provided by libraries and workplaces.
It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
You put a bunch of IoT junk like cameras, microphones, speakers, device controllers and alarms in your house, hook it to the net, and Google owns your Home!
You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
This is a classic example of how Slashdot has changed. They saw this submission and said: "This is perfect! No self respecting slashdotter will have one of these, and just think of the post count as they all post to say that this guy doesn't belong on Slashdot ... ka-ching"
Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
I wish that the summary explained what Google Home actually is.
It's Google's next discontinued product.
#DeleteChrome
... creating silent (but still-active) music streaming.
Dear My ISP,
Why is my reported usage so high? I swear I don't use that much data.
Sincerely,
Confused Customer
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
mplayer SOME_ALBUM/* & sleep $((30*60)) ; kill $!
1) Who sets a sleep timer on something like that?
2) Who falls asleep with any music they can hear still playing?
3) Who feels they need to have the thing turn-off if they can sleep through it?
4) Who thinks a timer plug on the power would be quicker and easier?
5) Who thinks it's "fun" to have to hack on basic functionality to a device that obviously already detects the command necessary to activate it and contains technology sufficient to perform it but the tech makers just don't care enough to bother.
This is like Pointless Central.
It's sort of like a radio alarm clock, only it's the cost of 10 radio alarm clocks in one device. Instead of the radio it uses the internet. You can put it in your kitchen too. Best of all you can yell at it!
For example, when the alarm goes off in the morning and you too sleepy to reach over and turn it off:
You: googferl shna mrp
GH: You said "buy all new Google products, is this correct?"
You: gogfap ufa peeu nowa
GH: You said "turn on the blender now, is this correct?"
You: Uu fah ken boks shuup
GH: You seem to be in distress; contacting emergency services now!