amazon alexa

  • How to Get Alexa to Talk Less

    How to Get Alexa to Talk Less

    While I appreciate everything a smart speaker assistant can help me with, I don’t want to get caught in long conversations with Alexa. I certainly don’t need her to respond out loud to every request or make suggestions on totally separate topics when all I asked her to do was turn off the lights.


  • How to Get an Amazon Echo to Tell You a Room’s Temperature

    How to Get an Amazon Echo to Tell You a Room’s Temperature

    Little thermometers you can buy and hang anywhere are fairly cheap, but there’s no need to get one if you own an Amazon Echo. That is, if you own one of two kinds of Echos: a fourth-generation Echo or a second-generation Echo Plus. Both of these have temperature sensors built into the smart speakers; you…


  • Make A Houseguest Guide With Alexa

    Make A Houseguest Guide With Alexa

    The Houseguest Guide on Alexa Skill Blueprints lets you program your Alexa to answer questions for housesitters, babysitters and other guests. You can explain the TV remotes, the garbage routine, and the trick to make the shower work, and Alexa will wrap it all inside a Houseguest Guide skill.