Audrey – A smart personal assistant app that helps you to get things done(getaudrey.com)
getaudrey.com
Audrey – A smart personal assistant app that helps you to get things done
https://getaudrey.com
87 comments
> I don't want to get things done
Exactly. This is a really, really difficult and essential observation to make. Humans are built to procrastinate because it conserves energy.
Do an experiment: Sit down and start doing what you are supposed to do. If you're not able to work or start, don't find excuses. Don't go looking for physical reasons like "Hungry", "Cold", "Tired". Don't procrastinate. Don't walk around. Don't work around the issue. Don't change the project. Those are all excuses. Just accept that you are not able to start and keep sitting there until you start.
When you stop finding excuses or looking elsewhere, you will realise the immense stress that's building up inside you. That is the mountain you have to scale to stop procrastinating. A kind of stress that's not always there, luckily, but it's definitely built into humans.
Exactly. This is a really, really difficult and essential observation to make. Humans are built to procrastinate because it conserves energy.
Do an experiment: Sit down and start doing what you are supposed to do. If you're not able to work or start, don't find excuses. Don't go looking for physical reasons like "Hungry", "Cold", "Tired". Don't procrastinate. Don't walk around. Don't work around the issue. Don't change the project. Those are all excuses. Just accept that you are not able to start and keep sitting there until you start.
When you stop finding excuses or looking elsewhere, you will realise the immense stress that's building up inside you. That is the mountain you have to scale to stop procrastinating. A kind of stress that's not always there, luckily, but it's definitely built into humans.
I find that the problem is often the context switching.
To get things done, I often have to take a step back and make a list of things that need to get done. This is the top-down brainstorming, that gets me more in the mood. I can do this when I'm not working, to get me thinking about the problem.
Then when the time comes for working, you choose the easiest or shortest task and start on it. The "McDonalds theory" as stated on phpjs is that you can do a shitty job on your first iteration as long as you get it done. When you did it, or usually even as you are working, you have the urge to improve it. And that's where the excitement and emotional investment comes.
Russians have an expression for this: Appetite comes when you start eating.
To get things done, I often have to take a step back and make a list of things that need to get done. This is the top-down brainstorming, that gets me more in the mood. I can do this when I'm not working, to get me thinking about the problem.
Then when the time comes for working, you choose the easiest or shortest task and start on it. The "McDonalds theory" as stated on phpjs is that you can do a shitty job on your first iteration as long as you get it done. When you did it, or usually even as you are working, you have the urge to improve it. And that's where the excitement and emotional investment comes.
Russians have an expression for this: Appetite comes when you start eating.
Yes, I do that as well. Start somewhere and work yourself into the mood.
I keep the larger issue in mind though, to not spend too much time on improving "alibi"-subprojects.
Regarding the "McDonalds theory": I call that "Don't mix production and criticism of your work." Either produce something or improve on you've already done. Otherwise these two modes of operation interfere with each other.
Regarding the "McDonalds theory": I call that "Don't mix production and criticism of your work." Either produce something or improve on you've already done. Otherwise these two modes of operation interfere with each other.
> try to lift a 100kg weight
> just accept that you won't lift it, until you tried
> if you try, you will feel a stress that might just crush you, but there is no other solution, you are absolutely expected to lift the weight
> just accept that you won't lift it, until you tried
> if you try, you will feel a stress that might just crush you, but there is no other solution, you are absolutely expected to lift the weight
Not sure what you wanted to say, but I'll rephrase my tip in your words:
Don't tell yourself the weight is light, you just never got around to lift it for reasons X, Y and Z, when really the weight is heavy.
Don't tell yourself the weight is light, you just never got around to lift it for reasons X, Y and Z, when really the weight is heavy.
I'm not sure either but I guess I was trying to say that the weakness to lifting a weight is exactly the same as to getting up, ignoring x, y and z and do something. Because first of all, the brain is the biggest muscle and second of all, because training is impeded by distractions, whether training to ignore distractions or to lift weights.
I think that's one of the greatest head-fakes to take over the internet. You realize that priorities matter
I have a similar mindset, and see it manifest as always being incredibly motivated/excited to tackle the first 90% of a problem, and then falling behind in the last 10% because I don't want to be done, or I get bored of the nitty gritty bugs, or whatever.
To combat this, I always shoot a lot higher so that 90% is a lot more than what 100% would have been of the original. My GitHub issues are _always_ filled with todos and future projects because it makes me feel like I'm building towards something great, instead of just finishing up a project that I'll be done with and not work on again.
It's a mindset that's worked really well for me so far.
To combat this, I always shoot a lot higher so that 90% is a lot more than what 100% would have been of the original. My GitHub issues are _always_ filled with todos and future projects because it makes me feel like I'm building towards something great, instead of just finishing up a project that I'll be done with and not work on again.
It's a mindset that's worked really well for me so far.
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> After working GTD style I feel happier and more productive, but usually not closer to my goals.
Were you doing the different reviews to make sure the direction you are headed is bringing you closer to your goals? Working towards your goals is a pretty key part of the system.
For me, the biggest thing I took away from that book was the 2-minute rule. If I see something that needs to be taken care of and it will only take a few minutes to do, just do it. That made a big difference to me because I'm the kind of person that will see a burned out light bulb and then make a mental note to replace the bulb when really I should just do it.
Were you doing the different reviews to make sure the direction you are headed is bringing you closer to your goals? Working towards your goals is a pretty key part of the system.
For me, the biggest thing I took away from that book was the 2-minute rule. If I see something that needs to be taken care of and it will only take a few minutes to do, just do it. That made a big difference to me because I'm the kind of person that will see a burned out light bulb and then make a mental note to replace the bulb when really I should just do it.
I hope this is helpful feedback:
* There are several small typos on the page ("How does it works?") that distract from its content.
* The testimonials strike me as all having the same writer's voice.
* What appears to set "Audrey" aside from, say, Alexa is the promise that you can take a moment to train the AI when it misunderstands you. That's a great feature; I can tell Alexa that she was wrong (via the app), but that's tedious and may take months to see my feedback enacted. Immediately linking what I said to the desired outcome for future use would be ideal. I'd like to see an example of what that looks like for this app, even if it's just a mock-up.
* There are several small typos on the page ("How does it works?") that distract from its content.
* The testimonials strike me as all having the same writer's voice.
* What appears to set "Audrey" aside from, say, Alexa is the promise that you can take a moment to train the AI when it misunderstands you. That's a great feature; I can tell Alexa that she was wrong (via the app), but that's tedious and may take months to see my feedback enacted. Immediately linking what I said to the desired outcome for future use would be ideal. I'd like to see an example of what that looks like for this app, even if it's just a mock-up.
The testimonials strike me as all having the same writer's voice.
Someone needs to come up with a service that generates authentic-sounding testimonials, complete with convincing headshots.
Someone needs to come up with a service that generates authentic-sounding testimonials, complete with convincing headshots.
"Sincerity is the key to success. Once you can fake that you’ve got it made"
Convincingly human headshots that aren't just misappropriated likenesses of a real person? Sounds like an ML master's thesis to me!
It'd probably be easier to hire a bunch of models, cheaper too! :P
No no, the point is that they're supposed to look convincing, not like models!
Model doesn't need to mean the type you'd see on the catwalk at a fashion show, you could ask random people in the street if they'd take a quick headshot for a tenner even
I was thinking of this as I was reading this thread (America's Voices in The Onion): https://triviahappy.com/articles/who-are-the-people-in-the-o...
Thank you very much for the feedback. Will refill coffees and start working on those. We are sorry for the grammar, we will make those changes as soon as possible. Must have slip off our mind to get them checked due to caffeine overdose.
*Bow apologetically
*Bow apologetically
Hi, I also noticed it says, "Set your routines with Audrey, such as like getting a Uber every morning." I think, "Set your routines with Audrey, like getting an Uber every morning." is a little clearer! App looks very cool though!
Thanks! We've updated it!
The landing page copy is still really bad - "Whenever Audrey do not understand your request, you can teach it so that it can understand you the next time."
How am I supposed to trust that you are capable of building an AI when you can't get basic grammar correct? Don't build a marketing page when you're bad at marketing :)
Edit:
Just to clarify - I mean that the poor grammar is likely due to that fact that English probably isn't your first language and has no relationship to your abilities writing software. But, for consumer facing products such as yours, it's probably important that you get these small things right.
How am I supposed to trust that you are capable of building an AI when you can't get basic grammar correct? Don't build a marketing page when you're bad at marketing :)
Edit:
Just to clarify - I mean that the poor grammar is likely due to that fact that English probably isn't your first language and has no relationship to your abilities writing software. But, for consumer facing products such as yours, it's probably important that you get these small things right.
Awwww, thanks. We are kidnapping an English professor right now to do the job. You folks deserve high-quality material and we have fail to deliver it. We are terribly sorry and will improve.
I can't tell if you're being sarcastic, but if you are, please know that my comment wasn't meant to minimize your accomplishment of building and releasing an app. I honestly want you to succeed and think it would be sad if that opportunity never presented itself simply because of poor grammar on a landing page.
No no. I really do appreciate your comment. We're getting a person who is going to run through the landing page copy as soon as possible.
I also noticed a minor mistake on the automatic email acknowledging a signup to the waiting list.
Instead of saying 'merrier', as in more merry, it says 'marrier'.
Instead of saying 'merrier', as in more merry, it says 'marrier'.
We actually have a video showing how it works. It will be up on the site soon! I promise!
Nothing against this application personally, but I still do not understand the appeal of "personal assistants." If I want the weather, I click my weather app icon and see it instantly. If I want an Uber, I click Uber and request one instantly.
I don't see the benefit of adding another layer between me and my desired action. This is especially the case when the smart personal assistant doesn't understand my request, in which case I'll usually just abandon the whole thing. Only took a few times trying to get Siri to do something and I haven't used it for anything besides timers in years.
I don't see the benefit of adding another layer between me and my desired action. This is especially the case when the smart personal assistant doesn't understand my request, in which case I'll usually just abandon the whole thing. Only took a few times trying to get Siri to do something and I haven't used it for anything besides timers in years.
For simple tasks like that, maybe I would agree. But as tasks get increasingly more complex, they take longer to do manually and the assistant ends up significantly reducing the work to do the action.
For example, "play Skrillex on Spotify" Manually I would have to find Spotify, go to the search, type in Skrillex, etc.
For example, "play Skrillex on Spotify" Manually I would have to find Spotify, go to the search, type in Skrillex, etc.
I love the design for this. Excellent!
As a side note, I'm curious to how/why you named it Audrey. I think it's very interesting that these 'personal assistants' have traditionally feminine names.
P.S. At the bottom, "Here's are some" is not grammatically correct.
As a side note, I'm curious to how/why you named it Audrey. I think it's very interesting that these 'personal assistants' have traditionally feminine names.
P.S. At the bottom, "Here's are some" is not grammatically correct.
> Women have been made into servants once again. Except this time, they’re digital.
https://qz.com/911681/we-tested-apples-siri-amazon-echos-ale...
Another quote to think about (warning: explicit sexual language):
> "The fact that Apple writers selected “I’d blush if I could” as Siri’s response to any verbal sexual harassment quite literally flirts with abuse. Coy, evasive responses like Alexa’s “Let’s change the topic” in response to “You are a slut” or Cortana’s “I don’t think I can help you with that” in response to “Suck my dick” reinforce stereotypes of unassertive, subservient women in service positions. We should also not overlook the puny jokes that Cortana and Google Home occasionally employed. These actions intensify rape culture by presenting indirect ambiguity as a valid response to harassment."
https://qz.com/911681/we-tested-apples-siri-amazon-echos-ale...
Another quote to think about (warning: explicit sexual language):
> "The fact that Apple writers selected “I’d blush if I could” as Siri’s response to any verbal sexual harassment quite literally flirts with abuse. Coy, evasive responses like Alexa’s “Let’s change the topic” in response to “You are a slut” or Cortana’s “I don’t think I can help you with that” in response to “Suck my dick” reinforce stereotypes of unassertive, subservient women in service positions. We should also not overlook the puny jokes that Cortana and Google Home occasionally employed. These actions intensify rape culture by presenting indirect ambiguity as a valid response to harassment."
I've heard more than a few women complain that all the bots in the "service" area tend to get female names.
At least one blogger preferred Googles assistant because she was ordering around an impersonal un-gendered corporation rather than what felt like an individual.
That said, this does seem like a great opportunity for Ask to bring Jeeves back.
That said, this does seem like a great opportunity for Ask to bring Jeeves back.
One of the things I like about Capital One's Eno chatbot is that it is explicitly gender-neutral.
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Little Shop of Horrors reference, as this is something otherwise not quite talkative suddenly getting chatty?
Wonder if there's some interaction that causes a "Feed me, Seymour" response.
Wonder if there's some interaction that causes a "Feed me, Seymour" response.
They should probably have someone look at the English, there are a few easily spotted errors even in the short sentences explaining the features.
> How Does It Works?
For a natural language processor, they sure could benefit from better proofreading.
For a natural language processor, they sure could benefit from better proofreading.
For a moment I thought the original Audrey assistant was reborn: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3Com_Audrey
We had been told that a several time and we immediately check if we infringed anything. Turns out, we are clear :) Good ol times.
I was at 3Com at that time. Awesome product, bad timing.
Good luck with yours!
Good luck with yours!
I don't typically use assistants and voice based interfaces beyond "Alexa, what's the weather" which is arguably not that impressive.
However... I welcome 3rd party, independent applications of this type, because I find it dull that all the existing solutions from big companies are just trying to upsell their own services by forcing you to have an account with them, listen to their music or shop from their shop... Some independent thinking is due in this space.
However... I welcome 3rd party, independent applications of this type, because I find it dull that all the existing solutions from big companies are just trying to upsell their own services by forcing you to have an account with them, listen to their music or shop from their shop... Some independent thinking is due in this space.
Mhm.
So yet another Siri.
Apparently "Vernax" is behind it: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/vernax#/entity
Website is down: http://www.vernax.com/
They really need a native English speaker to clean up the text on the homepage though. Lot's of sub-optimal phrasing.
So yet another Siri.
Apparently "Vernax" is behind it: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/vernax#/entity
Website is down: http://www.vernax.com/
They really need a native English speaker to clean up the text on the homepage though. Lot's of sub-optimal phrasing.
*Lots
Personal assistant bot, Yes. Another useless chatbot, big NO. Nice and clean app, good luck.
They're from Toronto! That makes it even weirder that they have some pretty rough ESL issues.
We're non native speaker. We didn't update our Crunchbase for a long long time and now we are in Japan now. Sorry.
Lots of Torontonians are ESL.
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This looks interesting, but I really need to see their Privacy Policy first.
Hi, we're sorry about it. We will update the site as soon as possible with the privacy policy. Thank you for your patient.
Exactly my thoughts.
When I saw that it was missing from the website I considered for a second that companies are just foregoing the Privacy Policy with the assumption that everyone just knows they soak up everything about you and keep it forever.
When I saw that it was missing from the website I considered for a second that companies are just foregoing the Privacy Policy with the assumption that everyone just knows they soak up everything about you and keep it forever.
I wonder how it is different from Magic
https://getmagic.com/
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9087819
https://getmagic.com/
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9087819
Design looks like Instagram Stories at the top + IFTTT for the cards. Could be interesting but definitely not sharing it to go up the list or whatever, I always felt like that approach was no good for products nobody has ever tried.
> It reinvents how people interact with artificial intelligence by allowing you to teach it instead of guessing what it'll understand.
Putting out an app like this seems like a great idea, if only to have a platform to start collecting and cleaning data (for your MTurkers, relatives, and bored employees). Speaking of which the privacy policy link goes nowhere...
On a related note, does anyone have details on the penalties for not having a privacy policy on a Google Play app? They seem to be a little more insistent on having one than Apple.
Putting out an app like this seems like a great idea, if only to have a platform to start collecting and cleaning data (for your MTurkers, relatives, and bored employees). Speaking of which the privacy policy link goes nowhere...
On a related note, does anyone have details on the penalties for not having a privacy policy on a Google Play app? They seem to be a little more insistent on having one than Apple.
Their privacy policy is concerning.
"Request accesss". How do I know you're just not running some sort of marketing study/proof of demand?
We don't play a fool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDlAqhulJmw&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDlAqhulJmw&t=1s
Thank you for the video!
My 5 cents: Please make the small x (close button) to something else, like swipe to up to close the dialog. Small x is not good gui for mobile phone apps.
My 5 cents: Please make the small x (close button) to something else, like swipe to up to close the dialog. Small x is not good gui for mobile phone apps.
Thank you for the feedback. We'll definitely surprise you!
"Whenever Audrey do not understand the request, you are able to train it directly in just a few taps."-typo
Although I welcome them, the problem with all these AI products is the there's little promise of zero-knowledge (or whatever you wanna call it) privacy/security. Until then, I don't see myself feeding a company my information, at least not for free.
> Small Talk
> Whenever you want to burn some time, you can have a simple conversation with Audrey.
What is wrong with talking to real people ? It is a sad world where this is perceived as a beneficial feature.
What is wrong with talking to real people ? It is a sad world where this is perceived as a beneficial feature.
I noticed that we made a mistake not having it proofread. We're dragging someone here to proofread and make those correction. But in the same time, I'm thankful that the community here is correcting it! It's Audrey in real life!
"every day" is 2 words in your case.
Someone should tell them that using actual names for a digital assistant is a terrible idea. At least they should use a name that's not so common. And easier to pronounce!
I like the approach where you see all the connections app has, it gives you a context about what can be done with it. You don't feel lost like most virtual personal assistants.
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I'm not sure if this was intentional, but the name Eliza in the demo text reminded me of the hours I spent playing with the ELIZA bot as a kid.
It is ;)
Why does every assistant has to have a woman's name?
Is it really that hard to come up with a name?
Is it really that hard to come up with a name?
Bixby, Siri, Cortana and "OK Google" are women's names? The only one with a woman's name that I can think of is Alexa. Granted they all have a woman's voice, but doesnt seem like that was your point.
They voices are male in some other countries. In the UK, for example, Siri is voiced by Jon Briggs.
in fairness, "Cortana" and "Siri" both sound pretty effeminate to me (and speakers of romance languages)
A vast majority of personal assistants are female, that could be part of the reason
Is this another cloud based assistant or one I can install and run locally?
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My girlfriend won't appreciate another invisible girl I talk to at home.
HN has never really struck me as a great place to solicit relationship advice. Not really the focus of the community.
I am profoundly saddened to hear you don't get jokes. Funny guy.
Oh, I get it. I just don't want it. Because it's not funny. That's why I made fun of it. If you'd made a good joke, I'd be laughing with you. But you made a bad one, so I'm laughing at you. I didn't put a lot of effort into doing it, though. Next time I'll do more to make it clear.
I'm still using GTD stuff, but just to "better forget", to unload working memory.