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Amazon Alexa Premium

The new Amazon Alexa premium services can do so much more… Old: Alexa, Turn on my light. Old: Alexa, Turn on my TV. New... Thinking big:   Alexa, Find my keys. Thinking bigger: Alexa, Get me a raise. Thinking really big: Alexa, File my tax return. Cheat just a little. Bigger and bigger: Alexa, Cast my absentee ballot for the candidate you know I prefer. And biggest of all: Alexa, Turn on my wife.

If Amazon was Hacked

We have just learned that UBER was hacked more than a year ago of millions of customer identities.  They covered it up and paid a ransom.  The report came only today.  This comes on the heals of government, commercial, collegiate and other hacking of information across the board – throughout the country and world. Now consider the possibility that Amazon is hacked for all its information.  Such an event could destroy this massive firm.  I am not suggesting it has been, but I figure the probability at 1.0 (certainty) it has been attempted.  Ditto for Walmart,  Paypal, etc.  We must hope these companies pay close attention to cyber-invaders from afar.  However, cyber-security costs money, a principle reason so many other companies have been hacked.  They did not pay attention, were not vigilant, or fund necessary security.  It has been my experience that people at the top have little prior experience with these modern risks and are hesitant to fund them, much less understand th

Sears and Amazon

Sears and Amazon – twins born decades apart What do Sears and Amazon have in common? Do you recall the reputation of Sears back several decades?  They were notorious for systematically squeezing small and even large business suppliers to reduce prices (and profits) to increase their own profits.  My cousin’s business suffered this heavy-handed tactic.  Such has become the  modus operandi  of Amazon.  Evidence is mounting with coming holiday shopping.   Watch and see.  Low prices today to be followed by higher prices to come. These days Sears, having fed off excesses for decades, is dying.  In twenty-thirty years, we may see Amazon suffering the same fate.