I am staying in a single friend’s apartment in LA while she is out of town for an extended period. It was a nice offer I could not refuse. Plus, I will fix things that need fixing.

The apartment is super clean and neat with very few places to put stuff. It also has Alexa control of lights, TV and who know what else. “Alexa Turn on Light 2. Alexa turn on….” She also has one of those robot vacuums that look so cool in the ads.

I have discovered that the use of electronic controls disturbs others. If get up in the middle of the night and want to turn on a light I have to speak in a semi-loud voice and say “Alexa turn on Light 3.” That is very rude and annoying for other people trying to sleep.
And I already made the mistake of turning on the robo-vacuum that trundled around bumping into shoes, the wall, plant stands, and a power cord before I figures out how to turn it off. Lots of noise.

It seems that this all this tech works best when you live alone.