Getting to Know Cortana

I don't think that Cortana will be joining us at the Institute because, as near as I can tell, Cortana is not a real person. What they did is combine their "help" program with an internet search program and named it "Cortana". I could indeed talk to her if I had a microphone, which I don't, or a webcam either. That's okay, though, because I can type my question into her box. Yesterday her box said "Ask me anything", and today it says "How can I help you?", but it works the same way. Sometimes she just gives me the answer, and sometimes she sends me on an internet search.

On one of those searches I came across some of those You Tube tutorials that Old Dog mentioned. I clicked on one of them and, to my surprise, the narrator spoke with the same Asian Indian accent as the guy who helped me on the phone yesterday. I'm quite sure that it was Asian Indian because I got a follow up call today from another guy whose name was Siva (pronounced Shivah). I happen to know that Siva is the Hindu god of death and destruction, which made me a little nervous, but this guy seemed nice. I understand that Hindus sometimes name their kids after one of their many gods or goddesses, so all these people must be Asian Indians. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!) I must be getting used to the accent, because I understood the guy in the tutorial all right. I wonder, if I had a microphone and could talk personally to Cortuna, if she would have the same accent. Wouldn't surprise me a bit.

Funny thing about accents is that everybody thinks that they don't have one, just other people. I read somewhere that the Appalachian people say that outsiders speak with a "TV accent". How quaint!

I had my old one cleaned once, and the guy said it was full of dust. He said that was caused by smoking near the computer. The smoke inparts an elecrtrical charge to the dust particles, or something like that. I haven't smoked in the house since I bought this one in 2008, so I doubt that is the problem.

I don't want to sound paranoid, but I understand that Hitler used to hold rallies even after he assumed power. Make of that what you will.

I don't know why everything is underlined in red, I couldn't have misspelled all those words. Maybe it won't show up on the finished blog but, if it does, be advised that I didn't do it on purpose.