The all-new Amazon Echo (Photo: Business Wire)
Kevin McCallister from Home Alone had some ingenious methods of keeping burglars at bay. A new Alexa skill called Away Mode lets you easily employ one of his tactics.
Created by smart home insurance company Hippo, the new Alexa skill aims to "harnesses the power of human awkwardness to ward off unwanted visitors," the company wrote. "It's like that scene from Home Alone, except instead of cardboard cutouts, it's insufferable conversations written by the writers of SNL, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and UCB."
Hippo says it created this hilarious marketing stunt Alexa skill to get people talking about how to protect their homes. To try it out, just say "Alexa, enable Away Mode," and the skill will start playing hours of audio on your smart speaker to make it sound like people are home.
In one 68-minute track, a woman walks her daughter through assembling a dresser over the phone.
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"You put the cylinders into the holes," the woman says.
In another track, a couple is breaking up as the TV blares in the background:
"Oh, and Roger's coming with me, too," the woman says.
"What? What? You don't even … you don't even take care of him anymore," the man says.
"I adopted him! I took him to get shots! I paid for the vet fees! He's mine! Plus, if I leave him with you, you'll never scoop his litter, it'll be a health hazard for the both of you," the woman says.
Other tracks depict a "book club meeting where everything except the book is discussed," an "emergency PTA meeting to discuss memes, fidget spinners, and other teen fads," and a "stay at home mom who just can't deal anymore."
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.
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