![]() Impact Explore the value of scientific research for industry, the economy and society.Personalities Find out who’s doing what in industry and academia.Interviews Discover the views of leading figures in the scientific community.Opinion and reviews Find out whether you agree with our expert commentators.Careers Consider your career options with valuable advice and insightful case studies.People Meet the people behind the science.Events Plan the meetings and conferences you want to attend with our comprehensive events calendar.Blog Enjoy a more personal take on the key events in and around science.Analysis Discover the stories behind the headlines. ![]() Features Take a deeper look at the emerging trends and key issues within the global scientific community.News Stay informed about the latest developments that affect scientists in all parts of the world.Research updates Keep track of the most exciting research breakthroughs and technology innovations.Latest Explore all the latest news and information on Physics World.It would have been funny to have a real Alexa™ tell us something interesting about the current popularity of Flat Earth claims, and the people who disseminate those claims. The myth is funny only because of the condescension and scorn we tend to heap onto the past. Once again the premodern world is depicted as filled with ignorant rubes who thought the earth was flat. One scene from the Amazon Alexa™ ad playing on the flat earth myth. One of the scenes features a couple women doing laundry in the muddy street of what is surely meant to be a premodern village. The examples are meant, I suspect, to be humors (except the fake news one, which seems more a social commentary). The ad then cycles through a number of historical scenes with people calling out to other people named something like Alexa and asking them to do something. ![]() Ellen turns to her partner and asks, “What do you think people did before Alexa™?” The ad opens with Ellen DeGeneres asking her Alexa to turn the temperature down in the house as Ellen and her partner leave. Conveniently, Amazon ran an ad during the Super Bowl for their Alexa™ “smart speaker” that used the flat earth as a joke. It has been too long since I complained about a reference to the flat earth. ![]()
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