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Show HN: AskAlexis, an SMS advice service for guys

36 pointsby adamkochanowiczabout 10 years ago

11 comments

eranationabout 10 years ago
Great idea. my 2 cents:<p>1 - you HAVE to say something on whether this is a bot or a human. when I was single I would have happily paid for unbiased professional advice from a real person of the opposite sex on what to say &#x2F; behave in a date. Once married, I think the notion of my wife finding me texting a woman named Alexis is going to have the opposite effect ;)<p>2 - no validation on the form. I just pressed the button and saw a yellow banner saying &quot;Finding Alexis...&quot;. It still does that. (no timeout handling either)<p>3 - no about, no FAQ, no address, no phone number, no company name, no support email. I&#x27;m not going to give you my phone number, sorry<p>Again, this is a great idea, but a little too Minimal to be a Viable Product in my humble opinion... (fast forward 3 months, this is a YC company with a valuation of 1 billion and I look like an idiot... but I think the above 3 will help it get there sooner...)<p>EDIT: favicon - this is silly, but everyone has it...
minimaxirabout 10 years ago
I&#x27;m not entirely sure why this is explicitly <i>gender-specific</i>, given the unisex example questions.
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chinathrowabout 10 years ago
No imprint, no privacy policy, nothing. But I should submit my cell number? Seriously?
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rikkusabout 10 years ago
I had a go.<p><pre><code> Alexis: Hey, I’m Alexis. I’m here with the answers you need to level up your lifestyle. Send me questions anytime about dating, style, food&#x2F;wine, entertainment… all of it. I’m your secret weapon! 08:42 Me: I&#x27;m stuck in the cockpit of the fighter jet I was flying. I&#x27;ve crashed on the border between Hungary and Slovakia. I only speak English. How should I proceed? 08:46 Alexis: Okay, this is a new one. 08:46 Alexis: Give me a couple minutes to think about that. By the way, you can call me Lexi, what can I call you? 08:46 Me: You can call me James. 08:56 Me: I would ask you to send for help, but my mission is secret. I have rations for a couple of days, but it&#x27;s hard to drink while hanging upside down by straps. 09:00 Alexis: Bummer. 09:01 Alexis: Undo the straps. 09:02 Me: Also I don&#x27;t want to ruin my tuxedo. 09:02 Me: The mechanism seems to have jammed. 09:03 Alexis: Sweet, you have a tux too? Your life is exciting. 09:05 Alexis: Er, was up until now. 09:05 Alexis: Have you tried your pen? It&#x27;s also a scaffolding hook and ultra high powered laser. 09:06 Me: I&#x27;ve tried using the laser in my watch to cut the straps, but it seems to have been broken in the crash. 09:08 Alexis: James how did you get this far with such bad luck? 09:08 Me: Ah, the pen... Great, the straps are cut. I can hear footsteps. I&#x27;ll have to be quiet for a minute. 09:09 Alexis: Should I stop texting you? It might ding. 09:09 Alexis: Oops 09:09 Alexis: Are you dead? 09:10 Me: They must have heard me tumbling out of the straps onto the cockpit roof. I&#x27;ve been apprehended and am in the back of a van. 09:10 Alexis: It&#x27;s weird that they didn&#x27;t take your phone away. 09:11 Me: I distracted them with my bonhomie. 09:11 Alexis: Use one of your gadgets. 09:12 Me: It sounds like Hungarian they&#x27;re speaking. I think they said they&#x27;re taking me to &#x27;the palace&#x27;. Is there a palace near here? 09:12 Alexis: Idk. Where are you? 09:13 Me: Somewhere on the border between Hungary and Slovakia. 09:13 Alexis: You&#x27;re in luck! They&#x27;re taking you to the Four Seasons https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.google.com&#x2F;maps&#x2F;place&#x2F;Four+Seasons+Hotel+Gresham+Palace+Budapest Me: Will I be in time for dinner, and if so, what wine should I order? 09:17 Alexis: How much are you looking to spend? Red? 09:20 Me: Red, of course, I&#x27;m sure they&#x27;re not savages! I&#x27;m sure cost won&#x27;t be an issue. 09:25 Alexis: Chateau Haut-Bailly Pessac-Leognan 2004 09:27 Alexis: classic aromas of scorched earth, sweet black currants, cherries, and a hint of pain grille. Light on its feet, but substantially flavored 09:27 Me: Thank you, I knocked on the cab and (in my best Hungarian) asked the driver to telephone ahead and check it&#x27;s in the cellar. You&#x27;ve been a great help! 09:30 Alexis: You got it. Don&#x27;t forget to explode something and walk away from it slowly without looking back. 09:31 Me: Yippee ki yay, good sir, as I believe you say over the pond. 09:39</code></pre>
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hiharryhereabout 10 years ago
Is it free? No hint of pricing
jonluccabout 10 years ago
I don&#x27;t see an about page, is this entirely automated on the Alexis end? Could I send a picture of two outfits and ask which looks better? Does it have location-aware suggestions?
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captn3m0about 10 years ago
Wasn&#x27;t the Amazon Echo service also voiced as &quot;Ask Alexis&quot; (the phrase used to activate it, like &quot;OK Google&quot;, or &quot;Siri&quot;)
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neilellisabout 10 years ago
For middlebrow comments, please see below:
sleepyheadabout 10 years ago
Cool story bro.
RIMRabout 10 years ago
Oh, an automated SMS chat number? How very original... If it were the early 2000&#x27;s.
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upofadownabout 10 years ago
Well this makes sense because women are strange alien creatures that are impossible to understand.<p>But how can I know that I will have my question answered by an actual woman? If a guy responds to my question it might seem reasonable to me but I would risk causing the woman to become angry or confused...