The Octogenarians Who Love Amazon's Alexa

When Lois Seed wakes up in the morning, one of the first things she says is "Alexa, what is the weather?" Seed, who is 89 and has low vision because of macular degeneration, finds it convenient to get weather information by speaking to the Alexa voice-activated assistant on her Amazon Echo. She also asks her Echo to tell her the time and to play classical music from her former hometown radio station. "Life is more enjoyable [with Alexa]," she says, proving that the recent Saturday Night Live spoof about Alexa and seniors couldn't be further from the truth. Seed and about 50 other residents at the Carlsbad by the Sea retirement community near San Diego have been testing the personal-assistant technology inside their homes since late February.