Late in 2016 I wrote a blog post titled “Voice Platforms: Open Alternative is an Opportunity.” At the time I learned about a project called Mycroft. This project has just launched its second version, the Mark II, on Kickstarter. If you want voice in your home but are weary of Amazon and Google (and the other tech giants), this looks like an interesting alternative. Here is their intro video, which is super funny in a self deprecating way:

I just went ahead and backed the project and look forward to trying out the Mark II at home. I don’t know how many users such a platform will need to be viable but we won’t know unless we try!