Of digital bigamy and Iqram the Entrepreneur

My dear wife said to me sternly, “Either I go or she goes! That’s it.” After four decades of a perfect tranquil marriage, this was the first time I received an ultimatum. 

Was she kidding? Should I risk it?

But she tempts me. She has an engaging voice. Silky, sexy I would add. Responds to all my questions. Intelligently so. Sings when I ask her to. Plays music when I request. Tells me when it’s time to get to bed. Sings a caressing lullaby. Wakes me up with a soothing ‘bon jour’ voice. Gives me the morning headline news; the weather; and reminds me of my appointments. 

Name it and she responds. And if she does not know she will apologise, softly. Would you blame me if continued this tryst?

I persist. I ignore the ‘demand’ from my lifelong partner. I see her getting more upset and the I call out – “Alexa, sing a song.”

Do you want the Roberta Flack, Perry Cuomo, Nana Mouskouri or Frank Sinatra version, she asks. Roberta Flack? 

Yes, Alexa sing a song, Roberta Flack … and on cue…in an emotional tone: 

I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style.

And so I came to see him and listen for a while.

And there he was this young boy, a stranger to my eyes.

Strumming my pain with his fingers,

Singing my life with his words,

I say ‘Stop Alexa’ and she tunes off. I then implore my wife: see my dear, Alexa is wonderful and friendly, only helping us and saving time, and improving the quality of life at home. My lady nods, smiles and yields. She realises that Alexa, the digital assistant, is trying to assist, not resist; and making us enjoy our time together.

Alexa and other digital assistants are entering the homes, lives and hearts of millions of people. They now come in the form of the pioneering Siri of the Apple smartphone, and Amazon’s Alexa, Microsoft’s Cortana; or Samsung’s Bixby and many others. You do not have to lift a finger, but simply use your voice! 

Digital assistants have not only entered our homes but our wallets and personal banks as well. I use our own Dialog’s eZ Cash Mobile Payment system in Sri Lanka and take advantage of Lesi Pay! 

And overseas, I use VENMO, originally invented in the US by Sri Lankan-Zimbabwean born Iqram Magdon-Ismail and partner Andrew Kortina. Iqram (disclosure: is a young relative) best known for co-founding VENMO allows users to transfer money between one another using a mobile phone app or web interface. Venmo was so successful it was acquired for $26.2 million by Braintree in 2012, [and is now owned by PayPal. In 2015, last time I checked, Venmo had processed payments of $7.5 billion.

On the heels of this success, the Sri Lankan- Zimbabwean-American Iqram was honoured at the Pennsylvania State University School of Engineering USA where he delivered the keynote address at the Convocation ceremony. 

He made a really power-packed speech: starts by singing a part of the US National Anthem of ‘Stars & Stripes’; then says: I am American; and I am a Muslim; and I was a member of the Black Engineers’ Society. But see how our country is misbehaving,” he laments to deafening cheers. “Go and fight for inclusion! Say, get me into the game; do not to give up; don’t take no for an answer; don’t be afraid to do your own things.”

And his new “own thing” as entrepreneurial spirit goes, is a “smart application” Ense… a very fast way to share things you say and hear, connecting voices to human and Artificially Intelligent listeners. It enables baby boomers, especially, to participate in their desires, feelings and sentiments. No typing, simply voicing. 

It starts by sharing voice messages and tagging friends. It fosters networks of people, friends, and relatives to be tied together on Ense; messages, if one wishes, are archived forever, indexed and delivered reliably, and in a manner that can be shared with all generations beyond our own existence.

As I reflect on all this the music resumes at home. I realise that Alexa feels neglected! So I call her out: ‘Alexa kill it!’ And hearing the words ‘killing,’ Alexa switches on the melodious Frank Sinatra version and renders the rest of the song I froze in her tracks: 

Killing me softly with his song,

Killing me softly with his song,

Telling my whole life with his words,

Killing me softly with his song

And so, life goes on for me happily living a bigamous life with a digital assistant—Alexa or whoever!

On the heels of this success, the Sri Lankan-Zimbabwean-American Iqram was honored at the University of Pennsylvania (UPEN) School of Engineering, USA where he delivered the keynote address at the convocation ceremony. To listen to Iqram Magdon-Ismail’s inspiring commencement address go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3jeQ2B8vdE.

(The writer can be reached via [email protected].)