Dave muttered, “Alexa, play my playlist,” while juggling three bags of Cheetos. The smart speaker hummed, then blared a 10-hour loop of polar bear mating calls. Dave froze, mid-sip on a soda. “No, no, _pizzly_!” he yelped, slapping the device. Alexa replied, “Playing ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ soundtrack. Enjoy!” Dave’s roommate peeked out of their room, holding a spoon like a sword. “Is that… violin music?” Dave nodded, tears leaking as the Cheetos crunched louder than the soundtrack. By noon, they’d all memorized the 3 a.m. ice cream truck jingle. The next day, Dave tried again. “Alexa, play my _playlist_!” “Error: No playlist found. Would you like to stream 404 minutes of seagull arguments?” Dave surrendered, eating cereal with a fork shaped like a question mark.
