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Comment by jisaacks | Hacker News Reader

> Searching via photos is awesome, but the only use case it seems well suited for is shopping.

If I was bitten by a snake, spider, etc. I'd love to be able to snap a picture to quickly identify it and know whether or not to rush to the ER.

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I'd probably just use my phone to call 9-1-1.

That is fine for the occasional bite, but what if I plan on being bitten regularly?

Use Amazon Prime to ship you anti-venom in 2 days.

This is one of those instances where you might want to splurge the extra $3.99 to make it overnight.

Or else just use their "Subscribe and Save" system on this item.

What if I get bitten on a Saturday?

I enjoy the levity of this thread; HN sometimes takes itself too seriously!

"Siri, can you remind me to order some more anti-venom tomorrow?"

Order a long-sleeved shirt and jeans.

We'll it's usually advised that if bitten by a spider you should kill/capture it or take a picture so it can be identified and the correct anti-venom administered.

So yes, do call 911, but taking a picture could be potentially life saving.

Extra steps are always best in an emergency...

~~~

Spider: Have a painful bite on the house!

User: "Spider say cheese!"

User: "Amazon Phone is this spider poisonous"

Amazon Phone: Searching. This Spider does appear to be poisonous.

User: "Amazon Phone call Uber 911"

Amazon Phone: Calling Uber 911

Uber 911: Can you collect the spider to take to the ER?

User: "Yes, I'll do that"

To my knowledge, there aren't any North American spiders that would cause a "seconds count" type threat to your life. I suspect the way this normally works today is:

  Black Widow: Have a painful bite on the house!
  User: "Ouch!"  *slap*

  [one hour later]

  User: "Oh my god, I am in unimaginable pain."
  * User is driven to the hospital.

  Brown Recluse: Have a painful bite on the house!
  User: "Ouch!"  *slap*

  [several hours later]

  User: This is starting to swell rather
        disturbingly, and smarts quite a bit.
  * User drives to their doctor

With snakes it's probably another mater. If a snake I could not identify bit me, I would be calling 911 first, and taking pictures afterwards before the ambulance arrived. If it's not a snake that I recognize as safe, then I wouldn't be taking the risk that it wasn't a venomous pet that escaped (since I can recognize the venomous snakes native to my region).

Identifying (or capturing!) the venomous spider or snake that bit you can mean the difference between them identifying the right antivenom or not. So, yes, surviving the trip to the ER is unaffected, but it might mean the difference between losing a life, a limb, or not.

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The OP was indicating taking a picture of the spider then having the Amazon phone tell you if its a dangerous spider, then deciding on whether to rush to the ER or not. Sure take a picture of it and get it checked out, but this use case for this feature is a bit over the top.

That isn't even remotely true.

Many venoms have large delays, days even sometimes.

Which is why you should go to the ER or Doctor regardless

I would just beat the snake dead with the phone (galaxy note 3)and take it with me to the ER.

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