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One Step Closer to Star Trek
Jul. 20th, 2006 02:07 pmI just read about something seriously cool today - a new kind of dictation software that achieves 99 percent accuracy without prior "training." It also "learns" the more you use it, so its accuracy increases over time. Most dictation programs require a "training" period in which the user must read from a canned essay so the software can learn to recognize the user's voice. And, of course, it won't work nearly as well (if at all) for anyone else.
My dad used dictation software like this several years ago when he was suffering from tendonitis and had to lay off using a keyboard for a while. Of course, the program he used was a dinosaur compared to this one, and had a lower accuracy rate. This new software would be great for anyone in his situation - or people who suffer from paralysis or motor function problems. At $100 dollars for the basic package (which has the same accuracy rate as the fancier ones), it won't break the bank, at least not for anyone who can afford a computer in the first place.
And, as I said in the title, it brings us closer to the voice-command computers in Star Trek the really souped-up version of this dictation software (the one that costs $900 dollars) will allow you to use voice command to operate your computer, at least in Windows. In ten or twenty years, houses wired with voice command functions for the doors, garage, security system, and appliances may not be all that uncommon. Assuming we don't all kill each other off by then.
For a couple of seconds I thought it would be neat to have this myself, for my own fanfic writing (which, admittedly, I haven't been working on lately). But I don't need it, really. I can type almost as fast as I can speak, and I know that I'm a more articulate writer than I am a speaker. So, as 1337 as this is, I'm happy to stick with my keyboard.
My dad used dictation software like this several years ago when he was suffering from tendonitis and had to lay off using a keyboard for a while. Of course, the program he used was a dinosaur compared to this one, and had a lower accuracy rate. This new software would be great for anyone in his situation - or people who suffer from paralysis or motor function problems. At $100 dollars for the basic package (which has the same accuracy rate as the fancier ones), it won't break the bank, at least not for anyone who can afford a computer in the first place.
And, as I said in the title, it brings us closer to the voice-command computers in Star Trek the really souped-up version of this dictation software (the one that costs $900 dollars) will allow you to use voice command to operate your computer, at least in Windows. In ten or twenty years, houses wired with voice command functions for the doors, garage, security system, and appliances may not be all that uncommon. Assuming we don't all kill each other off by then.
For a couple of seconds I thought it would be neat to have this myself, for my own fanfic writing (which, admittedly, I haven't been working on lately). But I don't need it, really. I can type almost as fast as I can speak, and I know that I'm a more articulate writer than I am a speaker. So, as 1337 as this is, I'm happy to stick with my keyboard.
