[NTLK] Time For the Rumour-Monger?

Tue Oct 11 20:30:52 EDT 2011

Christian:

Well I knew you weren't too far away ;) ...it's unlike you to not comment on a thread, especially one where there is some humor involved ("Siri--tell me I am excellent!"...."Siri--make me a sandwich!"). My apologies for misreading your comments, as if you hadn't been following along the whole time.

Amusingly, I thought of your comments re: DragonSpeak when I was explaining Siri and its potential benefits to my fiancé. She commented, "Surely there are times when speaking out loud can be inappropriate, the same way cellphone conversations in public can be annoying...?" After pointing out that she was correct, and that she should stop calling me Shirley (*OUCH* sorry, could not resist)...I mentioned our many discussions here in the NewtonTalk forum about the topic of voice recognition, and your comments.

I'm not sure that Siri was designed for those times--at least, I certainly hope not--but I'm sure there will be those that will use it no matter what the background is. I do have high hopes that it will be the start of a better way to communicate with our devices...at such times as are appropriate, that is.

And, I agree...how the data gets manipulated is irrelevant, but only that the desired effect is achieved. At this point, however, many of us marvel at the technology involved instead of taking it for granted, which I would guess will happen in time. Perhaps this is not unlike what happened with the introduction of the telegraph and later the telephone.

I might have mentioned it before...but whenever I envision using a voice recognition device, I am reminded of the classic scene in the film "Star Trek IV"' when Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott tries to access an original Macintosh at FlexCorp by talking to it, then at the mouse, then finally using the keyboard ("how quaint!").

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9kTVZiJ3Uc&feature=related

(Sorry it's such poor quality...but it's the only one that's in English.)

Thanks,
--Forrest

Sent from my First Generation iPad

On Oct 11, 2011, at 8:26 AM, Lord Groundhog <LordGroundhog at gmail.com> wrote:

> ~~~ On 2011/10/11 15:09, Forrest at newtonphoenix at mindspring.com wrote ~~~
> 
>> Nice Mac (Classic?) to her right side (our left)...but Christian--man, whar ya
>> been? 
> 
> 
> Funny you should ask that Forrest.  When I haven't been working, I've been
> showing various friends YouTube videos about KN, the Newton, and some other
> videos I've bookmarked over the years.  I'm surprised how many people, even
> those who use Apple products, didn't realize how far back the iPod dream
> went -- the tablet idea going back to 1979, the integration of technologies
> to create seamless interaction with one's data, and all done on a system
> that is focused on what we want to do rather than on which software we do it
> in.  
> 
> 
> The point of my comment was that I see Newton as an essential ingredient in
> the final product, and one which hasn't been fully realized even now.
> 
> [1] I like the idea of Siri as much as the next guy, but it really won't be
> appropriate in all situations.  I've said it before in a discussion about
> DragonSpeak:  there are many, many times when the requirements of
> confidentiality in my work mean I wouldn't speak to my Newt even if it had
> the AI of HAL9000.  But I can whip out a pen and write whatever I need to,
> safe in the knowledge that the guy across the aisle of the train, the person
> at the table next to me in a restaurant or café, the person waiting with me
> for a bus, can't learn what I'm writing.  Even someone sitting at a distance
> from me, using a laser-mike to monitor the vibrations striking my office
> window is going to be disappointed:  I don't mutter to myself while I write.
> 
> Call it paranoia if you like, but I'm not the only one in the world who
> needs the ability to keep things private -- not even the person who needs it
> the most.  And after all, paranoia means never having to say you're sorry.
> 
> [2] I really want to get back to the dream of those early days that someday,
> the data (and what we want to do with it) is the real point, not the
> software we use on it.  Even in the 21st century, data still is treated by
> the software manufacturers as if it were just the means to an end, the end
> being to use their programs.  Occasionally they throw us a bone and produce
> "office suites" and the like, as if we don't notice that they're just
> locking our data more securely to them than before.  Even the "open source
> software" movement ignores this problem.  Software is never invisible,
> because you always have to deal with which program formatted it and what do
> you have to do to convert it for use elsewhere.
> 
> It's as ridiculous as having to think about which fountain pen to grab
> because this blue notebook only accepts writing from a Parker, while that
> green one requires a Mont Blanc and the red one over there only lets me use
> a pencil -- 2H preferred.
> 
> The point of OpenDoc was to get us past that to the point where the programs
> are invisible means to an end, and data (and what I'm doing with it) is the
> true end.  
> 
> And we aren't there yet.  Nowhere near.  Newton was a big step forward in
> many ways, but now we stepped backwards again.
> 
> But that's just my 2 tiny and worthless copper coins of the currency of your
> choice. 
> :-)
> 
> 
> Shalom. 
> Christian 
> 
> ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
> 
> “Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from a Newton.”
>            -- ref.:  Arthur C. Clarke
> 
> http://youtube.com/watch?v=1ZzpdPJ7Zr4
> (With thanks to Chod Lang)
> http://tinyurl.com/29y2dl
> http://www.diyplanner.com/node/3942
> 
> 
> ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
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