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1) Speech Recognition Software
I looked at voice recognition software a while back: http://www.varbusiness.com/sections/98pages/209voicelab.jhtml The problem then, and now, is that free-form speech is *very* hard to get right; or at least, hard to get right at useful levels. For example, a 97% accuracy might seem great. But if I were to dictate the entire content of a typical LangaList newsletter--- maybe 5,000 words--- a 97% accuracy would mean there'd be 150 transcription errors in the text. And these won't be easy-to-spot spelling errors or nonsense words that jump off the page at you: The speech-to-text software will spell everything correctly, and will take a guess at a real word rather than print a nonsense word. Speech-to-text errors are often homonymic, like these: "piece" instead of "peace," "discrete" instead of "discreet," "red" instead of "read," "box sing" for "boxing," and so on. Also, anything you don't fully enunciate may get changed ("work" instead of "word", for or "I can do it" for "I can't do it..." and so on. (See the above link for some real-life examples.) These kinds of errors actually can be harder to catch in proofreading than egregious typos. Note: Voice *navigation* software is another thing: This is software designed to respond to a limited set of computer-related commands (mark, cut, paste, start, stop, etc.); where words are spoken singly or in simple, predictable combinations. This kind of software is meant to let you control a computer without a keyboard or mouse, and it can work very well, but it is not meant for free-form dictation. Again, free-form dictation is very, very hard to do well. *If* you're willing to practice your enunciation, and to speak with clarity and precision; *if* you can work in a quiet place with little or no background noise (especially other voices); *if* you have or can get a high-quality microphone (although some speech-recognition software comes with optimized mics); and *if* you take the time to thoroughly "train" the software to recognize your particular speech patterns; then you may get acceptable results. But speech-recognition software sure ain't magic--- and you may be disappointed at the results if any of the above variables aren't tightly controlled. Caveat orator. <g>
More: Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- "Your Plus! newsletter is still
the best value on the net! Thanks, Don! --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 2) "WinFixer" Popup Won't Stop
You're not alone, Jack--- many people are reporting this. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be an easy fix--- but it *is* fixable, with a little effort. First, get updated with *all* current service packs, which close several known holes in XP that can be used by the cluster of hostile agents that manifest themselves in the WinFixer problem. No fix will work until these holes are closed. Next, turn off System Restore, GoBack and similar lightweight backup tools, so they won't re-infect you by restoring bad files after you clean 'em out. Next, you have some digging to do to find the exact steps your system needs:
http://castlecops.com/t130077-WINFIXER.html The above will probably lead you to a clean system, but if not, as a last resort, save your data files to a safe location and restore your system from a backup or image made prior to the infection; then restore the newly-saved data files. Click to email this item to a
friend 3) AVG's Ratings
I've actually recommended Grisoft's AVG a number of times. http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=avg&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 Their free version is a real service to the computing community; and I use their paid version on one of my systems here just to help them keep going. While AVG (free) is probably the best free antivirus tool around, it doesn't seem to be the best AV tool overall: For example, it hasn't done as well in independent, third-party tests as have some of the other AV tools: Take the "Virus Bulletin" ratings ( http://www.virusbtn.com ; free login required), for example--- they rate AV tools on their ability to (1) detect all known in-the-wild viruses during both on-demand and on-access scanning in Virus Bulletin's comparative tests. And (2) generate no false positives when scanning a set of clean files. Historically, Eset's NOD32 has received 32 "Pass" grades, and 3 "Fails." Symantec's Norton has had 28 Passes and 6 Fails. Grisoft's AVG has had 9 Passes and 20 Fails. Now, in fairness to AVG, their current versions are doing quite well; most of their failures were with older versions. But, when all else is equal, my personal preference is to rely on products with better, longer track records. So, I've mostly recommended AVG as a tool for people who can't or won't get a full-blown commercial version--- it probably *is* the best *free* AV tool going. OTOH, the current versions of AVG seem to be doing as good a job as the current versions from the likes of Norton and Eset, so you're probably OK with a current version of AVG, free or paid. But Grisoft has had trouble in the past, so you just need to be a little more alert to any changes that occur in the software. More info and ratings (so you can call the shot yourself): (See also item #11, below.) Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 4) Update On EderRemember Eder, from Guatemala? He's one of the group of 12 kids sponsored on an ongoing basis by LangaList Plus! subscribers:
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friend 5) "Safely Remove Hardware" Icon Gone
First, let me report the official Microsoft info; then I'll tell you how to (ahem) cheat: Microsoft says:
Note their use of the word "must:" You MUST use the icon if it's there, or you MUST uninstall the device in Device Manager. That's the official word, and it is indeed the safest method. But lots of USB hardware can be safely removed without going through a formal shutdown or uninstall. I do it all the time, and have never had trouble--- even though it's not the official, Microsoft-sanctioned method. As long as the device isn't actively being written to or read from--- for example, as long as you're not in the middle of a "file/save" or "file/copy" operation with a USB drive or memory stick--- chances are good that you can simply unplug the device without harm: You'll hear the audible "USB unplugged" confirmation tones (a descending "ding dong"), and that will be that. OTOH, if the device *is* in active use (not just "on" but actively being read from or written to), and if there's no "safely remove hardware" icon available, then I think it's wise to terminate whatever software or process is accessing the device before disconnecting or uninstalling it. You can either shut down the software via its normal menus; or (if there's no other way) by entering Task Manager (in XP: ctrl-alt-del ) and then selecting the offending item on the Applications or Processes tab, and killing that one item. Once the software that was accessing the USB device isn't running, the USB device should be safe to remove. But again, if you want to be as safe as possible, uninstall the device via Device Manager first. Lots more info: http://langa.com/u/n.htm As for your second question: While you're in Task Manager, take another look at the Processes tab: Click on the CPU heading there to sort the processes according to how much CPU usage they're getting. (In other words, sort the list so the most CPU-hungry processes are at the top of the list.) There, you'll see exactly whatever's consuming your CPU time. Once you know what's eating the CPU, you can take steps to rein it in. (If the listed processes are unfamiliar, do a Google search on the process name.) Click to email this item to a
friend 6) Three More Winners!"Heather" "Arwin" and "Tuula"
each won a FREE full one-year subscription to the LangaList Plus! edition by
using the "Recommend To A Friend" form at
http://langa.com/recommend.htm
. Click to email this item to a
friend 7) Engineer Discuses PC CoolingYou can tell it's still summer in this part of the world; I'm still getting good letters about "PC Cooling, Even In Near-Tropical Climates" in http://langa.com/newsletters/2005/2005-08-01.htm#3 :
You're right, Alan, it would be better to cool PCs with filtered air. But that would be doing things the best-possible way. <g> Most PCs are engineered to operate not in the best-possible way, but in a way that's "good enough," and that minimizes costs and maximizes vendor profits. Filters or precision-made airtight cases would add to the costs and parts count, so PC makers don't use 'em. Instead, they opt for a cheaper "good enough" method, which will work fine while the PC's clean--- such as when it first leaves the factory. Some users do install filters (usually cut manually from a furnace-type filter element) to try to keep dust out of their PCs. But the rest of us who worry about things simply clean the beasts once a year, or when needed. A can of pressurized air and a wet rag isn't an elegant solution, to be sure, but it does overcome the dusty effects of the suboptimal cooling system in most PCs. <g> See "Getting The Grunge Out Of Your PC" http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;?articleID=60403472 Click to email this item to a
friend 8) They Loaded The CodeDo you have a home page or website? (It doesn't matter what size.)
Please click over to http://langa.com/code.htm , and maybe you can join
the hundreds and hundreds of LangaList readers who have "Loaded the
Code!" (If you've already "Loaded The Code" and are wondering if your
site will appear here or on the Langa.Com web site, please see
http://langa.com/link.txt ) Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At Tools Tips and Resources Bernath Family Website surf2income Eric Meacock Web Pages SweetWhisper karaoke-sales Pink Jimi Photon EarYeEarYe "BoringButGood" Merv Sheppard's Transplant Network Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 9) More On Certain DisconnectsIn "Hardware Disconnects" ( http://langa.com/newsletters/2005/2005-08-15.htm#7 ) we discussed using switches on or near a cable modem to ensure that all network activity was stopped. Here's another idea:
Thanks, Jeff. You also can physically disconnect the cable or network cord. Or, use the free Wntipcfg tool ( http://langa.com/u/3u.htm ) to "Release All" IP assignments; effectively breaking your network connection. (In earlier versions of Windows, it's called "Winipcfg:" http://langa.com/u/o.htm ) There are other ways, too, such as by locking down firewall software to stop all internet activity. But all the ways--- cutting the physical connection (hardware), cutting the logical connection (software), or killing the power--- work. Use whatever's most convenient for you! Click to email this item to a
friend 10) Just For GrinsIn "Truth Or Fiction?" ( http://langa.com/newsletters/2005/2005-08-15.htm#9 ) we discussed the possibilities of hotel card-keys being used for identify theft. I didn't think it was likely. But here's a more authoritative answer from someone who's installed key card systems:
That's what I thought, Steve, but it's nice to hear from someone with firsthand experience! Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 11) Plus! Edition Highlights:You can't lose! The Plus! edition is only pennies per issue, and comes with a MONEY BACK GUARANTEE from Fred. Check out the details: http://langa.com/plus.htm Today's LangaList Plus! Edition contains all ten items above, plus about 40% more content including:
Plus! Edition info: http://langa.com/plus.htm Click to email this item to a
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the LangaList Plus edition! The LangaList is published about 72 times a year, or about 6 times a month. See you next issue, 2005-09-05! Best, An easier-to read formatted HTML version is available in the "Current Issue" section of http://langa.com. (The HTML version of each issue normally is available by 9AM EST [UT-5] of the issue date.) All past LangaList issues are also available at the Langa.Com site. UNSUBSCRIBE (instant removal!):
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