Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Just talking to my computer
I have never been one of the world's gifted typists. In fact, my style is essentially style free. Now I'm using a new set of tools and literally talking to my computer. I've tried voice software before but never really got on with it. There was just too much adjustment to make, too long to train the software to my words and too much inaccuracy in the final result. When friends, including Philip Calvert tried to convince me that dictating to a computer was much more accurate these days, I was a little skeptical to say the least.
Nevertheless, I have an awful lot of words to get into the computer whilst writing within my current project, a book with Thomas Power, chairman of Ecademy. I am up for the gadgets and ways of making my life less stressful, so I invested in a dictation machine from Olympus -- a D3000 for those who know about these things-- and software called Dragon Naturally Speaking, Preferred Edition. I've been indexing my research and selecting paragraphs to quote using a Plantronics headset connected by USB to my computer and simply dictating the words that I need in the document. Whilst it's an intense process, it has probably saved me many hours of hand writing, followed by typing and in truth would probably never have got completed.
On a completely different tack, I have just got used to using the overnight sleeper from Truro to London Paddington and now I hear that it is under threat from the Strategic Rail Authority. If I need to be in London for an early meeting, the sleeper is the only way that I can guarantee to be there. It leaves Truro at 2234 and after working its way through Cornwall, arrives in London at 0511. I can leave the train at my leisure at any time before 0830. As soon as I can find it, I will link from here to a campaign website to save our sleepers.
Whilst writing the book, these blogs may become a little erratic -- in fact they already have. I hope to be back in business within the next two months and blogging more comprehensively and more regularly than I do now.
All the best from Cornwall
Andy
Nevertheless, I have an awful lot of words to get into the computer whilst writing within my current project, a book with Thomas Power, chairman of Ecademy. I am up for the gadgets and ways of making my life less stressful, so I invested in a dictation machine from Olympus -- a D3000 for those who know about these things-- and software called Dragon Naturally Speaking, Preferred Edition. I've been indexing my research and selecting paragraphs to quote using a Plantronics headset connected by USB to my computer and simply dictating the words that I need in the document. Whilst it's an intense process, it has probably saved me many hours of hand writing, followed by typing and in truth would probably never have got completed.
On a completely different tack, I have just got used to using the overnight sleeper from Truro to London Paddington and now I hear that it is under threat from the Strategic Rail Authority. If I need to be in London for an early meeting, the sleeper is the only way that I can guarantee to be there. It leaves Truro at 2234 and after working its way through Cornwall, arrives in London at 0511. I can leave the train at my leisure at any time before 0830. As soon as I can find it, I will link from here to a campaign website to save our sleepers.
Whilst writing the book, these blogs may become a little erratic -- in fact they already have. I hope to be back in business within the next two months and blogging more comprehensively and more regularly than I do now.
All the best from Cornwall
Andy
