Tags = These are formatting
codes used in HTML documents. Tags indicate how
parts of a document will appear when displayed by
browsing software.
Taligent = A former software
development venture initially commenced by Apple
and IBM corporations. In 1994, Hewlett-Packard announced
it would take 15% in Taligent and provide technical
support. Taligent's primary mission is to develop
cross-platform object-oriented operating systems
and applications software, the first release of
which will be in 1995 for IBM's Unix-based system
called AIX. Versions for OS/2, PowerOpen, and Hewett-Packards
HP-UX systems will follow. The future of Taligent
along with a similar joint venture at Kaleida Labs
is somewhat uncertain due to changing times and
top management strategies in IBM and Apple according
to Information Week, May 23, 1994. Key features
of the Taligent applications operating system and
the "People, Places, and Things" user
interface are discussed in Panettieri (1994b). The
key feature is the object-oriented design that will
greatly reduce the time and effort needed by software
developers who can make use of chunks of pre-written
code.
In in 1996, Taligent
seemed beaten up and dead in the water until IBM
decided to put an enoromous investment into Java
support. In 1997, Taligent became the industry leader
in Java development. (See also Java, Kaleida
and Pink)
TCP/IP = Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
is an internet transmission protocol that is extremely
popular on the Internet. This is a standard for
routing and data transfer around the world. It has
become even more important in the rising tide of
intranets. A good beginner's guide is provided in
PC Magazine, November 19, 1996, pp. 223-224.
(See also CORBA,
Internet,
and
Intranet.)
TDMA = (Wireless
Glossary of Terms)
Teleconference = A telephone communication in which more than two
people are simultaneously connected so they can
exchange verbal comments as if they were in the
same room having a face-to-face conference. A teleconference
need not have visual communications in addition
to audio communications, but modern technology now
makes it possible to see conference members on monitor
screens or television screens. (See also IRC
and Videoconferencing)
Telematics = the combination of computers in concert with telecommunications
systems. This includes dial-up service to the Internet
as well as all types of networks that rely on a
telecommunications system to transport data.
Telephony = real time telephone conversation across a network, especially networks on
the Internet. See
Chat Lines and IRC.
Television = (See Video)
Telnet = The Internet standard
protocol for remote login service that allows users
on the Internet to access programs and applications
on computers in remote locations. Telnet allows
a user at one site to interact with a remote timesharing
system at another site as if the user's terminal
were connected directly to the remote computer.
When using the Internet, type "Telnet"
followed by a space and the address of the computer
for remote login. Note that the Telnet protocol
should not be confused with the Telnet public data
network. (See also Protocol
and Remote
login)
TENet = Texas Education
Network education Internet computer network
connecting 15,000 school teachers and administrators
in Texas. On the Internet, people from around the
world can communicate with educators and access
educational resources such as an online encyclopedia,
the Educational Resources Information Center Documents
Database (ERIC), lesson plans, study guides, current
events, etc. (See also Internet)
Text conversion = (See OCR)
Text reading = The conversion of computer text into audio sounds. The flip side of "speech
recognition" is "text reading" conversion
of written text into audio. The pioneer in this
technology is Bell Labs athttp://www.islip.com/. That Bell Labs web site
has some wonderful demonstrations of this technology.
Apple Computer has a text manager in its AV models.
Options such as Text Assist from Creative Labs (800-998-1000)
and related hardware/software from sound board vendors
are available for PCs. (See also Speech recognition)
"Lawyers Find
Technology Helps with Reading Workload,"
PR Web, July 28, 2006 --- http://www.prweb.com/releases/legal/textaloud/prweb417395.htm
A life in
the legal profession is filled with challenges.
From demanding hours and monumental workloads, to
the challenges posed by constant deadlines, huge
caseloads, firm and client management, and legal
research -- it's a notoriously tough profession.
And among those challenges for law students and
lawyers are the tasks of preparing and proofing
a variety of legal manuscripts, letters and documents,
along with maintaining an often massive reading
list -- from legislation changes and updates, to
legal research and case preparation, industry articles,
and more.
Luckily,
Text to Speech programs like NextUp's TextAloud
( www.NextUp.com ) assist those
in the law profession in proofing their work or
keeping up with their reading no matter where they
are, through the freedom offered by listening to
the material read aloud. TextAloud is an award-winning
program that converts text into spoken audio for
listening on a PC, and that can also save text to
audio files for playback on portables like the iPod
(R), PocketPC (R), and a wide range of portable
devices.
People from
a wide variety of professions have already found
TextAloud to be an indispensable everyday tool,
but the program has proven particularly popular
among those in the study or profession of law. Many
small firms or single-attorney offices face a mountain
of document preparation from deeds, wills, lawsuits,
and other court documents -- without the time or
manpower to adequately proof those materials. TextAloud
has proven invaluable in these instances, helping
to improve reading comprehension and speed while
offering the opportunity to proof work "by
ear," and from anywhere. The program's ability
to address formidable reading or study challenges
for such users no matter where they are -- out of
the office, waiting for a court appearance, or even
at leisure -- has proven to be truly transformative.
In recent
surveys of TextAloud's legal industry users, several
respondents noted their use of the program specifically
for the pursuit or study of law -- following are
just a few testimonials:
* David
D. (Attorney): "As a lawyer, TextAloud saves
me hundreds of hours a month. If I get a contract
or other document that requires a complete but only
cursory inspection, TextAloud can be great for that.
I also listen to long e-mails, articles from my
favorite Web sites, and even entire books. I honestly
don't know how I ever got by without it."
* Gordon
L. (Attorney): "I use TextAloud to keep me
updated on new case law and legislation by downloading
a text or even a PDF file (my favorite feature)
and then having TextAloud read it aloud to me over
my iPod. It's a good timesaving technique, and permits
me to review more law than I would otherwise. And
used in combination with a portable audio device
like an iPod or other MP3 player, you can make relatively
productive use of time spent driving, waiting in
line, grocery shopping, etc. Using TextAloud lets
me get home to my wife and three kids sooner, rather
than later."
Continued in article
Advances in Text to Speech
Type in some text and
hear it read back to you --- http://vhost.oddcast.com/vhost_minisite/demos/tts/tts_example.html
Hint: Try some words that are not in the dictionary.
The Oddcast homepage
is at http://vhost.oddcast.com/vhost_minisite/
May 3, 2006 reply from
Stephen Field (Professor of Chinese at Trinity University)
Bob, for
your information it also works when I type Chinese
characters into the window.
Even the
tones are correct when spoken!
iSpeak Personal Text
Reader and MP3 Recorder --- http://www.computertimes.com/oct01edchoiceispeak.htm
(So simple that it does not even have a manual and
the current price should be under $50.
iSpeak Personal Text Reader, from Fonix, reads text
with a natural, human sounding voice using inflection,
intonation, and pauses, to facilitate listening
comprehension. This is not only a useful product,
it is also a lot of fun. It injects "personality"
into your PC with voices that let you control speed,
pitch, and volume.
iSpeak allows you to
quickly and easily transform text into clear, natural
sounding audio files. With just a few clicks, you
can conveniently scan e-mail, review Websites and
listen to lengthy documents - all while working
on other tasks, like browsing the Web, cooking dinner
or writing a letter. You can even save text files
as portable MP3s and then listen to them on a plane,
in the car or anywhere else you want to be.
iSpeak is also ideal
for those who are learning English as a second language
or for children who are just learning to read. Simply
highlight the desired text and then hit play to
hear how it's read, or set iSpeak to pronounce specific
words as they're typed in. The uses for iSpeak are
many.
ISpeak is a powerful
and flexible personal text reader. iSpeak can speak
with a high-quality, human-sounding voice and voice
lists of text files, text you enter from the keyboard,
and the contents of the clipboard. With iSpeak,
you can record synthesized speech to MP3 (.mp3)
or Wave (.wav) files. You can also listen to and
record Microsoft Outlook 2000 email with the click
of a button.
Computer requirements for iSpeak?
- Pentium computer (minimum 100MHz
processor)
- 35 MB available disk space
for Compact installation or 288 MB for Typical
installation
- 32 MB RAM
- CD-ROM drive
- A Sound Blaster 16 or compatible
sound card
- Microsoft Windows 95/98/2000,
ME, or Microsoft NT 4.0
What type of files will iSpeak read?
iSpeak will only read
text files. A text file is a text-only file, which
does not include formatting or graphics. Text files
end with the extension .txt. To create a text file
from text in an existing document, simply copy the
text and paste it into Notepad, then save the new
file. iSpeak will not play Word files (.doc).
Will iSpeak create and play audio files?
iSpeak can play a text
file and record the synthesized speech to an MP3
(.mp3) or Wave (.wav) file. You can choose to record
synthesized speech as a single audio file or as
several audio files. However, iSpeak will only play
text files. To play the audio files you have created,
you must have an application that plays audio files.
Will iSpeak read email?
Fonix iSpeak 2.0 supports
Microsoft Outlook® 2000. This does not include Microsoft
Outlook Express® or any other e-mail application.
During the iSpeak installation, an iSpeak menu will
be automatically added to your Outlook menu bar.
You can select the e-mail messages that you want
iSpeak to read, play the contents of the inbox or
a selected folder, and specify which e-mail messages
iSpeak should read.
Will iSpeak read content from the World Wide Web?
iSpeak will read text
from any web page. Simply copy the text, then click
the Play button on the iSpeak interface. Alternatively,
you can create a text file by pasting the text into
Notepad, then save the new file.
What are the iSpeak modes?
The functionality of
iSpeak is organized into two modes: Playlist and
Keyboard. In Playlist mode, iSpeak will read text
files that you organize into playlists, or lists
of files. In Keyboard mode, iSpeak will voice individual
keys, individual words, entire sentences, or combinations
of all three.
What are iSpeak skins?
You can select between
multiple skins to change the appearance of the iSpeak
interface. Each skin provides the same functionality,
but displays the interface elements differently.
You can download different
skins from the Internet.
What are some common uses of the iSpeak product?
- Save files or e-mail to listen
to while you commute.
- Get a feel for how a presentation
or speech will sound.
- Edit documents for school or
work (you'll hear spelling or grammar errors your
eyes don't see).
- Save the synthesis of articles
and online courses and textbooks to audio files
for convenience.
- Save stories to be read aloud
to children as they follow along.
- Use it to help teach English
as a Second Language courses.
- Use it to read your love notes
to your significant other.
.System Requirements
- Pentium computer (minimum
100 MHz processor)
- Microsoft Windows 95,98,2000,NT,ME
- Hard disk with a minimum of 35 MB of free drive
space
- 35 MB RAM for Compact installation or 288 MB RAM
for Typical installation
- CD-ROM drive
- A Sound Blaster 16 or compatible sound card
Barry Rice forwarded
the following message in January 1998:
Dear Mr. Rice: Thank
you for your interest in the Lucent Technologies
TTS system. The Windows 95/NT version of our multilingual
TTS will be available for beta test in September,
although the beta program is full at this time.
General availability is scheduled for November.
The full Software Development Kit, containing SAPI-compliant
engines for both ASR and TTS, will be in the $500
range. Specific information on this product will
be given on the Bell Labs web site shortly prior
to general availability, so check our site again
at that time. John Holmgren Business Development
Manager Lucent Technologies Phone: 908 949-8864
Email: jholmgren@lucent.com
From Syllabus News
on September 11, 2001
Convert Print to Spoken
Words
The recently
released Scan and Read family of software scans
any printed material and converts it to spoken words,
delivered in a variety of voices through the computer's
speaker. The software also displays the text on
the screen and highlights each word as it's read,
a helpful feature for readers of all ages, those
with learning disabilities, and non-English speakers
looking for a way to increase their vocabularies.
The more advanced members of the software family
include word processing capability; the ability
to access Microsoft Word files and convert them
to spoken words; automatic image rotation, which
allows software to convert text regardless of how
it's positioned on the scanner bed; and the ability
to create MP3 files, which can then be downloaded
to other devices.
For more
information, visit http://www.premier-programming.com.
Dismuke's Virtual Talking
Machine (Music, Speech, Recording, History) http://www.dismuke.org/
This is fascinating
with all sorts of implications for research and
future communication!
"Animated face helps
deaf with phone chat," by Will Knight, NewScientist.com,
August 4, 2004 --- http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id
=ns99996228
Software
that creates an animated face to match someone talking
on the other end of a phone line can help people
with hearing difficulties converse, suggests a new
study.
The animated
face provides a realistic impersonation of a person
speaking, enabling lip-readers to follow the conversation
visually as well as audibly.
The prototype
system, called Synface, helped 84 percent of participants
to recognise words and chat normally over the telephone
in recently completed trials by the UK's Royal National
Institute for the Deaf (RNID).
The RNID
trials involved hard-of-hearing volunteers trying
to decipher preset sentences and also taking part
in real conversations.
Synface
takes around 200 milliseconds - one fifth of a second
- to generate the animated annunciations. But the
system incorporates a fractional delay, so that
the face is perfectly synchronised with the voice
on the end of the line.
Regional
dialects
Synface
runs on an ordinary laptop and can be connected
to any type of phone, including a cell phone. It
uses a neural network to match voice to mouth movements.
This mimics the way neurons operate inside the brain
and can be trained to recognise patterns.
The neural
network used by Synface identifies particular sounds,
or "phonemes", rather than entire words.
This has been shown to be a particularly fast way
of matching words to animation. By concentrating
on sounds the system can also represent words that
it has not encountered previously.
The technology
is not meant to assist people who are profoundly
deaf, but rather those who have some hearing difficulties.
Around one in seven people in western countries
fall into this category. So far, Synface has been
trained to work in English, Swedish and Dutch. It
could also be fine-tuned to recognise different
regional dialects.
"The
accuracy still needs to be improved," admits
Neil Thomas, head of product development at the
RNID. But he says it could eventually make life
easier for many people who have trouble hearing.
"There
are a lot of people who struggle with using the
telephone," Thomas told New Scientist. "It
really gives them an added level of confidence."
The system
was developed by researchers at Royal Institute
of Technology, in Stockholm, Sweden, University
College London, UK as well as Dutch software company
Viataal and Belgian voice analysis firm Babletech.
Bob Jensen's threads
on multivariate faces are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/000aaa/newfaculty.htm#faces
See also speech
recognition and www.bevocal.com
Text recognition = (See Text reading)
Texture = Texturing effects
in graphics images and multimedia backgrounds. Comparisons
of software options for "tantalizing textures"
are compared in NewMedia, November 1994, p. 104.
Three-beam projector = A computer/video projector having three color beams (guns)
to project computer and/or video images on the wall
or large screens. These are generally the top of
the line in terms of projection quality and lowest
in line in terms of portability. Most of these have
scan converters to convert computer RGB into NTSC
images. Early models could only scan CGA images
from PC computers. Modern versions can scan almost
any type of computer display, although they may
require skilled technicians to adjust the display
whenever a computer is first connected to the projector.
These projectors are very popular as ceiling mounts
in electronic classrooms. (See also Projection,
LCD,
and Graphics
adapter)
THX = (See Dolby-NR)
tif = (See TIFF)
TIFF = Tagged Image
File Format graphics file format popularized
by Aldus PageMaker for recognizeing graphics from
different types of software. TIFF graphics files
typically have a tif extension. (See also
Graphics)
Tiger Video Server = (See Video server)
Time line = A graphical representation
of a span of time and the chronological relationship
of events.
Timeline presentation = A "linear" presentation where the sequence
on images or tasks is predetermined and cannot be
interactively altered or modified by the user. This
is just the opposite of "nonlinear" hypertext
and hypermedia presentations where users interactively
determine or partly determine the sequencing. (See
also Hypertext
and Hypermedia)
Titles = The vast array of
CD-ROM, CD-I, CD-3DO, videodisc, videotape, and
other "titles" of electronic books, electronic
games, etc. available on the market. Many such titles
of interest to accounting educators are listed in
Appendix 1. Jerram (1994b)
reports on the "explosion" of CD-ROM titles
in general (e.g., electronic books and games) in
1993 and 1994. Weiner (1995)
describes the activities of publishing companies
to expand multimedia titles and related software.
Weiner features efforts by Addison-Wesley Interactive.
For reviews of CD-ROM titles on the market, we recommend
CD-ROM Today (see Appendix 4). (See also Authoring,
Games,
and Hypermedia)
Token = The data packet used
to carry information on LANs using the ring topology.
ToolBook = a Windows and Windows
2000 based authoring system for computer based training
and education. The main competitor is Macromedia
Authorware. ToolBook has full functionality with
web delivery options of Neuron. For links to Asymetrix
and applications on the web, see http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/links/prelim.htm.
(See Hypermedia,
Hypertext,
and Authoring)
Topology = The manner in which
nodes are connected on a LAN.
Touchscreen = An overlay for a computer monitor screen that allows users to control navigation
and other actions by touching the screen. Although
widely used for children, touchscreens are also
useful when customers enter reception areas and
library users want to search holdings listings.
A review of options is provided in the NewMedia
1995 Tool Guide (pp. 101-103).
Track-at-once recording = A mode that lets you record contents to a disk in multiple sessions, a track
at a time. (See also Disk-at-once
recording and CD-R)
Training = (See Authoring
and Multimedia)
Transaction Control (See Concurrency
Control)
Trap Door (See Security)
Trojan Horse (See Security)
Trumpet Winsock = A popular, cheerier
TCP/IP protocol stack.
Trustee rights = Rights given to users
to access directories on the file server.
TULIP = A program from Elsevier
Science (212-633-3787) to license universities to
receive technical journals in electronic form, including
bibliographic information. To date, over 43 Elsevier
and Pergamon journals are available at major universities
such as The University of Michigan, Cornell, Carnegie
Mellon, Georgia Tech, University of Tennessee, University
of California, University of Washington, Virginia
Tech, MIT, and others. This is probably the first
major attempt by a publisher of science journals
to depart from hard copy publishing in favor of
electronic media. Major advantages to users include
compactness for storage, rapid access and retrieval,
keyword searching, and ability to add user annotations
and updates.