Speech Recognition Software

Published
by
Thao Nguyen
on May 6, 2008
in FYI
. 0 Comments

In the past, the only way to input data into our computers was through the usage of a mouse and keyboard. As technology progresses and the need for people who have difficulties with repetitive motion using said devices, as well as people who simply wish to increase their work productivity rate have emerged, the use of speech recognition software have become a popular practice among both professional and home computer users.

Some of us may have heard of more popular speech recognition software programs such as Dragon Naturally Speaking or Text Aloud. But did you realize that you may be even closer to having access to voice recognition software than you might think? With Windows XP and the more currently released Microsoft operating system, Windows Vista, we have the ability to turn our computers into little speech recognition machines by allowing people to dictate documents and emails, use voice commands to start and stop applications, fill out online forms, and even control the operating system.

Windows XP – Speech Recognition
For Windows XP, all you need for speech recognition to work is the following:

• Windows XP with Service Pack 1 (or later)
• Microsoft Speech Recognition Engine (SRE) 5.0
• Software that supports speech recognition (Microsoft Office 2003, Internet Explorer, Notepad, etc.)
• Microphone

The SRE 5 is not included with Windows XP but comes with MS Office 2003. The other requirement is to enable support of “advanced text services” in the Regional and Language Options applet in the operating system.

Windows Vista – Speech Recognition
Windows Vista offers a speech recognition program built right into the operating system and does not require additional software to run. A user can access the voice recognition program from the Accessories’ Ease of Access menu items. As with most voice recognition program, the user is expected to train the program to recognize her voice. Microsoft enhanced its speech recognition software by giving users hands-free computing experience in the Vista version. This is a great benefit to users with disabilities as the use of keyboards and mice may not be within easy reach for some people.

Vista’s version of speech recognition software is available in a variety of languages: English (U.S), English (U.K.), German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese (Traditional), and Chinese (Simplified).

A demonstration video of how the program works can be viewed by clicking here.

The following chart highlights a few alternative choices in speech recognition software.

Software OS Platform Feature-
Functionality		 Advantage Drawback Cost-
License
Speech Recognition At least Windows XP Service Pack 1 Dictation, Voice commands Good voice recognition but not perfect; limited language engine available Some use of mouse/keyboard required Additional installation of SRE and configurations SRE Additional cost or included in MS Office 2003
Speech Recognition Windows Vista built-in Hands-free, Dictation, Voice commands Hands-free; Better voice recognition and user friendly than Win XP version; Built-in Windows Vista is not yet widely used because it’s buggy and also requires much system resources, oftentimes a hardware upgrade is needed Included in Windows Vista
Dragon Naturally Speaking 9 Preferred Win 2K
Win XP Home
Win XP Pro
Win Vista		 Is the premiere tool for dictating text and commanding a Web browser by voice Is the premiere tool for dictating text and commanding a Web browser by voice Expensive and requires a robust computer. Runs on Windows only I$170-$199
E-Speaking Voice and Speech Recognition 3.8.12 Win 2K/XP Dictation, Voice commands, Read aloud text in emails, documents Multi-purpose: Performs voice recognition and reads text aloud Inexpensive 30-day free trial $14 purchase
Audiomatic 1.30.07362 Win 2K/XP
Win 2003 Server		 Create system-wide macros and launch with voice command or keyboard shortcuts. Enables launching of programs, files, Web sites, play sounds, speak text, run scripts Not yet rated Not yet rated 14-day free trial $9.95 purchase

Sources

  1. Windows Vista Video Tutorial
    http://www.cnettv.com/9742-1_53-25996.html
  2. SolutionBase: Using speech recognition in Windows XP
    http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-6346_11-5928530.html
  3. Listening to Users is the Key to Speech Recognition at Microsoft
    http://www.microsoft.com/enable/microsoft/chambers.aspx
  4. Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred 9
    http://reviews.cnet.com/voice-recognition/dragon-naturallyspeaking-preferred-9/
    4505-3528_7-31988682.html?tag=txt.5

Supermarket meets Microsoft’s Digital world

Published
by
Kristin Stewart
on April 30, 2008
in FYI
. 0 Comments

By the second half of 2008 if you live on the East Coast, and shop at “Wakefern Food Corp.’s ShopRite Supermarkets” you’re sure to get a whole new shopping experience. Think store directory, video ads, and checkout line all wrapped into one neat little package; the shopping cart. After four years of working with MediaCart Holdings Inc., which is based in Plano, Texas, Microsoft will be unveiling their “grocery cart-mounted console”. It will allow customers to locate products in the store, scan the items, and then pay for their groceries without ever entering a checkout line. Also, after a $6 billion deal with aQuaintive, an online advertising company, customers will be served video ads based on their location with-in the store.

Better yet, once the customer has a ShopRite Loyalty card they will be able to log into the website from home and create their shopping list. When they arrive at the store and swipe the card into the console, their list will appear. For each item scanned into the console a running price tally will be given and the items will be checked off their shopping list. What more could a customer ask for?

Well, how about a tracking device, using a radio-frequency identification system. The data collected will help ShopRite and food makers understand customers, and their shopping patterns. It will also direct which advertisements are sent to which customers. If a customer is in the dairy aisle, for example, an ad or coupon for cheese, or yogurt will show up. At the time the original article was written Microsoft was still working on its presentation of commercials and coupons. Past grocery lists, which are activated when the loyalty card is swiped, will also help the advertising companies reach the consumers. Scott Ferris, General Manager of Microsoft’s Advertiser and Publisher Solutions group, said the following statement:

“This is not all necessarily about bombarding consumers, about targeting advertising. It’s about also making the shopping experience better for the consumer.”

According to Ferris, advertisers will be able to establish which commercials and coupons are the most effective, since customers will either be buying the products, or they won’t. By the way, no matter how much the customers are tracked while shopping, rest assured, neither Microsoft nor the advertisers will have access to the personal information linked to the ShopRite Loyalty Card.

Sources:
Adapted from a CNN.com article “Microsoft bringing ads to shopping carts” (January 14th, 2008)
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/01/14/microsoft.shoppingcart.ap/index.html

Active Directory and Directory Services

Published
by
Ronald Denby
on April 22, 2008
in AD Migration and FYI
. 0 Comments

In our lives away from computers we use several different forms of directories almost every day. A directory may be a phone book, your own personal address book or a listing of offices for a building. In computing we use the term directory to identify shared space on a computer network. At dictionary.com a directory with reference to computers is defined as:

  1. a list of files contained in external storage.
  2. a description of characteristics of a particular file, as the layout of fields within each record.

Active directory is a “directory service.” According to dictionary.com a directory service is:

  • A structured repository of information on people and resources within an organization, facilitating management and communication.

To put it another way, a directory service can be thought of as a managed database of resources. Resources could be people (users), things (computers, printers) or places (rooms) depending on what information is stored in the database. In a technical sense Active Directory and Novell Directory Services are based on LDAP or Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. LDAP is a protocol that defines how programs look up information about resources on a network.

Active Directory at Syracuse University and the College of Law

I often get the question, “what is a Active Directory and why is it important to us?” We use Active Directory to manage security and access to resources on our network. By default access is denied to a resource. This means we have to explicitly grant access when a new resource is created. A default “deny all” access policy greatly reduces the chances of someone gaining access to a resource by mistake.

By way of example, consider person A and person B. Person A has requested storage space on the network and has also requested that the storage space be shared with person B - no one else is to have access to the files in this storage area. After creating the shared space we use Active Directory to set permissions on the shared space. The permissions allows A and B access to the files in this shared space and denies access to everyone else. Another example would be using Active Directory to control who has access to what printers. For example we can (and do) control access to work-group printers so that an office or department (i.e. a “work-group”has exclusive access.

Why Change?

While the implementation is different, both Active Directory and Novell Directory Service do basically the same thing; provide access to resources and manage the security settings of those resources. So the question becomes why change? There are several reasons which I enumerated in an email to the faculty and staff of the College of Law. The reasons are still valid so they are worth repeating here:

  1. Because of Microsoft’s dominance on the desktop almost all vendors write their software and with Microsoft products in mind. Most software works right out of the box with AD. With NetWare we often found ourselves either without vendor support or having to purchase 3rd party software to sit in between Microsoft Windows and Novell NetWare in order to get the functionality we needed.
  2. Faculty and staff will be provisioned directly from Peoplesoft. This means that as soon as a new employee is entered into the Peoplesoft system a network account will be automatically created with predefined rights and permissions. This greatly will reduce the time it takes to get a new employee set up on our systems.
  3. Students will be provisioned directly from Peoplesoft. This means that as new students are entered into the Peoplesoft system a network account will be automatically created with predefined rights and permissions. This will greatly enhance the services we can offer to students. Eventually students will also have Outlook e-mail which will greatly enhance our ability to communicate with students and vice-versa.
  4. The Windows desktop will be standardized. We will have greater control over what can be installed on the Windows desktop. A part of the campus security initiative includes implementing the ability to control what software can be installed thereby reducing the risk of running unauthorized or dangerous software in our environment. This will greatly reduce the threat of viruses, worms and unauthorized access to systems through hacking.
  5. Centrally managed file and e-mail servers. The AD environment will be centrally managed by Information Technology and Services (ITS). Centralized management will provide a robust file services and e-mail environment that will be maintained and backed up by ITS. This will allow us to concentrate on services unique to the College of law. We will continue to manage our web, print and Linux servers. We will also continue to have full administrative responsibility over our file and e-mail systems within AD just as we currently have with NetWare.

For the technical staff at the College of Law Active Directory has and will greatly improve our ability to manage resources on our network.

On The Road Again: Basics for traveling with a laptop

Published
by
Chris Harrison
on April 15, 2008
in FYI
. 4 Comments

Many road warriors and even students and vacationers find themselves traveling needing to stay in touch with the office or with their student information. What does this mean in today’s world of wireless internet connections, airport security, and a wide range of services provided by hotels and other travel destinations?

How do I connect to wireless, anyway? This can vary widely by laptop but generally, depending on your computer’s operating system:

Windows XP - click the Start Button, choose Connect To and then Wireless Network Connection. Click the View Wireless Networks button, select the network you want to connect to and click Connect.

Windows VISTA - similarly, the easiest approach is to click the Start Button, choose Connect To and then choose the wireless network you wish from the list that appears and click Connect.

Macs - clicking on the AirPort icon at the top of the screen brings up a choice of available networks.

Don’t just connect to any old network - the hotel or airport name, or the provider of the service may reveal the “right” network to choose. Often times, other businesses close by may have wireless, but if secured, you won’t be able to (and shouldn’t) connect. If in doubt, ask an employee of the airport, coffee shop, or hotel for the exact name of the wireless network.

Also be sure your laptop’s wireless is turned on. Simple as that sounds, wireless may be off for an office setting and may need to be turned on, or enabled, when you’re not in that environment. How is that done? Again, this varies widely by laptop, but may be a switch on the side or from of the computer, or a keyboard switch. Consult, you guessed it, your owner’s manual or ask your IT staff!

All airports are not created equal. If you can connect easily to a wireless network without paying a fee at one airport, does that mean you’ll have the same luck everywhere? No, it doesn’t, sadly. Syracuse’s Hancock Airport now offers free wireless throughout; it is easy to connect to most often. The signal was strong in several areas tested, including the US Air gates and Baggage Claim. Well, except for the “system initiating check back later” message, encountered at 5:30 am one morning.

As with all networks, airports wireless networks are subject to occasional downtimes, high traffic, and quirkiness that may prevent your getting a good connection at a given moment. And, no, not all airport wireless networks are free to the public. How will you know? Usually signs are in evidence: “Free wireless available”, “Wireless hotspot”, etc. And, personnel at the gates, or even other travelers, are aware of what wireless services are available. How will you pay? Usually, your browser window will pop up with the airport network connection page and offer an opportunity to pay with a credit card. These sites are normally secure so it is safe to enter your credit card information.

The link to the website below may provide useful information about wireless connections at various airports. Some favorite airports are free (Syracuse, Pittsburg, Phoenix, for example). Others are not free. Also, the signal may vary widely within the airport. Not a bad idea to check your destination or layover for what to expect. Payment, when required, is usually by the day and sometimes will cover more than one airport, which may influence your decision as to whether to pay the fee. Most all credit cards are accepted.

http://www.travelpost.com/airport-wireless-internet.aspx

Hotels and more. Once you’ve arrived at your destination, you may again find yourself wanting to connect to the local wireless. What can you expect when you try this? As it turns out, a wide range of things. Some hotels are free, wireless or wired; some charge by the day. Check with the front desk or the hotel concierge for this information. It may also be necessary to get the username and password from the front desk. At times, a hotel connection may seem free, as it doesn’t request credit card information to connect; note that the charge may appear on your room bill. The best policy is to ask before connecting and read carefully the information on the site you see as your laptop connects to the wireless.

So, you venture out for coffee or breakfast. Starbucks, Panera and similar places provide wireless and yes, usually you pay for a connection by the day. You can expect to pay about $9.95 - $14.95 for 24 hours usage. If you encounter problems, check with the staff of the restaurant/coffee shop - they’ll know the fees, current status of the network (yes, sometimes they are down for brief periods).

The link below has some interesting information about what causes for problems when connecting to wireless - interesting things to keep in mind:

http://www.independenttraveler.com/resources/article.cfm?AID=623&category=13

Airport Security. What can you expect to encounter in airport security when you travel with a laptop? You may have to take it and its related cables and cords out of the carrying case and place it in a bin. It will be run through an xray device to verify that it is indeed a laptop - this process is safe and will not harm your computer. On occasion, you may be asked to turn it on, so carry a cord or be sure your battery is charged. Perhaps the thing to be most conscious of in security areas is reclaiming your laptop promptly, along with the rest of your belongings. And, as always, never leave your laptop unattended anywhere in the airport - laptop theft is still at very high levels.

Wait, my cell phone doesn’t work. Once you’ve landed at your destination, you may find that your cell phone takes a minute to reestablish itself. Particularly quirky can be the connections to data networks found with Blackberry and other handheld devices with data service. The trick is to turn it all the way off and then back on, or even to remove the battery (Blackberry or Treo devices) for a 10 second count and then replace it. This forces the phone to seek a new cell tower and reestablish its connections. The battery out ritual is a cure for many problems with these devices, much like a reboot for a computer. Try it first. Then try tech support by calling from a land line, provided either by the cell phone company or your campus/business.

Google Docs

Published
by
Anita Giovanini
on April 7, 2008
in FYI
. 0 Comments

Google isn’t just a search engine anymore. One of its many features is free, online access to something called Google Docs. It is an online application that you can use to create documents, spreadsheets, & presentations. It looks very similar to Microsoft Office, but is available on the internet for free. No software to purchase or install. All you need to do is create a Google account. You can use any email address to do this, it’s not necessary to create a new email account. Once you have an account set up, you can access it from any computer, anywhere, as long as you have internet access. You don’t have to carry your data around with you, you save everything online. By storing your documents online, it is more secure, and you don’t have to worry about losing anything, even if you have a hard drive failure.

As with Office, you can format your documents and spreadsheets, most of the same features are available. You can easily do all the basics, including making bulleted lists, sorting by columns, adding tables, images, formulas, changing fonts, and lots more. It even has spell check! It also keeps track of all the revisions that are made to each document.

Google Docs is compatible with Microsoft Office. You can upload your Word and Excel documents you created on your desktop or laptop computer to the Google Docs server, edit and save them there. This makes traveling easier. You can create folders to put your documents in to keep you organized. You can then open them from any computer with internet access. Google’s Presentation feature works just like Power Point.

Another great feature is document sharing. Not only can you share a document with someone else, you can both edit it at the same time. Just by having internet access! You choose who can have access to your documents. Multiple people can look at, and work on, the same thing at the same time! There is an on-screen chat window to show who is doing what. This is great for people working on group projects. They don’t have to go anywhere, and they don’t need to have the same software installed on their computers. After importing the document and working on it, it can be exported back to your personal computer.

Having your work saved on the web makes it easier to publish your work as a web page. You can publish your document as a web page without any special software installation, or having to learn anything new. Use it to post documents to your blog.

There are too many other features to go into all of them here. But it is a very convenient way to keep your work with you wherever you are. Best of all, it’s free, and all you need to get started is a Google account using your current email address. All this can be found by going to: http://docs.google.com