8/1/2

[wages]

Hey, hey! I know I have been away from the daily rollcall for several months... that was because of my arms and needing to conserve my time for the guitar, but those woes may be all over! Why? Because of what I am using to write this very message: I finally got Dragon NaturallySpeaking to use at home (I have been using it at work for around 9 to 12 months, and it has been incredibly helpful)! Now, whether that actually means I will post more in the rollcall has yet to be seen. However, it certainly means that I will write more lyrics more often... so those hoping I wasn't going to enter Purple Reign: month three on every single song may be... just maybe... disappointed. Muah-ha-ha-ha!

QOTD: What did you want to be when you were growing up? How close did that end up to the reality?

It is difficult to remember, though I am sure at some point I wanted to be an astronaut and all the other typical choices. Oh, I remember! I wanted to be a baseball player. When I got a little older and realized that's not where my heart truly was, I wanted to be various things like a teacher, Christian youth minister (yeah, surprises me too!), comic book artist, computer programmer, videogame designer, architect, and finally musician.
Reality? I don't want to be an astronaut, architect, or videogame designer solely because I did not want to go through all of the math required to do those. I did not go for comic book artist because I did not want to take the time to learn anatomy. So, one take on reality is that I am too lazy to follow my dreams. However, I have developed quite a bit as a musician and I did take some computer programming courses (ones leading up to a computer associate degree), and I have learned HTML and can monkey around with Cold Fusion, but I am really far from being considered a programmer, though that is no longer my desire. I do use those skills at work, so it has crept into my reality. It remains to be seen if musician will pan out.

Man, these e-mails are really going to get much longer now that I don't actually have to type! Sucks to be you.

[fluffy]

You didn't REALLY dictate that to the computer, did you?

[wages]

You didn't REALLY dictate that to the computer, did you?

I certainly did! I did the bolding with the mouse and it made about 2 or 3 "understanding"errors that I corrected using the software. I tell ya, you really learn to enunciate using this software. It took a while for me to get it to be that accurate at work.

[fluffy]

Wow. The last time I used dictation software, the quality was such that your paragraph would have read like

hay hay eye no eye half bin weigh from head a lee no back up backup stop delete no delete no stop you toupee of ship no duck this ship

[drë]

You didn't REALLY dictate that to the computer, did you?

I tell ya, you really learn to enunciate using this software.

i might just have to get that software.

[HeuristicsInc]

so did you have to spell "reign" so it did that instead of "rain"?
-bill

[wages]

so did you have to spell "reign" so it did that instead of "rain"?
-bill

MS message, I will not correct anything. On that one, what I did was I said" purple rain", and then I said "correct that", and then a drop-down appeared offering me replacement choices one of which was "purple reign" (incidentally, this time, it did not offer me that choice, so I manually typed that word). When you are looking at the choices, you say "choose" and then the number that is next to your choice. Example: choose one. Then it replaces the incorrect phrase with the correct one. The biggest key is to enunciate, which takes a while to get used to (it makes you feel like you are Holly Golightly in my fair Lady), but you are rewarded with less corrections and much faster typing. I also think it helps me arrange my thoughts a little better before I speak as you want to speak in bursts, preferably in full sentences, but I can't do that! however, clearly speaking in short bursts (three or more words at a time) works fine. But then you fill odd when you say, "caw caw caw". Dammit! I meant it to put "caw off a". Sometimes, it does have difficulty! I'm trying to laugh.

[fluffy]

That was surprisingly readable.

[wages]

You didn't REALLY dictate that to the computer, did you?

I tell ya, you really learn to enunciate using this software.

i might just have to get that software.

Like I said, the main thing is to enunciate. In addition, it helps unbelievably well when you take the time to do some of the training exercises, because it knows what words you are intending to say so it kind of learns your specific dialect. And yes, with that prize package you also get the ability to have multiple user profiles (you, your spouse, your dog, whatever). Another extremely helpful thing is to use the "Accuracy Center" because you can set it to analyze all of your corrections and to adjust itself for better accuracy.

If anyone really does decide to get this software, I would be more than happy to help you if at all possible. I have researched instructional books for it, but they are for very old versions (I am using version 9, and the Dummies book is for version 4!), so I do not recommend buying a book.

[Caravan Ray]

(it makes you feel like you are Holly Golightly in my fair Lady)

I think you mean it makes you feel like Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Holly Golightly was in Breakfast a Tiffanys. Either way - I'm fairly certain you don't look much like Audrey Hepburn.

[Billy's Little Trip]

Damn, that's cool, no typing? I need that, I'm wearing out my pointy finger and my computer always punches me.

Hey Phil, you'd think that all that good enunciation would have made your singing more clear on our last song, so J$ wouldn't have thought that you said "heart full of cum",

[JonPorobil]

Hey Phil, you'd think that all that good enunciation would have made your singing more clear on our last song, so J$ wouldn't have thought that you said "heart full of cum",

Wait, so what is that line?


I used a voice recognition software a long time ago, and the results were fairly similar to what fluffy described above. Mine was a little better than that, but you had to talk slow, which for me defeated the purpose of controlling the computer with my voice. It got a little better after I'd done a lot of the exercises (which entailed mostly dictating long passages from The Wizard of Oz to it), but it was still pretty buggy. It was, however, also my first encounter with a text-to-speech program. I was fascinated with the way it spoke in an almost-monotone, but it was just enough inflection for the mind to fill in the gaps, and imagine it placing emphasis on important words in the sentence. I also loved making it pronounce gibberish words.

A more entertaining anecdote: a friend of mine was using a voice-recognition program once. As he left the computer to go to the bathroom, he put the headset microphone on top of a shielded radiator—it didn't melt, but the radiator made noise in the meantime, which the software mistook for a manifesto about Hitler. He came back and found some truly bizarre prose poetry on his screen that *almost* made syntactical sense, and made frequent reference to Hitler. Scary. I wish I still had that transcript.

QotD: I've never really known what I wanted to do. I used to want to be an actor, but then I found I can't stand most actors—too many divas. There's exceptions to every rule of course, but I couldn't really see myself as an active member of that community. I guess ever since then I've wanted to be one or another kind of writer. Whether I'll succeed in making any money off of that remains to be seen.

[Spud]

I always wanted to be an architect.
I am now an architect.
Have been for the past 25 years.
It's not everything it's cracked up to be, but it's not bad.

When I grow up, I am going to be a writer. I have two published books, a couple of books in half-finished states. That's why it's gonna take growing up first.

SPUD

[Spud]

hay hay eye no eye half bin weigh from head a lee no back up backup stop delete no delete no stop you toupee of ship no duck this ship

I might just have to get THAT software. Looks like it might be really helpful with lyrics, if I ever decide to go solo.

[Caravan Ray]

but today, if i could change my career easily, i like the idea of landscape architecture.

Nah - you don't want to be a landscape architect. I've had to deal with those idiots a lot over the years. They piss me off.

I Sir, just so happen to be one of those idiots!

Yeah - like I said, they piss me off.

Well, not a landscape "architect". But I do what's called "outdoor living environments" which is just a new fancy term for "very expensive back yard", lol. I'll do complete back yard designs with a swimming pool/spa, built in BBQ and bar, outdoor room with a fireplace, built in big screen and mini kitchen, etc etc. Basically a roof with 4 posts and everything you'd find in your living room, except walls.
Then I subcontract everything to specialists. Like, when I design landscaping into a plan, I just have sketches of shapes of the kind of fullness, hight and girth that I want. Then I meet with a specialist that knows what type of plants will fit the look I want and work with the soil and amount and angle of the sun, etc etc. Then he will itemize every plant that goes in that yard.
My finished plans get very detailed for a complete job and typically run anywhere from 2k to 5k, before we even break ground, depending on the size of the job. Most of the plan cost goes back to the engineers and specialists. I'm pretty much 15% to 19% across the board.

But no - you are not the target of my disdain - your business sounds highly reputable, and I actually have need for the services of someone just like yourself to work out how to put a pool in a small inner-city backyard (I can pay you in cover versions - and yeah, I know I still owe you one for you filter pump consultancy - it's coming...). It is probably more the bloke you describe as "a specialist that knows what type of plants will fit the look I want..." that piss me off. They are the dudes that end up knocking down bushland and replacing it with manicured, water-hungry lawns and exotic plants (a.k.a "future weeds") or ripping out mangroves and replacing them with sandy beaches and palm trees. What people do in their backyards usually isn't a problem (as long as their backyards are not close to sesnitive habitat areas) - but on the big-scale projects I work on, there are often many little battles between the environmental consultants like me who are interested in protecting habitat (and probably more importantly in a commercial sense, not breaking the law) - and the landscape architect people who just want things to "look nice".

[fluffy]

Huh. That combined with the previous thread about the shower egg timer makes me think that you guys (as a society) need to learn about xeriscaping. When Albuquerque had its big water crisis in the 90s (namely they measured the aquafer and found out, oh crap, there's not enough water to supply the city for the next century after all!) one of the solutions was to give major rebates and other such incentives to people who xeriscaped (as well as raising the water rates and penalizing people who displayed callous disregard for water conservation by e.g. washing cars in their driveway and violating the lawn-watering schedule or having an excessive amount of water hitting pavement and so on), and that had a HUGE effect on overall water consumption.

[Spud]

You forgot the ™ on xeriscape™.

[fluffy]

Huh, I didn't realize it was trademarked, but you're right. Odd.

[Billy's Little Trip]

I do a lot of hardscaping in my projects. If designed creatively with the right mix of materials, minimal plants can be used, but still give a very warm softness to the finished job. I'm big on zeroscaping and I can generally work some into every plan with the homeowners blessing. But you also have to give the customer what they want.

[Caravan Ray]

Huh. That combined with the previous thread about the shower egg timer makes me think that you guys (as a society) need to learn about xeriscaping. When Albuquerque had its big water crisis in the 90s (namely they measured the aquafer and found out, oh crap, there's not enough water to supply the city for the next century after all!) one of the solutions was to give major rebates and other such incentives to people who xeriscaped (as well as raising the water rates and penalizing people who displayed callous disregard for water conservation by e.g. washing cars in their driveway and violating the lawn-watering schedule or having an excessive amount of water hitting pavement and so on), and that had a HUGE effect on overall water consumption.

I just googled "xeriscaping"TM. I didn't know you could trademark the bleeding obvious! I think everyone (well, everyone except bloody property developers and their landscape architects) has known all that for a long time.

The main problem we have in south east Queensland is not so much the water supply (as I type, a nasty big sub-tropical low has been hovering off the coast for over a week drenching Brisbane) but lack of infrastructure. This is the fastest growing area in the country and the services can't keep up. We understand the El Nino droughts now - but Brisbane soon won't have the storage capacity to cater for them.

Then when we bring climate change into the equation - well, Brisbane should fare OK in the medium term - we may even get wetter. But it is predicted that Sydney and Melbourne - and especially Perth will increasingly find themselves drier and drier. And as for Adelaide - sorry Sausage Boy - but that is one city I wouldn't be recommending any major long-term real estate investments in. It is predicted that most rainfall on the Aust continent will effectivley move south - ie. Adelaide may one day in the near future have an annual rainfall similar to Lake Eyre.

[sausage boy]

And as for Adelaide - sorry Sausage Boy - but that is one city I wouldn't be recommending any major long-term real estate investments in. It is predicted that most rainfall on the Aust continent will effectivley move south - ie. Adelaide may one day in the near future have an annual rainfall similar to Lake Eyre.

As long as it doesn't impede my ability to download pornography, I think we will be ok.

[wages]

(it makes you feel like you are Holly Golightly in my fair Lady)

I think you mean it makes you feel like Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Holly Golightly was in Breakfast a Tiffanys. Either way - I'm fairly certain you don't look much like Audrey Hepburn.

Dammit, I knew I should have looked it up on the IMDB! so, but I did say "feel", not "look".