Spin-my-Blog Post OR The False Promise of Voice-Recognition

Good morning, everyone & welcome to the new & improved audio enhanced version of before I sleep Batman. When I say audio I speak not of new thing or technology that allows you to hear audio & sounds & music & explosions & sound effects & parts(?) & bangs & so on & so forth. Ney dear viewer I speak of a

Voice-to-Screen messaging - powered by SpinVox

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WELL! So much for that that failed experiment. I swear, every year or two, The Powers That Be swear that they have finally perfected voice-recognition technology, and why don't you try it out? So I have:

• I tried IBM ViaVoice to transcribe word processing documents. ("It was the festive times, it was the Worcester ties." WHAT?!)
• I tried Apple's built-in system software to control my computer with words. ("Open... Mail. Compose... New... Message... NO, cancel that. Cancel that. CANCEL THAT. Gah!")
• I tried SimulScribe to transcribe my voice mails. (A message left for me detailing someone's failed experiences with his high school prom completely reversed the meaning, and transcribed that he actually went to the prom and had a good time.)
• And today, I have tried the Spin-my-Blog service, a promising new start-up that lets me merely dial a phone number and speak my thoughts aloud. The magic of technology will convert my thoughts to text! At least, that's how the theory goes. In practice, the service not only garbled my words ("Before I Sleep dot Net," not "Before I Sleep Batman." "Newfangled technology," not "New thing or technology." "Pops and bangs, and so on," not "Parts(?) & bangs and so on.")..... but even more appalling, the damn thing cut me off! I was all set to wax eloquent for at least 2-3 minutes. What did I get? 20 seconds at best.

So much for voice-recognition technology. I expect I'll try again in 2009 or so. Oy vey!

* Afterthought: Hmmm..... "Before I Sleep Batman." I like the sound of that....