Back in 1999, I was excited by the advances in voice recognition products for the PC. Products like Naturally Speaking and ViaVoice seemed to finally offer a way to throw away the keyboard and deal with the computer in a more human fashion.
I had visions of walking into a room and saying, “Computer, play some music, please.” And it would respond, “Certainly, Stephen. Would you like to make a selection?”
I blame Star Trek for this illusion. My first impression of computers came from episodes where Kirk and Spock would ask the computer to solve complex scientific problems. The conversation would go something like this:
Spock: Computer, is it possible to break the warp ten barrier?
Computer: [click click whir] INSUFFICIENT DATA.
Kirk: Hmm. [thoughtful pause] Theorize.
Computer: [whirrrrr click click click whirrrrr] IT IS THEORETICALLY POSSIBLE.
Kirk: Describe procedure.
Computer: [click click click whirrrrr] INSUFFICIENT DATA.
Spock: Captain, I do not believe this will work.
Kirk: Shh! Computer, theorize…
Okay, I guess it wasn’t exactly like that, but those episodes made me want to have a verbal exchange with my computer too. I wanted to accomplish tasks just by asking the computer to do it for me. I wanted to say “theorize” to make the computer perform the impossible. So I rushed out to the local software store and bought a copy of IBM ViaVoice.
Reality, of course, failed to live up to my expectations.
Even after hours of “training”, most of my commands were answered with “I don’t understand your command.” The dictation feature was similarly disappointing. Several days into the fiasco, I was fuming. I decided to write an e-mail to IBM customer service to express my complete and utter disgust with their product. So I started the dictation software and began:
Dear IBM:
I have recently purchased the ViaVoice. And I’m becoming very conscious of the fact that everything nice say is not being dictated correctly.
I’m very disappointed in the software and fully intend to return of 4 full refund. The accuracy, if it can be called the, is beautiful. For example, the last sentence contains the word beautiful. It should have instead of said the proposal. I have no idea where this program is finding these words but it is nothing like Wednesday, or what I and say.
You have no idea how frustrating it can be to speak to the dictation device and not have that dictate what he’s a. I notice that not one single sentence has been correct. If this is intended to be a time saving device that falls across the short of the mark. 0 Fokker!!
Thus ended my experiment with voice recognition.
