Dragon software

[bandmiller2]

Any of you guys using that Dragon software where you speak it types,is it worthwile.?? Frank C.

[florida]

Before you spend your money Windows 7 has one built in that works pretty well.

[clearcut]

I've used the free version available on the iPad. It gets about 85-95% of the words correct. It is surprising how difficult it is to dictate without a lot of UMMS and such. On this version it helps to speak the punctuation marks (comma), I'm not sure if the full PC version is more intelligent about punctuation (period).

I use it when my kids need something typed. They hand write a draft, and I read the draft into the machine. We then correct the dictated material. 

Getting used to dictation is my biggest hurdle using this type of software.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

I don't think any of those softwares can understand Southern Drawl.  :D

[LeeB]

Actually Davis. the dragon does "learn" your speech patterns. I have it but don't particularly use it. I thought it would make facebook chat with Lindy easier, but I can't get it to work on there. 

Roxie,
Tell me more about the built in one on W7

[goose63]

Can it speak Grit's? :D

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Can it speak Grit's? :D

:D :D :D

[leot]

As a Pastor I use it every week to speak my sermon into my computer, then I edit it and print it for Sunday.  I have used it for over 15 years and it works better then the windows one. It also spells better then I do.

[Leigh Family Farm]

The newest version is pretty good. I demoed the Mac version in a store one time and it picked up everything I said. The one drawback is that if you start to ramble on, like I tend to do when I get going on a topic, the software makes one giant sentence and then you have to go back and correct it all. Personally, I would look into a digital recorder that comes with dictation software. You record your thoughts on the recorder throughout the day and then plug it into your computer at the end of the day. The software then puts the recordings into text. The problem is that they are a little expensive.

Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Philips-DVT1500-00-Microphones-Naturally/dp/B0093IZOV0/ref=sr_1_1/192-6513870-9206447?ie=UTF8&qid=1385042619&sr=8-1&keywords=digital+voice+recorder+to+text

[bandmiller2]

Mayby to conserve bandwidth, and you fellas time, I'am better off with my current one finger method. Thanks  Frank C.

[barbender]

Boy oh boy, Poston- there has to be a comedy skit in this. Have a southerner speak into the mike and see what the computer comes up with :D Kinda like Jeff Foxworthy's old bit on southern expressions- "Jeetyet? Yawntoo?" Translation- "Did you eat yet? Want to?" ;D

[beenthere]

Naw...twirly tweet.

[Jim_Rogers]

I got a copy and I haven't used it much.

It could be that my computer loads too much stuff when it starts up. Which I have tried to lower down, lately.
But it seemed that every time I tried to use it, my computer would crash. I never loaded it into my laptop to try but I could try that someday.

Years ago, I had an idea about how to use Dragon. As we all know there are many people out there who can't hear.
And we have many of them in the woodworking industry.
A fellow emailed me that I met here on the forum in the timber framing section. He wanted to learn timber framing. And some of his deaf friends also wanted to learn timber framing.
He was going to travel to NC to go to a company there that was going to have a one week workshop and teach timber framing.
He could not contact the company by phone as they didn't have a deaf phone system. And they weren't returning his emails.
So he emailed me and asked me to call them and see what was up.
The problem was the person he was emailing had left the company and no one was reading those emails.
He got a new email address, the company hosted the workshop with a sign language person from a local University. And he learned timber framing. A good ending to a long story here.

From this I considered trying to help non hearing woodworkers to learn timber framing.
My idea was to have a laptop equipped with Dragon attached to a projector like we use when we are at conferences, that projects what is on the laptop screen up onto a slide show screen. This way the program will project what the speaker is saying up onto a screen for the deaf people to read as it is being presented. Kind of like active captions. The benefit to this is that at the end the presentation could be saved and then printed out for the non hearing audience to read, and take home.

We have at least one deaf timber framer who attends conferences and they usually send several sign language people to work the conference floor interpreting for him. They take turns signing as it can be very tiring doing it constantly and signing unfamiliar words can be a challenge for them. I know because I asked them once about understanding the terms and words we use, in timber framing.

I have never attempted to try my idea as I don't own a projector that would/could be hooked up to a laptop and project the screen image. But I'm feel pretty sure it would work. I have even discussed it with one of the signers and they thought it may work.

You could try it and see if it will work for you. But as I mentioned you may have to turn off all kinds of "behind" the scenes programs you have running in the background to get it to work smoothly.

Jim Rogers

[Leigh Family Farm]

Jim,
There are several small projectors now that can hook right into a laptop. All you need is a large white backdrop to project the image onto. See the link below to a simple one I found on Amazon. For $1,000 you could have a great portable setup, which would include a simple cheap laptop ($300), projector ($150), projector screen ($150), Dragon software ($150), and wireless microphone/headset ($85), and then $100 worth of miscellaneous items like cords, carrying cases, folding table, etc. This is of course if you bought it all brand new. I don't know if this would be feasible for your timber frame classes, or even talking to the deaf community for cost sharing. Just an idea...

http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Projector-Cinema-Theater-Support/dp/B00ESJ5G9E/ref=sr_1_4/190-7890536-3063860?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1385130880&sr=1-4&keywords=portable+projectors