95 Year Young ‘Pop’ Learns New Technology
- Comments: 28
- Posted on: October 10th, 2008
Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Preferred
I hope you will watch my short video which shows how ‘Pop’ is living proof it’s never too late to learn!
Pop enjoys telling his stories of the ‘old days’ and he loves being the center of attention and involved in the ‘action’, so when I asked if he’d help me with a blogging project he was happy to give it a go. I poured him a scotch on the rocks with a splash of water and we went to work! He put on a noise reduction headset, read a few paragraphs of text into the attached microphone, then started telling an event he clearly remembered. He was using Dragon Naturally Speaking 10, a simple to learn but extremely complex, comprehensive program which converts speech into text.
As he is 95 years of age I wasn’t sure how Pop would react to having his words print out on the computer screen as he was speaking (think of the fact he never used a typewriter much less a computer) but I showed him how Dragon Naturally Speaking worked and he was keen to start getting his stories down in print. He even suggested I should make his stories into a book!
Pop told story after story, with gentle prompting from me once in a while as to details, while I made dinner, glancing from time to time at the computer screen to be sure his words were being transcribed. I noticed his speech was occasionally too quiet for the microphone to pick up correctly and there were some words he didn’t enunciate clearly, creating gibberish which was quite funny, but overall the story is now there for me to edit – told in his own words, with his sense of humor showing through.
Pop’s life stories form a large part of my blog. The first winter he lived with Kent and I was long and rainy so we didn’t go out very often. He was bored watching the Western re-runs on TV, and we didn’t have much left to talk about after being together 24/7, so I asked him to tell me about his commercial fishing days, and I typed as he spoke. It was a painfully slow process and I’d have to stop him regularly so I could catch up as I only type about 55 words per minute, with lousy accuracy. You might like to Take the Dragon NaturallySpeaking typing test! Are you a faster typist than me?
Dragon Naturally Speaking types up to 150 words per minute so it is easily able to keep up with his speech. It requires a short learning period where the program actually learns your speech patterns. I believe the more you work with the program the more geared it will become to you, and you can add your own pronunciation, vocabulary and terminology. DNS would not recognize the name of my hometown “Egmont”, so I simply added it as a new word, said it once and the software was ‘trained’. If you speak with an accent, DNS will take those nuances into consideration. Watch David Pogue test DNS 10 in a New York Times Review for a quick overview of the program.
I like the idea of using DNS to give my blog a unique ’storytelling’ aspect when I post “Pop’s” tall tales. My children, grandchildren and future generations will enjoy reading these stories, in Pop’s own words. Between us, and with the help of Dragon Naturally Speaking, we will be able to leave a fascinating legacy of interesting events and times. I think Pop and I and Dragon Naturally Speaking will be great friends!
That was great! But now I want to know what your Pop blew up with all that dynamite!
brettbum’s last blog post..Dow futures down 412 at open
ReplyThanks, I’m glad you liked the video! Thank goodness Pop wasn’t doing the actual ‘blowing up’, just recalling a story of an historic event on the BC coastline
ReplyThat is a great use for the technology–I had no idea it was that well developed now!
vein’s last blog post..Publish America
Replytried to watch the video… i think i wore out my pc tonight… This really sounds like a great product. I am glad your pops got to use it.
Christina thecoffeelady’s last blog post..How was your Sunday Evening?
ReplyYour dad definitely does not look 95. You should start a blog for you dad with his stories. I know I would be interested in reading them.
Lisa’s last blog post..Hey Sarah Palin
ReplyAmazing project, congratulations – and at the same time this is the best proof that Dragon Naturally Speaking really works!
ReplyI have seen that software and I think its amazing!
Stomphoof’s last blog post..Don Pepe’s Habana Grill
ReplyI KNOW I commented on this post when you posted it, now did I go to spam ?
Anyway, great way for your pop to use this software. You will have all his great stories for many generations to read!
Jules’s last blog post..My Book Sale Was a Success
Replythat’s pretty awesome. i would love to have that software to record my grandfather’s stories.
cady’s last blog post..E.R., Ipods and Cranberry Juice
ReplyIt is amazing what todays technology can do for you. Really nice that you can have your Pops stories recorded and saved in this way.
Mark’s last blog post..British Butterfly Photos
ReplyAmazing! What a great story to tell us all about advanced technology. I’ll be checking into the program, sounds like fun and fast!
Janet Giacoma’s last blog post..3 Steps to Defining Your Target Audience
ReplyThat gives me a great idea…I should do this with my grandfather
HoundsGood’s last blog post..SSP Calendars Now on Sale
ReplyI have been toying with the idea of using that program.
windyridge’s last blog post..The Last Weekend at the Cabin
ReplyWhat a fantastic idea! I’m so glad that he felt comfortable enough to use Dragon. What a treasure for your family to have – his stories to keep and pass along.
Connie’s last blog post..Internet JukeBox
ReplyMy own father is 83, and I’m not sure he will ever be able to learn. He barely gets why I spend so much time on mine.
gina’s last blog post..Thoughts on My Own Worst Enemy
ReplyExcellent use of technology and great for those who don’t type. I have used the software prior but had some difficulties with it properly translating. Now this was back when it first came out so I am sure there have been several advancements. Great post!
Scott’s last blog post..Experiential Marketing Business Background
ReplyWhat an awesome way to utilize DNS. I think all families should do that. I kkep having to retype words because my dog is sitting on my lap and I cnnot see. she refuses to get down. LOL
Karen’s last blog post..The Beat Moves You
Replyhttp://www.mytangibewealthblog.com
What a terrific idea! I wish my older parents had more of an interest in computers. Us kids got them one a few holidays ago…and they are afraid of it!
ReplyI’m not sure about it for myself. I type differently to when I speak, and if I’m sick in bed with a cold then the program wouldn’t recognise me!
Ferox’s last blog post..Vindictive Poetry
Replywow, I didn’t know that these software works that well. i might need to go get one because I’m lazy of typing.
nhuong’s last blog post..Cambodia and Corruptions
ReplyWow, that’s great program. I’m also getting tired of typing. : )
Reply[...] review included a video showing my 95 year young ‘Pop’ testing the software while telling one of his tall tales! It was amazing to watch this salty old dog learning new [...]
[...] This video is a really clever use of a current voice recognition software called Dragon NaturallySpeaking. It shows how this woman, Heather, was able to get her 95 year old father to learn how to use the software to share with her (and generations to come) some of his life stories. What a great way to capture your family history! The above video is not the typical Dragon NaturallySpeaking video. It was created by a blogger named Heather from British Columbia. She writes a blog called Boating in Beautiful British Columbia. [...]
[...] I was just watching this video that a woman named Heather made with her 95 year old Dad. She taught him to use Dragon Naturally Speaking to blog his own [...]
[...] and convenient way. I learned of Dragon Naturally Speaking from my friend Heather who blogs at Boating In Beautiful British Columbia . She wanted to find a way to record her father’s life stories so she would have them as a [...]
[...] Boating In Beautiful British Columbia posted this video and an article about how they got their 95-year young Pop to use a computer to record old family [...]
[...] And also, there’s THIS article about a 95 year young man that learns all about new technology… [...]
[...] can be used very effectively in a number of other ways. Please have a look at my fellow blogger Heather and her 95-year-old father as they capture a piece of their family’s oral tradition–you [...]