Husband's hands hurt when he types. They hurt so much, he has to apply liniment and wrap them in bandages. Yet he needs to write articles, opinions, letters, book chapters, studies, ... as part of his work. Enter the Dragon, Naturally Speaking.
Dragon is software that transcribes into text what you say into a microphone. It makes it immeasurably easier for Husband to get those documents out, because the majority of the text is easily handled by Dragon, and only editing changes are necessary. Dragon "learns" as you speak, remembering your accent, intonation, and tempo.
Grandpa has lots of stories to share about the race track and about the service he performed during WWII. However, he doesn't type well, and isn't inclined to write it out in longhand. He is, however, very interested in gadgets and technology, so Husband bought him his own Dragon, which Grandpa's friend has now installed. The very same day, we got an e-mail from Grandpa via Dragon. Success!
So we need to encourage this, and get him to record his stories. If he dictates e-mails and sends them to us, Husband can edit and document a truly colorful lifetime achievement.
Oh, and if you are all thumbs when trying to type on the little tiny keyboard of your cell phone, Dragon is also available for iPhone and Blackberry! And I can testify that the mobile app works just fine.
May 31, 2010
May 15, 2010
Modern Warfare
This afternoon, my library put on a Modern Warfare 2 tournament. A woman saw the flyers a couple of weeks ago and felt morally obligated to object, because she was personally opposed to all warfare. When the library justified its position, she got the Veterans for Peace involved, and they organized a phone and e-mail campaign trying to get the library to cancel the program. Our library director did some research and prepared "talking points" should there be protesters and/or media at the event. Daughter's comment on the protest: "Every teen who would come has already played the game, and their parents probably bought it for them."
Fast-forward to the actual program: 37 teens and adults played 2 vs 2 elimination rounds and had a great time! Participants had to be 17 years old or older (we checked IDs). A handful of protesters showed up, but they didn't stick around and didn't cause any trouble.
Four screens were set up back-to-back, so opoposing teams couldn't see each other's "reality", and each team had two players at a time. As players were eliminated, the next member of the team stepped up to take his place and the scorekeeper adjusted the team's rank. Women also competed.
I'm interested in the debrief - will find out Tuesday how the organizers felt, and whether they would do something like this again. We were prepared for a difficult time, but I think the protesters knew we had done our homework and they didn't push their luck.
Fast-forward to the actual program: 37 teens and adults played 2 vs 2 elimination rounds and had a great time! Participants had to be 17 years old or older (we checked IDs). A handful of protesters showed up, but they didn't stick around and didn't cause any trouble.
Four screens were set up back-to-back, so opoposing teams couldn't see each other's "reality", and each team had two players at a time. As players were eliminated, the next member of the team stepped up to take his place and the scorekeeper adjusted the team's rank. Women also competed.
I'm interested in the debrief - will find out Tuesday how the organizers felt, and whether they would do something like this again. We were prepared for a difficult time, but I think the protesters knew we had done our homework and they didn't push their luck.
May 10, 2010
Tra La! It's May!
It rained and stormed today! Gusty winds from Alaska and drenching downpours this afternoon made it the perfect day to stay indoors with a hot drink and a good movie. My friend and I, having missed it on the big screen, had planned to watch "The Time Traveler's Wife" anyway, since Monday is my day off, and we couldn't have timed it better! The meteorologist on the 10pm news said today had the "coldest high temperature for today's date" on record: 57 degrees! But it should be back in the 80s by mid-week.
I felt very proud that I was able to check off every item on my to-do list. I managed to do two loads of laundry, and a load of dishes, bus downtown to deposit a check and visit the California State Library to do an obituary look-up for my Cousin. Then I bought lunch and took it to A's for the movie. Afterwards, I picked up Daughter from school because of the rain, and we did a little more banking, went to the Post Office, and did grocery shopping. I boiled some chicken so Daughter could make Chicken Mole for dinner, ran the dishwasher and checked my e-mail.
I felt very proud that I was able to check off every item on my to-do list. I managed to do two loads of laundry, and a load of dishes, bus downtown to deposit a check and visit the California State Library to do an obituary look-up for my Cousin. Then I bought lunch and took it to A's for the movie. Afterwards, I picked up Daughter from school because of the rain, and we did a little more banking, went to the Post Office, and did grocery shopping. I boiled some chicken so Daughter could make Chicken Mole for dinner, ran the dishwasher and checked my e-mail.
For Mother's Day yesterday, the family took me out to lunch at the Queen Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant. When we walked in, the tiny place was packed! It smelled delicious, and our food, when it arrived, was tasty. They do not provide silverware, so guests eat by scooping the food up with pieces of a soft flatbread.
Husband is planning to visit his dad, and had mentioned he would like a digital camera. On the spur of the moment, I bought one for him yesterday, but the manual was, umm... less than adequate. He decided not to take it with him. I'll give him lessons when he returns, because it's quite an accomplished piece of personal electronics! And didn't it do a great job with the bouquet?
Husband is planning to visit his dad, and had mentioned he would like a digital camera. On the spur of the moment, I bought one for him yesterday, but the manual was, umm... less than adequate. He decided not to take it with him. I'll give him lessons when he returns, because it's quite an accomplished piece of personal electronics! And didn't it do a great job with the bouquet?
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