Archive for Software
05.27.08
Posted in Software, Computer Supplies at 10:19 pm by webmaster
I finally bit the bullet and bought Dragon Naturally Speaking version 9. It’s speech recognition software that turns talk into text and is faster and more accurate than typing. You can do e-mail, instant messaging and surf the web - all by voice.
Well, I like this product very much so far. It says no training required, get started instantly. But I found that I had to teach it how I speak. The way I pronounce words seems to cause it some trouble. I probably had to train the program about three times, for maybe half an hour each time. Now it’s working and I’m impressed how well it does its job.
I bought the cheaper standard version on sale for $79. The regular price apparently is over $100, at least here in Canada. There is also a preferred version which is more expensive. The main differences: the preferred version also transcribes recordings from handheld digital recorders, has wireless microphone support, and turns text into speech as well. The preferred version also plays back your dictation so that you can correct it, inserts your signature or logo with a simple voice command and allows you to import and export your user files to any PC.
I find that for what I need, the standard version is fine. With it, I am able to create e-mail, instant messages and documents simply by speaking. I can surf the web by voice, although I haven’t tried that yet. It’s possible to get started fairly quickly and there are helpful onscreen tutorials to show how to correct the program by spelling out words and increasing its vocabulary. I’ve only begun to see all the possiblilities and am not doing nearly as much as Naturally Speaking is capable of. The standard version will dictate directly into any Microsoft Windows application, and control Windows menus and dialog boxes by voice.
A fairly good microphone headset is included with the program as well. So far, I am quite amazed with this product. It’s really something to speak and see your words magically appear on the computer screen. Interested in finding out more, click here Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 Standard - Use your voice to dictate and edit in just about any Windows application!
Technorati Tags: Dragon Naturally Speaking, voice recognition software, dictation
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05.24.08
Posted in Software, Hardware, Computer Crafting at 10:18 pm by webmaster
I recently purchased a digital camera for my grandkids to use. Called “Kids Cam Digital Camera”, it’s advertised for ages six and up, but my three-year-old grandson was using it and had no problems at all. The camera supposedly takes 152 pictures , but that must be if you purchase a memory card or something. I’m one of those ‘hate to read instructions’ people, so I’ve only been able to take 20 photos at a time and then you have to download them to your computer so you can take more. Downloading the pictures was quite easy and the camera comes with software that allows you to edit and print your pictures using templates provided. There are also activities provided in the software package: a story maker, an edit center, a game center
and a slideshow maker. There is also a Web camera program.
The photo activity software is quite good and the camera itself takes good pictures when used outside. There is no flash, so indoor pictures tend to be very dark. Since this kids’ digital camera only cost me $19, I can’t expect too much.
The main thing that I don’t really like about the camera is the fact that you can’t preview the pictures. There is no lens view or anything like that, so the pictures have to be uploaded to your computer before you can see them.
For a young child, it’s the perfect little camera. The one I have is gray with dark red trim. There were a few different colors, and the case is plastic, so it’s a fairly sturdy little unit for child.
According to the information on the package, the edit center allows you to add effects, distort the pictures and tweak them with 18 different editing tools. You can also add captions and use the painting tools that are included. The slideshow maker allows you to produce, direct and star in your own megahit. Now, I haven’t tried either one of those programs yet, although I imagine they’re fairly easy.
The camera and the software were quite simple to install. Although not useful for any serious photo taking, the Kids Cam is an inexpensive introduction to an exciting hobby.
Technorati Tags: digital camera, kids camera, photo editing
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03.18.08
Posted in Software, Internet and Email, Home Computing Tips at 2:23 pm by webmaster
One reason I love using Wordpress for my blog is because of all of the great plugins that are available. Some of them are a little complicated to set up, so I haven’t tried them yet. But the majority so far are fairly simple.
There is a sticky plugin, which I use to keep certain posts always at the top of the page, a spam comment catcher which is amazing, and a podcast plugin which I hope to try soon.
These plugins can be found at various sites on the Internet and are then downloaded to your computer. The next step is usually to unzip the file and read any instructions that are included. Then the plugins need to find their way to your website file manager and into the folder marked wordpress plugins, which is usually in a folder called wp-content. Trust me, it isn’t as complicated as it sounds.
Your plug-ins can either be uploaded from your site or you can use an ftp program on your computer to send them. Once the plugins are in the plugin folder, they will show up on your wordpress Plugins tab where you click for a one time activation.
If you do a google search for wordpress plugin video tutorials and watch one, my instructions will make more sense to you.
Technorati Tags: Wordpress, plugins, uploads
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03.16.08
Posted in Software, Internet and Email, Home Computing Tips at 2:07 pm by webmaster
Most of you are probably familiar with unzipping files when they are either sent to you or downloaded from the Internet as a zipped file. It’s usually just a matter of clicking on the file, selecting the unzip option and you’re done.
But I had never zipped files up myself before. Why would I want to, you ask? Someone wanted me to send them a number of files, so they had to be zipped or they would be too big for my email program to handle. Besides that, a zipped file keeps confidential items safer until they reach their destination.
Using the zip program I already had, it was just a matter of creating a folder (some zip programs call it an archive) and then clicking add and selecting each file I wanted to include in the zipped material. Took all of 5 seconds or so and I was done.
Last step was to create an email and insert the zipped file as an attachment. Oh, another tip -if you are sending a private message email from a forum, you can’t attach a file there. You’ll have to send it with your regular email program.
Technorati Tags: zip, files, attachment, email
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03.14.08
Posted in Software, Internet and Email, Home Computing Tips at 4:44 pm by webmaster
This is a Wordpress blog and a little more complicated to insert pictures. I upload the pics to my site and then to insert it, I have to type a path showing where the picture is located. The path has to be exactly right, otherwise instead of seeing my nice photo, you’ll see a small box with an x in the corner. That, my friends, means I made a mistake in the path.
This morning I tried and tried with no luck, went back to see the path I used for other images and tried again. Still no luck. Then I realized I put a / after the www instead of a dot. Once I fixed that, everything was fine.
It’s kind of like calling someone mr instead of mrs, just that one little letter difference can get you in a lot of trouble.
Technorati Tags: wordpress, blog, images, pictures
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