Comparisons - Voice to Text System

Day One of “The Dragon” (Naturally Speaking 10), converting speech into text, was quite successful.
In a near miraculous move I managed to install the program onto my laptop with no major hiccups.

This from someone who stands in front of an open refrigerator for minutes, trying to figure out how to get to the food within a new high-tech pretty package.

Online, on-screen step-by-step visual instructions guided me through the process: make sure the headphones are comfortable and the microphone is located – just so – before speaking and enunciating each word.

There was a set piece to read so “The Dragon” can recognize my voice and determine the position of the mike could pick it up. Apparently it sorted its way through my accent accumulated via private and public school slang, mess-deck chat, newsroom gossip and mid-Atlanticisms. And, this was a surprise, “The Dragon” scanned my “My Documents” files to pick up my style.

Hope its broadminded enough to handle the R-rated stuff. I think the rating-graph spiked!

I skipped the test-run read-and-write exercise, cut to the chase and read off the back-cover blurb from my book “Palm Beach Scandals – The First 100 Years” which I’m planning to re-issue in e-book form - see earlier post.

A comparison of the actual text, followed by the, “as read” text ready for editing, can be seen below FYI.

An Intimate Guide to Palm Beach…

It takes you by the hand through the rich bounty of scandals recorded during the first 100 years. Stories buried in yellowed newspapers, old courthouse records, private correspondence. Much more than a sound-byte. The real Palm Beach stuff. Read between the covers about:

Roxanne Pulitzer -- the “strumpet with a trumpet” who made a shocking trial a rich writing career.

Sir Harry Oakes -- his pal, the Duke of Windsor, Myer Lansky and the Murder Mystery of the Century.

Merriwether Post -- the Queen of society and the queer goings on at home.

Ted, Pat, and Willie -- when the Senior Senator from Massachusetts took the boys out on the town.

Harold Vanderbilt -- the world's wealthiest bachelor and the “Spite Wall” which forced him out of the Town.

Larry Flynt -- the happy “Hustler” who thumbed his nose at society.

 30 –


It takes you by the hand through the rich bounty and scandals recorded during the first 100 years. Stories buried in yellowed newspapers, old courthouse records, private correspondence. Much more than a sound-bite. The real Palm Beach stuff. Read between the covers about:

Roxanne Pulitzer -- lowercase the strumpet with a trumpet who made a shocking trial the rich writing career.

So Harry Oakes -- his pal, the Duke of Windsor, my at Lansky and the motive mystery of the century.

Meriwether post -- the queen of society and the clear goings on at home.

Ted, Pat, and Willie -- when the senior senator from Massachusetts took the boys out on the town.

Harold Vanderbilt -- the world's wealthiest bachelor and the spite wall which forced him out of the town.

Larry Flynt -- the happy Hustler who thumb his nose at society.

-- 30 --

It ain't perfect but MAY save a lot of time typing - hunt 'n peck style.

Ends…