Posted on 07/28/2006 11:43:21 PM PDT by HAL9000
Revisiting the Windows 98 days: Microsoft's Vista presentation goes awry
It seems like Microsoft's operating system presentations have a tendency to go awry. In a live product demonstration for a large group of Wall Street analysts, the company decided to show off Windows Vista's speech recognition capabilities. As it turns out, the presentation, known as the Financial Analyst Meeting, was much more of a comedy rather than a professional demo.
Earlier today, the video was available to watch from MSNBC's front page, but it seems to have completely vanished. Luckily, I was able to find a link here. It shows the presenter struggling to get Vista's speech recognition software to cooperate. At one point, the presenter (Shanen Boettcher) said, "select all," and the software showed its violent side, writing "so double the killer delete select all."
The station that ran the clip, OTM, was told that Microsoft was not happy with it airing the video, and the company blamed the problems on ambient noise. As a true slap in the face, the reporter ended the story by saying, "and you were wondering why Vista keeps getting delayed?" Ouch.
Tww Words, MICROSOFT SUCKS!!!
Excuse me, TWO WORDS, MICROSOFT SUCKS!!!
ROTFLOL
I hope the YouTube video did work for you.
THANKS! I didnt see the YouTube link the first time, yes that works fine! :D
pretty funny, but Vista will have at least 40% of the market by 2008. compared to Apples OS X at about 5-6%
I think its funny that we are laughing at Beta software, its not even a "release candidate" yet, this is Windows Vista Beta and MS Office 2007 Beta correct?
Technically, ambient noise does have that effect on speech recognition software. Air conditioner noise, breathing, even background talking can affect recognition.
It is pretty much why speech recognition hasn't gone anywhere commercially. Office ambient noise screws it up. Directional microphones help, butt don't eliminate ambient noise.
I have doubts that the technology will go very far, at least until mathematicians start modeling "context analysis" into the software. Speech recognition in humans is very contextual. We hear what we expect to hear based on context. We project what we expect to hear next, and listen for it. Until the software can start making the necessary linkages to context, common phrases, etc - it will remain temperamental. Oddly enough, we read the same way.
Microsoft blames "ambient noise". Fair enough, I've seen it happen before. But why are they showing this crap to the financial analysts? Is Microsoft trying to drive their stock price down? It's mind-boggling stupidity on Microsoft's part.
Talking to a computer is ridiculous.
True, but you'd figure execs doing a presentation for Wall Street analysts would have:
A. Known this
B. Prepared for this
C. Tested their presentation under the same conditions.
Not really. If speech recognition wasn't so shoddy, it would eventually become yet another way to interact with the user interface.
It would become second nature. It wouldn't replace manual interfaces, but it could complement that interface. But for transcription, it is pretty ridiculous. In the same way that we can read silently faster than we can read aloud, typing silently is faster than voice to text transcription.
Sheesh, just saw the report. The demo was at Microsoft's offices.
If they can't control the presentation environment there..
What's funny, to me, is that twenty years ago I remember reading that voice recognition was just around the corner.
It's a lot harder nut to crack.
A. Known this
B. Prepared for this
C. Tested their presentation under the same conditions.
Absolutely, you'd think that. They probably did run a test with everything except a room full of people, cameras running, and the room's sound system on high enough to be heard over the ambient noise created by a roomful of people with lots of electronics turned on, and the requisite cooling fans.
Speech recognition is very difficult to crack. I'm guessing they'll crack it around the same time they start actually creating real rudimentary A.I.'s.
And HAL should know!
Remember Scotty in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ? "Computer ... Com-puuu-terrr..."
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