| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Kwangjuchicken
Joined: 01 Sep 2003
Location: I was abducted by aliens on my way to Korea and forced to be an EFL teacher on this crazy planet.
|
 Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 1:24 am Post subject: Stephen Hawking |
 |
|
A few days ago I saw a lady who is autistic on TV. She typed very fast and then you could hear what she had said. I guess it is a comp. that can play back what she types so we can hear her.
Now today I saw something about Stephen Hawking in yahoo mail.
Anyway, I also saw him being interviewed on TV maybe a month ago. My question is, "How does he talk?" The autistic lady types and we here a voice. But with Stephen Hawking, he just sits there and like magic we hear a voice. How does he do it? He is not typing. Where does the voice come from? |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Pligganease
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: The deep south...
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 1:54 am Post subject: |
|
|
| He blinks his eyes. A computer reads the blinks, and that corresponds to a letter. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 2:19 am Post subject: |
|
|
| I don't think it's just blinking. It also has to do with other eye movements. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
yingwenlaoshi
Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Location: ... location, location!
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 5:01 am Post subject: |
|
|
If he gets an erection, the computer says, "Shwing!"
Three quarters, it says, "Shuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh." |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 5:40 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Pligganease wrote: |
| He blinks his eyes. A computer reads the blinks, and that corresponds to a letter. |
Is he down to just blinking? I thought he used to use some mouth device, breathing and sucking in a special tube to move the cursor. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
twg
Joined: 02 Nov 2006
Location: Getting some fresh air...
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 5:56 am Post subject: |
|
|
| From what I understand, he has a set of pre-prepared lines that he choses from. For speeches, he uses a variety of methods listed above. And for TV, he just has someone write dialogue up and plunk it into his machine for him. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Pligganease
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: The deep south...
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 4:49 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I watched a documentary with him as a co-host about a month ago, and it was mentioned that he communicated by blinking. I took it at face value.
However, straight from Stephen Hawking himself...
| Stephen Hawking wrote: |
Communication system
I communicate with a computer system. I have always used IBM compatible computers, on my wheel chair. They run from batteries under the wheel chair, although an internal battery will keep the computer running for an hour if necessary. The screen is mounted on the arm of the wheel chair where I can see it, more recent systems have the whole computer in a box on this arm. The original systems were put together for me by David Mason, of Cambridge Adaptive Communications. This company manufacture and supply a variety of products to help people with communication problems express themselves. Recently, Intel engineers designed a new computer for me powered by a Pentium II processor, which I now use.
On the computer, I run a program called Equalizer�, written by a company called Words Plus inc. A cursor moves across the upper part of the screen. I can stop it by pressing a switch in my hand. This switch is my only interface with the computer. In this way I can select words, which are printed on the lower part of the screen. When I have built up a sentence, I can send it to a speech synthesizer. I use a separate synthesizer, made by Speech+. It is the best I have heard, though it gives me an accent that has been described variously as Scandinavian, American or Scottish. I also can use Windows 98 through an interface called EZ Keys, again made by Words Plus. I am able to control the mouse with the switch through cleverly selected process from a small box shown on the desktop. I can also write text using similar menu's to those in Equalizer.
I can save what I write to disk. I write papers using a formatting program called TEX. I can write equations in words, and the program translates them into symbols, and prints them out on paper in the appropriate type. I can also give lectures. I write the lecture beforehand, and save it on disk. I can then send it to the speech synthesiser, a sentence at a time. It works quite well, and I can try out the lecture, and polish it, before I give it.
Stephen Hawking |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 5:59 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| From what I hear, Stephen Hawking doesn't want to come back to Korea, because when he came here everyone wanted to know about his chair and his disability, and nobody cared about cosmology. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
spliff
Joined: 19 Jan 2004
Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:59 am Post subject: |
|
|
Probably cause cosmology is a bunch of hype...  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Guri Guy
Joined: 07 Sep 2003
Location: Bamboo Island
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 2:52 am Post subject: |
|
|
My sister married his son Robert Hawking back in 1991. I went to the wedding in Glasglow, Scotland. I got to talk to Stephen Hawking for a few minutes. I recall that he used a keyboard so there was some delay in him answering. I think he had some pre-programmed things or shortcuts as well.
I am sure technology has come a long way since then. I remember carrying his wheelchair up the stairs to my brother-in-law's apartment. The battery weighed a ton literally. *oof*
It was pretty cool to actually meet one of the greatest minds of the last thousand years anyway. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
