Stephen Hawkins
02 January 2009, 02:30 PM
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Stephen Hawkins
I watched a programme recently which had Stephen Hawkins in it and I was wondering 
why does his computer voice thingy sound like that 
. If it was me it would sound like Bugs Bunny or Joe Pasquale 
.
why does his computer voice thingy sound like that . If it was me it would sound like Bugs Bunny or Joe Pasquale .
02 January 2009, 02:44 PM
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I remember watching a tv prog a few years ago, apparently his 'voice' uses the the same circuitry that British Telecom used in the early 80's for there voice recording etc.
He was offered a more up-to-date version, but he refused !
02 January 2009, 03:45 PM
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Professor Hawking sees it as his voice and thus doesn't wish to change it.
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02 January 2009, 08:43 PM
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02 January 2009, 09:03 PM
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02 January 2009, 09:51 PM
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There was also an artical a while back about the whole voice thing, and that it was starting to fail. However the replacements available were NOT able to emulate THAT voice, so it would require a change (quite why I dont know) but he was less than happy about that too.
Remembering how long he has been using that speech system, it would be like one of us deciding to change our voices after 20-30 years of life.
Fair play to the man I say
Remembering how long he has been using that speech system, it would be like one of us deciding to change our voices after 20-30 years of life.
Fair play to the man I say
02 January 2009, 10:39 PM
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02 January 2009, 11:24 PM
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02 January 2009, 11:34 PM
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03 January 2009, 06:51 PM
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I think that Hawking originally used a DECtalk box (Wiki seems to confirm this).
It came with several voices, from the "standard" Perfect Paul and Beautiful Betty through to Hugh Harry, Frail Frank and Kit the Kid (although my favourite was "Rough Rita" ). You could do fantastic things tweaking the phonemes, and it could sing "Strangers in the night" in a way that was almost indistinguishable from Sinatra himself! I guess that Stephen was more interested on quantum watsits rather than a cool voice
DECtalk was years ahead of it's time, but in those days getting BT approval to connect it to a phone line was near impossible. However back in the early eighties you could call up the US stock exchange and get it to read out the share prices (using one of those "modern" touch-tone" phones). I remember programming one to read out e-mails at DECUS in Amsterdam in 1984!
ISTR that Soundblaster bought the technology in the mid nineties (it was on my AWE32 soundcard) and now Digital Equipment (and Compaq) are consigned to the great tech but crap business dustbin in the sky.
mb (having a quick flick through "DECtalk - A Guide to Voice", first printed in July 1985 - sniff!)
It came with several voices, from the "standard" Perfect Paul and Beautiful Betty through to Hugh Harry, Frail Frank and Kit the Kid (although my favourite was "Rough Rita"
). You could do fantastic things tweaking the phonemes, and it could sing "Strangers in the night" in a way that was almost indistinguishable from Sinatra himself! I guess that Stephen was more interested on quantum watsits rather than a cool voice DECtalk was years ahead of it's time, but in those days getting BT approval to connect it to a phone line was near impossible. However back in the early eighties you could call up the US stock exchange and get it to read out the share prices (using one of those "modern" touch-tone" phones). I remember programming one to read out e-mails at DECUS in Amsterdam in 1984!
ISTR that Soundblaster bought the technology in the mid nineties (it was on my AWE32 soundcard) and now Digital Equipment (and Compaq) are consigned to the great tech but crap business dustbin in the sky.
mb (having a quick flick through "DECtalk - A Guide to Voice", first printed in July 1985 - sniff!)
03 January 2009, 09:24 PM
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You should'nt get too upset about what some people write on a Car Forum. Just turn a blind eye if you dont like it, otherwise you will just constantly get yourself in a state......a bit like the PC brigade
03 January 2009, 09:29 PM
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03 January 2009, 09:32 PM
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its been edited so that that finished with. But in real life i am terrible when i hear people been rude about the mentally Ill etc . i worked with many years ago and have a great respect for them.
03 January 2009, 09:35 PM
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04 January 2009, 09:39 AM
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My first post deletion in 5 years 
Apologies to those I offended. I had absolutely no idea that a comment like that could possibly offend anyone at all.
Professor Hawking, I didnt mean you any harm. God bless the great work you do with your physics 'n' stuff. You are not a fielded nor a greenhoused product, you are the greatest brain this country has ever produced
.
Also, apologies to any fielded or greenhouse products who may be reading and might have been offended at the thought of being compared to the great physicist
.
Hope that's cleared that up!
Apologies to those I offended. I had absolutely no idea that a comment like that could possibly offend anyone at all. Professor Hawking, I didnt mean you any harm. God bless the great work you do with your physics 'n' stuff. You are not a fielded nor a greenhoused product, you are the greatest brain this country has ever produced
. Also, apologies to any fielded or greenhouse products who may be reading and might have been offended at the thought of being compared to the great physicist
. Hope that's cleared that up!
