Technology Glossary R - S
R-TermsClick on a term or phrase below:
/ RAD / Radio / RAID / RAM / Random access memory / RARP / RAW / RDF / RDS and ADO / Real time / RealAudio / Reengineering / Relational database management / Remote control / Remote login / Remote print server / Rendering / Rescaling / Resource Description Framework / Response pads / Reverse Address Resolution Protocol / RGB / Rhapsody / Rich-text format / Ring topology / RISC / RMI / Rochochet Modem / ROM / Round Tripping / Router / RPC / RSA / RTF / Runtime
Click here to view (in a new window) Bob Jensen's Listing of Other Technology and Networking Glossaries
RAD = Rapid Application Development in the context of development applications software. The term is used in the context of object oriented (oo), component-based and vissually-aided software that allows for faster development of applications software. For example, Netscape Corporation in 1997 introduced a component-based Visual Java-Script intended to be for the web what Microsoft's Visual Basic software was for earlier applications development. Visual Java Scrip also licensed TV-Objects from TV-Objects Corporation in Princeton, N.J. for translating Visual Basic applications into JavaScript for RAD. In 1997 Apple Corporation bet the farm on Rhapsody for RAD.
Radio = Internet and satellite radio delivered by non-traditional media.
Question:
What is XM Radio?
Answer:
Stallite radio such as XM Radio will soon give traditional AM and FM radio stations daunting competition. Most General Motors cars will soon be equipped with XM receivers. In addition, dealers will be able to install XM receivers in other makes of cars. XM Radio is featured in a Barron's cover story on February 17, 2003.
You can read the following at http://www.xmradio.com/
It's easy to get XM in your new car, right at the dealership. For the 2003 model year, many vehicles are now available with XM as a manufacturer–supported option, including 25 models from GM. Select one of the brands below for more information. We're adding new models all the time so be sure to keep checking back. If you don't see your desired model, ask your dealer about how to add XM to any radio.
One big idea can change everything. And XM Satellite Radio is one big idea: Radio to the Power of X. America's most popular satellite radio service gives you the power to choose what you want to hear - wherever and whenever you want it. XM offers 70 music channels - more than any other satellite radio service. Plus 30 channels of news, talk, sports and entertainment. 100 basic channels in all, for a low $9.99 monthly subscription. And now, XM is the first satellite radio service to offer a premium channel for an additional monthly fee.
It's our passionate commitment to program quality that will give you more of the listening you enjoy most, including many commercial-free channels. XM's radios for the car and home offer you freedom - from static, from distortion, from that frustrating feeling when you drive out of range in the middle of an exclusive interview or a new song you've been waiting to hear.
So if you're a music devotee, a sports fanatic or a news hound, come share our passion for the new power of radio. Join us in a listening partnership as we capture the soundtrack of your imagination. Our job is to push radio beyond traditional limits and win you as a fan. Your job? To sit back, listen, and open yourself to the excitement of radio as you've never heard it before.
Oh Goodie
Sexy Stories and Surprises --- http://www.xmradio.com/programming/channel_page.jsp?ch=205
Based on Playboy TV's hit show Night Calls, join your hosts, Juli and Tiffany, for a romp on the wild side. Hear stories, get advice and join their special guests for some playful adult fun.
During select hours you'll even be able to call-in live. Don't be shy - these experts are always open to getting a few helpful hints for themselves.
For a limited time, a one-time transaction fee of $4.99 will be waived for current subscribers who wish to add our Playboy Radio premium channel.
Monthly premium service charge of $2.99 required. Only account holders may activate this channel.
So what's a better "Oh Goodie?"
Educational programming. For example, investors might one day tune into investing tutorials as well as commentaries on different investing alternatives and risks. There may be poetry readings and tutorials about writing poetry. Old and new novels might be read and analyzed. Eventually, continuing education courses may even be delivered over commercial-free radio by paying monthly service charges.
Jensen Added Note:
What's the downside to having all this commercial-free music and other programming?
Commercial-cluttered traditional radio stations and even donation-supported PBS and campus radio stations will have to scramble to compete. Classical music lovers may prefer a larger variety of classical music choices on satellite radio and Internet radio. Country music fans may prefer to listen to bluegrass even if they're driving across Utah rather than Kentucky. I think you probably get the point that XM radio will probably have a much better growth market than Internet radio. Internet radio has much less potential in moving vehicles, hotel rooms, and other places where hooking up a computer is too much bother.
However, Internet radio recently got a huge boost --- http://www.saveinternetradio.org/
In a stunning victory for webcasting, both the Senate and the House of Representatives unanimously passed a revised version of H.R. 5469 late last night that clears the way for copyright owners to offer webcasters a percentage-of-revenues royalty rate, essentially allowing the parties to mutually agree to override the CARP decision of last spring.
The Senate passed the bill at 10:32PM ET and the House passed it at 2:44AM. It now goes to President Bush for his signature.
The bill was actively supported by virtually all players on both sides of the debate this year, including the record industry, artist representatives, large webcasters, small webcasters, college radio representatives, and religious broadcasters.
In what was viewed as a surprise by some observers, the legislative staff in the office of retiring Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC) (pictured) apparently played an active and valuable role in crafting what the parties concluded was a much better piece of legislation than the one Helms blocked at the last moment late last month (here).
President Bush signed H.R. 5469 just before Christmas in 2002.
For an example of streaming media, see http://www.streamingmediaworld.com/
Also see Web Media
RAID = Redundant Arrays of (Independent or Inexpensive) Discs refers to storage products with speed and capacity for large quantities of data, especially graphics, video, and audio data for multimedia computing. There are six RAID levels starting with RAID 0 available for Mac computers. Most PC disc array systems are designed for Novell NetWare software. Different levels of RAID are explained at Advanced Computer & Network Corporation at http://www.acnc.com/raid.html
RAM= Random Access Memory portion of a computer. The term "memory" typically refers to RAM as opposed to hard disc and optical disc storage of files that cannot be randomly accessed without searching by sectors. RAM stores instructions and other files potentially needed for immediate processing of a task at hand. Memory usually can be accessed "randomly" at relatively high speeds. Files stored on computer tape, floppy discs, hard drive, optical drives, etc. are not available in RAM until they are "loaded" into RAM. Four important types of RAM in PCs running DOS are conventional memory, high (upper) memory, expanded memory, and extended memory. When DOS first was designed, 640 Kb of memory seemed like a lot, so out of the then standard 1 Mb of base memory, 640 Kb was designated as conventional memory reserved for DOS and the remaining 360 Mb was high (upper) memory available for other internal system computing functions. Later, memory managers and the Windows HIMEM.SYS file made some of the high memory available for software usage. Another gimmick entailed use of peepholes of size 64 Kb swapping of chunks of memory. However, today the 1 Mb base memory utilized in the most efficient way is not sufficient to run most newer types of software. Memory SIMM chips can be added to raise the RAM to higher levels such as 64 Mb currently popular in multimedia authoring. Upper limits for extended memory options vary with types of PCs. Extended memory is much more important than expanded memory. Often the term extended memory applies to all RAM above the 640 Kb of conventional RAM, although from a technical standpoint it applies to RAM above the 1 Mb base. The term "RAM cache" refers to a section of RAM set aside to serve as a buffer between the central processing unit and auxiliary disc drives. At the present time it is not uncommon to pay in the neighborhood of $200 for each 16Mb of RAM added to computers. (See also Cache, SIMM, VRAM, Hard drive, Flash memory, and CD)
Random access memory= (See RAM)
RARP
Bob:
Below is something that might make a good entry into your Technology Glossary. (Text below from What is.com) Ever since I got a DSL line I have been unable to log onto Temple University's primary mail server. I receive an abrupt and annoying message "The TCP/IP connection was unexpectedly terminated by the server." It happens that Temple has security procedure in place for this server that traces my IP address back to my ISP to verify my name when I try to log on to get my mail. However, my ISP uses a newer system called "Reverse Address Resolution Protocol" (RARP), which does not keep a list of names on a name server for immediate verification. (Maintaining an up-to-date list of client names on a name server apparently is an expensive, labor-intensive process.) I doubt if my ISP is the only one using this technology. This is an interesting clash of old fashioned security procedures and newer technology.
Steve Fogg
Reverse Address Resolution Protocol
RARP (Reverse Address Resolution Protocol) is a protocol by which a physical machine in a local area network can request to learn its IP address from a gateway server's Address Resolution Protocol (Address Resolution Protocol) table or cache. A network administrator creates a table in a local area network's gateway router that maps the physical machine (or Media Access Control - MAC address) addresses to corresponding Internet Protocol addresses. When a new machine is set up, its RARP client program requests from the RARP server on the router to be sent its IP address. Assuming that an entry has been set up in the router table, the RARP server will return the IP address to the machine which can store it for future use. RARP is available for Ethernet, Fiber Distributed-Data Interface, and token ring LANs.
Stephen L. Fogg, Ph.D., CPA,
Chair Department of Accounting Fox School of Business and Management
Temple University Philadelphia, PA 19122 Phone: 215-204-1915 Fax: 215-204-5587 URL: http://www.sbm.temple.edu/~fogg
RAW= Rutgers Accounting Web informational retrieval system (funded with a grant from NCAIR) for a variety of free materials for accounting educators. The main purpose of the system is to share materials developed in connection with the Accounting Education Change Commission (AECC). Materials include lectures, cases, assignments, examinations, syllabi and course outlines, and reports of projects at various AECC sponsored sites. The World Wide Web address for the Lynx program for text only is
RDS = (See Database.)
Real time= (See Operating system and Web steaming.)
RealAudio= (See Audio and Web steaming.)
Reengineering= Computerized automation of a "production" system (factory, education, information, etc.) that entails radically redesigning the way work is done and the intended performance of the system.
Relational database management= A database system that stores data in two-dimensional data tables at the same time such that the program can work with two tables at the same time. It is "relational" if one table defines the relation between entries in rows (data records) and columns (fields). Not all database software claiming to be relational meet the "true" relational database mathematical theory developed by Edgar Codd in 1970. For example, dBASE and FoxPro can link two databases through a common field but are not true relational database programs. One of the most widely selling relational database management systems is the Unix-based system from Oracle Corporation (415-598-8000). Microsoft introduced two very popular systems called Microsoft Access and Visual Fox Pro. Most traditional database packages such as Paradox and dBase also upgraded to relational database systems. See ODBC. Also see http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/260wp/260wp.htm#ODBC.
A language which provides a user interface to relational database management systems, developed by IBM in the 1970s, is called a Structured Query Language (SQL). Development is still underway to enhance SQL into a computationally complete language for the definition and management of persistent, complex objects. This includes user defined data types, support for knowledge based systems, recursive query expressions, and additional database query tools. It also includes the specification of abstract data types (ADTs), object identifiers, methods, inheritance, encapsulation, and all of the other utilities associated with object data management.
For interactive computing on the web, see Distributed Network Computing. Also see See GainMomentum, Database, and 4GL Database Languages.
Object-oriented database systems are quite different from the extremely relational database systems (e.g., MS Access, FoxPro, DBase, etc) that are extremely popular today. I will begin this module with a quote from my favorite online textbook in accounting information systems (that I adopt each year for my ACCT 5342 course):
Emerging database systems concepts
We conclude this chapter with a brief discussion of an emerging concepts relating to database systems. Object-oriented (OO) approaches to modeling and implementing database systems are becoming increasingly popular. This approach employs object-oriented modeling (OOM) techniques to model the domain of interest and then implements the resulting model using an object-oriented database management system (OODBMS). The object-oriented approach focuses on the objects of interest in the domain. Customers, vendors, employees, sales orders, and receipts are all viewed as objects that have certain attributes. OOM involves identifying the objects of interest, their attributes, and relationships between objects.
A critical feature unique to the OO approach is that an "object" package includes both the attributes of the object and the methods or procedures that pertain to that object. The methods might dictate how the object's attributes are modified in response to different events, or how the object causes changes in the attributes of other objects. Thus, a key difference between the database models described earlier and the OO approach is that OO models combine data (attributes) and procedures (methods) in one package, i.e., the "object." This feature of OO models is referred to as encapsulation - attributes and methods are represented together in one capsule. Another powerful feature of OO models is inheritance. OO models depict the real world as a hierarchy of object classes, with lower level classes inheriting attributes and methods from higher level classes. Thus, lower level object classes do not need to redefine attributes and methods that are common to the higher level object classes in the class hierarchy.
An OO model contains all details needed for implementation and object-oriented DBMS are powerful enough to represent all the information contained in the model. However, most organizations that have made heavy investments in RDBMS see little need to migrate to OO environments. While OO modeling methods are available, there is no consensus regarding the "best" method to use. Finally, although OODBMS are beginning to become commercially available, they have not gained much acceptance in the marketplace probably due to their relatively high cost and poor performance in comparison to RDBMS. Gemstone, ObjectStore, VBase, and O2 are some examples of OODBMS.
Accounting Information Systems: A Database Approach
by Uday S. Murthy and S. Michael Groomer
For more information go to http://www.cybertext.com/
Next I will repeat a great illustration pointed out in the message below from Alexander Lashenko:
Hello Bob,
Take a look at http://www.sanbase.com/cx.html
It's an original object-oriented DBMS with web interface. Looks very nice.
Regards,
Alex.
Alexander Lashenko [alashenko@cryptologic.com]
For extensions beyond relational databases see OLAP
Remote control= Any of a variety of meanings depending upon the context. There are remote control computer devices such as remote mouse controllers and wands that generate some keyboard controls. A remote control buyers' guide is provided by Glass (1994). (See also Student response pads)
Remote login= Refers to the capability of a network user to access databases and software on other computers, possibly computers linked on the Internet in remote parts of the globe. (See also Telnet and FTP)
Remote print server= A computer running the RPRINTER program, enabling it to print output from other network workstations and operate as a normal workstation.
Rendering= Generally refers to graphics rendering, especially 3-D rendering. Biedney (1994) provides a technical discussion and a comparison of alternative software options for rendering 3-D images on desktop computers. (See also Authoring)
Rescaling = (See Aspect ratio)
Resource Description Framework (RDF) = a framework for metadata and provides for interoperability for applications in "machine-understandable" information on the Web. RDF draws upon several technologies such as XML (Extensible Markup Language). RDF a recommendation of the World Wide Web Consortium currently headed by Tim Bermers-Lee, the creater of the HTML markup language and the http protocol that is the basis of the World Wide Web. Over the long run, Berners-Lee envisions a time when Web sites can be devoid of most broken links and difficult-to-find information.
See RDF and OWL at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/XBRLandOLAP.htm#RDF_Extended
The first step to understanding RDF is to distinguish between data and metadata. Metadata tags in documents and databases provide "data about data" like unseen genes provide data about body parts. One of the drawbacks of HTML is that HTML tags relate only symbols rather than attributes of what the symbols depict. For example, HTML tags tell us how to display the word "eyes" in a web document but there are no tags related to attributes such as eye color, eye size, vision quality, and susceptibility to various eye diseases.
For example, HTML tags relate only to formatting and linking tags on words red and purple appearing in a document. HTML tags do not disclose that both words depict colors, because HTML does not associate words with meanings. Metadata, on the otherhand, attaches meanings to the data by attaching hidden attribute tags. For example, attached to the word "petal" might be an invisible tag that records information that the petal has color having particular coded numbers for color hue and color saturation for rose petals. When any petal's invisible tags are read in a meta search engine, it would be possible to identify types of roses having a range of hue and saturation commonalities. Poppies would be excluded because they do not have rose tags. Red herrings (a term for false leads in a mystery) would be excluded because they do not have a tagged attribute for color.
In a sense, metadata is analogous to genetic code of a living organism. Attributes in hidden tags become analogous to attributes coded into genes that determine the color of a flower's petals, degree of resistance to certain diseases, etc. If we knew the genetic "metadata" code of all flowering plants, we could quickly isolate the subsets of all known flowering plants having red petals or resistance to a particular plant disease. In botony and genetics, the problem lies is discovering the metadata codes that nature has already programmed into the genes. In computer documents and databases, the problem is one of programming in the metadata codes that will conform to a world wide standard. That standard will most likely be the RDF standard that is currently being developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) having Tim Berners-Lee as its current Director.
The examples given by me above are gross simplifications of text tagging that will actually take place under RDF. RDF works in a more complicated fashion that will be much more efficient for meta searches. The core of RDF will be its "RDF Schema" briefly described below:
This specification will be followed by other documents that will complete the framework. Most importantly, to facilitate the definition of metadata, RDF will have a class system much like many object-oriented programming and modeling systems. A collection of classes (typically authored for a specific purpose or domain) is called a schema. Classes are organized in a hierarchy, and offer extensibility through subclass refinement. This way, in order to create a schema slightly different from an existing one it is not necessary to "reinvent the wheel" but one can just provide incremental modifications to the base schema. Through the sharability of schemas RDF will support the reusability of metadata definitions. Due to RDF's incremental extensibility, agents processing metadata will be able to trace the origins of schemata they are unfamiliar with back to known schemata and perform meaningful actions on metadata they weren't originally designed to process. The sharability and extensibility of RDF also allows metadata authors to use multiple inheritance to "mix" definitions, to provide multiple views to their data, leveraging work done by others. In addition, it is possible to create RDF instance data based on multiple schemata from multiple sources (i.e., "interleaving" different types of metadata). Schemas may themselves be written in RDF; a companion document to this specification, [RDF Schema], describes one set of properties and classes for describing RDF schemas.
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
http://web1.w3.org/TR/REC-rdf-syntax/
The term "metadata" is not synonymous with RDF. There were various metadata systems before RDF was on the drawing boards. Microsoft's Channel Definition Format (CDF) used in "Web Push Channels" and Netscape's Meta Content Framework (MCF) preceeded RDF. These technologies describe information resources in a manner somewhat similar to RDF and can be used to filter web sites and web documents such as filtering pornography and violence from viewing. Metadata systems can be used to channel inflows of desired or undesired web information. CDF, for example, carries information not read on computer screens that perform metadata tasks.
RDF resources are built upon a foundation of Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) that are described at http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-fielding-uri-syntax-04.txt . The metadata structure for in RDF has the following components described on Page 4 of http://web1.w3.org/TR/REC-rdf-syntax/
Resources
All things being described by RDF expressions are called resources. A resource may be an entire
Web page; such as the HTML document "http://www.w3.org/Overview.html" for example. A
resource may be a part of a Web page; e.g. a specific HTML or XML element within the
document source. A resource may also be a whole collection of pages; e.g. an entire Web site. A
resource may also be an object that is not directly accessible via the Web; e.g. a printed book.
Resources are always named by URIs plus optional anchor ids. Anything can have a
URI; the extensibility of URIs allows the introduction of identifiers for any entity imaginable.
Properties
A property is a specific aspect, characteristic, attribute, or relation used to describe a resource.
Each property has a specific meaning, defines its permitted values, the types of resources it can
describe, and its relationship with other properties. This document does not address how the
characteristics of properties are expressed; for such information, refer to the RDF Schema
specification).
Statements
A specific resource together with a named property plus the value of that property for that resource
is an RDF statement. These three individual parts of a statement are called, respectively, the
subject, the predicate, and the object. The object of a statement (i.e., the property value) can be
another resource or it can be a literal; i.e., a resource (specified by a URI) or a simple string or
other primitive datatype defined by XML. In RDF terms, a literal may have content that is XML
markup but is not further evaluated by the RDF processor.
I received the following message from one of my graduate students (Dan Price) that led me to two very helpful web sites:
Hi Dr. J,
I asked my wife about XML and RDF, and she gave me some good information about how they work in relation to HTML.
XML is a metalanguage based on the same foundation as HTML. RDF works within XML as a foundation for processing metadata. In a way, the two will work together like OO databases do. USAA’s web page uses some XML.
Two good sites on the topic are:
(XML for the Absolute Beginner) www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-04-1999/jw-04-xml.html
(A good RDF web site) http://web1.w3.org/TR/REC-rdf-syntax/
Dan Price
To my graduate student's message above, I might add the following online article entitled "XML Gains Ground: Vendors pledge support as XML stands poised to become a universal format for data exchange" at http://www.informationweek.com/725/xml.htm .
The most likely scipting codes will be XML, although RDF can be used in other scripting systems. The popular HTML and the emerging HTML are subsets of the GML text scripting conceived in1969 IBM researchers depicting Generalized Markup Languages (and not-so-coincidentally the lead researchers were named Goldfarb, Mosher, and Lorie). Between 1978 and 1987, Dr. Charles F. Goldfarb led the team that developed the SGML Standard GML that is became International Standard ISO 8879. In 1990, Tim Berners-Lee led a team of particle physicists that invented the World Wide Web rooted in the rule-based text scripting markup innovations of SGML. The World Wide Web is comprised of all web documents marked up in scripts known as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) scripts. SGML is tremendously powerful but inefficient and complex. HTML is marvelously simple but not very powerful. In 1996, Jon Bosak of Sun Microsystems to spearheaded the development of the XML standard to lend power, efficiency, cross-platform standards, and simplicity to the networking of databases on the Internet. At the time of this writing, the world is converging upon an important standard known as RDF (Resource Description Framework) rooted in XML that will be the biggest 21st Century thing to hit the Internet since HTML hit the Internet in 1991.
For more discussion of RDF and XML see http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/260wp/260wp.htm#RDF
Also see See OWL
Response pads= (See Student response pads)
Reverse Address Resolution Protocol = (See RARP).
RGB= A signal that can be separated into red, green, and blue components, combinations of which then can be used to create color screens or color print. Most computers have an RGB output that differs from the composite video or S-video outputs of television sets. This is why RGB computer signals must be scan converted into composite video for television viewing.
Rhapsody= a one time revolutionary operating system from Apple Corporation that was based upon NEXTStep technology. Apple plans to deliver two operating systems for the next several years. First will be the Mac OS, which we will continue to upgrade and improve to support the current Macintosh customers worldwide, approximately 60 million users. Second will be a new OS based on NeXT Software's operating system technologies, NEXTStep and OPENStep. The powerful and advanced NeXT technologies are years ahead of competitive offerings, and will provide the foundation for a new OS, code-named Rhapsody. In addition to leveraging the NeXT technologies, Rhapsody is designed to run Mac applications through a Mac OS compatibility environment. Rhapsody's user interface will combine elements from both the Mac OS and NEXTStep, but will be closer in look and NEXTStep feel to the Mac OS Finder. We realize that customers need a consistent interface in the two operating systems to deploy them throughout a single organization. It's important for training and ease of use. One of the advantages of NeXT's technology is the easy support of multiple user interface paradigms. See also Mac and NEXTStep.
Rich-text format= A text formatting standard established by Microsoft Corporation to enable text to be transferred between a word processor and other software without losing all of its formatting properties. Many modern word processors have the option of saving documents in rich-text format (RTF). Increasingly, authoring software vendors of hypertext, hypermedia, and CMS software are adding RTF importing utilities to overcome the frustrations of importing in ASCII or ANSI forms that lose all or most formatting properties. (See also ASCII and ANSI)
Ring topology= A network configuration that connects all nodes in a logical ring-like structure.
RISC= Reduced Instruction Set Computing chipsets such as the MIPS R4000 and R4400 intended to outperform CISC complex instruction chipsets such as the Intel family of popular 386, 486, and Pentium competitors and the Motorola 680x0 family in Mac computers. The concept of RISC evolved from IBM laboratories where it was noted that most routine processing of consumers does not require full use of the processor. RISC processors consume less power and generate less heat than CISC processors powerful enough to compete at the same speed and capacity as RISC processors. They do this by reducing the number of operations and executing multiple instructions in what is known as "superscaler" processing. However, INTEL intends to keep its CISC lines competitive with RISC processors. At this juncture, it is impossible to know who will win the RISC versus CISC processor competitions of the future. The RISC-architecture is the foundation of the new PowerPCs and the PA-RISC systems of Hewlett-Packard Corporation. The HP 32-bit PA-7100 chip, for example, runs about 25% faster than the PowerPC RISC chips and the Pentium CISC chips. A new RISC processor from Texas Instruments called the Multimedia Video Processor is claimed to be 20 to 50 times more powerful than Intel's Pentium. RISC chipsets may become more of a threat to CISC in the form of NexGen alternatives to Pentium that are being manufactured by Alaris for Compaq, IBM, and other major PC manufacturers. (See also Mulimedia Video Processor, NexGen, PowerPC, and CISC)
RMI = (See Java).
Rocochet Modem= (See Modem)
ROM= Read-Only Memory whose files can be accessed, executed, and possibly copied. However, ROM files cannot be deleted or otherwise altered on the ROM device; for example, a CD-ROM compact disc can be read only but not written upon by the user. (See also WORM)
Round Tripping = a term used mainly to refer to the transformation of a computer file into a different type with the option to return to the original type. Microsoft uses this term in conjunction with Office 2000 products. For example, an Excel worksheet or an Excel chart can be saved as an HTML file with many of the interactive features of Excel (such as replacement of data and recomputation of functions) in the browser rather than Excel. However, the HTML files have round-trip recovery features for saving the file back to an Excel worksheet or Excel chart. See HTML.
Router= A communications device designed to transmit signals via the most efficient route possible. See Firewall.
Tom Hicks brought me up to date on wireless home firewall computers. He recommends Linksys products such as the one at http://www.linksys.com/splash/wcg200_splash.asp
The Linksys Wireless-G Cable Gateway is the all-in-one solution for Internet connectivity in your home. The Cable Modem function gives you a blazing fast connection to the Internet, far faster than a dial-up, and without tying up your phone line.
Connect your computer to the Wireless-G Cable Gateway via USB, or take advantage of the built-in 4-port 10/100 Ethernet Switch to jump start your home network. You can share files, printers, hard drive space and other resources, or play head-to-head PC games. Connect four PCs directly, or daisy-chain out to more hubs and switches to create as big a network as you need. The built-in Wireless-G Access Point allows up to 32 wireless devices to connect to your network at a blazing 54Mbps, without running cables through the house. It's also compatible with Wireless-B devices, at 11Mbps. The Gateway's Router function ties it all together and lets your whole network share that high-speed Internet connection.
To protect your data and privacy, the Wireless-G Cable Gateway features an advanced firewall to keep Internet intruders and attackers out. Wireless transmissions can be protected by powerful data encryption. Safeguard your family with Parental Control features like Internet Access Time Limits and Key Word Blocking. Configuration is a snap with any web browser. With the Linksys Wireless-G Cable Gateway at the heart of your home network, you're connected to the future.
See Firewall.
RPC = Remote Procedure Call protocol that allows a program on one computer to execute a program on a server computer. Using RPC, a system developer need not develop specific procedures for the server. With RPC you call a specific function whereas with an ORB you call a method within a distributed object. In ORB each object manages its own private instance of the data whereas in RPC you can only call a specific function and all functions get implemented in the same way. ORB allows for differential processing. See CORBA.
RSA=
This RSA faq provides answers to a host of questions about RSA, including what it is (an asymmetric -- public key -- encryption algorithm developed by mathematicians Rivest, Shamir and Adelman) --- http://www.iae.nsk.su/pages/CRYPTO/rsafaq.html
RSA is a public-key cryptosystem for both encryption and authentication; it was invented in 1977 by Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman. It works as follows: take two large primes, p and q, and find their product n = pq; n is called the modulus. Choose a number, e, less than n and relatively prime to (p-1)(q-1), and find its inverse, d, mod (p-1)(q-1), which means that ed = 1 mod (p-1)(q-1); e and d are called the public and private exponents, respectively. The public key is the pair (n,e); the private key is d. The factors p and q must be kept secret, or destroyed.
It is difficult (presumably) to obtain the private key d from the public key (n,e). If one could factor n into p and q, however, then one could obtain the private key d. Thus the entire security of RSA is predicated on the assumption that factoring is difficult; an easy factoring method would ``break'' RSA
Also see security.
RTF= (See Rich-text format)
Runtime= Permissive use of a portion of a software system that allows for the "running" or "viewing" or "delivery" or "playback" of an application in contrast to its "authoring." An author may write an electronic book in Asymetrix ToolBook authoring software, for example, which can then be played by readers using ToolBook runtime software. Many types of software (e.g., word processor, spreadsheet, and database software) have no runtime versions. Most hypertext and hypermedia authoring packages have runtime versions. Vendors vary as to whether fees are charged for runtime versions. Apple Media Kit from Apple Corporation and ScriptX from Kaleida Labs are examples of options that can have costly runtime fees, especially for items sold in large-scale markets. Some options have free runtime within an organization but charge a royalty on all sales of applications outside the organization. A professor who writes a CD-ROM textbook in some types of software (Apple Media Kit, Icon Author, Tencore, etc.) can use the free runtime versions for discs distributed free to students and faculty within his or her university but would have to pay a royalty on each CD-ROM sold for a profit. There is a strong incentive for authors to seek out hypertext and hypermedia authoring packages that are accompanied by free runtime (reader, player, playback, delivery) files for all customers. Many of these alternatives are discussed and compared in Chapter 3.
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S-Terms
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Sampling rate / SAP / Satellite Radio / Scalability / Scan converter / Scanner / SCMS / SCO Open Desktop / Scopeware / Score / Screen capturing / Scripting / ScriptX / SCSI / Search engine / Search Extractor and Wrapper / SECAM / Security / Sega / Senses / Sequence / Server / Set-top box / SGI / SGML / Shareware / Shell / Silent Meeting / SIMM / Simulation / Single-session recording / SLIP / Smart agent / Smart card / SMIL / S/MIME / SMITS / SMTP / Socket / Solaris / Sonet / Sound Blaster compatible / Sound board / Sound recording / Sparc / Speech recognition / Sprite / SQL / SSA / SSL / Stand-alone / Star topology / Still video camera / Streaming Media / Structured / Structured Query Language / Student response pads / Studio classroom / SUN / Surfing / Surfing backwards / SVG / S-VHS / Switched network / Synchronous / Synchronous connection / Syntax
Click here to view (in a new window) Bob Jensen's Listing of Other Technology and Networking Glossaries
Sampling rate= The frequency with which samples are taken and converted in digitizing operations. This is measured in kilohertz (KHz). The MPC standard requires a sound card with a recording sampling rate of at least 11 KHz and an output rate of 11 and 22 KHz.
SAP = (Acronym for a long German name) SAP is a company from Germany that sells the leading suite of large-scale client-server business software. The US branch is called SAP America. The web site is at http://www.sap.com . SAP is powerful but very slow and expensive to implement. The following message appears in InformationWeek Online for November 13, 1997:
General Motors has chosen SAP's R/3 software as its global financial application. The decision is part of the automaker's "common platform strategy," a program that aims to reduce costs and complexity by standardizing GM's many businesses on several core IT products. GM says it plans to implement the financial apps in a "phased rollout," beginning with its automotive assembly and components operations in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, and later in North and South America. GM's goal is for full deployment by 2002. The R/3 software will replace a mix of applications GM has running in hundred of locations, a GM spokesman said. SAP software isn't new to GM: The automaker already has SAP human resources modules in a handful of places, including its Opel manufacturing operations in Germany and Delphi parts operations in France. The GM spokesman noted, however, that the new deal with SAP doesn't include HR modules. GM will take the lead in managing the R/3 rollout, while former GM unit EDS will "have some role," probably alongside other third-party service providers, the spokesman said. Financials terms of the deal weren't disclosed.
Major ERP providers include the following:
SAP at http://www.sap.com
JD Edwards at http://www.jdedwards.com/
Baan at http://www5.baan.com/cgi-bin/bvisapi.dll
PeopleSoft at http://www.peoplesoft.com/
I worry some about business schools that are jumping on the huge commitment to bring SAP or other ERP software to students. SAP is one of the various alternatives for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). First SAP is a major commitment of resources, faculty, and students. Second, there is a legal liability risk that should be carefully cleared through any university's legal department since it is possible for users to find themselves in lawsuits brought against developers of SAP.
More importantly, I worry about the future of ERPs. In this context I call your attention to an article by Tom Stein entitled "ERP's Fight for Life," in Information Week, April 12, 1999, 59-66. The online version is at
http://www.informationweek.com/729/erp.htm
On May 5, 1999 InformationWeek Online reported the following:
J.D. Edwards has hit hard times as the demand for ERP software remains stagnant. The company said yesterday it
expects an operating loss of more than $25 million for its second quarter, ended April 30. Company officials blame the
anticipated shortfall on lower-than-expected license fee revenue, the impact of headcount additions made in the first fiscal
quarter, investments in product development, and a $2.1 million write-off as a result of the acquisition of the Premisys Corp.
According to preliminary results, J.D. Edwards expects to report total second-quarter revenue in the range of $215 million
to $235 million, which represents approximately a 3% to 12% increase over revenue of $209 million in the same period last year. License fee revenue is projected to be in the range of $60 million to $65 million. The company says revenue was adversely impacted by a general slowdown in demand for enterprise software as companies focus on year 2000 readiness. Final results for the quarter will be released on May 26.
Brent Thill, a financial analyst with Credit Suisse First Boston Corp., says the shortfall in license revenue is attributable to
a slippage of new customer orders in the United States. He adds that J.D. Edwards' win rate against market leaders SAP
and Oracle fell to 30% from 50% six months
ago.
From InformationWeek Online May 6, 1999
SpeechWorks International Inc. yesterday introduced the first speech-recognition applications that will let employees and customers access SAP applications by speaking over the phone. SpeechWorks unveiled software building blocks that let developers add speech-recognition capability to SAP’s Sales & Distribution, HR Employee Self-Service, and Customer Interaction Center modules.
Demand for speech-enabling SAP applications is strongest among customers already implementing other speech-recognition applications, according to SpeechWorks. The sales module lets sales representatives and customers determine the status of customer accounts, product availability and pricing, and sales-order placement. People can also speak to the applications to place and confirm orders. The HR module lets employees speak to access information about benefits, salaries, paychecks, travel expenses, time reporting, and personal information.
SpeechWorks for SAP will be available from SpeechWorks early in the third quarter. SpeechWorks will deliver similar software for PeopleSoft Inc. and other enterprise resource planning vendors around year’s end.
Various schools of business have moved heavily into SAP. One example is California State University at Chico. It would be interesting to hear from some accounting faculty who are using SAP to give some advice to faculty who are contemplating recommending SAP to their administrators.
Information Week on May 10, 1999, Page 26 elaborates its notices that SpeechWorks International has speech recognition modules for ERP systems. For example, these modules can now be deployed in SAP. See http://www.speechworks.com/ .
From InformationWeek Online on March 16, 2000
ERP vendors are adapting to the new IT environment in which businesses are betting on online exchanges, not enterprise resource planning solutions. Both SAP and J.D. Edwards & Co. made significant moves this week to host and develop online marketplace technology.
SAP on Wednesday revealed the formation of SAPMarkets, a subsidiary that, starting in May, will develop, market, and operate marketplaces using SAP technology. Hasso Plattner, co-chairman and CEO of SAP, will act as interim CEO until a permanent one is found.
The vendor's mySAP.com Marketplace efforts will be consolidated into the new company. One goal is to clear up the confusion the mySAP.com moniker created by encompassing the vendor's Internet strategy, software applications, and hosted applications under one name. "I applaud that SAP is finally resolving the confusion 'mySAP.com' brings to customers," says Byron Miller, VP at Giga Information Group. "But before they compete head-on with other companies in a new market, they need to resolve some functionality problems."
J.D. Edwards on Tuesday created a unit to focus on business- to-business solutions and expand development of its online- exchange technology. Michael Schmidt, former VP of worldwide sales and marketing, will head up the unit. - Elisabeth Goodridge with Alorie Gilbert
"Spotlight on Midlevel ERP Software," by Roberta Ann Jones, Journal of Accountancy, May 2002 --- http://www.aicpa.org/pubs/jofa/may2002/jones.htm
Years ago, when the personal computer was just coming into its own, accounting software was relatively simple: Its single function was to automate the task of double-entry accounting and produce a straightforward balance sheet. As computers became more robust and integrated databases standardized, accounting software developers added more functions—including cost accounting, manufacturing resource planning (MRP), customer resource management (CRM), human resources (HR) and payroll. To differentiate these superproducts from the simple accounting programs, marketing-minded vendors christened the new packages enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.
Exhibit 1: Software Vendors
Product Vendor Web address Address
Carillon Pettit & Co. www.carillonfinancials.com 100 N. Central Expressway, Suite 1300
Richardson, TX 75080
eEnterprise Microsoft
Great
Plains www.greatplains.com One Lone Tree Rd.
Fargo, ND 58104
E by Epicor Epicor
Software www.epicor.com 195 Technology Dr.
Irvine, CA 92618
MK Manufact'g Computer
Associates’
InterBiz www.interbiz.com One Computer Associates Plaza
Islandia, NY 11749
Enterprise IQ IQMS www.iqms.com 4250 Aerotech Center Way, Suite A
Paso Robles, CA 93446
Progression Macola www.macola.com 333 E. Center St.
P.O. Box 1824
Marion, OH 43301
ERP Plus PowerCerv www.powercerv.com 400 North Ashley Dr.,
Suite 2700
Tampa, FL 33602
Scala 5.1 Scala
Business
Solutions www.scalaworld.com 300 International Parkway, Suite 300
Heathrow, FL 32746
Solomon Microsoft
Great
Plains www.solomon.com 200 East Hardin St.
P.O. Box 414
Findlay, OH 45840
Traverse Open
Systems
Inc. www.osas.com 1157 Valley Park Dr.,
Suite 105
Shakopee, MN 55379
Exhibit 2: Service, Support, Price, Implementation
Exhibit 3: Manufacturing Process
Exhibit 4: Core Financials
Exhibit 5: Purchasing and Sales Processes
Exhibit 6: Human Resources Process
Exhibit 7: Tax and International Processes
Many accounting software vendors, while eager to jump on the ERP bandwagon but unwilling or unable to develop their own complete ERP functionality, choose instead to license the very best special modules developed by other software companies. This option has gained popularity as advances in Windows and compatibility tools have made it easier to seamlessly link new modules to existing software packages.
Using such best-of-breed, third-party products was a boon to ERP vendors: It saved them money and made their products more powerful and more competitive. Further, it meant that the customer was getting an already proven (read that debugged) product.
Not all customers agree that plugging in third-party products is a good idea. If the licensed product malfunctioned (and what software product is perfect?), the customer now had to deal with two vendors—the ERP vendor and the third-party vendor. More often than not, when such a problem arose, each vendor tended to blame the other, leaving the customer uncertain where to turn for help. In our reviews, we have not provided separate evaluations of any third-party products.
From The Wall Street Journal Accounting Educators' Reviews on January 14, 2004
TITLE: Large Software Customers Refuse to Get With the Program
REPORTERS: Kevin J. Delaney and David Bank
DATE: Jan 02, 2004
PAGE: A1,6
LINK: http://online.wsj.com/article_print/0,,SB107300003323708100,00.html
TOPICS: Accounting Information Systems
SUMMARY: Delaney and Bank report that business software giant SAP blinked in its confrontation when one of its customers refused to upgrade to a newer version of their software. During the economic downturn, SAP, as well as other application software providers, had increased their revenues not so much through new sales, rather they insisted their current customers upgrade their previously purchased software packages. The related article from one year ago reflects that trend.
QUESTIONS:
1.) How does an ERP impact the relationships in the financing, manufacturing, and other business processes?
2.) Briefly outline how a customer relationship module (CRM) is expected to influence performance for a purchasing firm. Do the same for a supply chain management (SCM) module.
3.) Given the conclusion from Delaney's related article about SAP's return to dominance one year ago, what do you think this bodes for the future of SAP?
Reviewed By: Judy Beckman, University of Rhode Island
Reviewed By: Benson Wier, Virginia Commonwealth University
Reviewed By: Kimberly Dunn, Florida Atlantic University
--- RELATED ARTICLES ---
TITLE: Germany's SAP Regains Edge in U.S.
REPORTER: Kevin Delaney
PAGE: B5
ISSUE: Jan 31, 2003
LINK: http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1043914959248254464,00.html
If you click here, you will find messages from various users of ERP software, especially SAP, in business education programs. I think you will find these messages very candid and helpful
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/245glosap.htm
See Database and CRM.
Scalability= how well a system performs as it grows. For example, a central server of some kind with ten clients may perform efficiently. It has a scalability problem if it fails with an increasing number of clients. If the average response time probably scales linearly with the number of clients, it has a complexity of O(N) ("order N"). The October 1997 issue of Application Development Trends (ISSN 1073-9564) on Page 13 describes the IBM DB2 "Web-enabled database which potentially lets customers scale from desktop or laptop systems to massively parallel processors." See Database .
Scan converter= A hardware device for converting the digitized monitor signals of a computer into analog signals that can be played on a television set. For a detailed review of options and comparison of products see Waring (1994c). Some projection devices such as three-beam projectors for computers in classrooms have built in scan converters. (See also Analog and Video)
Scanner= Both hand-held and flatbed hardware and software for copying graphics images and text into computer files. Both color and black and white options are available. We have never had much luck with hand-held versions, but flatbed scanners do a terrific job. Text scanned as graphics must be converted into computer text via specialized software such as Omni Page Pro from Caere (800-GO-CAERE). Flatbed scanners are reviewed and rated in NewMedia, May 5, 1998, 69-71. (See also OCR)
SCMS= Serial Copy ManagementSystem circuitry in digital recorders that allows copying from a source program but blocks making copies of copies.
SCO Open Desktop= Santa Cruiz Operations' GUI operating system that is compared with other 32-bit operating system alternatives in PC/Computing Special Report (1994). This is a UNIX-based system that runs on Intel and MIPS hardware. (See also Operating system)
Scopeware= File arranging softare invented by David Galernter from Yale University.
"The Next Computer Interface," by Claire Tristram, Technology Review, December 2001 --- http://www.techreview.com/magazine/dec01/tristram.asp
The desktop metaphor was a brilliant innovation—30 years ago. Now it's an unmanageable mess, and the search is on for a better way to handle information.
Game, set, match: Chief scientist David Gelernter of Mirror Worlds Technologies says the desktop metaphor is over. (Photos by Timothy Archibald and Jonathan Worth)
"The desktop is dead," declares David Gelernter. Gelernter is referring to the "desktop metaphor"—the term frequently used for the hierarchical system of files, folders and icons that we use to manage information stored on our home or office computers. At the annual gathering of technophiles at TechXNY/PC Expo 2001 in New York last June, he told the rapt crowd attending his keynote speech that the desktop metaphor is nothing more than virtual Tupperware. "Our electronic documents are scattered by the thousands in all sorts of little containers all over the place," he said. "The more information and the more computers in our lives, the more of a nuisance this system becomes."
For the past decade or so Gelernter has been campaigning for a new metaphor to overthrow the desktop—first in research he carried out at Yale University, where he is a professor of computer science, and now as chief scientist of his new company, Mirror Worlds Technologies, with offices in New Haven, CT, and New York City. In March, Mirror Worlds announced a novel metaphor called Scopeware, software that automatically arranges your computer files in chronological order and displays them on your monitor with the most recent files featured prominently in the foreground. Scopeware is far more sweeping than a simple rearrangement of icons, however: in effect, it transfers the role of file clerk from you to the computer, seamlessly ordering documents of all sorts into convenient, time-stamped files.
Score= A sequence, either time-based or frame-based, that determines the timing of a presentation and the synchronization of its objects.
Screen capturing= The "capturing" of images on a computer screen onto a clipboard or into a graphics file so that they can be imported into other software. Screen captures are analogous to photographs of screen images. Captured text is normally in graphics mode such that it must be run through a text converter (e.g., OmniPage text conversion software) that translates graphics text back into word processor text. In PC World, February 1994, p. 224 it is shown how Windows screen capturing can be accomplished using the Windows Recorder utility in the Program Manager. Doyle (1994a) provides useful tips for QuickTime video capturing. Screen capturing software options are reviewed in the NewMedia 1995 Tool Guide (p. 34). (See also OCR) It is important to also go to Video.
Scripting= (See Authoring, HTML, and RDF)
ScriptX= A somewhat revolutionary and failed authoring and scripting hypertext and hypermedia language. ScriptX from the defunct Kaleida Labs (in a joint venture with Apple and IBM corporations) was and early option designed to cross between various operating systems (e.g., Unix, Windows, DOS, Apple/Mac, OS/2, and PowerOpen). ScriptX was intended compliment the failed Taligent (Pink) multi-platform operating system. (See also GainMomentum, Kaleida, Taligent, Cross-platform, and Authoring)
SCSI= Small Computer System Interface, is a set of interfaces that allow personal computers to communicate with peripheral hardware such as disk drives, tape drives, CD-ROM drives, CD-RW drives, printers, and scanners faster and more flexibly than previous interfaces. SCSI interfaces often cost a bit more than IDE controllers, but there are some advantages to SCSI interfaces. See IDE.
Search engine= WWW sites that allow users to type in a word or phrase and then search for other WWW sites linked to that word or phrase. Bob Jensen' search engine helpers are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/searchh.htm
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Thank you Curtis Brown
Chances are many of you know about this already, but I thought I’d mention that the search engine I now go to first for most purposes is Google (http://www.google.com/). This search engine rates a site higher the more links there are to it from other highly rated sites. Don’t know exactly how they manage that, but in my experience the results are remarkable—if I’m looking for one particular site, it’s usually the number one-ranked result.
I suppose it wouldn’t be so effective for very new or very esoteric sites that no one (yet) knows about. But for sites that have been around long enough for word to get out, it’s very effective. It may not find things that Alta Vista or HotBot or whatever wouldn’t find, but it does a much better job of putting what I’m looking for at the top of the list. The web site describes it as a "Beta" version, but it looks ready for prime time to me.
(example: type "thomas" into Google and the number one result is the library of congress site with information about the US Congress. This site isn’t in the top 50 results for HotBot, Alta Vista, or Lycos (though it is #1 on HotBot’s top ten most visited sites for that search string). Similarly, a search for "Phil Gramm" on Google turned up his Senate homepage as the number one link. This wasn’t in the top 20 on HotBot or Alta Vista; a subpage of his Senate site was around number 10 on Lycos.)
Another nice feature of Google is that they cache the pages: if your search results include a broken link, you can still bring up Google’s cached copy of the page to see what used to be there. The cached pages are text only, but they use the URL for the original page as the base for relative links so that if images are still there they will load properly.
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Thank you Neil Hannon
For people who search the Web frequently and want to use it more efficiently, Infoseek Express is a next-generation desktop search product which brings multiple search and information sources together in one place. With Express you can find, explore, and do anything on the Internet faster and easier than before.
Express is different from other search engines because it runs within your Web browser, searches multiple search engines simultaneously, and provides an easier to use, faster interface. In addition, Express has an open architecture that allows for mass distribution, easy updates, and extensive personal customization.
http://www.tiac.net/users/nhannon/news.html
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Probably the most interesting of the "search engines" are those that use natural language and artificial intelligence. The best known illustration is the "Ask Jeeves" web site at http://www.ask.com/ . The software commenced with David Warthen in Berkeley in 1996. The following is a quotation from "Ask Jeeves," NewMedia, June 1999, p. 54:
Warthen tapped into artificial intelligence research at Berkeley and Stanford, hired "computational linguistics" experts, and brought in editors to link standardized question templates to Web sites with the right answers. The editors are critical to Ask Jeeves' power. "Humans are very good at cognitive decision making," says Warthen. "When we designed our system we were very conscious of how to get human value added."
They created software that can examine a question for its semantics (word meaning) and syntax (grammar and sentence structure). Their system parses it, rearranges it into a template, and searches for a "best-match" template tied to a collection of Web sites, or scroll-down menus that give the user a chance to further refine his query.
Over time the site has expanded its "knowledge base" to more than seven million question/answer connections.
On Page 55, the above article states the following:
Ask Jeeves now licenses its technology for corporate online tech support. Dell Computer's Ask Dudley site (using the name and likeness of their head tech-support guru) "took off like wildfire," according to Manish Mehta, Dell's senior online support manager. It already accurately answers more than 60 percent of all questions, and provides valuable feedback. "It's a nifty mechanism to learn exactly what customers are asking as soon as a new system launches."
Toshiba America receives 380,000 tech-support calls a month. It launched its Ask IRIS (Instant Response Information Service) in mid-March and hopes to see a 20 to 30 percent reduction in calls by year's end. "We're hoping IRIS will be as smart as our very smartest technician," says Dan Ludwick, Toshiba's director of service marketing.
Ask Jeeves customizes its corporate clients' existing tech support database to match the question/answer template format. In addition, Ask Jeeves maintains and monitors the system software and knowledge base, plus handles data mining and analysis. Initial costs range from $400,000 to more than $1 million, depending on the depth of the data. Licensees pay a fraction of a penny to Ask Jeeves for each good question/answer match.
Yahoo is still my choice if you have a particular category. However, my first choice in general is now Ask Jeeves because of the neat way I can merely type a natural language query. I suggest that you ask Jeeves a question just for kicks and then see how fast you will get hooked on Jeeves. http://www.ask.com/ .
(See also Smart agent, XML Resource Description Framework (RDF), Webcasting, Knowledge Management, and World Wide Web)
Search Extractor and Wrapper = (See Wrapper.)
SECAM= SEquential Couleu AvecMemoire sequential color and memory television standard adopted by France and the USSR in 1967. This has some phase and amplitude integrity (skew-symmetry) advantages over NTSC and some line flicker (Hanover bars) disadvantages. Having France and some parts of Eastern Europe on a different standard than PAL for the rest of Europe and NTSC for North America and Japan is somewhat frustrating for manufacturers of hardware and developers of videotapes. (See also NTSC and PAL)
Security= Protection against error and fraud. In computing and networking this includes firewall protections (e.g., passwords) for entry and encryptions for messages that contain protected data such as credit card numbers. A computer virus is one of the most serious problems. A virus hardware/software infection designed intentionally to corrupt a computer, computer files, and/or networks. For virus updates and news, two good web sites are Network Associates at http://www.nai.com/vinfo/ and Mcafee at http://www.mcafee.com/ . (Also see ActiveX.)
The main computer security site is probably CERT --- http://www.cert.org/
One of the main systems and security sites is at http://www.isworld.org/
The U.S. Department of Justice Cybercrime Website --- http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/
Bob Jensen's threads on security --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ecommerce/000start.htm#SpecialSection
Nearly the entire April 2004 issue of Syllabus Magazine is devoted to computer and network security. This is a useful reference with lots of links --- http://www.syllabus.com/mag.asp
You should also know about this site when you have a computer security question --- http://www.alw.nih.gov/Security/security.html
Hackers Hall of Fame --- http://tlc.discovery.com/convergence/hackers/bio/bio.html
Bob Jensen's computer security bookmarks are at --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookbob4.htm#200503Security
An Innovative Cookie Jar
The big question is whether Microsoft will adapt to StealthSurfer or introduce a competitive product for Internet Explorer. My guess is no! We may have to install Netscape once again just to keep pesky cookies off the main hard drive.
"Furtive Surfers Find a Way to Keep Their Travels Secret," by Howard Millman, The New York Times, March 4, 2004 --- http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/04/technology/circuits/04quie.html
A new thumb-size U.S.B. drive from a company called StealthSurfer aims to guard your privacy by keeping the records of your Web activity close to the vest. When you plug in the StealthSurfer and use its customized version of the Netscape browser, the device stores the cookies, U.R.L. history, cache files and other traces of your Web browsing that would ordinarily accumulate on your computer's hard drive. When you're done surfing, you unplug the drive and take the records of your travels with you.
StealthSurfer's name is a bit of an overstatement. It does keep your Web-hopping and file-sharing activities away from prying eyes after the fact. But since it uses your computer's Internet connection, the Web sites you visit can still track your Internet protocol address as you move around online.
The StealthSurfer comes in four capacities, ranging from 64 megabytes ($70) to 512 megabytes ($299). You may experience a slight reduction in performance when you use the device because its flash memory writes data at slower speeds than a full-size hard drive does.
On the other hand, installation is a breeze - computers running Windows Me, 2000 and XP recognize the StealthSurfer as a drive when it is plugged in. (If you're running Windows 98, you must download a driver
The StealthSurfer home page is at http://www.stealthsurfer.biz/
Don't you hate it now that some businesses now use biz instead of com in their URLs?
You can read more about cookies at "Cookies."
Examples of available (or possible) IW weapons
From a document entitled "An Introduction to Information Warfare" by Reto Haeni at http://www.seas.gwu.edu/student/reto/infowar/info-war.html
Computer Viruses
A virus is a code fragment that copies itself into a larger program, modifying that program. A virus executes only when its host program begins to run. The virus then replicates itself, infecting other programs as it reproduces. Viruses are well known in every computer based environment, so that it is not astonishing that this type of rough program is used in the Information Warfare. We could imagine that the CIA (or Army, Air Force ....) inserts computer viruses into the switching networks of the enemy's phone system. As today's telephone systems are switched by computers, you can shut them down, or at least causing massive failure, with a virus as easy that you can shut down a "normal" computer. An example what the damage a virus could cause exists. We can compare it with the system crash of AT&T long distance switching system on January 15, 1990 [10].
Worms (Also see Worm)
A worm is an independent program. It reproduces by copying itself in full-blown fashion from one computer to another, usually over a network. Unlike a virus, it usually doesn't modify other programs. Also if worms don't destroy data (like the Internet Worm, they can cause the loss of communication with only eating up resources and spreading through the networks. A worm can also easily be modified so that data deletion or worse occurs. With a "wildlife" like this, I could imagine breaking down a networked environment like a ATM and banking network.
Trojan horses
A Trojan horse is a code fragment that hides inside a program and performs a disguised function. It's a popular mechanism for disguising a virus or a worm. A trojan horse could be camouflaged as a security related tool for example like SATAN (Security Administrating Tool for Analyzing Networks). SATAN checks UNIX system for security holes and is freely available on the Internet. If someone edits this program so that it sends discovered security holes in an e-mail message back to him (lets also include the password file? No problem), the Cracker learns much information about vulnerable hosts and servers. A clever written trojan horse does not leave traces of its presence and because it does not cause detectable damage, it is hard to detect.
Logic bombs
A bomb is a type of Trojan horse, used to release a virus, a worm or some other system attack. It's either an independent program or a piece of code that's been planted by a system developer or programmer." With the overwhelming existence of US based software (e.g. MS Windows or UNIX systems), the US Government, or whomever you would like to imagine, could decide that no software would be allowed to be exported from that country without a Trojan horse. This hidden function could become active when a document with "war against the USA" exists on the computer. Its activation could also be triggered from the outside. An effect could be to format the computers harddisks or to mail the document to the CIA.
Trap doors
A trap door, or a back door, is a mechanism that's built into a system by its designer. The function of a trap door is to give the designer a way to sneak back into the system, circumventing normal system protection." As I mentioned in the last section, all US software could be equipped with a trap door that would allow IW agencies to explore systems and the stored data on foreign countries. This could be most useful in cases of military strategic simulations and plans and would provide the DoD's intelligence with vital information.
Chipping
Just as software can contain unexpected functions, it is also possible to implement similar functions in hardware. Today's chips contain millions of integrated circuits that can easily be configured by the manufacturer so that they also contain some unexpected functions. They could be built so that they fail after a certain time, blow up after they receive a signal on a specific frequency, or send radio signals that allow identification of their exact location - the number of possible scenarios exceeds, by far, the scope of this paper. The main problem with chipping is that the specific (adapted) chip be installed in the place that is useful for the Information Warrior. The easiest solution is to built the additional features into all the chips manufactured in the country that is interested in this type of IW.
Nano machines and Microbes
Nano machines and Microbes provide the possibility to cause serious harm to a system. Unlike viruses, we can use these to attack not the software but the hardware of a computer system. Nano machines are tiny robots (smaller than ants) that could be spread at an information center of the enemy. They crawl through the halls and offices until they find a computer. They are so small that they enter the computer through slots and shut down electronic circuits. Another way to damage the hardware is a special breed of microbes. We know that they can eat oil, what about if they were bred for eating silizium? They would destroy all integrated circuits in a computer lab, a site, a building, a town.......
Electronic jamming
In the old days (and even today) electronic jamming was used to block communications channels at the enemy's equipment so that they can't receive any information. The next step is not to block their traffic, but instead overwhelm them with incorrect information. This type of disinformation can also be combined with the possibilities described in the section "soft war"
HERF Guns - EMP Bombs
HERF stands for High Energy Radio Frequency. HERF guns are able to shoot a high power radio signal at an electronic target and put it out of function. The damage can be moderate (e.g. that a system shuts down, but can be restarted) or severe (e.g. the system hardware has been physically damaged). Electronic circuits are more vulnerable to overload that most people would suspect. This mechanism uses HERF guns with big success. In essence, HERF guns are nothing but radio transmitters. They send a concentrated radio signal to the target. The target can be a mainframe inside a business building, an entire network in a building, or as today's planes and cars are stuffed with electronic equipment, the target can even be a moving vehicle with all the inherent dangers for the people who are inside. EMP stands for electromagnetic pulse. The source can be a nuclear or a non-nuclear detonation. It can be used by special forces teams who infiltrate the enemy's and detonate a device near their electronic devices. It destroys the electronics of all computer and communication systems in a quite large area. The EMP bomb can be smaller than a HERF gun to cause a similar amount of damage and is typically used to damage not a single target (not aiming in one direction) but to damage all equipment near the bomb.
Also see Authenticated Payment Program (SET), Clipper Chip, Cookies, Cryptolope, Data Encryption Standard (DES), Encryption, Firewall, Kerberos, Secure Socket Layer (SSL), and WebLedger.
Bob Jensen's main documents on e-Commerce e-Business (including security) are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ecommerce.htm
I added a Special Section to the document entitled "Opportunities of E-Business Assurance: Risks in Assuring Risk" at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ecommerce/assurance.htm
For more information about fraud, information warfare, and security, go to http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/fraud.htm
Sega= (See Games)
Senses = Bob Jensen’s threads on computing technologies for sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/senses.htm
Sequence= A combination of events executed in a predetermined order.
Server= A computer that shares its resources, such as printers and files, with other computers on the network. An example of this is a Network File System (NFS) server which shares its disk space with other computers. Especially see the concept of a shell.
Set-top box= A digital device that will sit on top of or inside a television set and provide the digital processing necessary to support interactive network services (video-on-demand, network placing of purchase orders, database access, etc.) in the early phases of the information highway. Eventually PCTVs will probably replace set-top box processors. (See also CD-Stand Alone and Information highway)
SGI= Silicon Graphics, Inc., 2011 North Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, CA, 94039-7311. This company manufactures high-end graphics work stations such as its Indy line for hypermedia, video, and 3-D graphics rendering. Some software vendors such as Information International write software for SGI workstations. These are among the best of the professional options for generating videographics and virtual realities, but they come at a high price for hardware, software, and technical help to obtain and maintain an SGI workstation. Software for SGI and other Unix-based workstations costs much more, "often 10 times the price of equivalent software for high-volume platforms like MPC---and much of it is extremely vertical in nature" says Spanbauer (1993b), p. 42. SGI now has a low-end multimedia workstation starting at under $5,000, The Sun Microsystems SPARClassic M (under $5,000) and 10SX (over $15,000) are designed to compete with the SGI Indago line for multimedia computing. Beware that buying an SGI computer such as the Indy for less than $5,000 is analogous to buying an automobile without a transmission, wheels, and other essential components. For example, the hard drive and monitor are not included at the $5,000 price. Lindy (1994) says the price of a complete Indy system rises to $27,600. He compares features of the Quadra 840AV with the more expensive and faster SGI Indy and finds that the Quadra 840AV performs as well or better in most instances for a lot less money for hardware and software. The SGI Indy competes with NewTek's Video Toaster and Apple AV competitors, but should not be confused with the more extensive concept of network video server. (See also Video server, Amiga, Apple AV, PowerPC, SUN and Unix)
SGML= The abbreviation for Standard Generalized Markup Language, SGML is an international standard for the publication and delivery of electronic information.
Shareware= This term refers to software that is available on public networks and BBSs. Users are asked to remit a small amount to the software developer, but it's on the honor system.
Shel = web server/client software focused on storage, delivery, and course management. This software facilitates server/client networking that allows for student record keeping, test grading, etc. Unlike high-end authoring software, courseware shells have utilities for creating network listservs, bulletin boards, chat rooms, electronic forums, telephony, etc. These shells also facilitate lesson authoring in virtually all of the high-end authoring software listed above. Some courseware shells have more authoring capabilities than others, although none have the full authoring capabilties of the high-end authoring systems.
TopClass WebCB WebCT Asymetrix Librarian Mallard Real Education
Convene CourseInfo (Blackboard) IntraKal MentorWare WebMentor Enterprise
Learning Space Oncourse McGraw-Hill Learning Architecture (MHLA) PHP
CyberClass (Note: Cyberclass is unique in that server space is provided and users such as university professors need not use servers in their own institutions
. My review of shells is given at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/245soft1.htm
Silent Meeting = (See Virtual.)
SIMM= Single In-line Memory Module plug-in memory module containing all the chips needed to add blocks of RAM to a computer. At the present time, it is not uncommon to pay in the neighborhood of $200 for each 16mb of RAM added to computers. (See also RAM)
Simulation= Computer generated or enhanced emulation of real world happenings. In the early days of computing simulation was largely a numerical modeling of factory operations, weather systems, planetary movements, etc. The advent of flight simulation ushered in physical reproductions of reality that gave the look and feel of being in a real world happening such as landing an aircraft at night in simulated airports around the world or simulated combat situations. Modern day multimedia computing has ushered in countless applications of visual as well as numerical modeling simulations. The high end technology for simulation today is virtual reality. (See also Virtual Reality)
Single-session recording= The older CD-ROM standard, where all data you intend to put on a disk must be recorded in one session rather than in several different sessions over time. (See also CD-R)
SLIP= Serial Line Internet Protocol that allows users in selected parts of the world to access the Internet via modems and phone lines if they are not directly connected to the Internet system of worldwide networks. There are specialized SLIP firms plus some of the more general firms such as Delphi and CompuServe. Unlike direct connections, however, SLIP interfacings normally have usage fees based upon timing and extent of usage. (See also ISP, PIP, and Modem)
Smart agent= A utility for scanning Internet resources and collecting files pertinent to selected interests. This also includes screen savers that collect information (e.g., news is downloaded at assigned intervals on the Pointcast screen saver at
Smart card= a credit card with an embedded microchip that contains extensive information. Smart cards are presently used for telephone cards, health cards, pay TV, banking, GSM Global System for Mobile communications, and other cellular/satellite telephones. Smart cards can hold encrypted secure data transferred in from a personal computer. The future appears to be unlimited for secure smart cards.
SMIL = (See HTML)
S/MIME = (See Internet Messaging).
SMITS= Self-Monitoring Intelligent Tutoring System for computer-aided instruction of accounting information systems. SMITS was developed with an NCAIR grant by Professors Glen L. Gray and L. Richard Ye at California State University at Northridge. See Gray (1994).
SMTP = (See Internet Messaging).
Socket= This is a communication mechanism originally implemented on the BSD version of the UNIX operating system. Sockets are used as endpoints for sending and receiving data between computers. A SSL (secure socket layer) is a secured security socket that controls data flows into and out of a socket for security purposes. (Also see Security and Internet Messaging).
Solaris= (See Unix)
Sonet= Synchronized Optical Network that is now operational on 155 Mb per second fiber optic cable between major cities in the United States. This forms the AT&T Corporation backbone for asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switching and transmission of voice, video, graphics, and data. (See also Information highway, Fiber optic, and Networks)
Sound Blaster compatible= (See MCI)
Sound board= A hardware insert for computers that allows mono or stereo audio (e.g., from cassette players, microphones, and television audio tracks) to be sent to computer speakers "on the fly" and/or to be captured as computer files such aswav and voc files for PC computers. The wav file extensions run on Microsoft MCI standards and the voc files run on Soundblaster sound boards from Creative Labs. Hardware options are reviewed in the NewMedia 1996 Tool Guide. Software (audio editing) options are reviewed in the NewMedia 1996 Tool Guide. When available, it is often better to have audio hardware on the motherboard rather than as a board added to a computer's expansion slot. (See also DSP)
Sound recording = (See Sound board)
Sparc= A class of Unix-based workstations from Sun Microsystems, Inc., 2550 Garcia Ave., Mountain View, CA 94305. These are common in Unix-based networks. (See also SUN)
Speech recognition = The ability of the computer to interpret speech or other audio commands along with keyboard, mouse, and joystick commands. Bob Jensen's Threads on Speech Recognition and Conversations With Computers (Audio Portals) --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/speech.htm
"Just talk to me," The Economist, December 6, 2001 --- http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=885022
Speech recognition: At long last, speech is becoming an important interface between man and machine. In the process, it is helping to slash costs in business, create new services on the Internet, and make cars a lot safer and easier to drive
In the early days of computing, information was put into computers by flipping switches. After this came the relative sophistication of loading programs and data by means of punched cards or punched paper-tape. These were followed in their turn by such devices as the keyboard, the mouse, the trackball, the joystick, the touchpad and the touch-sensitive screen. Throughout all this, speech—the most natural, and perhaps the most effective, interface between people and computers—has remained largely neglected. Apart from some modest developments in software for desktop dictation in the 1990s, the only time most people have talked to their computers has been when cursing them.
All this is changing. Already, speech recognition is a not-uncommon feature at the call-centres of telephone companies, financial-service providers and airlines in the United States. In Japan and Europe, meanwhile, speech recognition is being adapted for use as a hands-free input device for motor cars.
Technologies such as automatic speech recognition (ASR), speaker verification and text-to-speech generators (see article) are catching on fast. They promise to deliver access to information and services anytime and anywhere that there is telephone. With more than 1 billion phones in the world and new subscribers being added to the global networks at double-digit rates, the enthusiasm is understandable. What is really driving the enthusiasm for the technology is not just that people are used to talking over telephones and so need little encouragement or training. They have also proved themselves willing to pay a premium for such services.
Continued at http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=885022
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From SyllabusNews on August 16, 2002
DePaul Develops Sign Language Translator
A team of faculty and students at DePaul University's School of Computer Science has created a computer-generated synthetic interpreter capable of translating spoken English into American Sign Language (ASL). The program, dubbed "Paula," uses speech recognition and sophisticated animation. Using the system, a hearing person speaks through a headset connected to the computer. The animated figure of Paula then translates intoASL through hand gestures and facial expressions on the computer screen. The project required four years and more than 25,000 hours worth of work by the project team. "Most people are not aware that ASL is not simply a signed form of English," said Rosalee Wolfe, professor of computer science at DePaul and one of the leaders of the research team. "It is a series of hand configurations, hand positions, body positions and movement and facial expressions that are used in certain specific combinations. Hence, creating an animated translator is a very intricate and detailed process."
For more information, visit: http://asl.cs.depaul.edu
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To date, vocabulary limitations and other problems make this a less than perfect option for authoring at the moment. However, technology seems to be adequate for major companies like American Express, UPS, Schwab & Co., and other companies to move from "curious novelty to strategic technology" according to Mary Thyfault in "Voice Recognition Enters the Mainstream" in Information Week, July 14, 1997, p. 20. These companies intend to have computers respond to customer voices. For example, using technology developed by Nuance, Scwab & Co. introduced the "Voice Broker" that responds to telephone requests for market price quotations and other investment information. American Express uses voice recognition for travel services. The ability to talk directly with a computer was anticipated years ago in Star Trek television shows and with the supercomputer named HAL in the popular film "2001 Space Odyssey". Eventually speech recognition will be commonplace when using both large and small computers. Apple Corporation led the way in speech recognition, but the gap has been closed between Mac and PC users. The latest excitement in software that will recognize normal (continuous) speaking speeds is Dragon's Naturally Speaking fromhttp://www.dragonsys.com/. Other options such as Voice Assist from Creative Labs (800-998-1000) are available for PCs. However, the leading and most reliable PC software at the time of this writing are Naturally Speaking from Dragon and VoicePlus ViaVoice Simply Speaking Software from IBM Corporation. VoiceType sells for less than $100 and had 94% accuracy rate in tests reported in Consumer Reports, July 1997, p. 6. Another competitor (Kurzweil VoiceCommands) only had a 72% accuracy in the same tests, although VoicePad did receive the Software Publishers Association's Award for the "Best New Software Program of the Year" in 1997. Older links for discrete (non-continuous) speaking recognition include IBM's VoiceType and AVRI's SpeechCommander. Microsoft has Speech Dictation software. Siemens Business Communication also has products on speech recognition. One product from Siemens is ComManager telephony and call accounting software. Microsoft Agent can be downloaded free from http://www.microsoft.com/workshop/imedia/agent/agentdl.asp (See also Text reading and Disabilities products)
For applications of speech recognition see TRACI Talk: The Mystery and Let's go Read! An Island Adventure. Islip Media Inc. in Pittsburgh offers a speech recognition search engine for video libraries. It is costly, howver, at $50,000 for a 50 user license. The Islip web site is at http://www.islip.com/
Probably the most exciting thing this week is the featured speech recognition software on the PBS television show called Computer Chronicles. This show was a summer re-run of the Computers Without Keyboards show summarized at http://www.cmptv.com/computerchronicles/shows/99-00/1721keyboards/1721-summary.html
There were various demonstrations, including almost flawless letter dictation using Dragon's Naturally Speaking. You simply say "new paragraph," "comma," or other accepted commands, including correction comments such as a command to change "two" to "too." The Dragon Naturally Speaking software and other leading speech recognition websites are given at http://www.trinity.edu/~rjensen/245glosf.htm#Speech1
But everything else on the show paled in comparison to the BeVocal demonstration of how you can call a free long distance number and interact by phone with a virtual woman at http://www.bevocal.com/index.html
It's the only way to get FREE driving directions, traffic reports, weather forecasts, business locations, flight information, stock quotes, and more by phone. Just call 1-800-4-BVOCAL, speak up, and get what you need.
What is impressive is the fact that you can interrupt the virtual woman and ask her to repeat herself or spell words like names of city streets. You can also ask for current delays due to construction or traffic at the moment.
You can "barge in" by saying commands anytime; you don't have to wait until the end to speak.
Some BeVocal commands can be said anytime. That is, they can be used in any BeVocal service. Voice commands you can say anytime are: BeVocal Home, BeVocal Tips, BeVocal Driving Directions, BeVocal Traffic, BeVocal Flight Information, BeVocal Weather, BeVocal Stock Quotes, Pause, Repeat, What Are My Choices?, and Goodbye.
Other commands are specific to individual BeVocal services.
What is important to educators and librarians is not this particular virtual woman and this particular application with a knowledge base on the above topics. What is important is that this demonstrates the future of education and training of the 21st Century. Suppose you really do not know how to account for a cross-currency swap using a EURIBOR index. Someday it will be possible to dial up (from a hand-held phone which will also be a wireless computer) and listen to a detailed interactive tutorial that walks you through your particular problem (where you feed in your own particular parameters). You will be able to "barge in" when you don't understand something, ask for definitions, ask for diagrams, ask for history, ask for examples, ask for current index levels, etc. One day in the future you will also be able to do the same thing when trying to understand passages from Hamlet or Bob Jensen's muddled up theory paper at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/315wp/315wp.htm
As educators, we have a responsibility to begin to organize the academy to design speech-recognition knowledge bases for BeVocal types of education and training.
The flip side of "speech recognition" is "text reading" conversion of written text into audio. The pioneer in this technology is Bell Labs at http://www.islip.com/. That Bell Labs web site has some wonderful demonstrations of this technology. (See Text reading.)
Information Week on May 10, 1999, Page 26 elaborates its notices that SpeechWorks International has speech recognition modules for ERP systems. For example, these modules can now be deployed in SAP. See http://www.speechworks.com/ .
Added on March 5, 2001
Send voice messages.
Impress and freak out your friends, family, or business associates by sending mass robotic phone messages (you choose the voice, male or female!) to up to fifty people via email, your PDA, or your WAP-enabled phone -- courtesy of ImBot, "your Internet messaging robot." Just sign up for the demo, and send up to three messages, free. --- http://www.imbot.com/
Added June 27, 1999 --- The June 27 broadcast of the Dynamic Duo had some helpful information to pass on to the world. I like the way the Duo is willing to tell it like it is from the standpoint of user friendliness and reliability. The web site for the Duo is at http://www.digitalduo.com/ .
The lead segment was on the state of speech recognition. Speech recognition has come a long way in a short time. It is especially wonderful for persons who cannot use keyboards for one reason or another. Dragon Systems Naturally Speaking Mobile is an award winning pocket-size recorder --- see http://www.dragonsys.com/products/naturallyspeaking/mobile/index.html .
A major advantage of speech recognition is that audio files are recorded on the fly. This would be great product for me since I usually videotape conference presentations and student presentations. My beleaguered secretary spends over half her time transcribing the audio into text. It would be wonderful if I could bypass her by recording directly into my Dragon Mobile. The Dynamic Duo, however, reports that this will probably not be possible until speech recognition gets much better. Although the time it takes to "train the system" on a particular voice such as my own voice has been reduced from two hours to 30 minutes, it is not likely that each speaker at a conference will want to speak into my recorder for 30 minutes prior to his or her presentation. Even when the Dragon Mobile is properly trained, the Dynamic Duo found an average of one error in 20 words --- and that is an average number. When there is ambient noise the error rate explodes. Recording from a distance such as 15 feet greatly increases error rates. I think I will wait for a while before going Dragon Mobile. You can find links to other speech recognition vendors at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/245glosf.htm#Speech1
L&H Voice Xpress Professional has some key advantages over leading voice recognition software according to Jeff Angus in "Balanced Skills Make Voice Xpress a Winner," in Information Week, August 23, 1999, pp. 56-59. The online version is at http://www.informationweek.com/749/voice.htm. One of the advantages is that voice training is only takes about a third as much time as the training required for Dragon Systems. Another advantage is integration with Office 2000 products, especially Internet Explorer 5.0. You can dictate Office 2000 instructions by voice. Jeff Angus states the following
With about eight hours of use, Voice Xpress worked well enough for me to prefer it to typing. With 12 hours of use (work and training) it's a hands-down winner.
Voice Xpress still requires more help from me than I'd like recognizing Windows and application commands. Even going to the Voice Xpress toolbar and clicking the button that tells the utility to expect a command doesn't guarantee it will recognize my command every time.
In terms of desktop applications, Voice Xpress works best with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, both text-intensive processes. I struggled a little bit to have it work with my spreadsheet, and while it occasionally pulled the correct set of format and numbers ($1,287, for example) out of a string of spoken input, this complex task requires more training. Users who work extensively with spreadsheets may find the payback time quick enough.
The web site for Voice Xpress is at http://wemark.com/oivl.html. The base price is $149. Beware that you should not even think about this product without 96 Mb of RAM with Windows 98 and 128 Mb of Ram with Windows NT. I think I will wait for this product to be a bit more user friendly. When there's a Voice Xpress for Dummies I will be the first in line.
December 1999 Update Update on speech technologies --- http://www.zdnet.com/pcweek/stories/news/0,4153,2409293,00.html
Dragon Systems Inc. has begun previewing its new AudioMining speech technology, which will enable users to search and retrieve audio and streaming media content on the Web.
The AudioMining technology converts audio data into text, which can then be accessed by keyword searches, company officials said. That saves time and helps users be more productive because they don't need to listen to entire recordings to find information, they added.
Dragon demonstrated the technology for the first time at the Giga Showcase for Innovative IT Solutions earlier this month (December 1999) in Palm Desert, Calif., and conference participants voted it Best Overall Winner, Most Innovative Product, Best Business Application Potential and Highest-Quality Demonstration.
From New Media on July 19, 2001
SpeechGenie --- http://www.voicegenie.com
Gateway Platform Allows VoiceXML Based Access To Web Info
SpeechGenie is a turnkey deployment platform that allows corporations or service providers to enable their customers to access their applications and Web data via phone; i.e., customers can dial phone numbers, and by speaking commands into their phones, can access Web information and perform transactions, or manage their e-mail or personal information.
SpeechGenie is composed of a combination of hardware and software technology from both VoiceGenie and SpeechWorks. The product provides for the corporation and its developers a VoiceXML-based platform allowing them to create voice-activated (both speech recognition and TTS - Text-To-Speech - responses) interfaces to their Web applications or information.
VoiceGenie provides the VoiceGenie VoiceXML Interpreter (a 100% VoiceXML compliant tool that allows for the processing of VoiceXML scripts), and the VoiceGenie Telephony Software, which manages the ASR/TTS call channels.
SpeechWorks, on the other hand, provides the SpeechWorks OpenSpeech DialogModules, which provide developers with a collection of common reusable components for the creation of speech recognition interfaces; the SpeechWorks SMARTRecognizer ASR Version 7 for speech recognition chores; and the SpeechWorks Speechify TTS engine.
A key feature of SpeechGenie noted by the vendor is "...extensive OA&M (operations, administration and maintenance)..." capabilities through support for SNMP, Web and console interfaces, etc., allowing admins to monitor the status of the system and identify and diagnose faults or performance problems.
SpeechGenie is available now, with introductory pricing (through September 15, 2001) of $20,000.
"Software Called Capable of Copying Any Human Voice," by Lisa Guernsey, The New York Times, July 31, 2001 --- http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/31/technology/31VOIC.html
AT&T (news/quote) Labs will start selling speech software that it says is so good at reproducing the sounds, inflections and intonations of a human voice that it can recreate voices and even bring the voices of long-dead celebrities back to life. The software, which turns printed text into synthesized speech, makes it possible for a company to use recordings of a person's voice to utter things that the person never actually said.
The software, called Natural Voices, is not flawless — its utterances still contain a few robotic tones and unnatural inflections — and competitors question whether the software is a substantial step up from existing products. But some of those who have tested the technology say it is the first text-to-speech software to raise the specter of voice cloning, replicating a person's voice so perfectly that the human ear cannot tell the difference.
"If ABC wanted to use Regis Philbin's voice for all of its automated customer-service calls, it could," said Lawrence R. Rabiner, vice president for AT&T Labs Research.
Potential customers for the software, which is priced in the thousands of dollars, include telephone call centers, companies that make software that reads digital files aloud, and makers of automated voice devices.
From Syllabus e-News on October 9, 2001:
U. Texas Med Center Institutes Speech Recognition
The University of Texas's Southwestern Medical Center is offering a speech recognition service enabling callers to say the name of the employee, physician, department, clinic, or study they are trying to reach and connect to an appropriate number. The service uses SpeechSite speech recognition technology from SpeechWorks International, Inc., and helps university operators, who field calls for about 75,000 patients annually, work with callers with more complex needs. The Center said more than 60 percent of all calls are now automated using the system, which resides on server in the data center and uses employee information from its human resources management system. In the near future, the system will be expanded to recognize Spanish-speaking callers.
For more information, visit: http://www.speechworks.com
See Also Text Reading that translates written text into voice audio.
Semantic Interpretation for Speech Recognition http://www.w3.org/TR/2001/WD-semantic-interpretation-20011116/
This document defines the process of Semantic Interpretation for Speech Recognition and the syntax and semantics of semantic interpretation tags that can be added to speech recognition grammars to compute information to return to an application on the basis of rules and tokens that were matched by the speech recognizer. In particular, it defines the syntax and semantics of the contents of Tags in the Speech Recognition Grammar Specification.
Semantic Interpretation may be useful in combination with other specifications, such as the Stochastic Language Models (N-Gram) Specification, but their use with N-grams has not yet been studied.
Although the results of semantic interpretation are describing the meaning of a natural language utterance, the current specification does not specifically generate such information in the Natural Language Semantics Markup Language for the Speech Interface Framework. It is believed that semantic interpretation can produce information that can be encoded in the NL Semantics Markup Language, but this is not ensured or enforced.
"The Last Word in Dictation. Period," by David Pogue, The New York Times, January 24. 2002 --- http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/24/technology/circuits/24STAT.html
Copytalk is a glorified dictation service. From any phone, you dial Copytalk's toll-free number. At the tone, you dictate, for example, an e-mail message. Between 3 and 20 minutes later, the message you dictated is sent on its merry way across the Internet (with or without your review, at your option), looking exactly as if it came from your desktop PC.
The system relies on the world's most sophisticated speech-recognition system: a person wearing headphones. Because you're simply leaving a message for a transcriptionist, the results are far more accurate, and the system far more flexible, than you would get using speech-recognition software like NaturallySpeaking.
You might say, for example: "O.K., this e-mail's going out to Bill G., that's B-I-L-L G, at Microsoft.com. The subject is Windows XP, and the body is, let's see: `Dear Bill, Thanks for Windows XP.' No wait, make that, `Thanks a bunch for Windows XP.' Then, going on: `It's incompatible with my virus software, my printer and my wife. Can you fix it? Sincerely, Frank.' Oh, and also CC it to Steve B. at Microsoft.com. And I'd like to review it before you send it."
In other words, you dictate precisely as you would to a personal assistant. Copytalk says that its transcriptionists even try to correct spelling, grammar and muddled ZIP codes, which they check against the city information in addresses that you dictate.
If you have a Palm-based organizer, Copytalk gets even more interesting. You can dictate anything you can store on your organizer: datebook appointments, to-do items, memos, expense-report items, addresses and phone numbers and so on. In the process you can exploit the full range of Palm software features. You might say, for example, "I want a new appointment, called `Gadget-obsession therapy,' repeating every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 2:30 p.m., through May 30. Give me an alarm 20 minutes in advance. Oh, and attach a note to this appointment that has the phone number: Technophiles Anonymous, (212) 555-4433."
A Palm-savvy transcriptionist at Copytalk takes all of this down. The next time you sync your organizer with your Windows PC, the Copytalk software connects to the Internet and downloads the freshly transcribed material. A minute later the new appointment appears on the appropriate days, as though you had scratched it in yourself.
If your cellphone is your organizer (because it's a hybrid from Samsung, Handspring or Kyocera), or if you have equipped your organizer with some kind of modem and Palm's Mobile Internet Kit, life is even better: the new entries are entered into its calendar, address book, to-do list and so on, computerlessly.
If you're calling from a number that the service doesn't recognize or from an office whose phone system uses extension numbers, you have to plug in your phone number and password to prove that you're you.
But when you dial the service from your cellphone or home, the service immediately recognizes you and prompts you to begin dictating. That's when Copytalk begins to take on a life of its own, turning your phone into something like a magic voice recorder. You press Copytalk's speed-dial number on your phone, the call is answered before even one ring, and you're ready to dictate — all within five seconds.
On your cab ride back from a conference, for example, you can rattle off the contact info from the business cards that rained on you — and then throw them away. Recording business-travel expenses is another big payoff: it's hard to forget to bill your boss for some expenditure if you record it by voice while you're still expending.
The Copytalk Website is at http://www.copytalk.com/index.htm
A new breed of customer service agents will be so attentive to your needs that you’ll never guess you’re talking to software.
"Are You Being Served?" by Joe Nickell, MIT's Technology Review, March 15, 2002 --- http://www.techreview.com/articles/nickell031502.asp
Somehow it seems the more businesses cater to customers through the use of new technologies, the harder it is to get good service. It's hard to find a company of any size today that answers its phone or e-mail without first sending customers through a maze of touch-tone menus or voice prompts—"voice hell" always a 1-800 number away. Then there are online customer support centers: soulless lists of frequently asked questions, hyperlinked conceptual puzzles and unintuitive search engines that never quite answer the question at hand. "What customers very often end up wanting is an F-U button," jokes Dr. Rosalind Picard, an associate professor at MIT whose research examines the role of emotions in human-computer interactions.
Undaunted, technology providers and their corporate clients are pushing toward a future in which an increasing percentage of customer inquiries can be handled automatically and, hopefully, with better results. They aim to build so-called "service bots"—software-hardware hybrid systems that understand spoken or written English (or any other dialect or language preferred by the customer), interpret vague or broad queries, possess a thorough understanding of both the company's products and the customer's past interactions, and speak or write answers in an intelligible, context- and emotion-sensitive fashion. The necessary skill set for the perfect service bot demands several interdependent layers of technology: voice recognition modules, natural language understanding engines, artificial intelligence for data extraction and text-to-speech synthesizers.
Customers should like these new bots because they would be faster, more accurate and more consistent than live service agents, providing personalized interactions managed across any medium, available any time of the day. Companies will line up for the new technology in order to fend off ever-rising customer service costs and catastrophic call-center employee turn-over rates.
That's the premise, anyway. It may all sound pie-in-the-sky, but numerous technology companies, as well as research centers at leading academic institutions, are hammering away at the challenges of building a better service bot. The first generation is already here. Ford Motor Company employs a chatty online bot named Ernie, built by San Francisco-based NativeMinds, who helps technicians at its network of dealerships diagnose car problems and order parts. IBM's Lotus software division employs a service bot from Support.com that can examine a user's software, diagnose problems and fix them by uploading patches to the user's computer—without any necessary intervention by human tech support personnel.
And in an odd twist, Electronic Arts has built an entire game, called Majestic, around service bot technology built by San Francisco-based developer eGain. Majestic carries players through a complex, multi-media episodic mystery. Players receive clues and information via pager, fax, e-mail, Web sites and even telephone calls. eGain's service bot keeps track of player information such as what clues they've collected and how they have reacted. The software can handle 100,000 simultaneous player interactions.
But given the lousy track record of automated customer service so far, consumers have reason to be skeptical of this new generation of talking machines. Confusing or insufficient menu choices, lack of personalization, outdated or insufficient responses and failure to carry over punched-in account information to conversations with live reps rank at the top of consumer complaints about automated customer service systems today. Almost 40 percent of Americans press zero whenever they encounter an automated answering system, rather than waiting to hear the menu options, according to a study conducted in 1998 by the Center for Client Retention.
So will service bots truly give us better service, or will they simply allow companies to reinforce the walls between themselves and customers? Can we really hope for a better-than-human service bot? And, is it realistic to expect companies to deploy tomorrow's automated systems any better than they deploy today's?
"I don't think it's possible to even imagine a generic customer service [bot] that can handle any kind of question in any industry," says Joe Bigus, leader of the Agent Building and Learning Environment (ABLE) project at IBM Research. Bigus' research group has recently produced a toolkit that allows developers to build small software agents—programs that gather information and perform duties automatically—in Java. The toolkit consists of software code that provides baked-in machine learning capabilities and a set of instructions for customizing the software agents with specific domain knowledge. This allows developers to design any number of discreet agents that possess specialized knowledge and problem-solving capabilities; the agents can even interact with one another when faced with a complex problem.
By facilitating the deployment of a number of small, specialized software agents—rather than one massively complex agent—this approach mimicks the way human resources are managed: customer service agents at Sony aren't all trained to understand every product from audio cassettes to digital video cameras. Instead, small groups of service agents are given specific products to understand thoroughly.
Continued at http://www.techreview.com/articles/nickell031502.asp
See Also Text Reading that translates written text into voice audio.
Sprite= An independent graphic object that moves freely across the screen.
SSA = Serial Storage Architecture, along with its FC-AL Fibre Channel alterative, that offer huge bandwidth networking schemes that operate within an Eithernet network. Shared discs in SSA or FC-AL systems can be operated over networks as fast as hard drives on a local computer. Furthermore, the connecting cables are "thin" relative to traditional SCSI connection cables. Whjile Ultra-Wide SCSI has a 40Mbps maximum bandwidth, SSA offers 80 MBps and FC-AL goes up to 100 MBps. SSA is fully duplex with two cables to devices. One advantage of SSA is that if a connected device fails, the entire loop does not fail since SSA does not require a hub. Over time, SSA systems and FC-AL will probably replace SCSI systems. See also SCSI.
SSL = (See Socket. Also see Internet Messaging.)
Stand-alone= (See CD-Stand Alone)
Star topology= A network configuration where each node is connected by a single cable link to a central location, called the hub.
Still video camera= (See Dry camera)
Streaming = (See Web Streaming)
Structured= This adjective describes how data are stored and used at companies. Travel agents, for example, type information into designated spaces on electronic forms on their computer screens that are connected to database programs. That structures, or categorizes, the information so it can be searched and sorted using such criteria as a customer's name or destination. The Web, in contrast, stores data in an unstructured way that limits the kinds of searches that can be performed.
Structured Query Language = (See Relational database management.)
Student response pads = Hand-held wireless audience response pads which allow individual answers or group frequency responses to be immediately displayed in front of the class. The pads themselves must be separately purchased. HyperGraphics is the only CMS vendor that sells response pads with built in CMS software utilities. Barry Rice at Loyola College in Maryland performs Multimedia ToolBook authoring with student response pads for accounting applications in a Windows environment. See also Remote control and Electronic classroom)
Studio classroom= An application of computer technology pioneered by Jack M. Wilson at Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute for replacing large lecture courses with students working in pairs in front of computer screens where they interactively tackle problems and issues rather than listen to or passively watch lectures in front of a mass lecture section. The only lecture comes at the beginning and end of class where the instructor commences or wraps up the learning session. The "studio" is a combination lab and electronic classroom. For a summary see DeLoughry (1995a). (See also Electronic classroom)
SUN= Sun Microsystem computers, most of which are network workstations using Unix operating systems. The Sun Microsystems SPARClassic M (under $5,000) and 10SX (over $15,000) are designed to compete with the SGI Indago line for multimedia computing. (See also SGI, Sparc, and Unix)
Surfing= (See Web surfing)
Surfing backwards= (See Web surfing backwards)
SVG = open-standard vector graphics format that lets you add high-quality graphics and animation to Web pages using plain text commands. It's the powerful combination of dynamic two-dimensional vector graphics and Extensible Markup Language (XML). Simply put, SVG creates small file sizes for faster Web page downloads, offers unlimited color and font choices, and that's just the beginning. Find out more about SVG at http://www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/Overview.htm8
S-VHS= (See VHS)
Switched network= Is the opposite of dedicated bandwidth on the information highway. It is analogous to having a bridge that opens certain lanes in one direction to accommodate traffic flows in the morning rush hours and then changes the directions to accommodate evening rush traffic. In the case of switched networks, the bandwidth dedicated to flows of data, voice, video, and audio can be changed as needed. For example, video may require a temporary widening that limits data and audio flows. (See also Bandwidth, Information highway, and Video server)
Synchronous= A method of communication using a time interval to distinguish between transmitted blocks of data.
Synchronous connection= An analog to analog or digital to digital connection that is able to perform two or more processes at the same time by means of a mutual timing signal or clock.
Syntax= The rules of construction and terminology of a computer programming language. These rules are analogous to rules of spelling and grammar in a language, except that syntax rules are usually less forgiving. We can read a thousand-page book that has one error in spelling or grammar. Such is not the case with a computer program because it will not usually run if there is a syntax error.
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T-Terms
Click on a term or phrase below:
Tags / Taligent / TCP/IP / TDMA / Teleconference / Telematics / Telephony Television / Telnet / TENet / Text conversion / Text reading / Text recognition / Texture / Three-beam projector / THX / tif / TIFF / Tiger Video Server / Time line / Timeline presentation / Titles / Token / ToolBook / Topology / Touchscreen / Track-at-once recording / Training / Transaction Control / Trap Door / Trojan Horse / Trumpet Winsock / Trustee rights / TULIP
Click here to view (in a new window) Bob Jensen's Listing of Other Technology and Networking Glossaries
Tags= These are formatting codes used in HTML documents. Tags indicate how parts of a document will appear when displayed by browsing software.
Taligent= A former software development venture initially commenced by Apple and IBM corporations. In 1994, Hewlett-Packard announced it would take 15% in Taligent and provide technical support. Taligent's primary mission is to develop cross-platform object-oriented operating systems and applications software, the first release of which will be in 1995 for IBM's Unix-based system called AIX. Versions for OS/2, PowerOpen, and Hewett-Packards HP-UX systems will follow. The future of Taligent along with a similar joint venture at Kaleida Labs is somewhat uncertain due to changing times and top management strategies in IBM and Apple according to Information Week, May 23, 1994. Key features of the Taligent applications operating system and the "People, Places, and Things" user interface are discussed in Panettieri (1994b). The key feature is the object-oriented design that will greatly reduce the time and effort needed by software developers who can make use of chunks of pre-written code.
In in 1996, Taligent seemed beaten up and dead in the water until IBM decided to put an enoromous investment into Java support. In 1997, Taligent became the industry leader in Java development. (See also Java, Kaleida and Pink)
TCP/IP= Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol is an internet transmission protocol that is extremely popular on the Internet. This is a standard for routing and data transfer around the world. It has become even more important in the rising tide of intranets. A good beginner's guide is provided in PC Magazine, November 19, 1996, pp. 223-224. (See also CORBA, Internet, and Intranet.)
TDMA = (Wireless Glossary of Terms)
Teleconference= A telephone communication in which more than two people are simultaneously connected so they can exchange verbal comments as if they were in the same room having a face-to-face conference. A teleconference need not have visual communications in addition to audio communications, but modern technology now makes it possible to see conference members on monitor screens or television screens. (See also IRC and Videoconferencing)
Telematics = the combination of computers in concert with telecommunications systems. This includes dial-up service to the Internet as well as all types of networks that rely on a telecommunications system to transport data.
Telephony = real time telephone conversation across a network, especially networks on the Internet. See Chat Lines and IRC.
Television= (See Video)
Telnet= The Internet standard protocol for remote login service that allows users on the Internet to access programs and applications on computers in remote locations. Telnet allows a user at one site to interact with a remote timesharing system at another site as if the user's terminal were connected directly to the remote computer. When using the Internet, type "Telnet" followed by a space and the address of the computer for remote login. Note that the Telnet protocol should not be confused with the Telnet public data network. (See also Protocol and Remote login)
TENet= Texas Education Network education Internet computer network connecting 15,000 school teachers and administrators in Texas. On the Internet, people from around the world can communicate with educators and access educational resources such as an online encyclopedia, the Educational Resources Information Center Documents Database (ERIC), lesson plans, study guides, current events, etc. (See also Internet)
Text conversion= (See OCR)
Text reading = The conversion of computer text into audio sounds. The flip side of "speech recognition" is "text reading" conversion of written text into audio. The pioneer in this technology is Bell Labs athttp://www.islip.com/. That Bell Labs web site has some wonderful demonstrations of this technology. Apple Computer has a text manager in its AV models. Options such as Text Assist from Creative Labs (800-998-1000) and related hardware/software from sound board vendors are available for PCs. (See also Speech recognition)
iSpeak Personal Text Reader and MP3 Recorder --- http://www.computertimes.com/oct01edchoiceispeak.htm
(So simple that it does not even have a manual and the current price should be under $50.
iSpeak Personal Text Reader, from Fonix, reads text with a natural, human sounding voice using inflection, intonation, and pauses, to facilitate listening comprehension. This is not only a useful product, it is also a lot of fun. It injects “personality” into your PC with voices that let you control speed, pitch, and volume.
iSpeak allows you to quickly and easily transform text into clear, natural sounding audio files. With just a few clicks, you can conveniently scan e-mail, review Websites and listen to lengthy documents - all while working on other tasks, like browsing the Web, cooking dinner or writing a letter. You can even save text files as portable MP3s and then listen to them on a plane, in the car or anywhere else you want to be.
iSpeak is also ideal for those who are learning English as a second language or for children who are just learning to read. Simply highlight the desired text and then hit play to hear how it’s read, or set iSpeak to pronounce specific words as they’re typed in. The uses for iSpeak are many.
ISpeak is a powerful and flexible personal text reader. iSpeak can speak with a high-quality, human-sounding voice and voice lists of text files, text you enter from the keyboard, and the contents of the clipboard. With iSpeak, you can record synthesized speech to MP3 (.mp3) or Wave (.wav) files. You can also listen to and record Microsoft Outlook 2000 email with the click of a button.
Computer requirements for iSpeak?
Pentium computer (minimum 100MHz processor)
35 MB available disk space for Compact installation or 288 MB for Typical installation
32 MB RAM
CD-ROM drive
A Sound Blaster 16 or compatible sound card
Microsoft Windows 95/98/2000, ME, or Microsoft NT 4.0
What type of files will iSpeak read?
iSpeak will only read text files. A text file is a text-only file, which does not include formatting or graphics. Text files end with the extension .txt. To create a text file from text in an existing document, simply copy the text and paste it into Notepad, then save the new file. iSpeak will not play Word files (.doc).
Will iSpeak create and play audio files?
iSpeak can play a text file and record the synthesized speech to an MP3 (.mp3) or Wave (.wav) file. You can choose to record synthesized speech as a single audio file or as several audio files. However, iSpeak will only play text files. To play the audio files you have created, you must have an application that plays audio files.
Will iSpeak read email?
Fonix iSpeak 2.0 supports Microsoft Outlook® 2000. This does not include Microsoft Outlook Express® or any other e-mail application. During the iSpeak installation, an iSpeak menu will be automatically added to your Outlook menu bar. You can select the e-mail messages that you want iSpeak to read, play the contents of the inbox or a selected folder, and specify which e-mail messages iSpeak should read.
Will iSpeak read content from the World Wide Web?
iSpeak will read text from any web page. Simply copy the text, then click the Play button on the iSpeak interface. Alternatively, you can create a text file by pasting the text into Notepad, then save the new file.
What are the iSpeak modes?
The functionality of iSpeak is organized into two modes: Playlist and Keyboard. In Playlist mode, iSpeak will read text files that you organize into playlists, or lists of files. In Keyboard mode, iSpeak will voice individual keys, individual words, entire sentences, or combinations of all three.
What are iSpeak skins?
You can select between multiple skins to change the appearance of the iSpeak interface. Each skin provides the same functionality, but displays the interface elements differently.
You can download different skins from the Internet.
What are some common uses of the iSpeak product?
Save files or e-mail to listen to while you commute.
Get a feel for how a presentation or speech will sound.
Edit documents for school or work (you'll hear spelling or grammar errors your eyes don't see).
Save the synthesis of articles and online courses and textbooks to audio files for convenience.
Save stories to be read aloud to children as they follow along.
Use it to help teach English as a Second Language courses.
Use it to read your love notes to your significant other.
.System Requirements
- Pentium computer (minimum 100 MHz processor)
- Microsoft Windows 95,98,2000,NT,ME
- Hard disk with a minimum of 35 MB of free drive space
- 35 MB RAM for Compact installation or 288 MB RAM for Typical installation
- CD-ROM drive
- A Sound Blaster 16 or compatible sound card
Barry Rice forwarded the following message in January 1998:
Dear Mr. Rice: Thank you for your interest in the Lucent Technologies TTS system. The Windows 95/NT version of our multilingual TTS will be available for beta test in September, although the beta program is full at this time. General availability is scheduled for November. The full Software Development Kit, containing SAPI-compliant engines for both ASR and TTS, will be in the $500 range. Specific information on this product will be given on the Bell Labs web site shortly prior to general availability, so check our site again at that time. John Holmgren Business Development Manager Lucent Technologies Phone: 908 949-8864 Email: jholmgren@lucent.com
From Syllabus News on September 11, 2001
Convert Print to Spoken Words
The recently released Scan and Read family of software scans any printed material and converts it to spoken words, delivered in a variety of voices through the computer's speaker. The software also displays the text on the screen and highlights each word as it's read, a helpful feature for readers of all ages, those with learning disabilities, and non-English speakers looking for a way to increase their vocabularies. The more advanced members of the software family include word processing capability; the ability to access Microsoft Word files and convert them to spoken words; automatic image rotation, which allows software to convert text regardless of how it's positioned on the scanner bed; and the ability to create MP3 files, which can then be downloaded to other devices.
For more information, visit http://www.premier-programming.com.
Dismuke's Virtual Talking Machine (Music, Speech, Recording, History) http://www.dismuke.org/
This is fascinating with all sorts of implications for research and future communication!
"Animated face helps deaf with phone chat," by Will Knight, NewScientist.com, August 4, 2004 --- http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996228
Software that creates an animated face to match someone talking on the other end of a phone line can help people with hearing difficulties converse, suggests a new study.
The animated face provides a realistic impersonation of a person speaking, enabling lip-readers to follow the conversation visually as well as audibly.
The prototype system, called Synface, helped 84 percent of participants to recognise words and chat normally over the telephone in recently completed trials by the UK's Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID).
The RNID trials involved hard-of-hearing volunteers trying to decipher preset sentences and also taking part in real conversations.
Synface takes around 200 milliseconds - one fifth of a second - to generate the animated annunciations. But the system incorporates a fractional delay, so that the face is perfectly synchronised with the voice on the end of the line.
Regional dialects
Synface runs on an ordinary laptop and can be connected to any type of phone, including a cell phone. It uses a neural network to match voice to mouth movements. This mimics the way neurons operate inside the brain and can be trained to recognise patterns.
The neural network used by Synface identifies particular sounds, or "phonemes", rather than entire words. This has been shown to be a particularly fast way of matching words to animation. By concentrating on sounds the system can also represent words that it has not encountered previously.
The technology is not meant to assist people who are profoundly deaf, but rather those who have some hearing difficulties. Around one in seven people in western countries fall into this category. So far, Synface has been trained to work in English, Swedish and Dutch. It could also be fine-tuned to recognise different regional dialects.
"The accuracy still needs to be improved," admits Neil Thomas, head of product development at the RNID. But he says it could eventually make life easier for many people who have trouble hearing.
"There are a lot of people who struggle with using the telephone," Thomas told New Scientist. "It really gives them an added level of confidence."
The system was developed by researchers at Royal Institute of Technology, in Stockholm, Sweden, University College London, UK as well as Dutch software company Viataal and Belgian voice analysis firm Babletech.
Bob Jensen's threads on multivariate faces are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/000aaa/newfaculty.htm#faces
See also speech recognition and www.bevocal.com
Text recognition= (See Text reading)
Texture= Texturing effects in graphics images and multimedia backgrounds. Comparisons of software options for "tantalizing textures" are compared in NewMedia, November 1994, p. 104.
Three-beam projector= A computer/video projector having three color beams (guns) to project computer and/or video images on the wall or large screens. These are generally the top of the line in terms of projection quality and lowest in line in terms of portability. Most of these have scan converters to convert computer RGB into NTSC images. Early models could only scan CGA images from PC computers. Modern versions can scan almost any type of computer display, although they may require skilled technicians to adjust the display whenever a computer is first connected to the projector. These projectors are very popular as ceiling mounts in electronic classrooms. (See also Projection, LCD, and Graphics adapter)
THX= (See Dolby-NR)
tif= (See TIFF)
TIFF= Tagged Image File Format graphics file format popularized by Aldus PageMaker for recognizeing graphics from different types of software. TIFF graphics files typically have a tif extension. (See also Graphics)
Tiger Video Server= (See Video server)
Time line= A graphical representation of a span of time and the chronological relationship of events.
Timeline presentation= A "linear" presentation where the sequence on images or tasks is predetermined and cannot be interactively altered or modified by the user. This is just the opposite of "nonlinear" hypertext and hypermedia presentations where users interactively determine or partly determine the sequencing. (See also Hypertext and Hypermedia)
Titles= The vast array of CD-ROM, CD-I, CD-3DO, videodisc, videotape, and other "titles" of electronic books, electronic games, etc. available on the market. Many such titles of interest to accounting educators are listed in Appendix 1. Jerram (1994b) reports on the "explosion" of CD-ROM titles in general (e.g., electronic books and games) in 1993 and 1994. Weiner (1995) describes the activities of publishing companies to expand multimedia titles and related software. Weiner features efforts by Addison-Wesley Interactive. For reviews of CD-ROM titles on the market, we recommend CD-ROM Today (see Appendix 4). (See also Authoring, Games, and Hypermedia)
Token= The data packet used to carry information on LANs using the ring topology.
ToolBook= a Windows and Windows 2000 based authoring system for computer based training and education. The main competitor is Macromedia Authorware. ToolBook has full functionality with web delivery options of Neuron. For links to Asymetrix and applications on the web, see http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/links/prelim.htm. (See Hypermedia, Hypertext, and Authoring)
Topology= The manner in which nodes are connected on a LAN.
Touchscreen = An overlay for a computer monitor screen that allows users to control navigation and other actions by touching the screen. Although widely used for children, touchscreens are also useful when customers enter reception areas and library users want to search holdings listings. A review of options is provided in the NewMedia 1995 Tool Guide (pp. 101-103).
Track-at-once recording= A mode that lets you record contents to a disk in multiple sessions, a track at a time. (See also Disk-at-once recording and CD-R)
Training= (See Authoring and Multimedia)
Transaction Control (See Concurrency Control)
Trap Door (See Security)
Trojan Horse (See Security)
Trumpet Winsock= A popular, cheerier TCP/IP protocol stack.
Trustee rights= Rights given to users to access directories on the file server.
TULIP= A program from Elsevier Science (212-633-3787) to license universities to receive technical journals in electronic form, including bibliographic information. To date, over 43 Elsevier and Pergamon journals are available at major universities such as The University of Michigan, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, University of Tennessee, University of California, University of Washington, Virginia Tech, MIT, and others. This is probably the first major attempt by a publisher of science journals to depart from hard copy publishing in favor of electronic media. Major advantages to users include compactness for storage, rapid access and retrieval, keyword searching, and ability to add user annotations and updates.
posted by צביקה שורצמן @ 4:12 AM
4 Comments:
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