Jewish World Review July 31, 2003 / 2 Menachem-Av, 5763

Check with IT, then cancel dial mode to use DSL; converting text to audio?; easy to get non-conventional alphabets to display in e-mail and Web sites

http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | (KRT) Q. I brought my nifty super laptop to the office the other day. I connected with the office DSL but my laptop is still trying to dial-up-connect to the Internet. Where do I go from here?

John Considine@rcn.com

A. The first place I'd go if I were you, Mr. C., is to the friendliest person you know on the company's IT staff and make sure there is no objection to your linking to the corporate network for Internet access on a non-secure machine. Most outfits don't mind, but those that do can get mighty touchy about it.

That said, your only problem is that your computer is set to automatically dial your home Internet service provider every time you fire up the Web browser or e-mail software. This is fixed by going to the Tools menu in the Microsoft Internet Explorer and then picking Internet Options and then the tab for Connections. Once there, it is as simple as selecting a "never dial" option. Back at home, of course, you just change the setting and fire up the phone modem.

Q. You answered a question about converting audio to text--terrible in practice. What about the other way, converting text to audio? Does such software exist and would you have any recommendations?

Kerry Kleiber, Lafayette, Ind.

A. It's far easier for a computer to turn written text into speech than is for a computer to wreck a nice beach (I mean recognize speech), Mr. K.

In that earlier column I attempted to explain how the enormous subtleties of human speech have prevented computer-makers and software writers from attaining reliable conversion of stuff like casual oral interviews, telephone calls and even radio and television broadcasts into computer-ready text. As it stands, each computer must be trained for an individual user's unique voice in order to get acceptable results.

While such a tool to convert human speech to computer text would be important, there is less need for stuff that goes the other way. So naturally there is a lot of upside-down software to scan text and create a computerized voice to say it aloud.

Still, much can be gained using software that can read aloud the numbers in every spreadsheet cell while you check the original source for accuracy. Microsoft Office 2002 includes such text-to-speech conversion in Excel 2002 and will also read aloud Word documents in a variety of voices led by "Microsoft Sam," a guy who makes Stephen Hawking's famous computer voice sound like Pavarotti.

The Windows XP operating system itself includes pretty disappointing text-to-speech using a feature called the Narrator in the Accessibility folder and designed primarily to help the visually impaired. (Click Start then Programs/Accessories/Accessibility). The problem is that the Narrator can't be set to read just certain parts of a document, so it can drive one to distraction reading the entire display.

Most Windows users need to acquire dedicated text-speaking software. Perhaps the least expensive and easiest to use is Text Aloud MP3 from NextUp Technologies LLC.

The program accepts input from text files and either recites the words on the spot or turns them into MP3 speech files that one can listen to on digital portable music players and even some cell phones. The outstanding thing about this program is that the simulated human voices were developed over years of research by AT&T, and they make the experience far less like arguing with a robot. Prices start at $25 at NextUp.com.

Apple's Macintosh computers have come with built-in text-to-speech almost since the beginning, back in 1984. This includes just about all models except some that lack audio hardware. Open Apple's Text Edit or Teach Text word-processing module, type in a sentence, then click on Edit and Speech. You will find that your Mac has a default human voice, and it will read your words with impressive clarity.

Q. A few days ago you gave advice on how to use the Character Map in Windows to make cent signs, etc. I followed your instructions clicking on Start, then Programs/Accessories/System Tools, just to see where it leads and found that there is a program for all kind of fonts including Hebrew.

When I get messages in Hebrew, the screen shows only the computer squiggles. Is there anything to be done to receive something legible? I have Windows XP.

Abraham Sharon@aol.com.

A. That Character Map is where you find exotic symbols like the copyright mark, umlauts, degree symbols and such, but it's not what you need to read those Hebrew language Web pages, Mr. S.

The good news is that it is easy to get non-conventional alphabets to display in e-mail and Web sites as long as you want only to read, not write, the Hebrew words or Arabic words or Cyrillic words, etc.

If you're at a Hebrew language Web site and the display includes those "squiggles" denoting that the computer doesn't recognize the characters, all you need to do is change the Encoding settings under the View menu in either Microsoft Internet Explorer or Outlook Express.

You will find under Encoding a listing of many languages. Pick Hebrew and your computer probably will prompt you to insert the Windows XP CD and then load the needed fonts to display Hebrew characters. These include typefaces called Miriam and David that I can only assume are fine ways to view and write Hebrew.

I'm afraid that it's Greek to me, as are the Greek alphabets also in the system.

The specialty fonts become available in all programs that use fonts, like Word, Word Pad and Excel.

I need to add, however, that effectively writing Hebrew text using the supplied fonts requires additional software from third parties that convert the keyboard layout to the new alphabet and accommodate right-to-left input. You can, however, use the ordinary English language keyboard to figure it all out if you've got the patience.

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James Coates is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune. Let us know what you think of rthis column by clicking here.