Archive for December, 2006
Verizon has absolutely no common cents
by dan on Dec.09, 2006, under Development
If you’re living in the US and thinking of switching to Verizon – think twice! In what is probably the most frustrating conversation I’ve ever heard, this poor guy is trying to clear up a billing error where he’s been charged 0.002 dollars per KB rather than the 0.002 cents per KB he was quoted. It’s got to be heard to be believed:
Speech Recognition + Home Automation = Awesome!
by dan on Dec.05, 2006, under Development
Okay, I’ve gone three posts without mentioning Star Trek, which is certainly a disgraceful omission for a technology blog. If you’re reading this far I’m guessing you’re already sitting comfortably in your replica Star Fleet Commander’s uniform, or busy gluing your forehead on…
So you’ve probably seen the various characters in the Star Trek universe interacting with the LCARS (Library Computer Access and Retrieval System) onboard computer, with it’s sleek “Okudagram” interface, and voice control. Of course, it’ll likely be a few years away before we see anything quite as nifty as the LCARS system, however, we do have the beginnings of some of the technology today.
Speech Recognition is definitely becoming mainstream, especially now that it’s being included by default in Windows Vista. Automation of various devices around the home is also becoming increasingly popular especially with prices coming down to sensible levels recently.
So what kind of system could we build with today’s hardware, and a bit of software development? Bear in mind that I’m not trying to replicate the LCARS system. My main aim is to build a system to control devices around the house through voice commands. If the system happens to have a black screen and make chirping star trek noises, that’s a bonus!
For the hardware side, I started off with:
- A CM19U USB PC controller (sends and receives X10 radio signal commands using a PC)
- A TM13U Transceiver module (transmits signals through your house’s power lines to your X10 devices)
- Various lamp and appliance modules for controlling your actual devices.
- A Labtec USB microphone (for speech input)
These devices are all readily available and you should be able to get hold of them fairly cheaply on e-bay.
Tune in next time for details of the software side of things!
