I began a new relationship today. Like all new relationships it takes a lot of patience and consideration to develop. Not a relationship with a person, but a new toy.

It was actually a lot of fun finding out how it works, and what it can do. I am not yet sure that it will do what I would like it to, but with time it will improve, and so will I.

The great thing is, it did not cost me anything to buy it. I already had it, just didn't know that it was there.

That is so common, not knowing what we have, and even more so, not seeing it even though it is right in front of our eyes. I know why I had never noticed it before. I did not need it before, and nobody had pointed out that it was there.

But I had been listening in to a lesson on the WEST program, and Bob had been talking about audios transcription straight into documents. There are companies around that will do that for you, but you still have to edit it, that dreary process sometimes.

As I was listening something stirred deep inside my brain. "I have that on my computer. I think I saw it somewhere". Off I went, or rather my mouse, into the programs on the start menu. Nope. Nothing there. I sent the mouse searching other places, until it landed on the control panel.

"Eureka". The Speech Recognition software. Now to find out if all the components are there. After all, Microsoft is known for leaving little pieces out. But it was all there, including a video tutorial. During the tutorial I began talking to my computer.

"Is this for real" I mused to myself. After all the program is prompting me what to say. Even when it is telling me to do it by myself.

I got the grasp of it. Not that difficult, really. So off I go, talking to my computer. Lo and behold, it is doing what I am telling it to do.

But soon the troubles began. After all SuR (speech uh recognition) has not yet learned to recognize my voice, and even worse my accent and the way I pronounce words and letters.

But it is a crafty little thing, is SuR. I can tell it to correct its mistakes. Except I don't
remember the commands. But Microsoft is kind. It has supplied a help tool with all the possible commands. So I play with them, and we move forward.

Slowly I get the hang of it. Slowly SuR starts to recognize my voice. But something must be up with its ears. So I spell the word for it; only it will not write "r". Every time I say "r" my way, it writes "i" or "y". Now it is finally recognizing my "r", but in a way I normally would not pronounce it.

There must be something wrong with my accent. I say "our" and SuR writes "all", I say "there" and SuR writes "they're". I tell it to correct, and SuR says "What was that?". On we go, and I find myself shouting at SuR for not listening. Now I am not in the habit of shouting at my computer, but then again I am not in the habit of talking to my computer.

I am sure it is only a matter of time until we, SuR and I, get acqainted better. After all this was the first day of our relationship, and like all relationships time is needed.

I can see the usefulness of developing this relationship.

I can talk and do other things, while telling SuR what to write. Talk about multi-tasking !!! The possibilites are endless. I just hope I will have the patience to teach SuR to listen properly, so that talking to computer will be quicker than typing.