新版的 Windows Vista 內建了微軟引以為傲的語音辨識系統，不像 CNBC 的 On The Money 節目對微軟所做的 Live Demo 挖苦嘲諷。scrubadub1 利用微軟的語音辨識工具做了數個實驗，其中一個是利用語音辨識寫 Perl 程式，來看看有多便捷吧。 (這應當是娛樂工具，娛人效果頗佳)
Tag: Technology
Google Launches Patent Search
終於，Google 釋出了 Patent Search，現在可以透過 Google 搜尋美國的專利資料，不需要再忍受 United States Patent and Trademark Office 的爛搜尋介面，Google 的專利資料進階搜尋顯然方便多了。
Human-based computation
身為一個愛作白日夢的軟體開發者，我深知人腦對於某些問題的理解與決策反應相對快，像是自然語言、圖像等，但對電腦而言，這些常識則必須轉化為複雜的計算式，才能足以解決問題。而為了建造出這些用以計算的參考模型，唯一的辦法是用人工的方式大量的蒐集與定義，才能夠產出足以讓電腦應用的資料。
The Paradox of Choice – Why More Is Less
我在上一篇文章(Microsoft Research: AURA)所提到的 Barry Schwartz 的著作 《只想買條牛仔褲：選擇的弔詭》，這其實是相當值得一讀的書，無論你是想試著治療自己的偏執，或拯救因懊悔而失去的快樂。抑或是想利用常見心理盲點多賣些產品。 😉
Free your La Fonera
For some reasons, La Fonera only allow users to upload a firmware released by FON.com. The /bin/fonverify upgrade script written by Pablo Martin is using a public-key cryptography for protect the firmware images. Each firmware image has a RIPEMD-160 message digest for verification. Only the verified images will be wrote into the flash.
However, since La Fonera is OpenWRT-based, you can do anything on the device once you get login into the system. There are several ways to do so.
Hacking Lobos LB-SP110
Hacking the Lobos LB-SP110 at HumanitySpace with Ping and Thinker, 2006-11-21. Thanks psilotum for the picture.
The original design of Porta2030 is using a LCD and 4 buttons for communication. The LCD can only display 32 characters for messages, and 4 buttons for differnet porta porter status.
The porta-porter communicates with each other by using an LCD 4 click button device. Four buttons signal four humors: four fluids (blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm) , four basic elements of nature (air, earth, fire and water) and four temperaments.(sanguine, melancholic, choleric and phlegmatic). The click button signals are translated into 4 color animation on the performance interface. Urgency signals triggered by real life events inform porta-porters on her LCD terminal with alarm beeps and call for porta-porter’ responsive action.
Source: Porta2030 London