Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Tablet PC Rorschach Inkblot Test

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the book-is-fee dept.

LPH writes "ESC Technologies just put up a funny series of images that they ran through the Tablet PC recognition software." Perhaps these tablets need a "doodle" setting.

14 of 140 comments (clear)

  1. In related news... by JessLeah · · Score: 5, Funny

    They fed the software, produced by Redmond titan Microsoft Corporation, a digital image of the Earth. The software interpreted this as "OURS"...

    --
    Honey, I shrunk the Cygwin
  2. Q & A (Pre-Coffee) by ekrout · · Score: 5, Funny

    Q: Can the Tablet PC store the value of Pi to 1.24 trillion digits?
    A: No.

    Q: Does the scribble recognition software in the Tablet PC work?
    A: The short answer is 'no'. The long answer is 'just barely'.

    Q: So does the Tablet PC increase productivity and make busy professionals more reliable at their work?
    A: The short answer is 'no'. The long answer is "Does a 12 cylinder car get you from Philly to New York any faster than a 6 cylinder auto?". The answer to that query, of course, is 'no'; all drivers must obey the same speed limit.

    --

    If you celebrate Xmas, befriend me (538
    1. Re:Q & A (Pre-Coffee) by donutello · · Score: 5, Funny

      Q: Have you ever used the Tablet PC or do you know anything about it?
      A: The short answer is 'no'. The long answer is that I know that I'll get modded up on Slashdot as long as I somehow make fun of Microsoft.

      --
      Mmmm.. Donuts
  3. "a series of images" by SuperDuG · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Translated: PRIME FOR A SLASHDOTTING!!

    I know it's been said quite a few times, but this really isn't responsible. What if that host pays by the transfer of data? It's saturday, more than likely the admin is not working today and has no way to take the site down to alieviate the massive stress. If slashdot wants to continue this, they really need to find a cache system, this isn't responsible or fair, especially for a weekend.

    Mod -1 OffTopic -1 OverRated -1 Troll ... you may mod me however you see fit, but realize that these moderations will not surprise me ....

    --
    Ignore the "p2p is theft" trolls, they're just uninformed
    1. Re:"a series of images" by SuperDuG · · Score: 5, Funny
      So because it's in a FAQ, that means it must be followed and /. can't be held responsible? Think about what you are saying here. That because the editors of slashdot have placed the information about my post in a FAQ that they are unable to resolve the problem and will of course not be liable for anything they do socially, morally, or legally?

      okay ... here's a FAQ question to add.

      Q: Why do you insist on selling crack to children?

      A: Simple, children are more likely to get hooked at a younger age and will be less likely to turn us in to the cops.

      does this make it inherintly right because it's written in a FAQ?? well ... does it???

      --
      Ignore the "p2p is theft" trolls, they're just uninformed
  4. handwriting recognition... by zsmooth · · Score: 5, Informative

    The site's /.'ed so I haven't seen the pictures, but I tried out one of the tablet PC's at CompUSA yesterday and I was totally blown away by how good the handwriting recognition was. I scribbled down a few notes as I would on paper, and when I converted it to text it was perfect. I tried like 10 times and there was only 1 very understandable mistake (a humad transcribing what I had written probably would have thought the same thing.)

    As far as "it needs a doodle setting", the apps that I used saved things as digital ink by default, and only converted to text when you specifically told it to.

    1. Re:handwriting recognition... by DevilM · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I don't know why everyone is so excited by handwriting recognition. I've been typing since I was three and can do it much better and faster then writing. WTF would I want a slower method for getting data into a computer?

    2. Re:handwriting recognition... by LetterJ · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Because when I take notes, less than half of the information I need to record is textual. The rest is a mismash of diagrams, visual linking of information, etc. On a regular computer, I'm left with really tedious methods for doing this. Select a rectangle shape tool with the mouse, draw its shape, click below and type a label. The actual typing of the text is inconsequential to the time to get the stupid rectangle where I want it. When I want to just quickly sketch out a network diagram or a layout for a new site or to note down how a bug is acting visually, being able to add a few words with handwriting recognition is a lifesaver.

      Remember, not all information can be easily typed in in vi.

      --

      The Glass is Too Big: My Take on Things
    3. Re:handwriting recognition... by CoderDevo · · Score: 5, Funny

      (a humad transcribing what I had written probably would have thought the same thing.)
      The tablet's advances in handwriting recognition is not the result of better software, but actually due to including a wireless internet connection. Windows XP Tablet PC Edition is configured by default to send your handwriting in real-time to their MS Transcription Services .NET facility in Pune, India. There, a handwriting transcriber, from a current pool of 40,000, will read your penned image and type back the appropriate ascii which is sent back to your tablet PC screen. When ever possible, the service sends your text to the same desk where that person learns your style. If the initial transcriber cannot make sense of the text, then they immediately pass it on to the next. After 3 jumps through journeymen, it goes to a master transcriber who makes a final decision.

      This new facility is a key instrument for Microsoft solidifying its hold on the Indian market since it employs so many.

      So really, it is no surprise at all that your latest experience with handwriting recognition is so good. Enjoy it while it lasts. Unfortunately, this is just another example of a Microsoft product that doesn't scale.

  5. Fastest. Slashdotting. Ever. by bishr · · Score: 4, Interesting

    maybe they're running their websever on one of those tablets...

    Incidentally, they had a demo at my school (University of Michigan) last month, and I must say that the detail captured by the touchscreen is pretty amazing. Gabe from Penny-Arcade has been using it instead of a sketchbook, and the picture speaks for itself. Now, whether it's worth $2300 is a different story.

    IMHO, this is yet another technology that could be very cool and convienant, and all it needs a killer app and a critical mass in the marketplace, but it doesn't look likely

  6. Mirrored Images by redink1 · · Score: 5, Informative
    Mirrored Images. I think this is all but the last one, which was a bear if I remember correctly.

    Linking to a PHP forum right on the Slashdot main page isn't generally a good idea... :)

  7. Check out what it did to a pic of slashdot! by GNU+Zealot · · Score: 5, Funny

    After a bit of trying, here's something rather amusing I've come up with using it...

    http://guh.nu/temp/slashdot.html

    Now does the abbreviation stand for F.irst P.ost or F.irst P.icture? Can anyone else come up with some neat translations? (I guess it would be easier if more people had access to the software...)

  8. A New Form of Steganography? by NeuroManson · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Almost seems like a computer's version of hieroglyphics, but could conceivably also be used for hidden messages. Even a sheet of what could be considered as otherwise harmless doodles could be converted with this software into coherant communiques.

    It's official, Microsoft supports terrorism! (muah-ha-ha)

    --
    Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
  9. Re:This article (-1 Troll) by CerebusUS · · Score: 4, Informative

    Agreed. After finally getting to see the images from the slashdotted article, I can tell that what they did was:

    a) doodle.

    b) select the doodle

    c) tell the handwriting engine to try to recognize their doodle as text.

    d) laugh when it can't

    Did you really expect to be able to draw a picture of a book and have it come back as the text "book?" What's next? Computer pictionary?