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Full-Text Audio Search

Posted by timothy on from the information-awareness dept.

Captain Chad writes "The latest print edition (12/16/2002) of InfoWorld has an interesting article about an audio search program by Fast-Talk Communications. (The article is not yet available on the InfoWorld web site, but the Fast-Talk site has some good info, including a downloadable trial version.) The product works by breaking the audio stream into phonemes, which are the 'basic units of sound in a language.' The search is then performed for a specific sequence of phonemes. This method is faster and far superior to traditional audio searches which convert to text and then perform a normal text search. The author of the Infoworld article, Jon Udell, tried a variety of searches that were surpisingly successful. If this technology is as good as he claims, there is a reasonable chance it will revolutionize the way we store data. Maybe there will even be an 'Audio' tab on Google." Here's the Infoworld article.

7 of 135 comments (clear)

  1. Woohoo. by Nordberg · · Score: 2, Funny

    Now I can finally search for the Free Radio Linux kernel reading by phonemes!

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    *Splort*
  2. Yes, but... by Erpo · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...can it decode rap and/or reggae? I swear I can't understand 3/4 of those lyrics. Songs could start with

    -----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----

    and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

  3. Patches... by Rhubarb+Crumble · · Score: 4, Funny

    Combine this with the Streamed Audio Kernel source, and it's only a matter of time before people leave patches on Linus' voicemail! The great thing is that to patch an audio kernel, you only need a tape recorder.... :P

    1. Re:Patches... by orangesquid · · Score: 3, Funny

      Now what would be cool is a C virtual machine running in a tape recorder, so you could just get one of those larger-capacity audio tapes, record the linux kernel broadcast for the next 600-something days, and then boot up linux on a tape recorder! Hah! NetBSD, beat that!

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      --TheOrangeSquid Is it any wonder things seem so awry? We swim in a sea of confusion and don't have to think to survive
  4. What we need now is by Mr.+Shiny+And+New · · Score: 3, Funny

    A search engine that lets you hum a song and it figures out which one it is.

  5. So... by dacarr · · Score: 5, Funny

    Does it recognize speech, or does it wreck a nice peach?

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    This sig no verb.
  6. Terrorist by Esion+Modnar · · Score: 2, Funny

    Really, when would a terrorist's conversation actually include the word "terrorist" ? Maybe he would say something like, "Hey Abdul, we need another terrorist in on this bombing." Or maybe: "Terrorist Jim, meet terrorist Mike."

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    They say the first thing to go is your penis. Well, it's either that or your brain. I forget which...