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Thai Students Score a Prize For Speech Software

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the illiterate?-write-for-free-help dept.

Julie188 writes "A team of four Thai students beat out 10,000 competitors to win the $25,000 prize in the Microsoft 2007 Imagine Cup. Their project is text-to-speech software in which computers read aloud typed and handwritten commands. The software will allow people who can't read to interact with a PC. Imagine Cup judge Rand Morimoto has been blogging on the whole experience — from his video of the opening ceremonies to how contestants swilled free Cokes to keep themselves awake during the 24-hour, no-sleep phase of the competition."

2 of 77 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Big breakthrough... by Hatta · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Funny, but I gotta ask if someone can't read, shouldn't we be teaching them to read instead of making it easier for them to get by without reading? I guess this would still be good for the blind though.

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    Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
  2. Re:Big breakthrough... by Phroggy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    While they're learning to read, wouldn't it be nice if they could hear text spoken to them at the same time that it appears on the screen?

    --
    $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
    $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;