Software Review: MacSpeech Dictate

I’m not actually typing right now, I am using MacSpeech Dictate. I purchased this program to use at work. I thought it would be a way that I can quickly and efficiently write my daily progress notes for my patients. In testing this program out at home however I discover that is actually a good way to write blog entries.

So far very happy with this program. It was very easy to install, and it came with a USB headset and microphone. There was a short training session that took less than five minutes. The installation process and the use of the software is very intuitive and easy to use. I am also very pleased with the accuracy of the dictation. I did not expect perfection, and there are some mistakes. But I am very pleased to say that these are much less than I had expected.

Just for the sake of example I am going to post this as it was dictated with only very minimal cosmetic editing. You can be the judge of how well it works. I’ve not tested other products, but I think that for Apple users this is a very good product.

Driving home in the snow…for 2 hours

As I write this, the songs “I’m Dreaming of a white Christmas”, and “Let it Snow” are ironically and sarcastically running through my head. It took me two hours to get home from work today because of the snow. (my normal commute is around 40 minutes)

This gave me the opportunity to listen to a few podcasts. You should check out the Moth Podcast, as well as Stuff You Missed in History Class. Both of these podcasts are engaging, funny and intelligent. After I grew tired of podcasts, I hit shuffle om my workout play list. Is is an eclectic mix ranging from Slayer to Tori Amos. I found myself singing out loud along with the songs. It’s especially fun to sing the song Low by Coldplay on their X&Y album. The windows in my car were sufficiently foggy and icy to block out stares from my fellow motorists.

By the way, I can’t sing all that well.

Mobile Me

Here’s a follow up to my post about my new MacBook in which I complained about my frustrations with Mobile Me.

Mobile Me is the Apple product that offers synchronization of multiple different devices via the internet. Also included is 20gb of online storage space. After some tinkering, I’ve finally gotten it to sync! I now have my laptop, desktop and two iPhones all playing well together.

It has really come in handy. Whenever an entry is made on any calendar, it automatically shows up on all of the calendars. Now my wife and I are tuned in to what each other are doing. The same goes for our contact book.

Mobile Me also provides storage space on the internet, which has come in handy for sharing pictures and files for work. This has also allowed me to experiment some with iWeb. You’ll notice that I have a spot on the left to click for the Loose Associations Podcast. It doesn’t work yet, and I may not follow through with it. But you never know!

So, now I can say that Mobile Me was a good purchase, even if it was somewhat impulsive. The problems with the set up process were annoying.  The ease of set up and day to day use are the main reasons that I prefer Apple over PC/Windows. I don’t like having to tinker with settings and download patch files etc. Setting up Mobile Me had a PC/Windows feel.

Hopefully this is not the way that Apple is headed.

So there is a down side to e-books

I have loved my Amazon Kindle since receiving it on my birthday last summer.

It is so nice to have the things that I’m reading very easily accessible and in one place. I also like to think that I am being environmentally friendly by not cluttering up my house with books. The best feature however is the Wispernet. This is like a cell phone network that allows you to browse and purchase books from Amazon without hooking into a computer or finding wi-fi. It is very easy to use.

But…

Last night i settled into to my comfy chair and started to read the book Death From the Skies (see my previous post “We Are Made of Star Stuff“) All of the sudden, I got an error screen. I found that I was also unable to open any of my other books. Grrrr!!

I called the Amazon Kindle support line, and they were extremely helpful. Because of the wispernet, he was able to troubleshoot from his end. After all was said and done, we discovered that the Death From the Skies book had corrupted data that in turn corrupted all of my other books. The solution was to reset the Kindle and re-download all of my books. This process was very easy also, but I was not able to re-download the book that I was reading. Grrrr!!

Now one thing that I can say about the paper and glue variety of book is that I have never had one crash and erase all of my other books. It also makes me realize that our world is becoming more virtual. Consider that if for some reason, natural or otherwise, our power grid goes down, then I will not have access to my kindle library.

Note to self: if you want to own a copy of a book on how to survive the apocalypse, don’t buy it with your kindle. Get a hard copy!

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New MacBook

So I got a new laptop today, an Apple MacBook. Our other older iBook was broken this summer when my daughter yanked out the power cord. After Hemming and Hawing about getting it fixed vs buying new, we went with the latter.

The computer is great, but I felt like I might have made a mistake in purchasing MobileMe. After my initial fussing, I can only get it to work in my iPhone. I was lured by the 30% off when you buy a new computer and made an impulse buy.