Speech Speech!!

I carry a love-hate relationship with my talk to text software. A couple years ago Dianne gave me a copy of Dragon naturally speaking. I was totally surprised and impressed. Dragon is something I would never have got for myself. I have always wondered about Dragon and how will it works but I would never risk actually purchasing something, I feel, is this expensive. I've been using Dragon now for about four or five years and only now that I use it every day do I feel I'm getting the hang of the software.

As much as I have enjoyed using Dragon I must admit I also have some real problems with the software. I'm reticent to blame the software entirely because a lot of the problems I could be through my hardware technology. I never can trust the headphones I'm using. I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time correcting issues of the software.A great example is the capitalization of a word after I'd toss trying to think of the next items I'm going to write. Then it's a matter of getting rid of the capitalization and going on to the next this process is very destructive drives me crazy. I also frustrated with the software's substituting one word for another that I use. I don't watch the manuscript constantly amazed at how many inconsistencies show up in the document. I know that's right it's about the editing process but I would think a good speech to text software with the reputation of Dragon I would not have these issues or at least the amount of issues I tend to experience.

I think my grown dependency on Dragon is a clear example of my laziness. Using Dragon even with all its problems is easier than typing by hand especially my hands. But sometimes I get so frustrated that I wonder maybe I should just shuck the software entirely. In the long run it might just be quicker well maybe not quicker but certainly less frustrating. I used to be able type fairly quick for a partial quad. I was not as accurate as I could be but I did enjoy the process. There are times when I am using Dragon that I feel I'm really in a zone and I'm getting lots of thoughts out or down. Even in the worst case scenario I could never type as quick as I dictate and sometimes that is so important in getting my thoughts down. I don't think I could really give up speech to text technology, I am addicted shamefully but totally addicted

Now in all honesty I must admit I do not regularly go through the updates that come from Dragon nor do I do the exercises that Dragon suggests that help the software learn my idiosyncrasies of speech. Maybe this may result BECAUSE I don't have time or patients to teach my software to be better. That is totally weird. Every couple of weeks I get a message from the software That it wants to read my emails so that it can better itself and its job to take medication. I don't know why I don't let Dragon do this it's just too weird.

Something else that kind of strange is that the text-to-speech software on my tablet and cell phone in some ways are better than Dragon. My tablet and cell phone software is not as powerful as Dragon particularly with the commands that can be done but it's certainly easier to dictate long pieces of speech without the frustration of trying to have to fix the problems of the software. I continue to use the software of the tablet or cell phone as second choice to Dragon. It's like driving a Cadillac over Subaru just because a Cadillac is a Cadillac and the Subaru though even better is just not in the same league.