Mac Daniel's Advice

Making Macs Listen and Obey

A brief introduction to Speech Recognition

Evan Kleiman - 2000.08.21

Q: I just installed the latest version of Speech Recognition on my computer. It works great, but it doesn't do what I want it to. How can I make it launch AOL whenever I say Internet? Also, is there any place where you can change the little person that pops up and listens to you?

A. The latest version of SR (Speech Recognition) actually listens to what you say. In fact, I could use it almost problem-free with my iMac!

But what happens when you want it to do more than just tell you the date?

Well, that's easy.

First, decide what you want it to do (some things are easier to do than others). If you want it to launch one of your favorite programs, just highlight it and say, "Make this speakable." It will. Now, whenever you say the name of the program, it will launch it.

If you want to have a program like AOL launch when you say something other than AOL, you can do that, too. All you need to do is open the "speakable items" folder (just say, "Show me what to say"), find the file you want to change, and rename it to whatever you want. So, if you rename the file "bob," whenever you say "Bob," AOL will launch.

You can even make it do more than just launch programs. You can also make it say whatever you want - create a virtual "yes man," if you will. This is easy too.

First, launch script editor (it's probably in your "Apple Extras" folder). Next, type the word "say" and then in quotation marks what you want your new "virtual suck-up" to tell you. Easy enough?

Now go to "Save as Application" and save the file as whatever you want to ask the computer. For instance, if you want to ask the computer "who is the best?" save the file as "Who is the best?" When you do this, make sure "Never show start up screen" is checked.

If you thought making SR do what you want was easy, changing the person is even easier.

First, open up the Speech control panel. Then select "Feedback" from the top drop down menu. Now, you can select many different characters, in fact, the little person will be in color if you have OS 8.6 or above.

But, what if the nine default characters aren't enough? Well, you can do something about that, too. ResExcellence has a nice section on how to change the person who listens to you.

After all of these tips, you can pretty much get your virtual person to do whatever you want. Well, almost. Apple still hasn't created a version of SR to make your bed. LEM

Evan Kleiman has been writing for Low End Mac since January 1999. He also runs his own site, Evansite. Evan uses an iMac, along with some vintage hardware. You can read more about his computing experience in The Many Macs of Evan Kleiman.

Join us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

Not sure if you should upgrade your old Mac or replace it? Check the Mac Daniel index to see if we've already addressed your problem.

Recent Mac Daniel columns

Links for the Day

Recent Content on Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
  Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

Share

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Quantcast

TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct from Strider Software.

Quantcast

Quantcast

Quantcast

Poker Mac Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.

Quantcast

Quantcast

Quantcast

Quantcast

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
Cult of Mac
Shrine of Apple
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac Museum
DealMac
Deal Brothers
Mac2Sell
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End Mac FAQ

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay

Low End Mac's Amazon.com store

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Open Link