Computers and Speech Recognition: Techniques and Applications

Computers and Speech Recognition: Techniques and Applications Abstract Speech is the most natural and common way of communication between people. It would seem only natural that computer development would eventually progress to the point where people would want to extend the human-computer interface to include speech. Once this happened, numerous techniques were explored. The goals of speech recognition became more and more ambitious, and researchers today continue to push the limits of what computers can do with the spoken word. This paper examines the problem of computer speech recognition by looking at the steps involved in getting from a spoken word to the word's recognition by the machine. The difficulties of continuous speech recognition will be enumerated and examined, as will the most popular recognition technique used today. The analysis ends with a brief description of some of the applications of speech recognition. Introduction Simply put, speech recognition is difficult. A computer does not have a useful thing called an ear that enables it to hear sounds, or a brain to process those sounds into recognizable words and phrases. There are three main stages involved in speech recognition: preprocessing, recognition, and communication. Preprocessing involves taking the speech input and converting it into something the computer can use. During the recognition stage, the computer must identify what has been said. Finally, in the communication stage, the computer acts upon the translated input (Markowitz). There are many inherent difficulties involved in speech recognition. For example, human speech can span more than 20,000 frequencies. A computer would quickly become overwhelmed by data if it was supplied with eve... ...e applications where they could be useful. For many people in the past few years, speech recognition has moved from just being a novelty to becoming an important tool used in their everyday lives. References Books 1. Markowitz, Judith A. Using Speech Recognition. Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1996. 2. Keller, Eric. Fundamentals of Speech Synthesis and Speech Recognition. John Wiley & Sons, 1994. 3. Hollingum, Jack and Cassford, Graham. Speech Technology at Work. IFS Publications, Ltd, 1988. WWW Sites 1. http://www.linfield.edu/~dbrewer/speech/spchi.html College student's informative summary paper on speech recognition 2. http://www.speech.usyd.edu.au/comp.speech/FAQ6.html One of many speech recognition questions answered. FOR MORE INFORMATION http://www.speech.usyd.edu.au/comp.speech/SpeechLinks.html A large list of Speech Recognition links on the web.

Analysis of The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Essay

After having read the novel â€Å"The House on Mango Street† by Sandra Cisneros I will now concentrate on the background of the novel that moved Sandra Cisneros to write it by investigating the novel with special regard to its different dimensions. 1. The Novel 1.1 Summary The novel â€Å"The House on Mango Street† is written by Sandra Cineros. It deals with family, neighbourhood and dreams of a young Mexican girl, Esperanza Cordero growing up in Chicago. The novel begins when the Corderos move into a new house on Mango Street in the Latino section of Chicago. The fact that it is the first house they have ever owned, make them proud. But when Esperanza sees it, she is disappointed by the red, dilapidated house. It is not the one their parents told them nor Esperanza dreamt of. Esperanza is not just dissatisfied with her home, but she is also ashamed of her appearance and of her name, which is always mispronunced, and sounds if the syllables were made of tin and if they were a punishment for the ears. Esperanza was named after her great-grandmother, who was forced to marry and sentenced to a life full of sadness. But Esperanza swears that she will not have the same destiny like her great-grandmother. Esperanza longs for a name that fits to her, that expresses her identity: â€Å"Zeze the X† (Cisneros, p.11). In time, she notices how joyful and harsh reality can be in life. Her first friendship is just a brief one because Cathy’s familiy soon moves away because of the neighbourhood, that becomes more inhabited by lower-class, people like Esperanza’s family. By contributing five dollars for a bike, Esperanza is included in the circle of friends of two younger sisters. By Lucy and Rachel, Esperanza is introduced in the wonders of growing up by talking about clouds, hips and parading around Mango Street in high-heeled shoes. By the older kids, Esperanza can observe the hardships young people are confronted with in rough neighbourhoods: Louie’s car theft, the death of a boy by an accident Marin gets to know, and Marin’s desperate attempt to find a husband she can escape from this place. All these things open Esperanza’s eyes and show her the limited chances which are offered and she had in such a neighbourhood. Alicia, on the other hand, is an exemple for the less who leave nothing to his fate, but take the initiative. Despite her father’s view, she goes... ...v. ed., 1970) Keller, Jà ¼rg P., The American Dream Gone Astray. (Berne: Peter Lang, European Academic Publishers, 1995) Savin, Ada, â€Å"Mexican-American Literature† in: New Immigrant Literatures in the United States. (London: Alpana Sharma Knippling, 1996) Simone, Roberta, The Immigrant Esperience in American Fiction. (Boston: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1995) Web sources: http://www2.cwrl.utexas.edu/sheila/314s96/students/mitch/mach.htm, 2000, 19.Mar.2001 http://twu.edu/www/twu/library/zumwalt.html, Mar. 2001, 24.Feb.2001 http://voices.cla.umn.edu/authors/SandraCisneros.html, Mar. 2001, 24.Feb.2001-03-22 http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/4/0,5716,121244+1+111233,00.html, 27.Feb.2001 http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/0/0,5716,115530+1+108719,00.html, 03.Mar.2001 http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=home, Jan.1998, 17.Mar.2001 http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=machismo, Jan.1998, 19.Mar.2001 http://www.hausaufgabe.de/cgi-bin/data/fetch.pl?id=1469&ids=1469+1188, Nov.2000, 03.Mar.2001 http://www.nclr.org/about/nclrfaq.html, 1999, 03.Mar.2001 http://www.students.depaul.edu/~mrodrig/history.html, 09.Mar.2001

Oliver Twist Essay

Oliver Twist is the second novel written by Charles Dickens. It is all about Oliver who was an orphan living the world of crimes in London. The novel was published in Bentley’s Miscellany in a monthly basis. George Cruikshank was the illustrator of the said novel. Criticisms and opinions were gathered y Dickens as introducing the world of crimes. He exposed to the world the life of criminals and prostitutes. With this criticisms and comments, he took the opportunity of presenting a good view of his composition. He did not take the critics in a negative way. Among the works of Dickens, Oliver twist is the presented in a dramatic form. Oliver twist appears in series of novel in 10 theaters in London. The novel was also made with 25 numbers of versions since it started in 1906. The Famous Roman Polanski was the also made his own version of Oliver Twist. In the Oliver Twist, Oliver was an infant born in a workshop. After the adaptation of Oliver, he the came to an infant farm where he came o develop himself and then get back to the working place. Orphans were put to the workhouse to get their selves a home to get into. In the workplace, the orphans were experiencing the inhumane and mistreatment. With these mistreatments, the orphans were put into starvation. Oliver was asked to stand before his comrades to talk with their masters about the issue. Troublemaker is also named or recognized after Oliver. He does some job for other person who wishes to take him (Dickens, 2003). Oliver outside the workplace life was uneasy at first. He was so tired and hungry. He didn’t expect that life was also misery. Jack Dawkins is one of the persons who help Oliver by giving him a place to stay. Even though, he was recently together with thieves, he was still finds people who help him. As he stays with Dawkins, he also works with him. He came to the world of pick pocketers. With his work with Dawkins, he was also accused for some crimes. With the crimes being accused for him, he came to experience the world of criminals and prostitutes. He had himself put into a world where there are many negative insights. The life of Oliver really became a misery when he came with the criminals and do some criminal works. His life was also nearly put to death when he once put into criminal work when he was shot. With this misery life of Oliver he came to know about his family roots. He came to know who his brother is. He talks with Maylies and Doctor Losberne about his misery life. He had a brother who is a monk and he was claimed to be an inherited to a monk. Oliver was also an inheritor of an estate which his father wrote in will before his father died. And because of this they wanted to have the inheritance of Oliver. In the end, Oliver made a life of good after he had also got the inheritance. Oliver Twist is of the great novel of Dickens. The novel presented a story of humor and wit. The novel is of poverty mode and of cruelty. Oliver Twist may e given recognition for his thoughts about the world and its great creativity of story. With this Novel of Dickens, he used some world views. He relates the Novel with religion world view. He uses some facts with the monks when tackling about the religion. He discussed that eve though the family of Oliver was of different religions, they were still putting the peace on their heart. With respect to the political view, the politics in the novel represents some deficiencies of the true form of politics in the whole wide world. It was presented and explained on the novel how the politics is some sort of injustice. The real politics and politics in this novel are neither really similar nor different. In the geographical view, the novel was situated in way that the geographical mode is of the same way with the time of the novel was presented. It was situated in a community where people experienced difficulties with respect to community of criminals ad prostitutes. The people in the novel were creating a way that the geographic position of the community is essential. Tackling with the social view, the author speaks for the truth about the social community. It is explained in the novel that people need other people to survive in the community. People are born for other people. No man is an island. In order to survive the cruelty of the world, one person should have great communication and social interactions with other people. And last but not the least, about the economic view. One of the great topics in this novel is about the economic view. It is presented here that in life of poverty and scruelty; people were doing unnecessary things just to make their life into fulfillment. People may do some crimes and other illegal works just to survive in the low economized community. The use of providing great world issues in the Novel is a way to provide creativity with the said religion, political, economical, social and geographical ways. The author, Charles Dickens have very wide thought about the current issues I his time that he came to develop a novel with story that relates to the whole wide world. I is necessary for him that he even does not have good experiences in writing had no acclaimed awards for his works he still make it expressive for him to provide meaningful Novel. The Novel in particular was really fascinating for the story it provides is viewers or readers, it catches most of the reader’s attention. It does not need o make some more great speculations for the story to make it interesting. It was interesting in many ways. With its thoughts and ideas, it is still interesting. List of Reference Dickens, C. Oliver Twist. New York. Penguin Books; 2003.

English Essay: “On the Lake”

The definition of a good parent: Is it being the sensible grownup that is the perfect example of how to act properly, or does this interpretation of a good parent also include a â€Å"wild† site which allows breaking the rules from time to time for the fun of it? â€Å"On the Lake†, by Loaf Alfonse 2008, he reviews the problem of being a responsible adult and a good role model, and yet being able to be an interesting and fun person to be with. It is a typical novel genre text, by the in medias-rest, the short period of time the story trenches on, the few characters and by the â€Å"open† ending of the story.The main theme in the short story is being a good parent. By this not meaning doing what is the safest and the right thing to do, but doing what is fun and exciting for your children. This is being expressed in the act of wild cruising on the lake. This is neither a safe nor a responsible thing to do, but it is fun for the son, although the cruise almost took a fatal turn, by capsizing. Afterwards it is about whether or not Oscar is to blame for this accident, which he tries to avoid at his very best by blaming Whelm (p. 4, II. 5-36) whenever he mentions the episode, serving scotch or by offering a game of cards. It the story, it seems as if Margaret is very overprotecting towards Oscar. She sits with him till he fall asleep, and constantly checks on him while he is sleeping, listening to his breath takes, and if she can not hear it, she puts her ear to his mouth and nose (p. 2, II. 2-6). This persistently surveillance is caused by the near drowning experience her son Just had. Oscar is still very young, 6 years old, and is still not aware of what s best for him, and is not capable of estimating the risks and dangers by his actions.He saw how Whelm was sailing, and wanted to do the same, unaware of the danger by doing so. Whelm plays a crucial in the outcome of this story. Not only he is responsible for the rescue of Jonas and Oscar, but he is also partly the reason of the hazard sailing by Oscar. While Whelm making tight turns and wild sailing on the lake, Jonas would watch enthralled and fascinated. This later on result in Jonas wants to do the same thing in his boat, but is disappointed of his father's boring cruising. â€Å"†¦ You never do anything fun like the man in the white boat† (p. , II. 10-11), Jonas stated towards his father. Oscar became rather irritated, and wanted to go home. He gave the boat full throttle, and tried his best to impress his son doing tight turns on the lake. The urge to impress Jonas, and the safety violations, culminated in the boat capsizing. Whelm was watching Oscar and Jonas cruise, as his barbeques was heating up (p. 4, l. 36), and saw them overturn, and him and his friend, Bicorn, sailed out to save them from drowning. Happen next, a typical novel genre feature called a â€Å"cliffhanger†.It ends with Oscar suspecting an evolving sexual relationship between M argaret and Vilely, while being out for scotch and the binoculars with Boson (p. 6, II. 12-15). He checks to see if they are visible through the binoculars, but he is unable to see them in the living room. He runs up to the house, and finds them in the living room, having a suspicion about they had Just sat down again. As he steps in, Whelm says that it is late, and decides to leave with Bicorn. Margaret had found out that Oscar let go of Jonas' hand and that he was saved before Jonas. This was very upsetting for Margaret to find out Oscar left his son.There is not a universal definition of a good father, but I believe there are certain clichà ©s for the father figure, such as he is a strong, care-taking, encouraging and inspiring role model whom you can rely on. These features it not entirely adjectives that fits the father in the novel, such as he let's Jonas down, and afterwards is trying to blame others for his mistake, although he is trying as hard as possible to become a good parent. This story can be related to the movie which also is about an Indian father who wants the best for his sons, but in the end has caused more harm than good.

Budget Plan Essay

When managing a project, there are several factors that project managers must consider that will ensure a successful project. The steps will help assemble, develop and manage a project team. In addition, planning allows for smother execution and addresses how managers can evaluate the progress and performance during the project. American Bank of Indiana (ABI) has recently acquired First America Financial Service Group (FAFS), this acquisition will require the project manager to structure a project that will widen the bank’s portfolio as well as implement the latest technologies. Assembling a project teams takes thought and consideration. Since the success of the project depends on the engagement of the members of the team, the assembly is a vital part of project management. Putting together a good project team is no easy task. The goal is to make sure, from beginning to end, that the project runs as smooth as possible. Getting the assembly wrong could cost time, money and result in a failed project. Due to the uniqueness of the acquisition between establishing a core team to complete the project would ensure speed. Core project team members are experienced professionals, which means team members would devote their time and undivided attention to the project (Gray & Larson). Assembling a team with core member can also decrease risk and ensure that projects are completed on time. Another thing to consider is the latest technologies that have been adopted by ABI. It’s vital that this investment remains intact throughout the acquisitions. The core team, based on professional experience, can develop a project that will utilize this technology and maintain ABI’s position as a leading player among regional bank. Once core team leaders are selected they will be given the opportunity to select individuals to help complete the makeup of their teams. Core member will be responsible for the development of their team based on the need of their specific portion of the project. Before the project begins, leaders will be responsible for identifying each team member’s professional goals and what ways they can be motivated to enhance performance. Once motivational tools have been identified, project manager will roll out the project with a kick off that will get the team excited about the beginning phase of the project. In addition, project leader will have weekly meeting with team member to maintain an open flow of communication throughout each phase of the project. This communication will ensure that team members are updated on any changes and will also allow them to interact with other team members. Another factor that will contribute to the development of the team is clear goals accompanied with a completion time line. Once the team has moved from getting to know each other their focus will begin to move towards getting the goal accomplished (Gray & Larson, 2008). This focus will create a higher-level of performance amongst team members especially when rewards and incentives have been implemented. In addition to rewards, team managers will make sure that each team member is adequately train to perform their job function. Job training gives the team members the confidence and skills needed required to perform their perspective duties. After the teams have been assembled and developed, managing the project now because the focus. In order to ensure the highest performance from project managers must maintain their involvement in the projects from beginning to end. Project managers play a key role in developing a high-performance team. They recruit members, conduct meetings, establish indemnity, create a common sense of purpose or a shared vision, manage reward systems that encourage team work, orchestrate decision making, resolve conflict that emerge within the team, and rejuvenate the team when energy wanes (Gray & Larson, 2008). Managing this process also gives the better knowledge of the challenges as well as the successes of the project. Project managers will also conduct plan meetings for the team. These meetings will establish rules and update on the progress during each phase of the project. Another important factor in the project management process is the execustion phase. Project execution phase refers managing the individual work components that is required to advance the process of the project development. The goal of managing a projects execution is to guide the project to the ultimate goal (www. project-management-knowledge. com). Since the execution phase is directly related to the success of the project, developing a contingency plan can prepare the project for any unforeseeable obstacles. According to Lewwongcharoen and Milosevic, a contingency plan has a positive impact on the outcome of a project. When a contingency plan is prepared, project managers can handle the anticipated changes that occur in the later stages of the project life cycle (Lewwongcharoen & Milosevic, 2010). The banking industry is predictably unpredictable, project managers must be able to adapt to any changes that many occur throughout the course of the project. Tracking the progress and performance evaluation is another important measure of project management. One of the major goals of progress reporting is to catch any negative variances from plan as early as possible to determine if corrective action is necessary (Gray & Larson, 2008). Control chart is a method frequently used to monitor a projects progress. When progress charts are used, managers are able to mark milestones. Mangers can also identify key points within a project and use these points to support an action to keep the project on the right path. Once manages has stabled how the progress of the project will be evaluated, they can then determine performance evaluation. Before performance can be evaluated, managers must have communicated performance standards. The best way to measure the performance of a project is to do so against the plan of the organization. One method that can be used is a work breakdown structure (WBS). A work breakdown structure is the cornerstone of every program because it defines in detail the work necessary to accomplish a project objective (GAO Reports, 2009). Not only will a WBS clearly define the goals of the project but it also is a great tool for measuring performance. Each phase of the project is as equally as important as the next. Another vital factor to consider is the project leadership and the importance of having a sponsor. Project leadership is important because it involves recognizing and articulating the need to significantly alter the direction and operation of the project, aligning people to the new direction, and motivating them to work together to overcome hurdles produced by the change and to realize new objectives (Gray & Larson, 2008). There are consistent changes that arise when completing a project. What’s special about leadership is that when these changes occur, leaders are able to align the team in the new direction of the project. Without this alignment, a change in direction could cause the team to split into spate direction was well. Some people deal well with change, those individual show signs of strong leadership and would be an asset to the project goals. Project sponsor also contribute greatly to the success of the project. Project sponsors champion the project and use their influence to gain approval of the project (Gray & Larson, 2008). Like leaders, sponsors are able to rally individual behind the final goal of the project. Sponsors are simultaneously involved with juggling multiple needs of stakeholders and user groups, departmental procedures, and government edicts while continually dealing with a legacy of mistrust and adversarial contracts (Kloppenborg, Manolis & Tesch, 2009). Managing a project and its risk is a big deal. There are many factors that project managers must consider once the organization has decided to take on a new project. Teams must be assembled, goals must be determined and risk must be evaluated. When done correctly the end result is not only a successful project but also a motivated team. References www. project-management-knowledge. com/definitions

Interview a veteran using these questions (be descriptive) Assignment

Interview a veteran using these questions (be descriptive) - Assignment Example ved during a period of time when our Country was heavily involved in the Vietnam conflict, where he says that though death was a common occurrence, it was one that you never get used to; Ron did three tours in Vietnam, despite this. During times of peace Ron acted as a weapons instructor, training men on the firing range. â€Å"The hardest part of the military, initially, was basic training,† stated Ron, â€Å"later on it became the loss of human lives.† Basic training serves as a trial by fire proving ground for Marines, pushing them to their limits both physically and mentally. Ron’s time in the military allowed him the opportunity to travel and he spent time in North Carolina, Kentucky, and Germany. The whole experience was one of learning and Ron says he most enjoyed that fact, along with the travel. After the military Ron became a successful Deputy Sheriff on the Special Reaction Team where he recently retired with a full pension. Ron says his military experience taught him to view issues from all sides, though he does believe that the Government keeps soldiers to long in combat situations. He now takes the time to actually focus on what others are trying to communicate and also helps those Veterans who may not have been as fortunate as he. He says he has finally gotten more acclimated to a society that is anti-war and he see’s people in a different light, understanding that our differences are the very thing which unites each of

Service Starbuck's Style Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Service Starbuck's Style - Case Study Example Miss Day has identified from the research which the company has done that customers are waiting too long to get their coffee. She proposes to ``invest additional $40 million annually in the company's 4,500 stores, which would allow each store to add the equivalent of 20 hours of labor a week.`` Customers who were surveyed noted that the length of time they had to wait was too long, and the research also found that the typical customer base was also changing. The team also learned that, although the company's most frequent customers averaged 18visits a month, the typical customer visited just five times a month (see Figure A below). This is a key element of marketing that the customer base is changing. The most frequent customers are less affluent and spend less money per visit. Therefore, to accommodate this change, Starbucks needs to do two things: provide faster service and increase the visits from the new customer base. According to the graph above, the new base comprises 80% of the traffic but visits fewer than eight times per month. Since this base is less affluent, they contribute only 40% of the total transactions for revenue. However, the waiting time for service may be contributing greatly to the fewer visits, since the less affluent base is likely to have less leisure time. As long as Starbucks continues to provide high-quality beverages and a welcoming atmosphere, their affluent customer base will continue to visit up to 18 times per month, and their contribution of 60% of the revenue in stores will continue. It is the new customer base that has to become more pleased with the service, and increasing the throughput will likely increase this base also as word gets around that waiting time is short. Lessening the waiting time for service will make the entire customer base happier, so will not cause any harm to the 60% transactions.