voice recognition software

**"* C* <y*@ispnet.ca>**

I do all my writing with voice activated software now. The package I use is
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10. The fellow garden writer suggested that my RSI
(computer-related repetitive stress injury) must still be pretty bad for me
to continue to use it instead of typing. 

This was my response to her: I use it because I have come to like it better
than typing. My husband uses the dictation software as well, and he also
would never go back to typing, and he doesn't even have any problems with
RSI.

I don't have carpal tunnel syndrome, but I still have sore shoulders and
neck, and my weak back and shoulder muscles don't like holding my hands up
for typing. So yes indeed, RSI is still plaguing me -- and I must ration my
computer time -- but I am on the mend, and I have joined a fitness center,
where I can work on building those muscles back up again. I like using the
rowing machine, and they have a circuit training set up with weight
machines, so hopefully I will get back into shape.

But I will definitely not go back to typing, as dictating is so much easier.
Imagine you're writing something and you want to quote from a piece of work,
well, typing it is laborious but if you just read it, saying it into the
microphone, the computer types it -- and it does so much faster than I can
type, and I was pretty fast. 

When I started with the software, I didn't think I could ever dictate my
writing, but in practice it hasn't been that hard to get used to. One just
has to check once worked (see there is an example: I said that "one's work"
but didn't enunciate carefully enough) carefully because the software can
make very silly errors. That's why have a short disclaimer at the bottom of
my e-mail messages. 

Would I recommend Dragon NaturallySpeaking, even if you don't have any
problems with repetitive strain injuries? Yes I would, but you have to want
to use it. Any sort of change in work habits is difficult to implement. The
most difficult thing for me to make myself take breaks, and to learn
keyboard shortcuts for mouse clicks because it was actually the mouse
clicking that did me in.

Cheers/Yvonne Cunnington
Web: http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/
Blog:  http://countrygardenerblog.com/
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CountryGardener

This e-mail was dictated using Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition
software. I have proofread it, but I may have missed something. So if
anything makes absolutely no sense, it's because my Dragon still needs more
training... 

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