Hands-free typing with MacSpeech Dictate

Hello readers. Believe it or not, I am writing this post without typing! Yes, I am testing some new voice recognition software (MacSpeech Dictate, $199 at Tekserve) that I bought today as part of my campaign to reduce the pain in my hands (carpal tunnel syndrome). So far, so good. It’s quite a feeling to be writing a blog post without typing, feet up on the desk, cold beer on hand, character after character appearing on the screen in front of you. And thus far, no mistakes! It will be interesting to see how this affects how I think, work and communicate… Hopefully in ways that improve the experience for all! I promise I will try to be as succinct as possible, although that will take some restraint with this new set-up. Amazing… I even ran a light edit on this post, moving the cursor here and there, without lifting a finger. (Note: it takes a few hours of practice with MacSpeech Dictate to feel reasonably proficient; the immersion takes some patience). Sometimes I question America’s love affair with technology, but this is clearly an example of how technology can improve lives (although it means even more content on the way). Okay, enough. Full stop. Now it’s time to fire off a few type-less e-mails. Over and out.