Of blogs, blogging and voice control!

(Amazon Echo Product Line Image Courtsey of Amazon.com).

I was reviewing some blog stats yesterday. Between Yelp Reviews, CloudTweaks, Virily, Niume, and WordPress (as well as the IASA Global site and SafeGov.Org) I have posted more than 6000 blogs in the past ten years. If you add-in MSDN and a few other technical geeky sites, I am over 6500 posts. One of the things that I am most proud of as a blogger is the fact that I have loyal readers. To me, that is the very best part. There are 12 people who read my blog every single day. They send me comments and thoughts. That means the world to me. I have 100’s of viewers every day, but those special few who read my posts every day are my heroes. Because I know I post some blogs weekly that aren’t that good!

One of the things I am doing today is using Office Dictate to write this and my other blog. I posted two days worth of Dragon Naturally speaking blogs last week. Office Dictate is a new free Office tool from Microsoft. Overall its pretty good, it is not as effective or as easy to use as Dragon, but in part that is because I’ve used Dragon for more than ten years. So there is a reality of familiarity there that has to discount the learning curve for Dictate a little.

Voice entry systems have some things you have to consider. First off, take Alexa, Cortana or Google Home, given that you are only using your voice to interact with them you have the reality of Ambient noise. Including by the way for Google Home and Amazon Echo should include the noise that the device itself makes. Their environment also limits Siri and Cortana when you use them. A good noise canceling headset makes voice command easier and more effective. It does, however, point to a future where we are all wearing headsets. (Actually, a noise canceling ear plug works I am just kidding).

The other side is, of course; you won’t use voice command on a crowded train. First off because the noise would be overwhelming and second because shouting Alexa around 100 devices that may have Alexa loaded would cause even great pandemonium!

It is one of my favorite things to do now when I walk into a friends house. I ask Alexa to do something crazy like playing the music of the old show Hee Haw. That behavior is probably why I am not invited to people’s houses more than once.