Google Voice fails at Voicemail Transcriptions

Thu, 30 Jul 09 16:32:35 -0700

Today I received an email saying that I could now sign up for Google Voice. So I signed up for it and got a number, and I decided to test out it’s Voicemail Transcriptions. I recorded something and it turned out sort of okay, except that it couldn't transcribe my French. Maybe it can't understand French, or I have a bad accent. I don't know. And then I had a friend record something. And Google Voice kind of failed. She recited a passage from a Wikipedia Article:

Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory, born Isabella Augusta Persse, was an Irish dramatist and folklorist. With William Butler Yeats and others, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, and wrote numerous short works for both companies. Lady Gregory produced a number of books of retellings of stories taken from Irish mythology. Born into a class that identified closely with British rule, her conversion to cultural nationalism, as evidenced by her writings, was emblematic of many of the changes to occur in Ireland during her lifetime.

Here is what Google Voice transcribed it as:

it is about our cost lady gregory on his about casa price listen ours thomases infocell artist with william butler you'd sent others she calls out of the irish literary theater and i'll be theater and road new my short works for both companies baby gregory you produce the number of look for the free telling the stories taken from the irish mythology went to a class that identify closely with british will her conversion to calls from nationalism as evidence by her writings list and grammatical many of of the changes super and i went there in her lifetime

For reference, you can listen to the voicemail and see what you think.

Google Chrome out of beta

Fri, 12 Dec 08 19:11:03 -0800

So, apparently, Google Chrome is now out of beta, which is extremely strange as Gmail has been in beta for what, the last five years? Google Chrome has been out for about three months. Really, what the heck is Google doing? Is 'beta' really that arbitrary of a term for them? Oh, they finally have a Bookmarks Manager now. Bloody freaking awesome. EDIT 21:30: Ok, so apparently, Chrome is out of beta because they want to strike deals with OEM manufacturers. Source

Flow of Logic

Google Voice fails at Voicemail Transcriptions

Google Chrome out of beta