HearCalc is a nifty calculator that makes use of Apple's English Speech Recognition (⌐ Apple Computer). To use HearCalc, follow these steps:
1. Install Apple Text-To-Speech (aka PlainTalk), Apple Speech Recognition, and Applescript.
2. Drag all of the scripts from the "Drag To Speakable Items" folder to the "Speakable Items" folder in your Apple menu. These scripts are the phrases used to control the HearCalc calculator. You can rename these scripts, or make your own. (See below)
3. Start Speech Recognition from the Speech control panel.
4. Start HearCalc.
5. Begin speaking to your Mac.
AppleScripting
HearCalc is Apple-scriptable (That's how speech recognition works!). To view the possible commands, open the HearCalc dictionary in the Script Editor. HearCalc responds to the following commands:
PressButton "zero"
PressButton "one"
PressButton "two"
PressButton "three"
PressButton "four"
PressButton "five"
PressButton "six"
PressButton "seven"
PressButton "eight"
PressButton "nine"
PressButton "clear"
PressButton "backspace"
PressButton "plus"
PressButton "minus"
PressButton "times"
PressButton "dividedby"
PressButton "equals"
PressButton "point"
*** Note: the following are only available to registered users.
PressButton "sin"
PressButton "cos"
PressButton "tan"
PressButton "asin"
PressButton "acos"
PressButton "atan"
PressButton "square"
PressButton "squareroot"
PressButton "log"
PressButton "memrecall"
PressButton "memclear"
PressButton "memstore"
Skins
1. The appearance of HearCalc can be cutomized to suit your wishes. To use skins, you must have a folder named "Skins" (no qoutes) in the same folder as the HearCalc application. To use a skin, simply place the skin in the "Skins" folder and restart HearCalc.
2. To make your own skin, use the included application called "HearCalc Skinmaker". With this application, you can piece together your own skin from PICT files you have made in a 3rd party graphics application. Full balloon help is included and the operation should fairly self-explanatory. Balloon help also displays the dimensions in pixels of each of the graphical parts of a skin.
3. Unregistered users will be able to construct skins and view them in HearCalc, but after a few minutes, HearCalc returns to the default skin.
Troubleshooting
1. - Since HearCalc utilizes Applescripts in the Speakable Items Folder, it is advisable to delete any other versions of HearCalc from your system. If you don't, the scripts may attempt to use another (and older) version of HearCalc that doesn't support a particular Applescript command. An error will result. This will be fixed in future versions.
2. - Position your PlainTalk microphone about 6 to 8 inches from your mouth when speaking. Speak clearly at a normal speed. I have found that sitting in a quiet room is nearly essential to maximize recognition. Headset microphones avilable for the Macintosh increase recognition results significantly. (Dragon Systems used to include such a mike with their speech recognition software).
3. - Recognition increases when fewer scripts are located in the Speakable Items Folder. Thus, it is advisable to remove any unnecessary scripts from the Speakable Items Folder.
4. - Short filenames for the scripts located in the Speakable Items Folder decrease recognition. For example:
"tangent" is less likely to be recognized than "press the tangent button"
You can feel free to rename the scripts to anything you desire. Experimentation is key here. Speech recognition on a computer is still a monumental task. Recognition can vary wildly with volume, position of speaker, rate of speech, pitch of speech, accent, and annuciation. Be patient. I have regularly used HearCalc with good recognition, but I follow all of the rules listed above.
5. SKINS - If you are having troubles with skins loading, increase the RAM allocation for HearCalc. Also, be sure that you have a folder in the same folder as HearCalc that is entitled "Skins" (no quotes). The "default" skin MUST reside here for the application to work properly.
6. Skinmaker - To assign "depressed" buttons to your skin, hold down the "option"-key while pressing the appropriate button in the Skinmaker. The display strip between the number and scientific function buttons and the "face" graphic do not have depressed states.
