At one time, the concept of speech recognition software existed almost exclusively in the world of science-fiction films. Remember the classic film 2001: A Space Odyssey? This was probably the film that first popularized the concept of talking to a computer. When people first viewed this film, they look at speech recognition programs as pure fantasy. Today, they are a reality and can be used with your home and office computer. There are two forms of speech recognition software. The first is text to speech and it involves highlighted text that is then “read” out loud over the computer’s speakers.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A restraining order has been issued against a man authorities say tried to break onto the set of ABC\'s \"Dancing With the Stars\" to meet Shawn Johnson. Court records show an order was issued against Robert O\'Ryan, who was arrested by Los Angeles police on Tuesday. According to documents that accompanied the restraining order application, O\'Ryan was stopped by security at CBS Studios, the lot where \"Dancing With the Stars\" is staged, after he jumped on a fence on Monday afternoon. Police later searched his car and found a shotgun and handgun — both loaded — as well as duct tape and love letters. A sworn statement by Johnson\'s mother, Teri, states that she was told by police that he believed he was meant to have a child with her daughter. Johnson, 17, is a gold medalist in gymnastics, and one of the celebrity contestants on ABC\'s \"Dancing With the Stars.\" She is \"in fear of her life,\" her parents\' attorney

PALO ALTO, Calif., March 25, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----Project Playlist, the leading social media network where music fans discover, create and share playlists, has entered into an agreement with EMI Music to add EMI's well-known and expansive collection of music recordings to Project Playlist's offerings. Project Playlist users now will have access to EMI's storied and respected catalog as well as music from many of today's current hit-makers. Project Playlist users will be able to access EMI's digital audio and video content from both current chart-topping artists and legendary musicians. Project Playlist is one of the fastest growing Web sites on the Internet with over 42 million registered users and remains committed to building tools for music fans to connect with their favorite artists. Project Playlist enables users to discover music and build custom playlists to share with anyone on the Web. "It is crucial for us to continue connecting our user

If you are accustomed to handling quite a lot of your personal business over the telephone then chances are that you are quite familiar with automated speech recognition. Although this system is wonderfully convenient at times, as well as being rather cost effective, it can be a bother. It would be even more wonderful if all you needed to do was to tell the system exactly what you want. Well, this might be a reality pretty soon, because spoken language understanding (SLU) is a project that is taking on the problem of real-time understanding in the area of advanced telecommunication. This project is called the LUNA project and has a cost of 2.61 million euros. LUNA is headed by Ms Silvia Mosso who is from Loquendo, and Italian speech technology group. They are attempting to make a tool kit for multilingual services that will be able to perform human to computer communication in a way that best suits the average client. Among the issues that the LUNA project is addressing is ensuring th

Etisalat received the customer care award because of their excellent customer service which even met the highest of international standards. Because Etisalat has such a strong corporate culture and are also very passionate about their customers receiving the best service possible it is no wonder that they were given this prestigious award. It was presented to them by the chairman of the Middle East Excellence Awards Institute, Mr. Ali Al Kamel. As part of their company policy, Etisalat ensures that whenever new employees join the company they immediately become part of the company’s quality mandate. This is achieved through understandable and very highly structured procedures that are followed. These procedures enable the managers to ensure that the systems in place are able to assist the staff so that they will give their best service possible. Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of Etisalat, Mr. Nasser bin Obood was the one who received

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Actress Natasha Richardson was reportedly recovering in a New York City hospital on Wednesday, the day after she was seriously injured during a ski lesson in Canada. Lenox Hill Hospital would not confirm Richardson\

Two Chinese dietary staples - mushrooms and green tea - may have the power to ward off breast cancer, mounting evidence suggests. A study of over 2,000 Chinese women in the International Journal of Cancer found large quantities of both in the diet slashed cancer risk by up to 90%. Research suggests chemicals in the foods block tumour growth and boost the body's natural defences against cancer. But experts say it is unclear whether the benefits will apply to all women. It is known that the rate of breast cancer in China is four- to five-times lower than rates typically seen in developed countries, although this is changing as women are adopting Western diets rich in meat and dairy - and piling on the pounds. Powerful extracts Researchers have been hunting for what the Chinese secret might be. Extracts of the mushroom Phellinus linteus have been used for centuries in Easter Ancient medicine where it is believed to refresh bodies and extend life. And scientists in Calif

By Charlene Laino WebMD Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD March 16, 2009 (Washington, D.C.) -- Some kids with peanut allergies are now packing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, thanks to an experimental treatment in which people with food allergies are fed miniscule amounts of the very food to which they're allergic. Five of nine children with peanut allergies who swallowed small doses of peanut protein under a doctor's supervision daily for over two and one-half years can now eat unlimited amounts of peanuts without any signs of allergic reaction. Not only do they not develop hives, wheeze, or exhibit other symptoms, but immune system changes suggest they've completely outgrown their allergies,

While some parents scramble to enroll their children in prestigious universities, many working adults without college degrees often wonder if they might benefit from additional education and career training. Data collected by government and private researchers shows that professionals with bachelor's degrees or higher earn significantly higher salaries than adults who stopped attending classes after high school. The shift away from manufacturing towards a service economy has made earning a college degree a valuable career goal. Government analysts recently released data that illustrates just how wide the salary gap has grown between college degree holders and working high school graduates over the past ten years. Associate's Degrees Offer 23 Percent Pay Raise Earning an associate's degree in a high-demand field like nursing is one of the quickest ways to accelerate your income. While working high school graduates often earned more than $30,000 last year,