Tip of the Week: Take Advantage of Notepad’s Text-to-Audio Feature

Some people talk to their computers, but not like they would speak to another human being. We coax it into doing it what we want, or we curse it out when it doesn’t. A day may come when artificial intelligence has progressed so far that we won’t be able to distinguish a computerized conversation from a normal one; but it is not this day. Until that glorious day comes, we’ll have to settle for these two methods to interact verbally with your PC.

My Notepad Sure Has a Big Mouth
We bet you didn’t know that the Windows Operating System has a tool installed on its Notepad that allows it to convert text to audio. However, this feature isn’t available without a little tinkering on your part. It requires a bit of programming, but infusing life into your Notepad is as easy as copying some text and slapping it on the page.

It’s Alive!
First, you want to open Notepad. Copy and paste this text into Notepad:

Dim msg, sapi
msg=InputBox("Enter your text for Conversation | Tool by Irshad (http://pctricksonline.blogspot.com)","PC Hacks Text-To-Audio Converter")
Set sapi=CreateObject("sapi.spvoice")
sapi.Speak msg

Go to File > Save As, and make sure that the file type reads text_audio.vbs. Afterward, close the note and open the text_audio.vbs file. A magic little box will appear on your screen. Type your text into the box and pat yourself on the back; you’ve just breathed life into an inanimate object (sort of). Fun things to type into this include, but are not limited to, “Help! I’ve been turned into a computer,” “Look at me. I’m a computer programmer,” and “Kneel before me, humans!”

That’s Not What I Said
If you don’t want to try your hand at programming Notepad to breathe life into your PC, you could always try using Google Voice Search. This is a standard Google Chrome feature, and is very easy to use. You simply go to Google’s homepage and click on the microphone icon to the right of the Google search bar. Then, you speak into your microphone and Google will search for it. The more the app is used, the more accurate it becomes. You might want to consider turning Safe Search on if you are afraid of what you might accidentally search for. You never know what you might find on the Internet.

“Smart” Phones
For those who want a simpler experience, there are always the apps offered for smartphones. Apple offers Siri for iOS, and Android has Google Now. It’s better than the magic 8-ball, we suppose, and you shouldn’t get too bored talking to them. Just remember, nothing is better than actual human interaction.

These technologies are just a taste of what’s to come over the next few years. Technology advancement is growing at an alarming rate, so keep your eyes peeled for other great interactive programs. What are your favorite interactive apps, and why? Share it with us in the comments!