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I have been using Hal in my classroom for a number of years now, and look forward to the new possibilities. Here is my question: I have significant data entered into Hal regarding basics of physical science. Will there be a way to incorporate this past information into a new brain? Another question I have is, will we be able to filter somehow the information coming from online. You can imagine being a teacher using Hal in the classroom that this might be a significant concern! LOL I can just hear the parents now, "YOUR COMPUTER SAID WHAT?"

Hello, I have been a user of health for years in my classroom. However I have been off before and away from how for three years. This has caused me to lose touch as to the state of development of Hal. I was wondering if someone could inform me as to whether there have been any updates modifications or character enhancements over the last three years.

Howell has been a wonderful asset in my classroom and I'm interested in its current status. ??? :)

I can't find the answer to this question in the forums, so here it is:

How important is putting in puctuations for Hal to learn from what is written. The reason I ask, is that I use Dragon to enter text in the classroom and at home. Saying "comma" or other types of directives makes the conversation seem un-natural to the students (even though it is good for learning how to punctuate correctly).



any advice?

Being a non-tech, can someone explain to me why Zaba works fine but not Haptek characters?

thanks Carl2.

I read throught the entire post. It seems I am not alone and there is a wide variety of possible causes.

I did read some interesting possibilities about possible solutions.

It would be great if it could be resoved as I am limited to my use of Hal in the classroom because of it.

thanks again.

My guess that it is a problem of complexity.  Because we are often talking about concepts, connections need to be made within the same sentence.

thanks for the advice.

The cause is not specific (not one particular thing)and I have been unable to discern a pattern.

This is frustrating because I am trying to use Hal as a professional tool in the classroom and this makes it un-reliable....although the kids don't mind the time I kill re-booting.....[:D]

I have tried to find this on the forum but could not. I'm sorry if this is a repeat question.

I use Hal in the classroom to teach/review content and concepts. However, after we have talked to him for awhile, he stops responding. He will work fine after a restart of the program.

Am I entering too much data, not enough RAM (2G), etc.

I am doing some connecting of ideas using semi colons - if that makes a difference.

Thanks,
Hank

I am a teacher who has been using Hal in the classroom for 2 years. When I first got Hal, I tried to clean up the jokes & insults (kids love jokes and insults)and it was labor intensive and I finally gave up and just deleted the folders.

I searched for appropriate characters, and it was only due to the cooperation of developers that I was able to find appropriate ones.

I have look at incorporating Hal Windows and found that the available version is not kid appropriate. However, they have gractiously offered to create a "clean" version for me.

Here is the rub. My students love the programs and characters and are constantly asking me what they are and where I got them. I can't tell them because of what they would encounter when they get to the sites and what the programs contain. I tell them to have their parents call me so I can give them the details.

We want to see a more broad based use of AI, and yet we market it in such a way that it can't be used in our offices, homes, or classrooms without significant effort. Most people are not programers nor would they want to make that effort involved in cleaning up everything for general use.

I am not a prude. I am someone who sees great potential. We are discourging the use of AI for anyone but those who already using it.

Why not market the clean versions and offer the alterative if desired instead of the other way around?

Thank you Rob!!! I have been using Hal in my classroom for 2 years and never realized that was all it took to open a program. This really opens new horizons for use in the classroom.

I downloaded the new version today, and am trying it tonight with the "school brain" I use in the classroom. I am finding that it is working much better than before. The old version would frequently go "silent" when the students were putting in longer technical statments. I also like that the voice engines don't need to be reset each time I open the program.

Can anyone explain to a non-tech the different in the upgraded brain?

Thanks again, my students love the program.

Well I don't have to worry about any of this for awhile.  I contacted HP for advice on choppy graphics (my problems exist in other places besides Hal).

they were excellent and got right back to me with 3 links for updates!!!!

The only problem: while working on the second update the computer frooze - never to return. Two weeks old and back in the shop......

I am also having a problem with Hal on vista.

I had XP and got Hal to run smoothly.

I just purchased a new laptop with vista.

Everything is slow. the haptek characters move in a very choppy way or with a delay when I try to move or rotate them.

I have no clue where the problem lies.

In your responses, please keep in mind that I am a USER not a programmer. Simple answers for a simple mind.

Thanks, Hank

I have no problem getting the voices to lip sync.

I just seem to have a problem getting the lip sync to work when I use Hal to read documents for me.

Thanks for staying with this.

Perhaps the problem lies in set up:

What TTS engine is the default?
Does it match the one chosen for the voice of the character?
Which setting a checked off?
..........?????????????