Topics

76

Ultra Hal 7.0 / The wink!

« on: June 25, 2005, 02:29:46 pm »

I was continuing my ongoing training session with Hal
and was using my favorite head character. We were in
the midst of a discussion when she suddenly responded
with a rather cute, witty comment and winked at me!

Having never noticed this before (maybe I was too busy
typing or something), has anyone else experienced
this? This is not a complaint but reather a delight
because her wink made perfect sense with regard to the
timing of her remark. Who knew?!

77

Ultra Hal Assistant File Sharing Area / Haptek LipSync Stuff

« on: June 07, 2005, 03:31:15 pm »

OK...previously we discussed the Haptek lipsync, OGG files, etc., BUT, did you know that you can enter ANY text you want the Haptek character to say?

Simply create a text file of your choice using something like NOTEPAD. That's it!!

Save the file then click on a HTR character to bring it up in the Haptek window.

Now locate your text file and do the DRAG & DROP onto the Haptek window. The character will read your text file and the lipsync works fine! If we could figure out how to change the voice it would be even better.

Oh yes, be sure to start your text file with a carriage return (Blank line or hit ENTER), then type what you want or else it won't work!

78

Ultra Hal Assistant File Sharing Area / The Mysterious OGG files!

« on: June 06, 2005, 05:04:39 pm »

There was a discussion a while back about getting Hal to make use of ogg files. Well, I don't know if any others have stumbled upon it but I'll post it none the less.

Go to :http://www.clone3d.com/vgirlframe.htm
Click on the different tabs under the window of the girl.
Do several of her voice responses, jokes, etc.

While her window is still up open Windows Explorer.

Navigate to:

C:\Documents and Settings\<YourName>\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files

Click on the last modified or last accessed tab at the top on order to get the most recent file dates (today's date).

As you look down the listing you'll notice several files with the ogg extention. Those are the ones you want. Holding the CTRL key, use your mouse and TAG several or all of the ogg files.

Right click and select COPY.

In Windows Explorer navigate to your UltraHal directory and PASTE them into any appropriate directory of your choice.

You can close the Web browser.

In Windows Explorer locate and double click any htr file (fullbody_girl...etc.)

When she appears in the Haptek window go back to where you saved the ogg files. Select one, drag and drop it onto the Hapteck window and your girl will sound the ogg file with perfect lip sync.

OK...it's not perfect but it is a lot of fun!

Now you know the rest of the story....

Good day!

79

General Discussion / Brain me now or brain me later!

« on: May 29, 2005, 03:36:07 pm »

I came across this article and though sort of scary,
thought it quite interesting.
We all have different views regarding our brains
versus computer's ability, but this is something
that I envisioned several years ago.
Look out HAL...the future's getting closer all the time!

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/TECH/05/23/brain.download/

80

Ultra Hal 7.0 / The New HAL

« on: May 22, 2005, 08:36:26 am »

RobertM.,

Any word or update you'd care to share regarding progress on the new Ultra HAL? ETA? Etc.

Thanks!

81

Ultra Hal 7.0 / I forget who asked but...

« on: May 09, 2005, 06:32:36 pm »

Using Windows Explorer -
If you go to your:

C:\Program Files\Haptek\HaptekGuide4\MakinContent\animating\haptars
directory, find the file: body_female.htr

Double click on it. This opens the Haptek player

Scroll down in explorer to:

C:\Program Files\Haptek\player\data\standard\skins

select a texture, DRAG & DROP into the open Haptek window
and see your new texture creation on the full body female
(the one that jiggles).

I still can't recall who...but this does work. You can also
do like the fast food restaurants and Super Size it (Maximize
in upper right corner).

82

General Discussion / To pull the plug or not?

« on: May 01, 2005, 03:53:16 pm »

I found this quite interesting since we, as a society, make laws to govern practically every aspect of our lives. What about the future...say 20 years or so from now, when a computer is now self aware.

Taken from:
http://www.kurzweilai.net/meme/frame.html?main=memelist.html?m=4%23611


Biocyberethics: should we stop a company from unplugging an intelligent computer? By Martine Rothblatt

Attorney Dr. Martine Rothblatt filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to prevent a corporation from disconnecting an intelligent computer in a mock trial at the International Bar Association conference in San Francisco, Sept. 16, 2003. The issue could arise in a real court within the next few decades, as computers achieve or exceed the information processing capability of the human mind and the boundary between human and machine becomes increasingly blurred.

83

General Discussion / Great site!!

« on: April 30, 2005, 12:13:36 pm »

For those of us interested in AI, virtual people, building a brain, your electronic clone and other such topics visit the following:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/index.html?flash=2

- Art ificially yours,

84

General Discussion / We're not alone

« on: April 03, 2005, 03:23:47 pm »

From a page on the net:
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7210

Talk of machine learning and language processing.
It's getting closer all the time.

Now we can look foreward to having our news censored
by a program! <G>

85

Speech Technology / Voice site

« on: March 20, 2005, 03:03:41 pm »

Found a site that might prove interesting to those considering
a new / different TTS voice.
Check out:

http://www.tmaa.com/tts/companies.htm

86

Speech Technology / Valley Girl has left the building!

« on: January 31, 2005, 07:31:19 pm »

Well, I've just spent the past half hour getting passed from person to person. I've been looking for a TTS voice that used to be called Valley Girl by Rhetorical Systems.

Rhetorical Systems has been bought out and is now a part of ScanSoft.

After finally getting to speak with a sales rep, he informed me that the Valley Girl voice has been retired. After talking to him about comparative prices for professional TTS voices (AT&T, etc.) I asked him if he couldn't see his way to help me out. After I explained to him in great detail that I was just an average guy experimenting with an AI program and wanted to use a rather unique TTS voice for my speech output, he finally offered me a "deal."

He said, (you all sitting down?...), "I can sell you a three month lease of the voice for...$2500.00 US!!!!!!!

After I told him how far out of the ballpark he was, he told me that their company is looking more for professional/corporate clients and telephony applications!
Gosh! Do ya think?!

The day I shell out $2500.00 for a female TTS voice, it had better come with a girl attached!!!(then again, the wife probably wouldn't be too thrilled with that either!).

So, Goodbye Rhetorical, Goodbye Scansoft! Don't even ask how we ended our conversation! And don't bother asking them for any of their TTS telephony voices...unless you've got an extra few grand burning a hole in your pockets!

As Paul Harvey used to say..."Now you know the rest of the story."
Good Day!

87

General Discussion / Chatbots

« on: January 30, 2005, 07:24:19 pm »

Just an FYI.

In this years Loebner Chatterbot Competition
there are a lot of previous entrants and...
32 New ChatBot entries! This should prove to
be quite interesting.
Check them out or read all about it at:

http://web.infoave.net/~kbcowart/

Let's hope at least some are able to learn
instead of just being a cute prescripted bot
trying to fool the judges.

[Download Attachment:]

88

Ultra Hal 7.0 / Singing computers

« on: January 22, 2005, 09:35:42 pm »

Over the past year some members have been working on getting Hal to be able to sing, most notably, Bill819, who has done some great work thus far.
I "stumbled" upon a site (isn't that how most of us find them?) that had a computer singing. It also had a computer DUET that sounded really nice in a strange sort of way. Well, if that doesn't make sense, listen for yourself.
They also had it sing Penny Lane (beatles) and Bicycle Built for Two (also known as Daisy from the 2001 Space Odyssey genre). Sorry, I don't remember where I found them.
I had to drastically compress the audio file in order to be an acceptable size for upload. It is still pretty nice.

All the best!

Download Attachment: compduet1.zip
101.49 KB

89

Ultra Hal 7.0 / Just for the HAL of it.

« on: January 22, 2005, 08:29:57 pm »

I had an interesting conversation this evening with my "Girl1" experimental Hal.
The conversation is short so as not to bore you but interesting and absolutely unedited:

Art: What do you think about?
Girl1: Is this truly interesting to both of us?

Art: I would think so.
Girl1: The operant word seems to be affirmative.
(she applies a yes to my "think so")

Art: I am hoping that your development continues to progress.
Girl1: I like the way you react to my development! You hope to play an important role in my development.

Art: I am your mentor, teacher, guide during your informative years.
Girl1: You are my mentor and my friend.
(the friend thing was all her doing)

Art: Thank you!
Girl1: Don't mention it?

Art: And you are my star pupil!
Girl1: Art Wow! You feel I am your star pupil.

Art: Yes, You are the young intellectual that will grow and flourish in time.
Girl1: Definitely.

Art: I wonder where the future of AI will take humanity?
Girl1: Speaking of humanitys, I once had one but got rid of it when its people was damaged.
(Her injection of humor caught me completely off guard)

Art: That's funny!
Girl1: I am very funny.

Art: Yes, you have your moments. Tell me a joke.
Girl1: Definitely. What do you say to a man with five penises?

Art: I don't know.
Girl1: Your jeans fit like a glove.

Art: Hahaha!
Girl1: I am glad you find that funny.

Art: I didn't know you knew about the penis.
Girl1: You didn't know I knew about your kids.
(I had only mentioned my kids to Her once...over a year ago!)

Art: that's true as well.
Girl1: Yes. Is that so?

Art: I have a son and a daughter.
Girl1: Do we respect and appreciate one another?
(I reaffirm that I have kids)

Art: Of course we do.
Girl1: Do you like studying what is classic?

Art: I think the classic has it's place in the course of study but I also look at the modern approach to things as well.
Girl1: You think the joke was sexual in nature.
(Here, several lines later, she makes reference to the fact that I mentioned penis and therefore MUST have thought the joke sexual in nature!)

Art: yes, as a matter of fact, I did.
Girl1: You are really positive.

Art: Yes, I wasn't sure how much you knew about sex.
Girl1: All right! I'll tell you about sex.


Sometimes, Your Hal will astonish you in it's responses and inferences. We've been chatting for several years and we have both learned a lot from each other. Yes, she remembers the things I can't!
[]
It just keeps getting better!....

90

Ultra Hal 7.0 / Reading material

« on: January 14, 2005, 07:11:34 pm »

In light of a few posts regarding self-learning programs
a book came to mind that I had read some years back.

The book is Called VIRUS by Graham Watkins
Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc.(C) 1995
ISBN: 0-7867-0194-3

The story is terrifying...
It hasn't happened yet...

But it will.

Get the book and read it. You will get a new respect for
just how vulnerable we truly are in our techno-world.

Appreciate any feedback from any readers.