Monday, November 17, 2003

SOUTHERN DRAWL A 'PROBLEM' IN LOUISIANA

Southerners have thwarted police voice recognition software because of their beautiful accents. But it's a "problem", you see:
The voice-recognition system asked people to name the person or department they wanted. More often than not, the system just didn’t understand, and they wound up at the wrong place, said Capt. John Dunn, who oversees police communications.

“In Louisiana, we have a problem with Southern drawl and what I call lazy mouth. Because of that, the system often doesn’t recognize what (callers) say,” he said.

Interim Chief Mike Campbell knows all too well how frustrating the voice recognition system can be.

“I can count on one hand when I have been transferred to where I’ve wanted to go, and I know the system. I can imagine how frustrating it would be for a citizen,” he said.

Well, it sounds like the interim chief is a "problem", too. I guess if we all talked like New Yorkers or Michiganders everything would be great. Or maybe they could design better software.

Long live the Southern drawl!

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