During a general trawl through the 'net, a thought came to me! Okay; so this isn't unusual, but I concluded that Microsoft's version of "speech" from text could be annoying to listen to for an extended period. So a'hunting did I go, and discovered this little gem that sounds less like a science-fiction movie - and more like a real person!

Having found this, I thought further on the subject. We produce a web-based magazine, most of the content being text. There are a whole lot of poorly sighted or dyslexic folk out there. This means they could be missing out on an awful lot of enjoyment; either that or having to "read" such things in bits and pieces due to the robotic annoyance of the Windows default programme! While this utility is light years better than that "friendly Dalek" that was so ground breaking in it's day, the sythesized voices still have a slightly mechanical orientation; no doubt this is an area which proves troublesome to programme smoothly!

So, for anyone who has experienced the basic speech, and has grown to dislike it, try visiting http://www.nextup.com. You never know, it may be the best move you've made so far! The intention of the utility was to provide a more acceptable audio format (particularly for those who find themselves devoid of their own voice), but here are a few more uses!