Let me preface my critique of YouTube’s captioning feature by saying I appreciate Google’s attempt to make YouTube video more accessible. And I’m sure it’s no easy programatic feat to transcribe audio on such a large scale of widely disparate content. However, for someone who obviously enunciates as poorly as I do while using significant amounts of technical jargon, the subtitles are (still) amusingly horrible. Some nonsensical highlights from my latest screencast:
- “the naked ritual are of and see your man” (1:04)
- “it is a vote she will live in the orgy” (3:47)
- “happy occasion firm in texarkana across the way” (1:59)
- “curtis and pass for catchers Wright came right” (3:33)
- “it is much nicer than those for in Russia” (3:19)
You can toggle YouTube’s closed captions and beta transcriptions (or translations!) here:
They’re about as accurate as the transcription of voicemail in Google Voice.
“And I’m sure it’s no easy programatic feat to transcribe audio on such a large scale of widely disparate content. However, for someone who obviously enunciates as poorly as I do while using significant amounts of technical jargon”
I fail to see what “the tallest peak in the Rockies” has to do with Google’s ability to transcribe speech.
And I also think that calling Google a “stuck pig on Estonian speed” is a wild overstatement of what’s actually going on here.
It’s as if you’ve decided to start writing gibberish here, Dave.
To shift away from writing nonsense transcriptions, have you changed your site logo of late, or have I just had a bizarre blind spot all along?
Whether I am correct that there’s a recent logo change or not, kudos. The new (or not new) logo kicks ass. It’s like the TiVo logo went and took a tab of ecstasy.
If it’s really the same logo that’s been there all the time, I must need to go to my doctor for a yearly checkup. I’m normally a connoisseur of logos, yours is a good one, and I visit your site several times a week…
Same logo… I purchased it several years ago, turned it on when I moved to this theme whenever that was (2007?). I have a few variations, but haven’t used any other than this one. Every now and then I think it might be fun to make some caps or shirts.
“Every now and then I think it might be fun to make some caps or shirts.”
It’s a good logo. They’d be pretty cool. The site is pretty cool. I’d rather wear one than a Daring Fireball T-shirt. Dunno if it’s worth your time, but there might be a moderate audience and/or moderate self-promotional value…
(However, if you put the “It’s like the TiVo logo went and took a tab of ecstasy.” quote in small print on the rear of the shirt, then I would demand a penny in royalties per item sold. I zealously protect my intellectual property.)