Monday, March 01, 2010

Speech "recognition"

Tonight Jonathan was training his computer speech recognition program. So far, I'd say it doesn't recognize him very well. Behold how it mangled T. S. Eliot:
Name the end of this sending breaks the error with flame up in candescent terror all of which the time was declarer though one discharge from sin and there were our only hope or else despair lies in the choice of hire or fire to be redeemed from fire by fire.

Who then divide is booked for MIPS? Love. Space love is the Amur familiar name behind the hands that will be intolerable sure to play in which human power cannot remove. We only lose only so spire consumed by either fire or fire.

(The real passage from Little Gidding goes as follows:
The dove descending breaks the air
With flame of incandescent terror
Of which the tongues declare
The one discharge from sin and error.
The only hope, or else despair
Lies in the choice of pyre or pyre--
To be redeemed from fire by fire.

Who then devised the torment? Love.
Love is the unfamiliar Name
Behind the hands that wove
The intolerable shirt of flame
Which human power cannot remove.
We only live, only suspire
Consumed by either fire or fire.)
I think my favorite part was when it wrote, not "choice of pyre or pyre," but "choice of hire or fire"!

1 comment:

Jonathan said...

That hurt to read...