Mediaboss Marketing

Why use text-to-speech?

There are lots of reasons to use text-to-speech (TTS) software. It can be enormously helpful for anyone who's visually impaired, or has a condition like dyslexia that makes reading on screens tricky. Text-to-speech can also help overcome language barriers for people who read a language but don't speak it, or are in the process of learning.

TTS is also ideal if you want to listen to a document while doing something else, if you find it easier to retain information you've heard, or if you want to sense-check something you've written.

In years gone by, TTS software was rather expensive, but these days there are excellent available free of charge. Of course, there are still plenty that you can pay for, but in many cases you should be able to get by with a program that doesnt cost you a penny.

Here are the best free tools for reading text aloud either individual paragraphs or whole documents.

Balabolka can read your documents in six voices, then save the audio with handy bookmarks

There are a couple of ways to use Balabolka: you can either copy and paste text into the program, or you can open a number of supported file formats (including DOC, PDF, and HTML) in the program directly. In terms of output you can use SAPI 4 complete with eight different voices to choose from, SAPI 5 with two, or the Microsoft Speech Platform if you download and install the necessary files.

Whichever route you go down, you can adjust the speech, pitch and volume of playback to create custom voice. In addition to reading aloud text, the program can also save narrations as audio files in a range of formats including .mp3 and .wav. For lengthy documents you can create bookmarks to make it easy to jump back to a specific location and there are excellent tools on hand to help you to customize the pronunciation of words to your liking. Balabolka is best free TTS software around.

Download here: Balabolka

A Microsoft Word extension that brings customizable TTS to your favorite word processor

Developed by the University of Edinburgh, WordTalk is a toolbar add-on for Word that brings customizable text-to-speech to Microsoft's word processor. It works with all versions of Word right up to the 2016 edition, and is accessible via the toolbar or ribbon depending on which version you're using.

The toolbar itself is certainly not the most attractive you'll ever see, appearing to have been designed by a child. Nor are all of the buttons' functions very clear, but thankfully there is a help file on hand to help.

There's no getting away from the fact that WordTalk is fairly basic, but it does support SAPI 4 and 5 voices, and these can be tweaked to your liking. The ability to just read aloud individual words, sentences or paragraphs is a particularly nice touch. You also have the option of saving narrations, and there are a number of keyboard shortcuts that allow for quick and easy access to frequently used options.

Download here: WordTalk

Novel text-to-speech software with built-in OCR and its own dedicated web browser

Natural Reader can be used in a couple of ways. The first option is to load documents into its library and have them read aloud from there. This is a neat way to manage multiple files, and the number of supported file types is impressive, including ebook formats. There's also OCR, which enables you to load up a photo or scan of text, and have it read to you.

The second option takes the form of a floating toolbar. In this mode, you can highlight text in any application and use the toolbar controls to start and customize text-to-speech this means you can very easily use the feature in your web browser, word processor and a range of other programs. There's also a built-in browser to convert web content to speech more easily.

Download here: Natural Reader

Despite its basic looks, Zabaware Text-to-Speech Reader has more to offer than you might first think. You can open numerous file formats directly in the program, or just copy and paste text.

Alternatively, as long as you have the program running and the relevant option enables, Zabaware Text-to-Speech Reader can read aloud any text you copy to the clipboard great if you want to convert web sites to speech as well as dialog boxes that pop up Zabaware Text-to-Speech Reader can also convert text files to WAV format.

Unfortunately the selection of voices is limited, and the only settings you can customize are volume and speed unless you burrow deep into settings to fiddle with pronunciations. Additional voices are available for a US$25 fee (about 20, AU$30), which seems rather steep.

Download here: Zabaware Text-to-Speech Reader

Panopreter Basic lives up to its name, delivering text-to-speech conversion without frills. The list of supported file types is a little disappointing (no DOCX, for instance), as is the level of voice customization. Aside from choosing a language, volume and speed, there's nothing to adjust. When you compare this to the range of personalisation that can be achieved in other text-to-speech program, it's a little disappointing.

You do have the option of converting text to WAV format so you can listen to it when on the move, but it's a shame to find that MP3 isn't supported. The dual-pane layout of the program isn't particularly pleasant to work with either; it feels like there is a lot of space wasted unless you happen to be both listening to text-to-speech conversion there and then, and also converting to audio file. It gets the job done, but there are better tools out there.

Download here: Panopreter Basic

Read the original here:
The best free text-to-speech software 2017 - TechRadar

Lucy McBath 11:19 a.m. ET March 28, 2017

Lucy McBath is the Faith and Outreach Leader for Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.(Photo: File)

The Florida House will soon vote on a bill that would expand the states already-deadly Stand Your Ground law. These laws embolden individuals to shoot first and ask questions later rather than encourage people to de-escalate their conflicts through peaceful means and walk away when safe to do so.

Research shows that Floridas current iteration was associated with an increase in firearm homicides, and while these types of laws put all of us at risk, they have a disproportionate impact on communities of color.

I understand this painful reality all too well. My son, Jordan Davis, was just 17 years old when he was shot and killed by an older white man during a dispute over loud music at a Jacksonville gas station. Jordan and his friends were all unarmed. My sons killer was not.

Research shows that when white shooters kill black victims, the resulting homicides are deemed justifiable 11 times more frequently than when the shooter is black and the victim is white. Additionally, Florida Stand Your Ground cases with minority victims are half as likely to lead to conviction, compared with cases that involve white victims.

Since Jordans murder, Ive dedicated my life to honoring his memory by telling his story and working to make sure no other parent experiences the pain of having a child stolen from them through gun violence. I, along with Florida members of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and other gun violence survivors, will continue to speak out against this bill and all other dangerous bills that put our communities at risk.

Floridas Stand Your Ground already gives untrained civilians more leeway to shoot than the U.S. military gives its soldiers in war zones. Now, SB 128 would expand the law by effectively requiring criminal defendants who raise a Stand Your Ground defense to be convicted twice once by a judge and once by a jury.

This new bill would shift the burden of proof in Stand Your Ground pretrial hearings from defendants to prosecutors, forcing the state to prove a shooter acted unlawfully before it even brings a case to trial. This would make it easier for gun criminals to elude justice. It would also create an insurmountable backlog of cases for prosecutors, and stretch already-thin resources without allocating any more funding to that state agency.

Simply put, these types of laws do not deter crime. They allow individuals to shoot and kill others in public places even when they can clearly and safely walk away from the conflict.

We should focus on keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people not passing laws that turn everyday confrontations into deadly shootouts.

Floridians deserve better than this. Jordans memory deserves better than this. Trayvons memory deserves better than this. Our lawmakers should remember that the dangerous proposal theyre supporting today can and will have irreversible and even deadly consequences for many Floridians for years to come.

Lucy McBath is the Faith and Outreach Leader for Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

Read or Share this story: http://newspr.es/2ouJp8b

Read the original post:
Changing Stand Your Ground law wrong for Florida

Lucy McBath, My View Published 9:25 a.m. ET March 28, 2017 | Updated 11:17 a.m. ET March 28, 2017

Emotions were high after Jordan Davis' killer was convicted of murder. 17-year-old Davis' life ended when Michael Dunn shot him during an argument about rap music being played loudly the day after Thanksgiving in 2012. VPC

1 of 3

It has been a year since 17-year-old Jordan Davis was gunned down over loud music he was playing in Jacksonville, Florida. The accused gunman Michael Dunn is considering using the state's "stand your ground" law in his defense. VPC

2 of 3

The father of Jordan Davis, the teen killed by Michael Dunn after a confrontation about loud music, explains why this retrial for a murder conviction is important to him. VPC

3 of 3

Jordan Davis' mom: We're able to finally give him rest

Gunned down teen remembered by family

Jordan Davis' dad: Forgiving Michael Dunn not up to me

The Florida House will soon vote on a bill that would expand the states already-deadly Stand Your Ground law. These laws embolden individuals to shoot first and ask questions later rather than encourage people to de-escalate their conflicts through peaceful means and walk away when safe to do so.

Research shows that Floridas current iteration was associated with an increase in firearm homicides, and while these types of laws put all of us at risk, they have a disproportionate impact on communities of color.

I understand this painful reality all too well. My son, Jordan Davis, was just 17 years old when he was shot and killed by an older white man during a dispute over loud music at a Jacksonville gas station. Jordan and his friends were all unarmed. My sons killer was not.

Research shows that when white shooters kill black victims, the resulting homicides are deemed justifiable 11 times more frequently than when the shooter is black and the victim is white. Additionally, Florida Stand Your Ground cases with minority victims are half as likely to lead to conviction, compared with cases that involve white victims.

Since Jordans murder, Ive dedicated my life to honoring his memory by telling his story and working to make sure no other parent experiences the pain of having a child stolen from them through gun violence. I, along with Florida members of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and other gun violence survivors, will continue to speak out against this bill and all other dangerous bills that put our communities at risk.

Floridas Stand Your Ground already gives untrained civilians more leeway to shoot than the U.S. military gives its soldiers in war zones. Now, SB 128 would expand the law by effectively requiring criminal defendants who raise a Stand Your Ground defense to be convicted twice once by a judge and once by a jury.

This new bill would shift the burden of proof in Stand Your Ground pretrial hearings from defendants to prosecutors, forcing the state to prove a shooter acted unlawfully before it even brings a case to trial. This would make it easier for gun criminals to elude justice. It would also create an insurmountable backlog of cases for prosecutors, and stretch already-thin resources without allocating any more funding to that state agency.

Simply put, these types of laws do not deter crime. They allow individuals to shoot and kill others in public places even when they can clearly and safely walk away from the conflict.

We should focus on keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people not passing laws that turn everyday confrontations into deadly shootouts.

Floridians deserve better than this. Jordans memory deserves better than this. Trayvons memory deserves better than this. Our lawmakers should remember that the dangerous proposal theyre supporting today can and will have irreversible and even deadly consequences for many Floridians for years to come.

Lucy McBath is the Faith and Outreach Leader for Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

Read or Share this story: http://on.tdo.com/2nHQKnI

View post:
Victim's mother: Stand Your Ground law emboldens shooters - Tallahassee.com

Subscribe today for full access on your desktop, tablet, and mobile device.

Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about

An evening walk turns into an eerie confrontation for a reader who likes to walk at night in her neighborhood

Try Another

Audio CAPTCHA

Image CAPTCHA

Help

CancelSend

A link has been sent to your friend's email address.

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Karen McKearn-Lawrence, Des Moines, Letter to the Editor 5:24 p.m. CT March 28, 2017

A woman testifies against adding a "stand your ground" provision to Iowa's gun laws as others hold signs on the dangers of letting guns into the wrong hands.(Photo: Rekha Basu)

I went for a walk earlier this month, after dark something I have been doing for years. I have always felt safe because I live in a good neighborhood. Heading into mile four, someone in a beat-up car who apparently didn't feel so safestarted stalking me.

First the car drove by slowly, then pulled over twice to watch me, then turned around and started driving toward me, at which point I took a dive into the nearest yard to hide in the shadows, terrified.The car stopped a few yards from me and a woman yelled out, "Who are you?"

I said, "Who are you and what are you doing following me?" She replied that she thought I was invading property. I didn't say what I wanted to say.

Keep in mind that I am 5-foot-2-inches, about 105 poundsand walking on the sidewalk. I am grateful that the "stand your ground" law hadn't yet gone into effect.

Although the driver of that car will undoubtedly feel safer when it does, she won't be and neither will I.

Karen McKearn-Lawrence, Des Moines

Read or Share this story: http://dmreg.co/2ovRCcp

1:04

3:57

2:35

3:28

3:45

3:35

4:10

3:51

1:11

3:45

0) { %>

0) { %>

View original post here:
Stand your ground law won't make walkers safer - DesMoinesRegister.com

Imagine carrying a gun in Texas without a government-approved license.

Sound far-fetched? Impossible? It is not - and the unlicensed carrying of firearms is not all that unique.

An organization advocating restrictive gun laws appeared before the Texas Legislature Tuesday. The group opposes legislation that would allow for the carrying of handguns without a license and to related offenses and penalties. (This is from terminology of House Bill 375.)

According to the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, HB 375 and a similar bill are dangerous permitless carry bills that would dismantle Texas permitting system, allowing people to carry loaded handguns in public without a permit or safety training.

What these two bills would do would be similar to what already exists in a dozen states - the unlicensed carrying of guns. There is legislation in Wisconsin allowing concealed handguns to be legally carried without a license. North Dakota approved similar legislation last week.

So, in other words, the state of Texas is not exactly creating its own version of the Second Amendment - other states have or are considering similar legislation.

We are not yet ready to advocate for the so-called constitutional carry law in Texas - meaning the unlicensed carrying of firearms. Let the debate begin.

However, as lawmakers consider the legislation, keep in mind that Texas has had some form of a concealed carry handgun law since 1995 - and there has not been bloodshed in the streets, as many predicted. And other states already allow the unlicensed carry of firearms.

Other laws related to gun control currently in the Texas Legislature give us pause, such as laws that would penalize private businesses which do not allow firearms. It is preferable to allow private business owners to decide for themselves whether to allow the carry of firearms on their property rather than have government dictate what they must do. (This is what clearly-posted signs are for - to inform the public of whether firearms are permitted on the property of a private business.)

Lawmakers in Texas should take a look at how the unlicensed carry of guns is working in other states. Are there similarities with Texas as far as population? What about the rate of crime? Economic factors?

Proceed with this information and research before automatically assuming that Second Amendment is dangerous.

Read the original here:
Editorial: Second Amendment is not 'dangerous' - Amarillo.com