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From: wetter@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu (Pierce T. Wetter)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.misc,comp.os.misc,comp.misc
Subject: Re: NeXT software distribution...
Message-ID: <8380@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Date: 20 Oct 88 22:47:37 GMT
References: <601@pcrat.UUCP>
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Lines: 33

>>interface. Somebody put a NeXT on my desk and I'll write software that will
>>change the world!
> 
> To write the software that will change the world requires a world
> changing *idea* first.  NeXT isn't selling those. If you have

   Heres one:

        To get a more intelligent answering machine.

By a NeXT machine, hook it to you phone line.
     Hello. This is Derek's computer. Are you sure you want to talk to him?
     Answer yes or no.
     Caller: "Yes."
     Should I try to find him, or would you like to leave a message?
     Caller: "Message"
     Ok. Start talking whenever you're ready, and say Abracadabra when done.
     Caller leaves long rambling message with many pauses ands Gaps. Finally
     says Abracadabra or hangs up. Box filters out line noise, gaps, and sends
     you voice mail.

     Or Caller: "Find"
      Next box tries all the local machines until it finds one your logged into
      then sends you a message, along with playing the ride in case you're in
      your room (you'd answer it REAL fast).
      Ok I got him he says: "Hi, I'm in the graphics lab phone # xxx-xxxx"


Pierce.

P.S. 256 Meg is ~= 10 hours of messages, sampled at 8 kHz.
P.P.S. And of course I'm not even going to talk about Fred Thompson's natural
language processor here at Tech.