h a l f b a k e r yIt's as much a hovercraft as a pancake is a waffle.
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Don't you hate it when you are really into what you are reading and all of a sudden your favorite author who everyone else thinks is pretentious uses some 18th century adjective that you and 99% of the reading public have no clue as to what it means? Are you tied of scrambling for a dictionary at the
office or of having to wait till you get off the train to find the meaning of a word? Are you ashamed that dictionary.com is a favorite on your browser? Or are you just annoyed at the time it takes to look a word up?
Intoducing the Finger Finder, a dictionary at your finger tips. The Finger Finder is a ring (or possibly a finger tip cap, like a thimble) that is wirelessly hooked into your internet equiped cell phone, pda, or any wireless database. A quick tap of the button on the bottom of the ring by the thumb turns on the word finder, a red laser ring shaped light, that the user moves across the undefined word. The light scans the image matching it to recognized letters and sends it via wireless connection to a simple dictionary program held in any of a number of possible databases. The definition of the word is then displayed on the screen of the cell phone, pda, or computer monitor database. Higher priced models come with an audio option which relates the definiton verbally (this also helps with words that have tricky pronunciations).
The pursuit of knowledge just got easier. Point and the light bulb will go on.
http://www.babylon.com
[romanmar, Oct 14 2004]
[link]
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Be not ashamed of a love of words. That which is etymological is unequivocally fascinating, to the ears of a fellow literary vermicule. Seek the richness of the language, and fear not its depths. The monotonous reductionism and bland re-use of the same miniscule word set merely encourage the absurdity of 'plain' English. |
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I am of two minds regarding your halfbakery - the proximity and simplicity of the thought would imbue the experience with that edificatory spirit that one aspires to capturing. On the other hand, however, are the variously marvelling aspects of the available etymology and associations - providing the read with a greater depth of understanding of the new word. |
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An inkling, perhaps, is all that is often necessary. Thus, a croissant. |
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If you read on a pc, use www.babylon.com software and all you have to do is click on the word and instantly gives you a definition. Otherwise they sell a pen that you scan over a word, and it gives you definition on the fly |
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with all the technology embedded in that ring, maybe it could also act as a display, using the laser to trace out the words on any suitable nearby surface. High power mode can lightly burn the definitions in to the back cover for a do-it-yourself glossary. |
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