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When you want to do some work (or even just hear yourself think) while
surrounded by
friends or colleagues having a loud and distracting conversation
that you aren't interested in, you might put on noise-canceling headphones. The
problem
with doing that is that when the topic of conversation
changes to one you want to participate in, you're still deaf to it. You could ask
the people to
notify you when they change topics, but they could easily
forget.
The solution? New Topic-Blocking Headphones from Approximate Industries!
They're
noise-canceling headphones, but with a big difference: Using the
processing power of your computer or phone to run voice recognition and
natural language
processing software, they can keep an ear on the
conversation, and automatically turn off the noise canceling when the topic
changes! Then, if
you're interested in the new topic, you can participate.
If you aren't, just press the "block current topic" button and go back to work.
"But won't I miss the first few things said on the new topic?" I hear you asking.
We have a
solution for that. You can choose to automatically review
these utterances on your computer or phone screen, or have them recorded and
replayed at
a higher speed to catch you up. But even without using
these features, you can usually still jump into the conversation early enough.
Additional features:
• Multicolor LED on top to let people know when you're in and out of the
conversation.
• Automatic disablement of noise canceling when you're addressed by name.
• Always-on noise-canceling mode, like regular noise-canceling headphones.
• Noisy environment mode cancels noise but lets all speech through. Useful on
airplanes.
• Optionally learns similarity of topics and what you are and aren't interested
in,
based on which ones you manually block, and then automatically
blocks what you won't want to hear.
• Can display current topic onscreen to allay fears of missing out on something
you
want to hear.
• Can record audio and transcripts of conversations for reference. (Sounds
creepy,
but think of how many microphones are already around you all
day, under other people's control.)
• Can automatically pause/play your music or podcast when you enter/leave
the
conversation.
---
43/327 [2018-04-14]
word filter
Prior art. NC headphones that block specific words. [notexactly, Apr 15 2018]
Selective Noise Cancellation
Prior art. Cancels noise from specific sources that you attach microphones to. [notexactly, Apr 15 2018]
Voice-Transmitter S...or Noise-Cancellers
Prior art (baked). NC headphones with a switch to allow outside sound in. [notexactly, Apr 15 2018]
Human Media Lab Attentive Headphones (2004)
https://www.humanmedialab.org/photos
Prior art. They "convey external sound upon eye contact". Looks like they've got eye contact detectors on top so that they pass audio when someone else is looking at you. (Sixth photo in the "attentive user interfaces (2002-2006)" section) [notexactly, Mar 17 2019, last modified Mar 28 2019]
[link]
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Not yet, the chat bots haven't had enough conversations. I can imagine it though. |
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Piece meal is, in most part, not that good for the human psyche. How would one learn that subtle topic change behaviour? |
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Baked by the brain & evolution many millennia ago,
probably
longer, if I had to guess I'd say it was sometime around that
period before we were.. well, (just) before we were. |
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You know how you can focus in on the conversation those
two
girls you fancy are having three tables away in a crowded
pub & just sort of fade out all the other chatter? |
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When you mother, wife or significant other
tunes you out because your boring them & they want to
think about something important instead (like what filling
to put in a sandwich) & you only realize later they
didn't hear a word you said.. |
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If you can't do it & appear to be lacking this (comes free
with the basic model)
skill set I'm afraid you are a defective model,
write off to the production company & ask for a refund. |
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Sorry, did you say something just then ? |
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See, even [8th] still retains the ability, just as well really, all
that poking around inside the casing with non-manufacturer
approved alterations, he invalidated his
warranty years ago.. |
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he'd have no chance at a refund. |
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I like it. You could even have a conversation starter lookup function to redirect smalltalk.
(software detects four weather comments in a row == small talk)
your headphones say "content: volunteer at community"
and "segue "you guys are so smart, have you tried community volunteering?" |
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Perhaps some software effort could write "win friends an influence people" segues though, perhaps prompting the listener to say "Bob I dig the sunshine, we could all bring more sunshine to our local community with volunteering!" |
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Then multiple people could have their headphones on during a normal conversation and talk to cues, creating a much better conversation. |
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I like what you said there [IT]. |
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But just go the whole hog & have it do the actual walking as
well as the actual talking,
what was that story where people
ended up using robots do all their obligatory consumerism
that they didn't want to do for them (anyone)? * Give
everyone an android facsimile to go out & interact
with
everyone else's then social contract upheld they can just
stay home & get on with playing online games or whatever
it is they really want to do. |
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* may have been the original short story autofac was based
on but I'm not sure. |
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