I'm old enough to have not grown up chatting with people in real-time using a keyboard, so conversing via IM and the like is not second-nature. Since there is no convenient smiley for "sarcastic" or "droll", the meaning I intend is often not the meaning that is conveyed, unlike on a telephone where vocal inflection has its practised place. This is exacerbated by my unconscious conviction that head/arm/hand gestures or a raised eyebrow will magically be communicated.
The "Chat Enhancer" is a software program that does just that; it hooks into your webcam and, when enabled, scans your face and upper body for a series of gross movements that meet (user configurable) predefined criteria; it then injects it's own interpretation into the typing stream.-- FlyingToaster, Oct 26 2008 Almost baked. http://portal.acm.o...tion.cfm?id=1018217Internet Communication Using Real-Time Facial Expression Analysis and Synthesis [kamathln, Oct 31 2008] Bozo likes the idea. </:O)-- theGem, Oct 26 2008 Yeah, like *that's* gonna work. /sarcasm-- Noexit, Oct 27 2008 [::chat enhancer v0.1:: |FlyingToaster| is nude][::chat enhancer v0.1:: |FlyingToaster| is picking his nose]-- hippo, Oct 27 2008 [+] for admitting to the age gap. I'm right there with you.
[::chat enhancer v0.1:: |FlyingToaster| has that look of mild/amused disgust on his face that old people get when reading silly posts from young whipper-snappers who clearly don't yet understand what life is all about]
Recognizing your expression is going to be the difficult part, but this IS the /half/ bakery.
I keep waiting for voice recognition that actually works, which is the enhancement I would most like to see in general.-- James Newton, Oct 27 2008 [hippo] >_< no, that's a "running commentary" -_- anyways <hmmph> it would be user-configurable so you could edit out stuff you didn't want to transmit <finishes wiping>, O_O dang, beta needs work <wince>.-- FlyingToaster, Oct 27 2008 All I gotta say [Toast] is wipe that silly ass grin off your text.-- theGem, Oct 27 2008 I like this idea as I've heard smiling makes people feel happy thus people might gesticulate to get a reaction from the software which also makes their chatting time happier-- beanangel, Oct 28 2008 [::chat enhancer v0.1:: |Voice| is somewhat bored, but mildly interested the current topic of conversation, moderately amused by something, mildly depressed whilst retaining an overall optimism despite his cynical point of view]-- Voice, Oct 28 2008 [::chat enhancer v0.1:: |pertinax| has left the room] [::chat enhancer v0.1:: |chat enhancer v0.1| being now at a loose end has begun to self-describe]
<faint strains of Strauss>
</reverse Turing test>-- pertinax, Oct 28 2008 Almost Baked? See link. Only difference is, it analyzes the face only. Not the whole upper body.-- kamathln, Oct 31 2008 re link: amateurs... they wanna go full 3d while all you need is 2d colour tracking (eyebrows, eyes, lips teeth, tongue); anyways this includes upper body movement.-- FlyingToaster, Oct 31 2008 random, halfbakery