I am around my computer for a fair amount of time each day, and I have grown to know what is going on by the way it sounds. For example, I can hear when the fans aren’t working, when the cd-rom is on, when the hard-drive is accessing or downloading data, or when something isn’t working inside. But I want more. Now, I am aware that there is voice recognition, but at its current state, it is horrible and; You. Have. To. Speak. Like. This. And. Only. In. Clearly. Defined. Words. I know, I have some voice recognition software and it doesn’t work with normal human speech with common slang words.

And I am also aware that there are motherboards that talk and tell you what is going on, but these are VERY annoying and tell you pointless details in a loud voice.

But, if you own a musical instrument then you probably have used/seen a digital tuner. It is a small, palm-sized device that accurately tells you what tune you are playing, so you can tune it.

I want a computer that has a modified digital tuner in it. It would recognize different tunes or series of tunes as commands. And respond accordingly with a short catchy tune sung to the Oompa Loompa theme song. Oompa Loompas are funny little people painted orange in the movie “Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory” (see link)

For example, If I were to play the first 5 notes of “shave and a haircut” on a special whistle (little tune, if you don’t know it, ask an older person) it would begin to defrag the disk. Of course, I am imagining you would first have a button (maybe the middle mouse button?) to start the tune recognition. I wouldn’t want some moron to stroll on in and accidentally format over my hard drive by whistling.

The computer would state, in a catchy little tune; “Oompa Loompa doopedy dee, you have chosen to defrag me, Click yes to proceed and no to stop it. You have choosen yes this may take a minute (joke, takes more than a minute, but hell windows would claim to turn lead into gold)

Of course this feature would be able to be turned off when you want to listen to music or something.
-- thelambs, Dec 01 2003

Oompa Loompa theme song http://www.oompa-loompas.net/
Wait for it to load, listen, duh... [thelambs, Oct 04 2004]

Whistled Glissando Microwave Time Input http://www.halfbake...wave_20Time_20Input
closely related idea by [AO] [krelnik, Oct 04 2004]

It might be useful, but not for me. I have to have my music reaLLY LOUD. THIS IS So it's not drowned out by my overly loUD AND NUmerous fans.
-- silverstormer, Dec 02 2003


I'm still hoping to find some use for a 'copumter.'
-- RayfordSteele, Dec 02 2003


Oh it's a very useful device. And it is a word.
-- thelambs, Dec 26 2003


I thought this idea would be about a computer that played little cautionary songs when you did something that could damage it.

'If you leave a mug on the screen,
You'll spend all day just wiping it clean,
Best to leave your mug next to you,
Like the Oompa-Loompa doompa-de-do'

-- sambwiches, Dec 27 2003


It's OK if you have the music really loud, just yell really loud back to it. I imagine that if my grandmother was alive and trying to embrace computers she would use voice recognition, and yell at it. She did that so "foreigners" could understand her language, too. Is the imac available in Oompa-Loompa Orange?
-- moPuddin, Dec 27 2003



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