Ghost in the Machine poetry: I SWEAR I did not change a word here.

So here I am, curious to see exactly what happens when you just replay a phone call for Windows’ speech recognition software. I had a audio file already on my computer, in fact: I had called my mom to test that my Powergramo was properly recording my Skype calls.  This is the first four minutes or so of that call.  For the record, we discussed the winter coats my mom bought for my kids and whether Elizabeth Warren was going to run for President.

This is what the Ghost in the Machine heard.

You have a glowing and
I am black and
white and
black and
rewind
or guy hunt
when it easy on late
buying a eating mile high
here in L.a.
or had been all
or lay any real victory
in the night
her a call to you
when you
what you are in green
or locking bang
not have the lead on a hot
lately
in all right
out of L.a. AL all right a AL
all are a lot of the end of the whole
can I have here a high of the high heat
of
and he has that
it does-whack on honey
and he who have a jack
or a high rate
of a hell of a male
right away
or a EL wok
or
8111

For the record, I only added line breaks.

8 thoughts on “Ghost in the Machine poetry: I SWEAR I did not change a word here.”

    1. I’ll tell ya: wrangle with voice-to-text software for about twenty minutes and you end up being a lot less worried about the government scanning your calls.

      1. ‘specially if ya malpronounce a couple tings here and dere .. and aren’t *consistent* about it.
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        Mew
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        p.s. Periodically saying, in a clear voice, “Hi Echelon, I know you’re listening, I hope you’re having a good day” would be just cruel.

        1. I’m pretty sure Echelon is dead now.
          Obama does not play with others, so the Canuks and Brits are most likely no longer spying on American citizens and passing along the information to our government.
          Simply because they don’t like him. And why go out of your way to help someone you actively dislike?
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          Thank God for small favors.
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          Unfortunately, the Obama administration had not been shy about flouting the law. In this respect as well as others.
          Why go for the too-clever-by-half circumventing of the law when you can just break it altogether?

      2. Separate example – spend any length of time trying to navigate a large company’s voice-prompt 800-number system sometime ..
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        “Please say your ten digit account number now”.
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        “Please choose from the following menu”
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        Usually, after the third or fourth prompt, I just start stabbing at the 0 on the phone …
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        Mew

    1. Nevermind, looked at the title again and mentally replaced machine with shell. 🙁

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