As you may remember, I'm critical of the the changes voice is bringing to the grid, particularly its move to disenfranchise the deaf, just like IRL. But, there is a new system out there that might help eventually. It's not ready for SL yet - it will require quite a lot of work to be ready for SL, because the control over avatar's hands is not good enough at the moment and I don't think expressive puppeteering, when we finally get it, will add it either, not at first.

But according to the BBC, IBM and students from University of East Anglia have released a system called "Say it, Sign it" or SiSi that translates both written and spoken text to British Sign Language or Sign Supported English (which is closer to normal English, supported by signing as you see on the television signed programmes). The system is also set up to allow translation modules (e.g. for ASL) to be plugged in. The RNID are happy to see the prototype, although it will take some time before it is in wide distribution according to the director of new technologies.

Thanks to MB Chevalier for the initial lead and link.

Among some quarters of our expanding virtual worlds, there's a big push towards sound. Live music, voice-chat, and so on. Philip Linden does Town Halls by voice. People want to pull out their headsets and address the people around them. But what if they can't hear you?

You're in a public place, and espy someone you want to talk to. You lean on your push-to-talk key, and say hi, and ask how they are. Meanwhile they just stand there. Are they ignoring you? Are they being rude? Maybe they just can't hear you. Some people are in Second Life for business, they might not have any speakers on their computer -- and headphones are much frowned on in the workplace if there's any chance that they might interfere with you being able to hear co-workers or speak on the phone. The business-person in Second Life probably can't hear you.

The second major class are the handicapped. Second Life has many deaf or hearing-impaired residents -- it's a great environment for them. Likewise some people cannot speak -- or cannot speak the all the languages they can read or write. Some can type a perfectly acceptable grade of English, but have no idea how the language sounds, never having had much opportunity to hear an English-speaker. They probably can't understand you speaking, anyway, let alone respond in sounds you can understand.