Glimpse of Stephen Hawking's Computer 146
kenekaplan writes "Intel application engineer Travis Bonifield has been working closely with Hawking to communicate with the world for a decade. He's traveled from the United States to England every few years to hand-deliver Hawking a customized PC. Bonifield talks about the technology that powers the customized system."
Hawking's latest machine is a Thinkpad x220. Lately he's been trouble speaking due to weakened cheek muscles (down to one word per minute). New Scientist has a brief interview with Hawking's outgoing technician on the challenges he faced. It turns out Hawking is still using a DECtalk (despite some reports suggesting otherwise).
Re:He identifies with the voice now (Score:4, Informative)
Re:One word a minute (Score:5, Informative)
There are, but if you read the article, his problem is learning curve and the fact that if he's disconnected from the working machine and something is wrong, he can't call for help.
I really suggest reading the articles linked. They are far more interesting then average stuff you get on slashdot and it answers a lot of questions as to "why is he still using this dated stuff". Especially the part that notes that when someone pitching a new system is in the room, Hawking's talking speed goes up because of his competitiveness and stubbornness.
Re:One word a minute (Score:5, Informative)
Funny my ass dear mods. That's about as informative as it will ever get on slashdot!
Re:DECtalk (Score:4, Informative)
Careful, there. Five out of six ends of a cat are sharp.