Outside Software
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This project started when Andrew got fed up at his answering machine. Why not have the messages stored on the computer? After some investigation into voice-modem solutions, it became clear that computerized answering machines were old hat.. but what about answering services? Wouldn't it be cool if someone called my dorm, and in my absence, the computer picks up and greets them by name? It was then that the "voice of delores" started to happen. With the help of classmate and fellow perl fanatic, Ed Bardsley, the project went underway.
Delores, or more appropriately, delo.res, is Andrew's dedicated linux box. She can belt out quite a tune - she's got the all the moves, with her Pentium III dual-processors turning the heads of all who pass by. It was clear that if a job needed to be done, Delores would be there to get it done. And indeed she did, as her hardware and our software melded to become an automated phone-based answering service, complete with weather reports, stock quotes, news headlines, and the movie listings for McConomy Auditorium.
The process of creating the system wasn't easy - our major obstacle wasn't writing the software, but hacking together the hardware we needed. A few cuts and burns later, plus by throwing a few hacked up Radio Shack parts into the mix, we were able to connect Delores's sound card to the phone line and import caller ID information. All in all, the project has been a success. It was a lot of fun to make - after all, what could be more fun than phones, soldering irons, annoying the roommates with constant ringing of phones, perl, voice recognition, and perl? ... If you answered, anything other than "more perl", you're wrong.
Please see our powerpoint presentation for more information on our construction process.
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