Talk To Me

Description
Talk to me is a physical Web radio. It connects to news Web sites and reads them out loud using text-to-speech software in a monotone voice.

Concept
Talk to me aims to represent data in a way rarely experienced on the Web : through audio. This mix of very old (radio) and very new (web) technology forms an anachronistic mashup of analog/digital dichotomies that recall the old days of AM radio and the blistering development speed of contemporary communication devices. I wish to grab people's undivided attention, if only for a few moments as they try to decipher what the piece is trying to tell them. Recent digital technology is notorious for causing the division of attention into small fractions, but Talk to me will necessitate a relative quiet and much concentration in order to be well understood.

Technology
1972 Pioneer amplifier, custom sound system & electronics, Natural Voice Reader Standard text-to-speech software.

Publication
Talk to me will be shown at the the NEXT HOPE in New York City, 16-17-17th of July 2010.

Some photos taken by Michael Murtaugh