Recording OS X Text to Speech to an Audio file using Terminal

This is a very useful method to record OS X text to speech into an audio file.

1. Create a text file using TextEdit and write whatever you want the Mac to speak then save it as "text.txt" on your desktop.
   
   
2. Open Terminal
   
   
3. Type cd ~/desktop and click Enter
   
   
4. Type say -v Alex -o "audio.aiff" -f "text.txt" being "audio.aiff" is the name of the audio output file and "text.txt" is the name of your text file saved on your desktop then click Enter

Once you click Enter the audio file will appear on your desktop.

You can change the voice with any of OS X system voices (Kathy, Vicky, Victoria, Alex, Bruce, Fred) by replacing Alex with any of the names.

Note that even ".rtf" files can be read as well so in that case just change "text.txt" with "text.rtf".

Learning Misconception

Here's an advice for all of you graduate students...
NEVER defy your instructor even if he/she was wrong.

I'm doing my masters degree in instructional design for open and distance teaching and training. Our current module is "Design and Presentation of ODL materials" and part of our study is learning HTML attributes. It is funny how my basic knowledge of HTML became useful.

What we are being taught in our workbook is that "ALT attribute" for graphics and media is basically a mere tooltip option rather than accessibility feature. There's also no mention for the "Title attribute" which is in fact the rightful attribute for tooltips on web pages. When I told the instructor it is a misconception he told me to wait and see. He defined ALT attribute for an image on dreamweaver to demonstrate how it works and when he moved the mouse over the image waiting for a tooltip to show text he entered nothing happened. I told him this has nothing to do with ALT attribute, it's Title attribute that handles tooltips. He insisted that there's a problem with his browser and all of us should try it on our computers.

I, being ignorant, defined my image with a Title attribute. When he came to check my work, to his shock mine was the only one working, I told him see this is the right attribute. He stood still for a couple of seconds. Goes back to the center of class and says arrogantly "When I ask you to do something you do it precisely. I don't need your help rather you need mine." Double/you-tea-ef ?!

Ok, my fault. I don't need to tell a professor what's right and what's wrong but if he is teaching us this misconception how is he expecting us to succeed? No wonder why our learning outcome sucks and nobody seems to understand what he/she is doing.

Belated new year resolutions

My blog has been up for the past 6 years *shocked how time passes by* and I'm still here, not active as I used to be but still alive and kicking'. My belated new year resolutions are:

• Be a better person (that includes being a better son, husband, brother, uncle and friend)


• Blog more often


• Do my best in my masters study


• Become super dad for my upcoming baby


• Buy a new car without having to sell the one I have


• Enjoy photography even more


• Ease up on shisha ( yeah right -_- )

Vaporized Money

I've been away from Kuwait for the past three months studying in Bahrain. Last week my brother called me telling me the company that I'm storing my furniture at called him telling him they have not received any payments from me and they are going to press charges unless I pay.

The story begins at NBK. Three months ago I made a debt transaction directly to the company's account and for the past three months their money gets deducted on the 24th of each month however it neither goes into their account nor back into my account. Where is it?

I got back to Kuwait last Wednesday hoping to resolve this issue and get back to my study but as we all know no one can finish anything in one day, this is how our system works. When I went to NBK they said as long as the money never got back to your account then the transaction is accurate, and when I went to KFH (company's bank) they told me I cannot do anything, a company representative should come and deal with this issue.

The dilemma started when the company and I wanted to resolve the issue. They asked me to cancel the monthly transaction. I went back to NBK and they said we cannot cancel it unless you bring us a release paper stating that there are no outstanding amounts due to the company! WTH? I made that transaction personally, it is not an installment! I had the option of transferring the money online each month but I didn't want to deal with that hassle. The company accountant said they don't have release forms of any kind and since I made it I can cancel it but NBK refuses to cancel. W T F ?

I couldn't stay for long so I'm back in Bahrain now. I gave the company my account statement which clearly shows every deduction and they can look for their own money, and after talking to some people at NBK I signed some papers to cancel the transaction but it won't happen until transaction department look into it.

UPDATE: Jan, 2012 - Problem resolved

Doodle Devil | All 190 Elements

One of the most addictive games.

Source: [link]

"Elements
Metal = Fire + Stone
Air = Human + Apple
Steam = Water + Fire/Water + Lava
Ash = Fire + Tree/Fire + House/Light + Vampire/Fire + Book/Fire + Beast
Earth = Human + Apple
Energy = Fire + Air
Stone = Water + Lava
Fire = Human + Apple
Water = Human + Apple
Lava = Fire + Earth

Good
Prayer = Human + Angel
Angel = Life + Light
Religion = Human + Prayer
Friendship = Human + Human
Heavens = Soul + Religion
Life = Human + Human/Man + Woman
Resurrection = Corpse + Soul
Light = Human + Apple
Soul = Human + Demon
Order = Human + Apple

War Machines
Airplane = Air + Car
Napalm = Fire + Oil
Battle Cruiser = Water + Cannon
Radar = Air + Radio-Wave/Air + Surveillance
Bomber = Airplane + Bomb
Cannon = Weapon + Bomb
Helicopter = Air + Mechanism
Submarine = Fish + Battle Cruiser
Land Mine = Earth + Bomb
Tank = Car + Armor

Sins
Envy = Sin + Greed
Pride = Sin + Sin
Gluttony = Sin + Food
Sloth = Sin + Work
Greed = Sin + Money
Heresy = Sin + Religion
Lust = Sin + Sex
Theft = Sin + Money
Murder = Sin + Corpse
Wrath = Sin + Weapon

Animals
Rat = Beast + Diseases
Bat = Air + Vampire
Snake = Egg + Worm
Beast = Human + Apple
Pigeon = Air + Rat
Egg = Stone + Magic
Wolf = Beast + Wrath
Fish = Beast + Water
Worm = Earth + Life
Piranha = Fish + Weapon

Technology
Internet = Computer + Computer
AI = Life + Computer
Radio-Wave = Air + Electricity
Car = Oil + Mechanism
Cell Phone = Radio-Wave + Computer
Computer = Book + TV
Robot = Mechanism + Computer
Cyborg = AI + Robot
TV = Demon + Mechanism
Electricity = Energy + Metal

Monsters
Cerebrus = Beast + Death
Mutant = Man + Magic/Human + Darkness
Cthulu = Water + Demon
Vampire = Human + Blood
Demon = Beast + Darkness
Frankenstein = Corpse + Electricity
Ghost = Ash + Soul
Werewolf = Man + Beast
Ghoul = Corpse + Zombie
Zombie = Life + Corpse/Death + Corpse/Human + Computer

Society
Atheism = Human + Heresy
Money = Knowledge + Copyright/Demon + Soul/Oil + Politician
Book = Human + Knowledge
Psychology = Human + Heresy
Censored = Sex + Mechanism/Sex + Money
Copyright = Order + Demon
Gambling = Human + Greed
War = Pride + Politician
Knowledge = Human + Apple
Work = Human + Coffee/Human + Money

Witchcraft
Spell book = Book + Magic
Crow = Pigeon + Witch
Torture = Suffering + Suffering
Necro-mancer = Zombie + Wizard
Potion = Water + Magic
Sacrifice = Murder + Religion
Wand = Weapon + Magic
Scroll = Magic + Leather
Witch = Woman + Magic
Skeleton = Human + Acid

Humans
Man = Human + Apple
Blood = Human + Weapon/Human + Torture/Man + Weapon
Politician = Human + Copyright/Human + Pride
Corpse = Human + Life/Human + Murder
Food = Beast + Weapon
Human
Sex = Dragon + Hydra/Man + Woman
Lawyer = Human + Copyright
Woman = Human + Apple
Leather = Human + Torture

Nature
Apple
Seeds = Apple + Earth
Bacteria = Life + Spore
Spore = Seeds + Mushroom
Coffee = Energy + Seeds
Grass = Earth + Seeds
Mushroom = Earth + Seeds
Tobacco = Fire + Grass
Razorvine = Grass + Weapon
Tree = Earth + Seeds

Security
Army = Order + War
Scientist = Knowledge + Knowledge
City = House + House
Soldier = Firearm + Warrior
Corruption = Politician + Money
Cyber-space = Life + Internet
Empire = Politician + Army
Surveillance = Knowledge + War
Hacker = Knowledge + Computer
Terrorism = War + Chaos

Evil
Sect = Religion + Heresy
Chaos = War + Nuclear bomb
Sin = Human+ Apple
Darkness = Human + Apple
Death = Human + Life
Diseses = Human + Tobacco
Styx = Water + Death
Inferno = Human + Murder
Suffering = Fire + House/Human + Torture/Human + War/Human + Acid
Magic = Energy + Demon

Destruction
Earth-quake = Earth + Earth
Armageddon = War + Biological weapon
Epidemic = Diseases + Chaos
Biological weapon = Spore + Bomb
Chemical weapon = Poison Gas + Missile
Communism = Demon + Sect
Nuclear bomb = Mushroom + Bomb
Democracy = Politician + Politician
Tsunami = Water + Earth-quake
Dictatorship = Politician + Army

Science Fiction Weapons
BFG 9000 = Weapon + Inferno
Plasmai-gun = Weapon + Plasma
Death ray gun = Weapon + Alien
Space marine = Soldier + Void
Death star = City + Spaceship
Disintegrator = Weapon + Void
Force field = Energy + Armor
Spaceship = Rocket + Battle Cruiser
Light saber = Laser + Force field
Vacuum bomb = Void + Bomb

Tools
Acid = Water + Sulfur
Poison gas = Air + Poison
Bomb = Metal + TNT
Sulfur = Air + Inferno
House = Human + Stone
Mechanism = Metal + Work
Oil = Earth + Knowledge
TNT = Oil + Acid
Poison = Coffee + Tobacco
Weapon = Human + Metal

Midevil
Spell = Knowledge + Magic
Castle = House + Armor
Tower = House + Wizard
Dragon = Magic + Egg
Elf = Human + Light
Hydra = Beast + Snake
Unicorn = Beast + Magic
Pegasus = Pigeon + Unicorn
Wizard = Human + Energy
Phoenix = Fire + Pigeon

Weapons
Gun-powder = Cellulose + Acid
AK-47 = Firearm + Magic
Hand grenade = Bomb + Soldier
Armor = Metal + Warrior
Bazooka = Weapon + Missile
Desert eagle = Firearm + Pride
Missile = Bomb + Rocket
Firearm = Weapon + Gun-powder
Warrior = Human + Wrath
Flame-thrower = Fire + Weapon

Science
Alien = Life + Void
Satellite = Void + Rocket
Cellulose = Grass + Work
UFO = Alien + Rocket
Laser = Fire + Radio-Wave
Plasma = Fire + Energy
Radiation = Radio-Wave + Radio-Wave
Virus = Human + Diseases
Rocket = Airplane + Void
Void = Order + Chaos"