Newton Dances with SONY?

[Info-Mac]

Download: http://archive.info-mac.org/nwt/newton- ... -drill.hqx

I believe that SONY at one time was worried about Apple computers
playing their games. Here is a new speech synthesis instructive dance game
that SONY (at least a new sort of "hearing aid") can play with Newton.
If you are interested and already have Newton speech synthesis,
check out my freeware and its idea.
My "Dance" is a newton program that tells dance moves with or
without coaching on how to do them. It plays the step list in random
sequences so that you can learn to firm up your lead. The strongest most
painful way to learn lead is to not have the woman hear what the move is
your Newton says to you. She has no way of knowing except through your lead
(unless you cheat and tell her what Newton said) what move is coming next.
You will make mistakes, it will be embarrassing, with a kind
partner you will learn. You may practice a subset of the full steplist and
work up to the full steplist challenge.
A dance partner might prefer to practice this "silent treatment" in
private lest they associate the Newton program with public embarrassment.
It can be learned! My partner and I have and we aren't afraid to use the
Newton in public together.
In the private partnering environment, the woman can more
graciously suggest how the man's lead could be made less confusing, so that
the man can learn the lead without an impartial arbiter. This is
frightening at first outside the normal dance instruction context with the
teacher superior and no such discussion allowed as disruptive to the rest
of the class.
This new context of discussion of dance with a partner is very very
interesting to me.
So, for best results, practice privately and make a hearing aide
arrangement I have made. It is cumbersome and I wish SONY would make a
spread spectrum connection to a wireless ear "dancing hearing aide".
For my "el cheapo version", you can use a radio shack phone pickup
and (use a candle, two mending braces, c clamps) bent piece of lexan to
suction pickup onto near Newton speaker and run a earphone wire inside your
shirt to your ear.
The dance notes might be exceptionally meaningful only to me as I
own the project and can constantly revise them.
I am not out to teach you dancing, but rather the idea of my Dance
package. When you get the idea, you might make it come alive with
improvements.
Maybe one of you will make a more fascile interface. Maybe someone
will invent a forarm Newton holster so all screen buttons are readily
accessible and it will be more "quick on the draw". Right now I have a side
holster and ready access only to the on/off button. When a dance begins, I
must take the newton out and choose the dance type while the nervous dance
instructor complains I should get on with dancing.