Abstract
In this article we focus on speech produced by 8- and 16-bit home computers during their "golden era", the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s. Over this period budget-friendly home computers spread to Finnish homes, and an increasing number of citizens ended up in contact with computing.
Our research material has been collected using an online survey, where we asked about first remembrances about talking machines and the feelings evoked by those encounters. The memories revolve around topics such as home computers of the time, their games and the emerging computer hobby culture. Naturally, movies and TV series of the time period, which created expectations about the capabilities of computers, are also present in the memories.
The responses show some signs of a strengthened relationship with the machine, but the most predominant themes are the positive experiences created by a talking machine and the increased faith for the future. Experiments by young hobbyists were often unexpected and ingenious, which on the one hand tells about their open-minded attitude towards technology, and on the other hand about the lack of established uses for talking machines.
Our research material has been collected using an online survey, where we asked about first remembrances about talking machines and the feelings evoked by those encounters. The memories revolve around topics such as home computers of the time, their games and the emerging computer hobby culture. Naturally, movies and TV series of the time period, which created expectations about the capabilities of computers, are also present in the memories.
The responses show some signs of a strengthened relationship with the machine, but the most predominant themes are the positive experiences created by a talking machine and the increased faith for the future. Experiments by young hobbyists were often unexpected and ingenious, which on the one hand tells about their open-minded attitude towards technology, and on the other hand about the lack of established uses for talking machines.
| Translated title of the contribution | ”Another visitor!” – When talking machines entered homes |
|---|---|
| Original language | Finnish |
| Pages (from-to) | 47-62 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Lähikuva |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 9 Apr 2020 |
| MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Keywords
- home computers
- digital culture
- speech synthesis