Technically Working
9 days ago

Chunk the Text, Treat the Room, and Let Your Assistant Do the Follow-Up

Show notes (Technically Working, Episode 146) This week starts with a dramatic voice demo and turns into a practical conversation about TTS quality, accessibility, and the friction that slows down real work.

In this episode, we talk about:

  • More expressive on-device voices (and why “emotion” in TTS can be impressive but unpredictable)
  • Why some AI voices drift over long reads (like losing low end after a few thousand characters)
  • The practical fix: chunking text around 3,000 characters at sentence or paragraph boundaries
  • The jarring side of expressive TTS: when the tone suddenly shifts mid-training

  • Mac code editor accessibility and workflow:

  • VS Code feeling clunky with VoiceOver navigation

  • Nova being close, but still having VoiceOver quirks (like wrapped-line re-reading)
  • Missing the flexibility and simplicity of TextMate
  • A quick audio reality check: room reverb, mic position, and loud breathing in the mic
  • Why it’s worth listening back sometimes, even if you usually don’t
  • “Personal intelligence” assistants: Gemini connecting deeper with Gmail, Calendar, Photos, and Drive, and what that could enable
  • Stream Deck Plus on sale (knobs!) and the bigger question: is the software accessible enough?

  • Capture friction and follow-up problems:

  • Getting ideas out of your head fast

  • Using automation to sort notes into reminders, drafts, and follow-ups
  • Why the Apple Watch action button might help reduce steps
  • PLAUD recording devices: improved hardware button design, but app accessibility still matters
  • Local processing ideas: Raspberry Pi options for local transcription and LLM workflows
  • Listener feedback: Squarespace questions and a quick look at support options (tip jar vs Buy Me a Coffee)

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