Tag Archives | Quick

…Goog 411′s voice is complicated?

Goog 411

If you’ve ever used Goog 411, Google’s free 411 service (And if you haven’t, I suggest you do. Just dial 1-800-GOOG-411.) then you’ve probably heard the “biddy-biddy-boop” sound that the service makes while looking for your request.

This “fetch audio”, created by Google’s senior voice expert, Bill Byrne, is more unique than you might think.

It had to have “just the right tone, the right mood, the right signal. It can’t be busy or too monotonous, it has to be a quick noise to evoke efficiency. It can’t be too uniform, like a ticking clock.”

I guess that sound is more complicated than one would think. No wonder they hired a voice expert just to design it!

[Goog 411]

[Via: GigaOM]

…Caffeine can help you nap better?

Caffeine Nap

If you’re looking for a quick pick-me-up, try taking a caffeine nap.

Here’s how:

  1. Right before you crash, down a cup of java. The caffeine has to travel through your gastro-intestinal tract, giving you time to nap before it kicks in.
  2. Close your eyes and relax. Even if you only doze, you’ll get what’s known as effective microsleep, or momentary lapses of wakefulness.
  3. Limit your nap to 15 minutes. A half hour can lead to sleep inertia, or the spinning down of the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which handles functions like judgment. This gray matter can take 30 minutes to reboot.

[Wired - Cheat On The Need To Sleep]

[Via: Lifehacker]

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