Audio system for technical readings

Abstract

The advent of electronic documents makes information available in more than its visual form -electronic information can now be display-independent.We describe a computing system, A S T E R, that audio formats electronic documents to produce audio documents.A S T E R can speak both literary texts and highly technical documents (presently in (L A )T E X) that contain complex mathematics.Visual communication is characterized by the eye's ability to actively access parts of a two-dimensional display.The reader is active, while the display is passive.This active-passive role is reversed by the temporal nature of oral communication: information flows actively past a passive listener.This prohibits multiple viewsit is impossible to first obtain a high-level view and then "look" at details.These shortcomings become severe when presenting complex mathematics orally.Audio formatting, which renders information structure in a manner attuned to an auditory display, overcomes these problems.A S T E R is interactive, and the ability to browse information structure and obtain multiple views enables active listening.I thank my adviser, David Gries, for his help and guidance in turning a collection of useful ideas into a