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Shinichi Torihara
Graduate School of Media and Governance
Keio University
Email: torihara@sfc.keio.ac.jp
Shun Ishizaki
Faculty of Environmental Information Department
Keio University
Email: ishizaki@sfc.keio.ac.jp
1. Introduction
The annotation to all human cognitive activities by the combination of the Internet with human network would make it possible to enhance people's QOL(Quality of Life.)
We developed "Media Transcoder" to serve on-line annotations on the Internet(Web pages and emails) depending upon each need.
The multimedia and design for each(not design for all) are extremely, essential especially for the handicapped people.
2.1.Media Transcoder
Media Transcoder is consist of a set of libraries for media conversion between text, graphics, movie, sound and so forth.
We developed "httpadaptor" to annotate Web pages, and "Mail Transfer" to annotate emails. Both systems contain Media Transcoder in them.
2.2.httpadaptor
Httpadaptor is running as a proxy or angent server between Web browsers and WWW servers.
The annotations on http protocol are realized by re-writing the original URL in html documents into our server's URL plus the original URL(as a parameter). If httpadaptor get the control, it will process the following;
(1) html parsing
(2) Media conversion
(3) Re-construction of html
The users can browse the annotated pages as they browse the original pages.
2.3.Mail Transfer
Mail Transfer, email version of Media Transcoder, is, so to speak, an extension of mail transfer programs.
Media conversion is done in between pop3(receiving emails) and smtp(sending emails.)
Mail Transfer runs as follows;
(1) Checking mail spool
(2) Receiving emails
(3) Checking mail header(plain text/html)
(4) html parsing(if html)
(5) Media conversion
(6) Re-construction of html(if html)
(7) Sending emails
The users can receive the annotated messages for a short time.
3.Ruby Annotation
We started to serve on-line "ruby" annotation on the Internet(Web pages and emails) for the learners of the Japanese language all over the world[1].
Ruby is small characters on the original line showing the pronunciation of Kanji characters.
We have the following kinds of service;
- Web service
(1) Browsing Web pages with ruby
The users can browse any Web pages with ruby annotation.
(2) Built-in ruby function on Web sites
The Web masters can build in ruby annotation function on the Web sites, just by inserting one line containing the anchor or link in index.html.
See Figure 1.
- Email service
(1) Messages with ruby
The users can read mail body with ruby annotation.
See Figure 2.
(2) Kanji characters in image with ruby
If the users take the pictures of printed Kanji characters and send them to the server by cell phone with digital camera, they can obtain Kanji characters with ruby annotation.
See Figure 3.
4.Conclusion
We made "Media Transcoder" and firstly applied to "ruby" annotation for the learners of the Japanese language. The transcoder, however, is not Japanese oriented framework, but universal. We will demonstrate media conversion from text to speech(TTS).
It covers six foreign languages.
Our system has the potentials of annotating all human cognitive activities borderlessly.
Reference [1] http://www.adaptive-techs.com/lang/english.html
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