Roger Ebert: Without a Voice and Louder than Ever

Roger Ebert is an inspiration, not only to those interested in film, but in all aspects of the entertainment industry. His determination to keep sharing with the world his reviews and knowledge, even without an audible voice, is a prime example of pursuing your passion and overcoming obstacles. I have known people with big dreams but when it comes to working around the obstacles, they are not willing to make the sacrifices or adjustments to achieve their passion. Ebert has not only continued to pursue his passion, but with the development of a “personalized” computer voice, he is also helping advance computer/audio technology. Social networking has helped create a new voice for Ebert, inspiring others to never give up on doing what you love.  

In this video from TED.com, Roger Ebert discusses how he lost his voice, but also, how he gained an even larger audience by the power of social networking sites. Instead of using the Alex Apple voice, Ebert had three people close to him read his words. The first was his wife, Chaz. She details the complications with Ebert’s surgeries, including the ruptured artery that could have ended Ebert’s life. After several failing surgeries, Ebert was left without his jaw, no longer able to use any vocal capabilities. He first wrote several notes and then soon transitioned to the computer-generated voice, but with Apple’s release of Alex, there was more of a natural flow.

Ebert continues that you do not really put much value on your voice until it is gone, making him feel distant from the human mainstream. Chaz suggested using old recordings from interviews and commentaries to create a personalized computer voice. A company in Scotland took on the challenge of creating the first voice to sound like a person. The flow is not as natural and the company is still working to improve it, while Ebert continues to use Apple’s Alex.

Ebert is now able to communicate to a wider audience because of social networking. He uses his blog, email, twitter and Facebook to substitute. He agrees it is not an improvement but it is the best he can do. "Online everyone speaks at the same speed." Ebert says he cannot complain. He is writing as well as ever, has no cancer, and the digital revolution has provided a new voice for him.This shows a lot about Ebert's character and encourages me to keep pursuing what I love. 

“Only after we learn to pass knowledge from one generation to the next, does civilization become possible.” -Roger Ebert

Follow him on Twitter: @ebertchicago

Check out his blog: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/