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Talking Number Machine Copyright (c) 1993 KidStuff Software 6490 Dubois Rd. Delaware, OH 43015-8931 614-548-5043 Compuserve 71043,3706 TNUM is designed to help children recognize, say, and write numbers from 1 to 9,999,999,999,999. TNUM uses high quality digitized speech to say the numbers which appear on the screen. Mouse and/or keyboard commands may be used. The program includes the following activities: Number Machine - Click on the Number Machine and the machine will produce an interesting fact containing a large number with an accompanying picture. There are options to say, write, and form the number. The registered version contains 175 facts. Enter any Number - The user may enter (calculator style) any number up to 13 digits. There are options to say, write, and form the number. Enter the Written Number - The computer will "think" of a large number and display that number in words, for example - nine million two hundred fifty one thousand three hundred seventy two. The user must enter the digits to make that number. Count By - TNUM can also help your child learn to count (by increments of 1 to 10). If the user selects 2 the program will begin counting by 2's - 2, 4, 6, 8, etc. until you decide to stop. The inspiration for "Talking Number Machine" (TNUM) came from my daughter Lisa, age 7. From the time she learned to read, she was continually asking me, "Mom, what's this number?". She had a fascination with large numbers, but at the time could not recognize numbers over about 999. Now she is comfortable with numbers up to the trillions. I hope your children find TNUM both educational and enjoyable. Your registration fee makes it possible for us to continue producing programs such as "Talking Number Machine". If you continue to use this program, I hope you will decide to become a registered user by sending in the following registration form. Shareware Registration Form - TNUM 1.0 Benefits Of Registering!!!: *** Receive 150 additional number facts for use in TNUM. *** Receive a utility program which allows you to add your own number facts to TNUM. *** Receive a registered copy of an additional program - "Talking Time Tutor". See the description at the end of this file). * Sound Blaster/Adlib sound card support. * Removal of the initial shareware screen. * Most current version of this program at registration. * Notification of and discounts on program upgrades and new programs. * Support via phone or mail. [ ] $10.00 "Talking Number Machine" Registration Fee [ ] $2.50 shipping & handling for orders outside the U.S. or Canada [ ] Sound Blaster/Adlib Version Disk Size: [ ] 3 1/2" [ ] PC Speaker Version [ ] 5 1/4" (Shareware versions of the following programs are available. See descriptions of these programs at the end of this file.) [ ] $3.00 "Sounds Like A..." [ ] $3.00 "Masterpiece Menu" [ ] $3.00 "Preschool Pack" [ ] $3.00 "Ms. Piggy Bank" [ ] $3.00 "U.S. Geography" Payments may be made by VISA, Master Card, check or money order (checks must be for U.S. funds on a U.S. bank) to: KidStuff Software 6490 Dubois Rd. Delaware, OH 43015-8931 Credit Card Information: [ ] VISA [ ] Master Card Credit Card Number: ___________________________ Expiration Date: ______________________________ Signature: ____________________________________ Name: _________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ Phone: ________________________ I received the shareware disk from: ________________________ Comments or suggestions: _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ DISTRIBUTION BBS Name: TNUM2A.ZIP TNUM2B.ZIP (disks 1 & 2) "Talking Number Machine" is a shareware product and may be freely copied and shared with other computer users. Continued use beyond a reasonable evaluation period requires registration. TNUM may be copied and distributed by shareware distributors or posted to Bulletin Board systems. Distributors, please include all files listed below when distributing this product. DISTRIBUTION FILES TNUM may be distributed on a single 720K disk, or two 360K disks. TNUM program files are compressed and then split into the two files TNUM20.001 and TNUM20.002 to accommodate 360K distribution disks. The installation program recombines these files and then uncompresses them. VENDORS: These files are for vendor use only and do not need to be distributed to users. ---> VENDOR.DOC * this file. ---> TNUM20.PCX * graphic for catalog use, if desired. ---> FILE_ID.DIZ * description file for BBS's !!!! The following files are required for proper installation !!!! SINGLE DISK DISTRIBUTION (720K or 1.2M) INSTALL.EXE * installation program INSTALL.FIL * installation script TNUM20.001 * split file 1 TNUM20.002 * split file 2 TWO DISK DISTRIBUTION (360K) *** Disk1 INSTALL.EXE * installation program INSTALL.FIL * installation script TNUM20.001 * split file 1 *** Disk2 TNUM20.002 * split file 2 PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS "Talking Number Machine" requires 640K RAM, a hard drive, and an EGA or VGA color monitor. A mouse is optional. TNUM produces speech via digitized voice files. Because the speech is produced through the PC's internal speaker, no additional sound cards are necessary. *** The speech routines require at least a 286 system and are not compatible with Microsoft Windows. The program must be run strictly from DOS (not the Windows shell). INSTALLATION Insert disk 1 into the floppy drive and type A:INSTALL (or B:INSTALL). Once installed you should have the following files: TNUM.EXE TFACT.DBF TNUM.DOC TNUM.DBF TNUM.GXL TNUM.NTX TNUM.VOI TNUM.DVX RUNNING "Talking Number Machine" Change to the "Talking Number Machine" directory and type TNUM. For example: CD \TNUM TNUM Remember that the speech routines will not function correctly if the program is run from Microsoft Windows. The program must be started from the DOS prompt. "TALKING NUMBER MACHINE" INSTRUCTIONS Main Screen ----------- The Main Screen contains the Number Place Names, the Traffic Light, the Number Entry Area (the white area with an underline for each digit), and the Number Machine. Exiting the Program: Click: traffic light Key: ESC Number Place Names: Click: place name area Key: Spacebar The names of each number position are displayed at a right angle to the place, directly above the number entry area. For example - Ones, Tens, Hundreds, Thousands, etc. The display of these names may be toggled on or off by clicking in that area or by pressing the spacebar. Once a child understands how to read a 3 digit number, the larger numbers are really very easy. They just need to break the number down into 3 digit sections (commas are displayed in the Number Entry Area), saying the 3 digit number and then the appropriate place name for that 3 digit section. The place names for each section are displayed in red to make them more prominent. For example - the number 823,745,891,905 would be broken down as follows: 823 (above the 3 is the word Billion in red) 745 (above the 5 is the word Million in red) 891 (above the 1 is the word Thousand in red) 905 "Talking Number Machine" Activities ----------------------------------- 1.) Count by Numbers 1 to 10. Click: machine smoke stack Key: F1 TNUM can help your child learn to count by increments of 1 to 10. When this option is selected you will be asked for the number to count by. Click on the desired number or press a number key. To count by 10's press the zero key or click on zero. If the user selects 2 the program will begin counting by 2's: 2, 4, 6, 8, etc. The number will be displayed in the number entry area and the number will be spoken. Press any key or click a mouse button to stop the counting. The program will stop on its own when it reaches 2,147,000,000 (more or less, depending on the number you are counting by). 2.) Enter Any Number. Click: machine number pad Key: F2/ENTER The user may enter (calculator style) any number up to 13 digits. Any digits entered will be added onto the current number. You may select the Clear option to start a new number. As you enter a number there will be several red buttons displayed to the left of the number machine indicating the available options. Click a button or press the underlined letter of the desired option. Say (S) Use the Say option to have the computer say your number. Write (W) Use the Write option to have the computer display your number in word format. Form (F) The Form option allows the user to select from a display of number words to create the word version of the current number. This allows the user to "write" the number without having to actually type the words. A grid of number words will be displayed. Select each number word in the appropriate order by clicking on the word. You may also use the Up, Down, Left, and Right arrow keys to highlight the desired word. Once the desired word is highlighted, press ENTER. For example - if the number was 1,319, you would select the following words - One, Thousand, Three, Hundred, Nineteen. If the user gets stuck, there is a Help button which will display the next word in the number. Click the Help button or press 'H' for help. When the number is complete, or if you would like to exit before the number is complete, click the Exit button or press 'X'. Clear (C) The Clear option will erase the number you have entered so far, allowing you to start over. Exit (X) Use the Exit option to end the Enter Number mode. 3.) Enter the Number (in Digits) to Match the Number Displayed in Words. Click: yellow panel on machine Key: F3 The computer will "think" of a large number and will display that number in words, for example - nine million two hundred fifty one thousand three hundred seventy two. The user must enter the digits to make that number. Enter the digits by clicking on the number pad of the number machine or by pressing the number key. Do not enter commas. The following options are available - Say, Help, Clear, and Exit. The Say option will say the number as you have entered it so far. If you get stuck, use the Help option to display the next digit in the number. Click the Help button or press 'H' for help. Use the Clear option to clear the number and start over. When the number is complete, or if you would like to exit before the number is complete, click the Exit button or press 'X'. From the main screen you may press F10 to set a range of digits to use for this activity. For example you could restrict the numbers generated to numbers from hundreds to millions by setting the Minimum Number of Digits to 3, and the maximum number of digits to 7. Or if you prefer to work on millions only set both the minimum and maximum number of digits to 7. 4.) Activate Fact Machine Click: machine handle Key: F4 (Clicking with the right mouse button will display the number fact without animating the number machine) Click on the handle of the Number Machine and the machine will produce an interesting fact containing a large number. The fact will be displayed in a frame, with the number highlighted, along with an accompanying picture. For example - "Americans eat 50,000,000 hot dogs a day." While the fact is displayed the following options are available - Say, Write, Form, and Exit. These options are described under Activity 2 - Enter Any Number. Each of these options will apply to the highlighted fact number. The shareware version of the program contains 25 number facts. The registered version contains 150 additional facts for a total of 175. Sound Blaster/Adlib or compatible versions of each of these programs area available to registered users. ========================================================================= T A L K I N G T I M E T U T O R All registered users of "Talking Number Machine" will receive a free copy of the registered version of "Talking Time Tutor". ========================================================================= "Talking Time Tutor" will have your child telling time in no time! Your child will hear the time spoken using high quality digitized speech. TTIME provides a variety of different time activities each with three skill levels. Activities include setting the analog clock to match the digital clock, setting the digital clock to match the analog clock, setting the analog clock to the spoken or written time, and setting the analog clock to a future or past time. Additional features are provided to entertain your child as he/she learns. Each of 6 analog clocks has its own animation routine. Pocket Watch Display minute count by fives. Owl Eyes move left to right. Bear Honey bee flies around. Santa Christmas tree with blinking lights. Cat Eyes move up and down. Dinosaur Munches on grass. Cuckoo Clock Cuckoos The colors of the band on the digital wrist watch may be changed. A bear on the screen tells time-related jokes or asks your child questions about time. Isn't it about time you invested in "Talking Time Tutor" for your child? ========================================================================= P R E S C H O O L P A C K ========================================================================= The colorful graphics, songs, and speech of Preschool Pack will be sure to capture the attention of your preschooler. From the main menu screen, which contains a cat which meows and winks when clicked, to the bee which frowns when a mistake is made in the matching game, you and your preschooler will appreciate the careful design and attention to detail of Preschool Pack. Through six different and entertaining activities your preschooler will learn about counting, number recognition, the alphabet, colors, matching, classifying, and memorizing his name, address, and telephone number. The activities include: "Animal Homes", where animals must be placed in their appropriate homes - either farm, forest, or circus. Most of the animals have an accompanying animation and animal sound! "Balloons", where the user must click on a color block matching the color of a rising balloon before it pops; "Matching", a memory game with an animated bee rewarding the user who locates all matches; "Counting", where the user counts along with the computer as a variety of colorful images, from dinosaurs to dolls, are displayed; and "ABC's" where the user must find all letters which match a displayed letter. "ABC's" uses speech to pronounce each letter as it is selected. In the last activity the child will learn to spell his name, as well as learning his address and phone number. All activities are reinforced with cheerful music and animation sequences. ========================================================================= S O U N D S L I K E A . . . ========================================================================= "Sounds Like A..." is a unique and entertaining game for children ranging in age from approximately 1 1/2 to 7 years of age. The program uses colorful graphics and a variety of high-quality sounds ranging from a clock "ticking" to a dog "barking". In the first of two games, the child must find the picture which matches a sound. Your child may hear, for example, a cow "mooing". He/she will then click on a square containing the picture of a cow. A game consists of 12 sound/picture pairs. As each picture is matched with the accompanying sound, parts of a larger underlying picture are revealed. The second game is a matching or memory game with a slight twist. The child must match a picture with the appropriate sound. For example, if the child clicks on a block revealing a picture of a donkey, he must find the block which contains the "Hee Haw" sound in order to make a match. *** An enhanced version of Sounds Like A... is available for Sound Blaster or Adlib systems that provides 36 MIDI songs in addition to the sounds of the standard program. Your child will hear a song and match that song to its corresponding picture. There are 12 children's songs, 12 Bible songs, and 12 Christmas songs. Also included in this version is a "tape player" where your child can play any of the sounds or songs in the program. ========================================================================= M A S T E R P I E C E M E N U ========================================================================= Masterpiece Menu is a menu program designed specifically for children. Even the youngest children will be able to run their own software using Masterpiece Menu. The painter "paints" each program icon on the easel. Click the easel or press ENTER to run the displayed program. The large, colorful program icons are standard PCX files. Setup is a breeze, simply press F10 to enter your child's program information. You can even set up separate configurations so each child can have his/her own menu. Masterpiece Menu runs in EGA or VGA mode and includes a "screen saver", calendar, and animated clock.