AREM

[Wod Fam Choc Sod]

So I listened to the Novacom behind-the-scenes episode yesterday (and it was awesome, btw... I laughed hysterically the whole time...) Anyway, I have a problem. With AREM's voice.

So AREM has this really creepy computer voice... on the behind-the-scenes, the writers said that it was basically the computer reading the message. Like a screen reader. Which makes sense...

But when Connie messages Mitch (aka AREM) after she finds out that he isn't dead, he says "Let me turn off the voice processor so you can hear my real voice." And then you can literally hear Mitch's voice, as if he was talking on the phone. Which means that he was speaking the message instead of typing?? But Connie is typing.

So now I am so confused... And I am wondering how Mitch could go around talking out loud about all this controversial stuff and no one would ever hear him? Like Novacom wouldn't have bugged his office and maybe even his apartment? Or maybe have walked past his office and heard him talking?

And why would the writers have said that it was a screen reader when it was really his voice? And why would Connie be typing if Mitch could just talk?

AGH... maybe I'm overthinking this. But it's been driving me crazy ever since

[Steve]

this is a legitimately good question. unfortunately, the best answer we'll probably ever get is that it's a fictional audio drama and the technology has to be fudged to make the story work within its format. it's pretty common for fiction writers to write over-the-top tech. it makes stories more fun, even if it's totally unrealistic. odyssey's format also adds an additional layer of complexity, in that someone has to speak every single idea the writers want communicated. so it's a little out there, but to make the scene work, it's much better to hear mitch's actual voice than the computer voice.

that said, i love the idea of mitch sitting in his apartment, recording every english word, consonant, and vowel sound with a thousand different inflections over and over again to basically become his own version of siri. i can't believe he had time to date someone.

[bookworm]

I haven't heard the behind the scenes, so this is the first I've heard about it being a screen reader. I never would have thought that, my understanding was always that he was speaking to people and they were typing back. But now that you mention it, that doesn't seem entirely plausible since at least on a few occasions he was probably in situations where he would have been overheard like you said. So it does make more sense in those cases, but it really doesn't square with the one where he drops the filter like you point out.

I really can't believe that particular conversation was using a reader, it just doesn't work. That one at least had to be live, there are too many oddities otherwise. So maybe he did a mix of both? Most of the time it was a reader using that automated voice, but he had the ability to also on occasion speak directly and filter it with the same voice, and talking to Connie was one of those times.

[Wod Fam Choc Sod]

So maybe he did a mix of both? Most of the time it was a reader using that automated voice, but he had the ability to also on occasion speak directly and filter it with the same voice, and talking to Connie was one of those times.

I think so. Since he was for sure safe at that point, he probably wouldn't have needed so much caution when talking to Connie. And I could definitely hear emotion in the AREM voice, which wouldn't have come from a screen reader. That part when he says "I'm sorry" always makes my heart melt.

[Catspaw]

Interesting observation, Wod Fan Choc Sod! I listened to the Novacom behind the scenes disc a long time ago and recall liking it, but didn't pick up on the detail that you did. It definitely seems to be one of those things where you can come up with lots of ideas to kind of explain it but none will ever quite fit.