KOReader is a free and open-source document viewer focused on e-ink devices like Kobo, Kindle, PocketBook, and Android. It emphasizes comfortable reading, offering features like customizable fonts, margins, and line spacing, along with extensive dictionary integration, footnote support, and various text-to-speech options. KOReader supports a wide range of document formats, including PDF, EPUB, MOBI, DjVu, CBZ, and CBR. The project aims to provide a flexible and feature-rich reading experience tailored to the unique demands of e-ink displays.
Wondercraft AI, a Y Combinator-backed startup, is hiring engineers and a designer to build their AI-powered podcasting tool. They're looking for experienced individuals passionate about audio and AI, specifically those proficient in Python (backend/ML), React (frontend), and design tools like Figma. Wondercraft aims to simplify podcast creation, allowing users to generate podcasts from blog posts or other text-based content. They offer competitive salaries and equity, remote work flexibility, and the chance to contribute to an innovative product in a growing market.
The Hacker News comments on the Wondercraft (YC S22) hiring post are few and primarily focus on the company itself rather than the job postings. Some users express skepticism about the long-term viability of AI-generated podcasts, questioning the potential for genuine audience engagement and the perceived value compared to human-created content. Others mention previous AI voice generation projects and speculate about the specific technology Wondercraft is using. There's a brief discussion about the limitations of current AI in replicating natural speech patterns and the potential for improvement in the future. Overall, the comments reflect a cautious curiosity about the platform and its potential impact on podcasting.
Sesame's blog post discusses the challenges of creating natural-sounding conversational AI voices. It argues that simply improving the acoustic quality of synthetic speech isn't enough to overcome the "uncanny valley" effect, where slightly imperfect human-like qualities create a sense of unease. Instead, they propose focusing on prosody – the rhythm, intonation, and stress patterns of speech – as the key to crafting truly engaging and believable conversational voices. By mastering prosody, AI can move beyond sterile, robotic speech and deliver more expressive and nuanced interactions, making the experience feel more natural and less unsettling for users.
HN users generally agree that current conversational AI voices are unnatural and express a desire for more expressiveness and less robotic delivery. Some commenters suggest focusing on improving prosody, intonation, and incorporating "disfluencies" like pauses and breaths to enhance naturalness. Others argue against mimicking human imperfections and advocate for creating distinct, pleasant, non-human voices. Several users mention the importance of context-awareness and adapting the voice to the situation. A few commenters raise concerns about the potential misuse of highly realistic synthetic voices for malicious purposes like deepfakes. There's skepticism about whether the "uncanny valley" is a real phenomenon, with some suggesting it's just a reflection of current technological limitations.
The blog post details how to create audiobooks from EPUB files using the Kokoro-82M text-to-speech model. The author outlines a process involving converting the EPUB to plain text, splitting it into smaller chunks suitable for the model's input limitations, generating the audio segments with Kokoro-82M, and finally concatenating them into a single audio file. The post highlights Kokoro's high-quality, natural-sounding speech and provides command-line examples for each step, making the process relatively straightforward to replicate. It also emphasizes the importance of proper text preprocessing and segmenting to achieve optimal results and avoid context loss between segments.
Commenters on Hacker News largely discuss alternative methods and tools for converting ebooks to audiobooks. Several suggest using pre-trained models available through services like Google Cloud or Amazon Polly, noting their superior quality compared to the Kokoro model mentioned in the article. Others recommend exploring open-source solutions like Coqui TTS. Some commenters also delve into the technical aspects, discussing different voice synthesis techniques and the importance of pre-processing ebook text for optimal results. A few raise concerns about the potential misuse of AI-generated audiobooks for copyright infringement or creating deepfakes. The overall sentiment leans towards acknowledging the author's ingenuity while suggesting more robust and readily available solutions for achieving higher quality audiobook generation.
Summary of Comments ( 69 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43539103
HN users praise KOReader for its customizability, speed, and support for a wide range of document formats. Several commenters highlight its excellent PDF handling, especially for scientific papers and technical documents, contrasting it favorably with other readers. Some appreciate its minimalist UI and focus on reading, while others discuss advanced features like dictionaries and syncing. The ability to run on older and less powerful hardware is also mentioned as a plus. A few users mention minor issues or desired features, like improved EPUB reflow, but overall the sentiment is very positive, with many long-time users chiming in to recommend it. One commenter notes its particular usefulness for reading academic papers and textbooks, praising its ability to handle complex layouts and annotations.
The Hacker News post discussing KOReader, an open-source ebook reader, has generated a moderate amount of discussion. Several commenters share their experiences and opinions on the software.
A recurring theme is appreciation for KOReader's customizability and feature set. One user highlights its support for network libraries like OPDS, which allows accessing online catalogs of ebooks. They also praise its dictionary integration and ability to customize fonts and margins, features they find lacking in other readers. Another commenter specifically praises the software's performance on older, less powerful devices, noting its smooth operation even on a Kobo Mini.
Several users discuss the benefits of KOReader's platform agnosticism. Its ability to run on various devices, including e-ink readers, Android tablets, and desktops, is seen as a significant advantage. One commenter points out how this flexibility allows them to seamlessly switch between devices while maintaining their reading progress.
There's a discussion thread focusing on KOReader's development and community. One user expresses interest in contributing to the project and asks about the development process. Another commenter mentions the active community supporting the software, which is perceived positively.
A few comments touch upon specific technical aspects. One user discusses using KOReader with a reMarkable tablet and the associated challenges. Another mentions the platform's support for various document formats, including PDF and DjVu.
While mostly positive, some comments also mention areas for improvement. One user suggests enhancements to the user interface, particularly for initial setup and configuration.
Overall, the comments paint a picture of KOReader as a powerful and versatile ebook reader appreciated for its flexibility, customizability, and active community. While there are suggestions for improvement, the general sentiment is positive, with users highlighting its advantages over other e-readers, especially for those seeking a more customizable and open-source solution.