Not the end!

Like the funny error I posted on Facebook today (September 17), there is good news and there is bad(ish) news.

The good news is that I have found a solution to the technical problems with Speakonia. After a lengthy investigation, the problem turned out to be a faulty installation. After a fresh install, the problems are gone and Speakonia functions correctly.

The bad(ish) news is that outside of YouTube, I have more work that needs to be done over the coming months, more work than I had anticipated. For this reason, videos will remain on hiatus, although not indefinitely. My schedule as is can't afford to take a day out to create a YouTube video, as the process of making a video - even a text-to-speech video - can take a day or more to create, especially Funny Windows Errors and Blue Screen of Death.

I won't promise anything, but keep an eye out on Canadian Thanksgiving and mid-November. I may or may not find time to make a video or two at those times, but I assure you that Funny Windows Errors will return in December, although I might just skip episodes nine, ten, and eleven, and just proceed to the finale. Trust me, the finale will be awesome.

If you need a fix of errors between now and December, make sure to like my Facebook page. I'm posting funny errors every day on this page. Sometimes, errors are best without silly commentary by our good friend Microsoft Sam.

Thanks for reading. Microsoft Sam will return.

The End?

This might be the end.

In my last blog post I detailed my recent struggles surrounding Microsoft Sam reads Funny Windows Errors. Recall that my viewership has declined in the past three years, nowhere near the heights of 2010 and 2011. Recall that I proposed a series of reforms to my videos and my schedule. Unfortunately, the situation has deteriorated rapidly in recent weeks.

After a series of computer upgrades, Speakonia no longer functions correctly on my computer. I do not know if it is due to a transition to a 64-bit operating system, or if there is another underlying issue preventing Speakonia from working correctly. I thought I had the software working correctly for a time, but unfortunately it was not the case. Worse yet, I cannot acquire the text-to-speech engine featuring the Microsoft voices (Sam, Mike, and Mary). While I have noticed links and downloads featuring the text-to-speech engine, you will have to forgive my immense distrust of .exe files hosted on file-sharing websites. Some have suggested using another text-to-speech program, but again, you will have to forgive my unwillingness to install random third-party software on my computer. The loss of Speakonia means the end of text-to-speech videos on my channel, barring an unlikely breakthrough that sees the software function again.

If this is the end of text-to-speech videos on my channel, then this is a disappointing conclusion. Without Speakonia, I cannot give Microsoft Sam reads Funny Windows Errors the proper sendoff it deserves. I cannot continue the Stupid and Weird Signs series, nor can I continue the Funny Engrish series. I cannot create Blue Screen of Death (Episode 8), a video that I had hoped to use for the 10,000 subscriber special.

I don't know where to go from here. Every video will remain on my channel, but it looks unlikely that I will ever be able to create another text-to-speech video again. At best, I might be able to create videos featuring errors and signs but without any commentary. In the best-case scenario, I could finish Season 17 of Microsoft Sam reads Funny Windows Errors as simply “Funny Windows Errors (S17EP9)” for example. This solution may not be satisfactory, as most enjoy commentary while some enjoy the errors without any commentary. Maybe I could use my voice to read errors, but my channel built itself on the voice of Microsoft Sam.

I have not come to a decision as of yet on what to do next as I am busy with other work that must take priority over YouTube work.

Thank you for reading.