I wrote about using Google's NotebookLM to create podcast audio files in Betty (Carringer) Seaver's Life Summary, Chat Q&A and Audio Overview Using the Google NotebookLM AI Feature on 9 October 2024. The link to the podcast on NotebookLM (9 minutes, 40 seconds) is https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/ce047ccd-d0b1-4a82-a14a-87bf2b13c4ce/audio
While the podcasts are great, and I've captured the audio WAV files from a number of ancestor life story podcasts, I also want a transcription in a text document for completeness - you never know when a digital file will disappear or a website will disappear. Hence, I searched for a website that will transcribe a WAV audio file.
I asked ChatGPT4 for suggestions here. I also asked Google for suggestions.
1) I found quite a few subscription website AI tools that can do that task, but very few of them would do a 10 to 20 minute transcription for free.
2) I did find that I could use Otter.ai and Descript.com for limited minutes a month for free and have been using those services. The services have subscription programs also - for instance, Otter.ai and Descript.com have a monthly and yearly plan with different time and download features. I haven't taken the time to decide which is best to subscribe to.
3) Using the Otter.ai application (free with limits - 300 minutes per month), I uploaded the audio WAV file for Betty (Carringer) Seaver's podcast from NotebookLM, and the service transcribed it well, with speaker indicators and time stamps. Here is a screenshot of the top of the transcription file:
On the left side of the screen are Otter.ai controls. The transcript with speaker indicators "1" and "2" is in the middle panel. The speaker indicators and time stamps are noted for each speaker. There is a different line for each speaker detected by the program. [Note: Otter often got the speaker wrong for some reason!] On the right side of the screen are "AI Chat" questions that could be asked for more information about the subject. At the top there is a "Summary" menu item that provides a short summary and outline of the audio file. At the bottom of the screen is the podcast audio which can be played. If you click on one of the transcript lines, you can hear the podcast and follow along in the transcript.
4) Here is the transcription (without the time stamps or speaker numbers - I edited them out and had to listen to the podcast to get the speaker changes):
Hey there! Ready for another deep dive?
Absolutely! Always love a good deep dive.
Well, get this. A listener sent in some incredible documents about their relative, Betty Carringer Seaver.
Oh wow! What kind of documents?
We're talking census records, school records, even her wedding announcement. It's amazing.
You're kidding! That's a goldmine of information.
Right. We get to unlock a whole life story just waiting to be discovered. And it all starts in early 1900s San Diego, a time when the city was transforming.
I can only imagine. San Diego back then was a whole different world.
I know. The documents actually include these vivid descriptions of Betty's childhood neighborhood, Brooklyn Heights. Picture this. Streetcars rumbling down 30th Street, a Piggly Wiggly market right around the corner, even mentions kids playing near a canyon that would later become, get this, the Balboa Park Golf Course.
Wow, that's amazing. It really paints a picture of a bygone era, a time of immense change, but also a certain charm, you know?
Absolutely. And speaking of change, the 1920 census tells us her father, Lyle, was an auditor for a dry goods store, which really shows how San Diego was booming with commercial activity at the time.
It really does. And you know what else I found interesting? The fact that they owned a radio in 1930. That wasn't commonplace back then. Right.
Having a radio in the 1930s was like having the latest smartphone today. It connected people to the world in ways they never imagined.
And it probably completely changed family life. Imagine gathering around the radio every evening, listening to music, news, all those news stories. It must have felt so futuristic. It's incredible to think about, right?
And speaking of change and progress, Betty's own education mirrors the expanding opportunities for women during this time.
Tell me about it. She went from Brooklyn Elementary to San Diego High School, then on to San Diego State College. Back then, a woman pursuing higher education was a big deal.
It certainly was. And Betty didn't just attend college. She really embraced it all. She was in the Phi Sigma Nu sorority.
Ah, sororities. Those are such a cornerstone of college life, especially for women.
Exactly. They offered leadership roles, networking, and lifelong friendships. And on top of all that, Betty was super active in the arts, showing her well-rounded personality and her eagerness to learn and grow.
She sounds like quite the go-getter, soaking it all up.
Did she continue with the arts later in life? You bet. But first, let's talk about a certain Mr. Fred Seaver.
Ooh, someone she met at San Diego State. Actually, they knew each other way back from Woodrow Wilson Jr. High. Talk about a meant-to-be story.
Yeah. Their paths crossed again, leading to romance and a wedding announcement published in, get this, 1942.
Wow, right in the heart of World War II. Imagine that, falling in love and getting married with such uncertainty looming in the background.
Right. The announcement even mentions Fred working for an aircraft corporation. The war was already touching their lives in such a real way even before it really hit home for them later.
You're right. It really puts things into perspective doesn't it? Even amidst global turmoil life and love found a way.
They always do. It's true though isn't it? Life and love they always seem to find a way. But for Betty and Fred the war did well. It hit close to home pretty quickly after that.
You mean with Fred working for the aircraft corporation? That must have been a tense time knowing he could be called up to serve any day.
Exactly and it wasn't long before, well the records actually show that he ended up joining the Navy pretty soon after their marriage.
Oh wow. So Betty's going through what newlywed life, then becoming a mother for the first time, all while her husband's away serving his country. That's a lot to handle.
It really is. It speaks to her strength, her adaptability. The documents mention her teaching at different schools in San Diego, all while raising their first son, Randy, mostly on her own.
See, these are the kinds of stories that we don't always hear about, the everyday sacrifices people made during wartime.
Absolutely. And it wasn't just Betty. So many women back then had to deal with their husbands being deployed, taking on roles that were, I guess, traditionally held by men, all while keeping everything else afloat at home.
Right. Like, it's one thing to read about rationing and things like that, but to actually think about living through it, raising a family with those kinds of uncertainties.
It puts things into perspective, doesn't it? It's a completely different world than what we're used to.
And you know, speaking of those challenges, the document actually mentions that Betty moved back in with her parents for a while when Fred was away.
Oh wow. I can't even imagine how difficult that must have been, not just for Betty, but for her parents too.
Absolutely. It really highlights how important family support was during those times, those close-knit communities. They were a lifeline for so many families going through similar experiences.
It's heartwarming to see that kind of support system in action, you know, knowing you're not alone in those tough times. And thankfully, it seems like things started to look up for Betty and Fred after the war ended. The records show that Fred returned home safely in 1946.
They did. And the late 1940s turned out to be a time of, well, a time of growth for the Seaver family. Their second son, Stanley, was born in 1946, and eventually they found a place of their own, an apartment at 2119 30th Street.
Hold on, isn't that incredibly close to where Betty grew up? That's quite the homecoming.
It is. It seems like they felt a strong connection to their roots in that community. And you know, that connection, it went beyond just living there. The documents talk about how Betty got involved with the Parent-Teacher Association at Brooklyn Elementary.
Right. Where both Randy and Stanley ended up going to school.
Exactly. It sounds like she used her artistic talents to help out with school activities, even painted sets for school plays. It seems like her passion for art, it never really went away.
It really does make you wonder though, because the 1950 census doesn't actually list Betty as having an occupation. That's true. But then again, it was a different time, wasn't it?
Even with a college degree and all her experience, societal expectations for women often revolved around family life back then.
It's a shame, isn't it, to think of all that potential, those passions, sometimes being put on hold because of societal pressures. But maybe that's part of what makes Betty's story so interesting.
How so?
Well, because despite everything, it seems like her artistic side, it never completely went away. In fact, it sounds like those creators' pursuits really took center stage later in her life.
So we're talking about Betty, this dedicated mother involved in her community, but through it all there's this artistic spark just waiting for the right moment to really shine.
It's like it was always there simmering beneath the surface, and it seems like well after her husband Fred passed away in 1983 That's when her creative work really took center stage.
It's amazing how often that happens, isn't it?
Like art becomes this outlet, this way to process those really difficult life experiences. And the documents mention her really diving headfirst back into her art, specifically enamelling on copper.
Now for those of us who aren't art connoisseurs, what exactly is enamelling on copper?
Oh, it's incredible really. It involves fusing powdered glass to metal using, get this, incredibly high temperatures. It's intricate work, demanding a lot of precision and patience. It's not something you just pick up overnight.
Wow, that sounds incredibly challenging, but also incredibly beautiful.
It is.
And Betty, she didn't just dabble, you know. She went on to join the Allied Craftsmen in the San Diego Enamel Guild.
Wait, so she was exhibiting her work? Seriously.
She was. And get this, she even sold some of her pieces at galleries. This wasn't just a hobby for Betty, this was a real passion that she was sharing with the world.
That's incredible. It's like, talk about inspiring. It just goes to show you that it's never too late to pursue your dreams no matter what life throws your way.
And speaking of challenges, Betty's story doesn't end there, does it? The documents also mention some health issues she faced later in life.
Yeah, unfortunately, she had her fair share. The records indicate she battled breast cancer, first diagnosed in 1982. Think about that, going through multiple surgeries over almost two decades. It speaks volumes about her strength, her resilience.
It's easy to forget, you know, everyone has their own struggles, their own battles, that they're fighting behind the scenes. We only see a snapshot of someone's life, a moment in time.
Exactly. And it makes you appreciate the strength it takes to keep going, to keep finding joy, even when facing those difficult times. And for Betty, it wasn't just the cancer. She also outlived both of her parents. It's heartbreaking to think about.
It really is. It's a reminder that life can be so fragile, so unpredictable. But despite all that, it sounds like Betty continued to find happiness in the things that mattered most.
Absolutely. Her family, her art, her community, they were her pillars of strength, even towards the end. She passed away peacefully in 2005 at the age of 82.
82 years. That's a life well lived. And even though she's gone, her story, it lives on, doesn't it? Through these documents, through the memories she left behind, it makes you think, what will our own legacy be?
That's the question, isn't it? What will our own archival footprint say about who we were, what we valued?
It's a humbling thought, for sure. But you know, maybe it's also a bit inspiring. It reminds us that we all have a story to tell, a story that matters.
Well, on that note, I think we've reached the end of our deep dive into the life of Betty Carringer Seaver. A big thank you to our listener for sharing these incredible documents with us.
It's been an honor to uncover her story. And to everyone listening, keep exploring, keep asking questions, and most importantly, keep those fascinating conversations going. keep those fascinating conversations going. Until next time.
I had to edit some of the text for spelling but the above is pretty much word-for-word. I'm not sure that the paragraphs are exactly right - sometimes they ran together in the transcript on Otter.ai.
There are minor errors in the NotebookLM podcast where something was misinterpreted, but I haven't corrected them in the transcript above.
5) The podcast transcript page can be accessed here. I can download the text using the "three-dot" link on the top right of the screen, or I can highlight, copy and paste the text into a text document (a Pro account can save to a word document or a PDF). I can "Share" the link using the "Share" link on the top right of the screen by changing the dropdown menu from "Restricted" to "Anyone with the link."
6) Both of the services I've tried out are useful, but I have to mind the free subscription limits. It's great to have choices! Otter.ai and Descript.com have free minutes per month and are probably good choices. There may be other choices that I haven't found yet.
Do readers have any other suggestions? Please put them in comments or send me an email.
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