THE SIMULTANEOUS TRANSLATOR
a project for Turbulence.org
by John Roach & Willy Whip
  home  | animated flash tour | audio video samples  |  download  |  FAQ  |  live performance  |  links

If you encounter problems with The Simultaneous Translator, if it behaves erratically or doesn't load the data required to manipulate the audio, chances are good that it is a network related problem.

Since SimTrans relies on a traceroute to gather it's necessary data, it means that a signal must leave your computer, bounce around the globe and send the results back. Sometimes a firewall can prevent this from working.What generally happens is:

  1. SimTrans can only establish the first few hops in your local network, the rest of the hops "time out" which mean that it took too long to respond. In this case all of the modulation of effects will be based on the very short distance between you and the location of the router in your network.
  2. all of the hops "time out." In this case SimTrans can't get a traceroute at all. The program gives up after too many time outs.
FAQ

My selected stream doesn't turn on, it says, "not available" why?

The server is not broadcasting at the time you loaded it. Try loading another stream.

My stream is playing, but the effects don't seem to be doing anything.

Be sure the traceroute is complete. If you see a number in the "average" field, and data in the voice bubble, then the traceroute is finished and the effects will respond to the fluctuations in the data.

I have a stream (or streams) on, but I don't hear anything.

It sounds silly, but is your volume adjusted? Do you have speakers plugged in? Also, be sure the volume sliders of the streams aren't pushed all the way to the left.

The sliding heads are going crazy! They are jittering all over the place!

This likely means that you are behind a firewall. The traceroute is only going out one or two hops and is then getting blocked. As a result it just repeats it over and over with this funny little dance.

Why is a firewall a problem? Is there anything I can do about it?

A firewall is a software or hardware device that prevents outsiders from accessing a computer or network. A firewall can prevent a traceroute from leaving the computer. Your problem might be local or it might be the result of the network you are tapping into. The first step might be to turn of your Windows firewall. Are you using a router that has a firewall? Often you can configure your router in a browser, see your router product info.

Unfortunately if you are in a big network, a University for example, chances are good you'll be behind a big firewall. Your best bet in this instance is to try elsewhere!

The sliding head is moving, but no data is showing up in the thought bubble and the status area just says "loading data"

This likely means that you are behind a firewall. The traceroute is not returning any results. When the traceroute "times out" on too many of its hops, SimTrans eventually stops trying.

Can I still listen even if I'm behind a firewall and the players read "loading data?"

Sure! You can still load streams into the 6 players, but unfortunately you won't hear the dynamic shifting of effects. If you turn the effects on BEFORE you load a stream it will add them in a preset, average amount.

The google Earth buttons are greyed out, I can't select them

You can only link to Google Earth once the traceroute is complete. When the data appears in the head-bubble and an "average" appears, the buttons will become active.

I click on the Google Earth buttons and noting happens
I clicked on the Google Earth buttons and got a message that I don't have Google Earth installed, what should I do?

First, do you have Google Earth installed in your machine?
If not, a message should appear that says "Google Earth is not installed" and then you will be taken to the Google Earth website where you can download the application.

The Google Earth program comes to the foreground but doesn't zoom around or anything.

This likely means that you are behind a firewall. Simultaneous Translator may be unable to get any further than your current geographic location. To visualize the source of the stream and the hops between, the program needs to be able to access the traceroute information.

Can I run The Simultaneous Translator on an Intel Mac?

Yes, I've used it on my Mac Mini with Boot Camp running Windows XP. Unfortunately I had trouble using it with my Airport and had to connect via ethernet.