Maybe now you can.

Meet IVAN (Intelligent Voice Animated Navigator interactive human interface.

Being able to give voice commands to a Web browser is not new. Dragon NaturallySpeaking users have been surfing the Web for some time by just speaking aloud the Web address for the Web page they want to see next.

IVAN, on the other hand, actually interacts with the user and will "even ask questions if it needs more information". It's not just a Web page display system. It's a voice-activated Web search engine, responding to key words picked up from your statements.

OK, so IVAN cheats. The way it works is that IVAN pre-customizes Web sites for voice navigation (for a fee, naturally) so that it's easy for IVAN to find what it needs fast and get back with good hits. Webmasters willingly pay the fee to bring Web traffic to their sites. (So that's a win-win. The more sites IVAN-ready, the better results IVAN can produce.)

But wait, there's more! Not only is IVAN a search engine, you can also dictate email to friends & family and/or place calls to them!

So, definitely stay tuned for further developments and don't be surprised if, sometime soon, your computer wants to have a talk with you!