Media
MusicalAmerica - Press Releases
"Rich and vibrant in texture, it again draws on this ensemble's deep palette of vocal colours" โ Gramophone Magazine New York, NY (September 17, 2020) -- GRAMMY-nominated vocal quartet New York Polyphony announces the release of Aleph Earth, a groundbreaking audiovisual work developed in collaboration with the University of Oregon's Artificial Intelligence Creative Practice Research Group (AICP). A poignant statement on the global climate crisis, the project uses as a soundtrack New York Polyphony's world premiere recording of Spanish Renaissance composer Francisco de Peรฑalosa's Lamentationes Jeremiae Feria V from their critically acclaimed September 2019 album on BIS Records, Lamentationes. Aleph Earth premiered at the 2020 Currents New Media Festival in August and September, and is available for presenters to book as a virtual concert or educational event through Opus 3 Artists. In creating the 12-minute visual presentation, AICP drew inspiration from Lamentationes Feria V's compositional complexity, as well as the subject matter of the text. "It's a setting of the poetic reflections of the Prophet Jeremiah on the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC," explains New York Polyphony's bass and University of Oregon music professor Craig Phillips.
Untangling the PlayStation 5 preorder mess, and where to get one
The retailers then apparently decided to do what they do on Black Friday: Open up earlier than expected and let the mayhem commence. Geoff Keighley, the former journalist who now runs The Game Awards, shared breaking news about retailers opening preorder sites early Wednesday night. Sure enough, within the hour, Walmart's site opened up for preorders, which were gone within minutes. Other retailers like Best Buy, Target and GameStop followed suit.
From support function to growth engine: The future of AI and customer service
When it comes to imagining the future, customer service often gets painted in a dystopian light. Take the 2002 sci-fi film Minority Report. Tom Cruise's John Anderton walks into the Gap, an identity recognition system scans him, and a hologram asks about a recent purchase. There's something unsettling in this vignette--an unsolicited non-human seems to know everything about you (or, as in the movie, mistakes you for someone else). But the truth is, customers today expect this kind of sleek, personalized service.
Larry Magid: Apple evolving into a services company
In 2007, Apple changed its name from Apple Computer to Apple, Inc. That was the year Apple launched its Apple TV set-top box and the iPhone, joining the iPod in Apple's growing list of consumer products other than personal computers. There's no reason for Apple to change its name again, but if things keep going the way they are, one might describe the company as "Apple Services Company," kind of like the old AT&T which built and rented out telephones but made the bulk of its money by charging for phone service. That strategy became more obvious this week as Apple rolled out new iPads and Apple Watch models but also announced two new services: Apple Fitness and Apple One. As per hardware, the most interesting announcement is the addition of a blood oxygen sensor on its new Apple Watch 6 which, like some previous models, also includes an ECG (electrocardiogram) sensor.