Daily Archives: November 17, 2021

Interactive platform lets you share your voice, stories, personality, and photos with loved ones for generations to come

EL CERRITO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / November 16, 2021 / Today HereAfter AI is launching a first-of-its kind platform that lets users create voice avatars to share their life stories with loved ones. Using conversational AI, HereAfter is reinventing remembrance, making memories dynamic, instantly accessible, and engaging.

Unlike life story books that gather dust on shelves, or photos and videos that get lost on hard drives, the HereAfter app is interactive-you talk to it, and it talks back. Accessible via a web and mobile app, the app understands a wide range of life story questions and instantly finds the best answers.

Here's how the platform works:

Through the app, users connect with a friendly chatbot interviewer who asks story-inspiring questions and records peoples' spoken replies.

Users can also upload photos to accompany the stories they tell.

HereAfter AI's biographical platform takes those recordings and automatically creates a custom voice avatar, unique for each user.

Family members and close friends can then chat with the avatars by speaking to the app or smart home speakers. Following their curiosity and using whatever wording they like, users can ask questions like "what's your earliest memory," "who was your first love," "how did you pick your career," "when did you feel happiest," or "what is grandma's fantastic lasagna recipe?"

The avatar replies with stories, memories, and advice, speaking in the recorded voice of the person who created it. Photos related to the stories show onscreen at the same time.

Each avatar also represents the unique personality of its creator, making small talk, telling jokes, singing songs, and employing the person's distinctive manner of speaking.

"How many times do we wish we could talk to a loved one just one more time?" said James Vlahos, HereAfter AI's cofounder and CEO. A former tech journalist and the author of a book about conversational AI, his motivation for launching the company was personal. "When my father was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, I knew I wanted to figure out a better way to remember him." Vlahos spent a year programming a persona-sharing AI that he called the Dadbot. After receiving attention from around the world, including from a cover story in Wired, and fielding inquiries from people who wanted something similar to preserve memories of their own loved ones, Vlahos launched HereAfter AI.

Story continues

"Imagine seeing your full family tree, going back generations," Vlahos says. "But instead of just learning basic facts-birthdates, marriages, names of children- you can actually have conversations with your ancestors. You can learn about their lives through engaging stories. You can get a sense for their personalities."

One early user, Debbie E., explained, "Hearing my dad's stories, I learned more about his life than I had ever known previously. HereAfter is precious to me and will be a great gift for my family forever."

Creating voice avatars on the HereAfter AI platform is free. Plans for sharing the avatars with family members start at $7.99 per month. To learn more, visit http://www.hereafter.ai.

Media Images Available here:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19fzrM8a-dByIZYdJYI2bsValpVeUzGOl?usp=sharing

About HereAfter AI

HereAfter AI is a software company that is reinventing remembrance. It does so with Life Story Avatars-personalized AIs that share your stories, personality, and voice for generations to come. For more information, visit http://www.hereafter.ai or email media@hereafter.ai.

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Media Contact:Erica ZeidenbergHot Tomato Marketingerica@hottomato.net925-518-8159 mobile

SOURCE: Hereafter AI

View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/673029/Gain-Digital-Immortality-with-New-Legacy-Platform-from-HereAfter-AI-Preserve-Memories-and-Never-Lose-the-Voices-of-the-People-You-Love

Read more from the original source:

Gain Digital Immortality with New Legacy Platform from HereAfter AI; Preserve Memories and Never Lose the Voices of the People You Love - Yahoo...

17 November 2021, 10:42

Celine Dion and the Bee Gees are some of the greatest artists of all time and Celine shared a special relationship with the Bee Gees brothers.

Celine Dion and the Bee Gees had a unique friendship that was highlighted during their collaboration together in the 1990s.

Celine collaborated with the Bee Gees on the hit song Immortality in 1998 - when it was released it reached number five in the official UK singles chart.

In rare behind-the-scenes footage, Celine and the Bee Gees' friendship is clearly seen as they record the song in the studio together.

Immortality was gifted to Celine from the Bee Gees and they wrote it with her in mind - after struggling to compose the song, at the end of a recording session the band managed to create the track in a matter of minutes.

According to the bands official website, the Bee Gees created Immortality with their music engineer John Marchant and he recalled the unforgettable moment.

John mentioned that the brothers were coming to the end of a long songwriting session and they were trying to work on one specific idea. As the group struggled to make the idea work, they decided to take a break.

Its thought that Barry suggested that the Bee Gees return to the idea the following morning - he also mentioned that he had another idea in mind that they might be able to do something with.

John recalled the story and said that he gets goosebumps every time he shares it because they managed to create it in one pass.

He started playing the intro for the song Immortality,' Maurice listened, and played the first chord, and then three and a half minutes later, they wrote the songin real-time, in just one pass, John explained.

I get goosebumps telling that story. It was unbelievable. Barry would change chords, and Maurice would be there immediately, like he knew where Barry was going.

He continued: They locked in together in a way, both timing-wise and intonation-wise, that only someone who knows what the other person is thinking before they think it could do.

So, the way you hear Celine Dion perform [Immortality] now is exactly how they did it [that night], John added.

In 2017, Celine performed Immortality at a televised concert titled Stayin Alive: A Grammy Salute to the Music of the Bee Gees.

Its a song that means more and more to me each day, Celine said as she introduced the track and dedicated it to the Bee Gee brothers.

She added: Tonight I sing it with love for Barry and in memory of Robin, Maurice and Andy.

Go here to read the rest:

Bee Gees and Celine Dion's heartwarming friendship revealed in behind-the-scenes footage - Smooth Radio

Bidstack is pleased to announce the addition of three new and exclusive titles from Dovetail Games, the world-leading simulation entertainment company, to its portfolio of simulation titles. The hyper-realistic simulation games, which are available across PC and Console, are played by millions of gamers in key markets including the UK, USA and Germany and bring digital hobbies to life for passionate enthusiasts in more than 100 countries around the globe.

The new partnership will see Bidstack deliver seamless branded experiences into these virtual environments and create a new revenue stream for Dovetail Games while respecting the player experience by maintaining the authenticity of their titles.The three games Train Simulator 2022, Train Sim World 2 and Bassmaster Fishing 2022, are ideal environments to host non-intrusive in-game ads as they feature natural spaces and surfaces where players would expect to see advertising in their daily lives such as on train liveries, platform billboards and around competitive fishing competitions, reflecting the real-world experience.

Train Simulator 2022 (PC only, where the player interacts as the train) and Train Sim World 2 (available on PC and Console, where the player is the driver) are widely considered to be the ultimate hobby games for enthusiasts looking to take control of authentic, licensed locomotives on high-speed services, long freight hauls and even international real-world routes. The games are built on the Unreal Engine, offering incredible graphical fidelity and new levels of realism thanks to Dovetails proprietary SimuGraph vehicle dynamics engine.

The third title added to Bidstacks portfolio is Bassmaster Fishing 2022, which launched on October 28th 2021. The game brings the thrill of competitive big bass fishing to eight real-world venues including the Sabine River, Lake Ray Roberts and St. Johns River. Players can compete as 10 Elite Series professionals as they fight it out to achieve angling immortality and win the Bassmaster Classic. Also powered by the Unreal Engine, players are able to lose themselves in beautiful environments and the immersive world of Bassmaster Fishing.

The new titles expand Bidstacks simulation vertical following the recent partnership with Tangent Interactive and demonstrate the appetite from innovative publishers to take their in-game realism to a whole new level with thoughtful and immersive in-game advertising.

Commenting on the new partnership Gemma Johnson-Brown, chief operating officer at Dovetail Games, said, I am excited to bring this next level of authenticity to our games. Our players are passionate enthusiasts who enjoy spending their time in the worlds we have created and this partnership will bring real world brands into these worlds, adding another layer of detail into the simulation for us.

Antoine Jullemier, head of supply at Bidstack added, these beautiful photo-realistic environments offer seamless placements for branding that enhance the gaming experience through the implementation of our technology. The opportunity to reach passionate enthusiasts through the Dovetail Games portfolio is an effective way for brands to extend their real-life sponsorships into the virtual realm.

View post:

Bidstack Expands their Portfolio of Simulation Games with Dovetail Games - ExchangeWire

Nara From jabara to sanbkan, Japan is home to an exceptionally diverse pantheon of citrus fruits. Among these, the tachibana (Citrus tachibana) is perhaps one of the rarest and least-known.

Besides the Okinawan shkuws, it is the only citrus genetically native to Japan. Unsurprisingly, it is also on the Global Red List of Japanese Threatened Plants. The average consumer is unlikely to be familiar with it, much less have tasted one.

The tachibana once held hallowed status in Japan. The eighth-century Nihon Shoki refers to it as the fruit of immortality, claiming that the first tree was brought back from the underworld and planted in the south of present-day Nara Prefecture. Around 70 poems in the Manyoshu celebrate its beguiling fragrance; Heian aristocrats often perfumed themselves with tachibana in lieu of bathing. Even today, many people will have unwittingly encountered this citrus: miniature representations of tachibana trees are an integral part of the ornamental dolls sets displayed on Girls Day, and the 500 coin has tachibana fruits and flowers engraved upon its face.

Why, then, has the tachibana fallen out of favor?

Though most people havent tasted the tachibana, everyone has seen it; the plants fruits and flowers are engraved on the 500 coin. | SIUNAM JO

Simply put, its exceptionally bitter. Though it looks like a kumquat, its flesh has the richness of a blood orange and the electric, mouth-puckering qualities of lemon and grapefruit. Its peel has an even more pronounced, medicinal bitterness that lingers in your mouth for a good hour afterward.

For fans of the tachibana, this bitterness is precisely what makes it special and worth preserving.

It was at once bitter and sweet, with a refined, restorative fragrance, says Nara-based food mediciner Kyoko Onishi, describing her first encounter with the fruit. Indeed, tachibana peel has a more complex volatile composition than many other citruses, which likely accounts for its distinctive aroma. Modern consumers will find it too bitter, she says, but it would be a shame to erase that bitterness with sugar.

These qualities, along with its rich history and cultural significance, led Kenji Jo and his friends to start the Nara Tachibana Project in 2011. Their mission is to revive interest and awareness in the citrus, preserving what they see as an integral part of Japanese culture while concurrently raising Naras culinary profile.

First, they began by planting more trees when they started the project, there were only 300-odd tachibana trees remaining across Japan and then creating new channels to promote the fruit after their first harvest six years later.

Initially, says Jo, who is the current chairman of the project and one of its five growers, they approached around 30 Japanese restaurants in Nara with samples to drum up interest, but were roundly rejected. Tachibana, they were told, was too bitter to use in washoku. An acquaintance suggested bringing the citrus to chefs who had trained in Europe. To Jos surprise, it was enthusiastically received.

In Japanese cuisine, bitterness isnt palatable, he says. But for the chefs specializing in European cuisines, it goes hand-in-hand with umami.

Tachibana is the kind of ingredient youd imagine Michelin-starred chefs parlaying into intricate, multi-component dishes. Available only by special request, the seasonal tachibana-themed course at Ristorante Borgo Konishi in Nara illustrates such possibilities: its zest is scattered over a beef goulash, its peel candied and paired with pumpkin puree. A tangy center of tachibana juice-soaked Savoiardi sponge replaces the usual chestnut in a Mont Blanc. A skewered Amazonian chocolate cube arrives soaking in a shot of aged tachi-cello a riff, says head chef Masaki Yamazaki, on Italian limoncello.

Kikka Gin is made with just three botanicals tachibana, tki herb and juniper berry. | FLORENTYNA LEOW

It has an incredible fragrance, Yamazaki says. Its both acidic and bitter, which translates well to drawing out umami in dishes. The juice pairs beautifully with roasted goat meat, he notes, and its leaves are excellent with seafood, as they dispel any unpleasant fishy notes.

Fresh tachibana leaves are edible and surprise, surprise extremely bitter, but also faintly reminiscent of sansh pepper, another member of the citrus family. Hiroshi Kawashima, owner-chef of modern Spanish restaurant Akordu, thinks they resemble makrut lime leaves, a common ingredient in Thai cuisine. While he reserves leaves from the first flush for tempura, the bulk of the leaves he sources from Jo are steeped in 65 degrees Celsius water to make a refreshing tea, which he serves chilled or warm as an aperitif.

Eating is an act of receiving life, Kawashima says. Tachibana is used at shrines to purify a place, so drinking this is like cleansing yourself before the meal.

Like most citruses, its well-suited to sweet applications. Kakigri specialist Housekibaco periodically serves shaved ice with tachibana syrup, while Hyogo Prefecture-based patissier Susumu Koyama produces a vibrant marmalade, as well as a chocolate bonbon flavored with its juice, essential oil, flowers and blossom honey.

Theres also tremendous potential for alcohol-based beverages. Besides Nara Brewing Co. Ltds tachibana- and coriander-infused Belgian-style craft beer, one of the most exciting products in this sphere is Kikka Gin, a small-batch craft gin produced by brewer Naoki Itatoko of Yamato Distillery, a subsidiary of Yucho Shuzo, in southern Nara.

Tachibana has an extraordinary depth to it that other citruses like lemon dont, explains Itatoko, whose gin took home a Bronze rating at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in 2020. Plus, in terms of its narrative potential, it was perfect for gin-making in Nara.

One of Nara Tachibana Projects most popular items is tachibana kosh, a riff on the traditional yuzu-spiked chili pepper paste. | SIUNAM JO

Containing just three botanicals tachibana, tki (Angelica acutiloba) herb and juniper berry the 59% alcohol by volume gin is remarkably smooth and drinkable. From the three tons of Jos annual tachibana harvest, an entire ton peeled by Itatoko himself goes toward producing 6,000 liters of gin.

Products like these, says Jo, are key to raising awareness and attracting new growers. You cant survive by just growing tachibana, he says. You couldnt sell it in supermarkets, either.

His Hong Kong-born son-in-law, Siunam, with whom he works on the project, concurs. Besides tachibana farming, they spend their time developing food products. One of their most popular items is tachibana kosh, a riff on the traditional yuzu-spiked chili pepper paste.

This strategy seems to be working: Demand far outstrips what they can supply to their clients, who have found diners extremely receptive to the once-maligned citrus. While the tachibanas extreme bitterness means its unlikely to ever achieve mainstream popularity, the projects efforts are helping lift the citrus out of its endangered status today, the number of tachibana trees has surpassed 3,000.

This ingredient has a 2,000-year-old history, and has its roots in Nara, says Jo. The tachibana truly represents Japanese culture itself.

For more information, visit ytachibana.official.ec.

In line with COVID-19 guidelines, the government is strongly requesting that residents and visitors exercise caution if they choose to visit bars, restaurants, music venues and other public spaces.

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Originally posted here:

Resurrecting the tachibana, Japan's oldest native citrus - The Japan Times

Mr. Nobody is (initially) set in 2092.

When it comes to thought-provoking sci-fi drama, you won't do much better than Mr. Nobody. At least, that's what a bunch of critics thought when it premiered in 2009 -- hitting best movie lists of the year. Only, no-one saw it until it was released two years later in the US, carrying a couple of Venice Film Festival wins tucked under its arm.

Mr. Nobody is sitting in HBO Max's vault right now. A cult gem over a decade old, forgotten, huddled in a corner, waiting for you to run out of other things to watch.

Explore movies, games, superheroes and more with CNET Culture. Delivered Tuesdays and Fridays.

Jared Leto stars as the titular Mr. Nemo Nobody, a 118-year-old man living in a future where "quasi-immortality" is the norm. The last mortal man, Mr. Nobody fascinates audiences all over, who wait patiently for him to die and say something meaningful in a TV spot.

We settle in for Mr. Nobody's life story, but Mr. Nobody's life story makes no sense.

From the beginning of time to the very end of time -- from a white void swirling with angels to a spacecraft heading for the Red Planet -- we see the full length of Mr. Nobody's existence.

Jared Leto as 118-year-old Mr. Nobody.

Yet -- wisely -- the movie sticks close to the human relationships that sew his life together.

We flash back to Jared Leto not wearing prosthetics as we cover pivotal periods in Mr. Nobody's life. They're all connected to his failed relationships tracking back to the '80s, with Elise (Sarah Polley), Anna (Diane Kruger) and Jeanne (Linh Dan Pham).

These periods, colored with blue, red and yellow motifs, represent different mindsets: Depression and despair (blue), passion and love (red) and material wealth (yellow).

Mr. Nobody is on a journey to figure out the absolute best way to live his life. His head is filled with every possible outcome from every decision he makes. Does he marry Elise, Anna or Jeanne?

Jared Leto as 34-year-old Mr. Nobody.

We see these outcomes in an album of sumptuous frames evoking colorful fairy tale versions of The Matrix, Inception and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

We flip from page to page via visual effects supervisor Louis Morin's peak creative transitions. The doors of an austere bank open onto a white beach swarmed by helicopters -- helicopters literally hoisting slabs of the ocean into place like a jigsaw puzzle. That's Louis Morin who worked on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, to really stamp home the dreamscape coming at you.

Aside from an award-winning minimalist score, you've got Buddy Holly, Hans Zimmer, Otis Redding, Eurythmics and four different versions of Mr. Sandman to help transport you to this sci-fi fairy tale.

If there's one flaw, it's that the story holding everything together is dabbed on with a half-dried glue stick. Mr. Nobody isn't really going anywhere. That might be the point: He's exploring his options, back-treading, flinging himself into the future.

Young Nemo choosing between his mother and father.

And yet Mr. Nobody keeps you sitting through the end credits. At its heart is an impossible decision: Mr. Nobody, as a young boy, must choose to live with his father or his mother, after their divorce. Brutal.

Here's the twist: add a third choice to that. What if you didn't have to choose at all?

Choice and meaningful choices are what concern celebrated Belgian director-screenwriter Jaco Van Dormael. He explains it through Mr. Nobody's gig as a science TV presenter: We're covering chaos theory, the butterfly effect, pigeon superstition and the space-time continuum. We're covering the Big Crunch and entropy, a term that will be familiar to anyone who looked up the meaning of Tenet. (Someone should splice the entropy section of Mr. Nobody into a Tenet primer.)

By this point, you'll probably know whether this movie is for you.

It takes a while to form its final message, a message about making big decisions. If you're worried about jumping onto moving trains heading in different directions, maybe you'll be comforted by the idea that all outcomes are valuable in their different ways. One decision, Mr. Nobody argues, doesn't necessarily outshine the other.

What hurts is not making a decision. It's not making any decisions that turns you into a

Mr. Nobody.

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Why you need to watch the best sci-fi gem on HBO Max - CNET