Conversational AI Interview on “Behind The Bots”

In college I worked at the Helpdesk answering questions over the phone about different tech problems for professors and my classmates. I found the tricky problems engaging, but there was a lot of repetition to that job. I now work in the field of Conversational AI, building the tools and experiences I wish I had back at the Helpdesk. Contact center automation is a curious space with various ethical dilemmas and “what-if” scenarios that are indicative to generative AI.

Ancestral Music from India, Persia, Turkey, and Greece

I had the good fortune of catching Maz Karandish & Alexander Karvelas, along with their tabla player, performing an evening of ancestral music from India, Persia, Turkey, and Greece. This was part of a Groupmuse event in the Oakland hills – notable for being the first event put on by that organization that strayed from the Classical European Chamber Music tradition. The performers were fantastic, including the dancers for many of the Turkish and Greek songs, and I was happy to see an organization like Groupmuse offering a diversity of voices as a direct result of the George Floyd murder and resulting protests.

Buggin’ Out

Introducing Buggin’ Out: a leftist-not-liberal stream from Turtle Bugg featuring groovy tunes, politricks, and discussions on nightlife, culture, and probably food at some point.

Our inaugural episode, broadcast on the heels of the 2021 inauguration, brought together artists Ciel, TANO, L. Sangre, and Gunnar Haslam in conversation with Turtle Bugg AKA Dr. Bugginstein.

Check out the show below. The first two hours are a DJ set followed by the panel discussion until the end.

Caucasians at Gospel Brunch

I think we would all get along better as a society if we just agreed to clap on the 2 and 4.

Bye, Felicia

While recently nerding around with my car, I rediscovered the origin of “Bye, Felicia.”

Although it’s Ice Cube who delivers the line, Chris Tucker really pulls the whole scene together.

The State of the Ruse

You heard it here first, folks!

The Pretty Lady and the Electronic Musicians

This “modern fairy tale” from Xerox Films explores various advances in electronic music, circa 1972, as two enterprising musicians construct increasingly elaborate instruments to compete for the favor of a beautiful lady. The piece explores the various technologies behind the theremin, amplifiers, musique concrete, synthesizers, and multi-track recording. The twist ending is particularly prognostic of modern times.

The film is animated by Stephen Bosustow, who is also responsible for Mr. Magoo, the excellent Freedom River (1972, narrated by Orson Welles) and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1972, with the voice of John Carradine).

Capucine

This weekend I caught a real gem of a documentary at the Exploratorium’s Imagine Science Film Festival. Capucine, a chronicle of the first monkey film maker, left me reeling and eager for more from Luis Nieto. Enjoy!