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4 experiments with voice AI models to help you explore culture

Here are four AI voice models from Google Arts & Culture that offer a new way to experience and engage with art, history and culture.



  • Arts & Culture
  • AI

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End the Arms: Humanitarian Chief Jan Egeland Urges U.S. to Stop Arming Israel Before Trump Takes Office

Top U.N. officials are again warning that the entire Palestinian population in north Gaza is “at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and violence.” At least 1,800 Palestinians have been killed, many of them children, since October, when Israel imposed a draconian siege and began an intensified campaign of ethnic cleansing on northern Gaza. Jan Egeland of the Norwegian Refugee Council recently spent several days in Gaza. He describes what he saw as “devastation beyond belief,” as Palestinians face “the most intense and most indiscriminate bombardment anywhere in the world in recent memory,” coupled with the utter depletion of aid. Egeland pleads for the United States, the largest supplier of military funding and equipment to Israel, to condition its weapons to Israel, enforce the provision of aid and commit to ending Israel’s assault. “It’s not in Israel’s interest to destroy its neighborhood in Gaza and in Lebanon. It will create new generations of hatred,” Egeland says.




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Assessee can avail ITC only on tax paid on services for leasing/ renting/ hiring of motor vehicles for women's safety

The AAR, Tamil Nadu in the case of M/s. CMA CGM Global Business Services (India) (P.) Ltd., In Re [Order No. 15/ARA/2024 dated July 15, 2024] ruled that an Assessee is eligible to avail input services in respect of leasing/ renting/ hiring of motor vehicles of motor vehicles to provide transportatio




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Technical Consultancy for Project Development and Management Support Services to MJP are taxable under GST at the rate of 18%

The AAR Maharashtra, in the case of M/s. The Nisarga Consultancy, In Re [Order No. GST-ARA-21 of 2023-24/2024-25/B-55 dated July 31, 2024] ruled that no tax will be leviable on work allotted by Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikar ("MJP") as per of Jal Jeevan Mission ("JJM") which is a mission of Government




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Orders signed by same officer in dual capacity not maintainable

The Hon'ble Madras High Court in the case of M/s S.R.S. Construction v. The State Tax Officer (Data Analytics) [Writ Petition (MD) Nos. 16214 & 16276 of 2024 dated July 19, 2024] set aside the orders which have been signed by the same officer in dual capacity, holding that such orders are liable to




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Affordable Smart Home Devices in India: Enhance Convenience and Efficiency for All

Smart home technology is no longer a luxury reserved for the affluent. With advancements in technology, affordable smart home devices are now within reach for tech enthusiasts in India. These gadgets offer convenience and efficiency without straining your budget. Smart lighting




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Regarding Service Tax Payment.

We have taken registration number in central excise and want to pay service tax demand , however the code for that service is not available on the site then whether other duties code can be used or new registration is required??




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E INVOICES

Sir,
We are regularly generating E Invoice and IRN no also generated against each invoice. But due to some technical problem in our ERP system, IRN is generated against against some invoices , GSTR-1 return has been duly filed. Then how can i generate IRN no against such invoices.




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Finance Ministry Highlights Digital Innovations in RRBs, Urges Expansion of Customer-Centric Services

Focus of the meeting was business performance, upgrading digital technology services, and fostering business growth in activities allied to agriculture and micro and small industry...




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Income Tax Department Cracks Down on Bogus Refund Claims, Sends Notices to Taxpayers

The Income Tax Department has intensified scrutiny on dubious tax refund claims for the assessment years 2021-22 and 2022-23, issuing notices to multiple taxpayers across the country. ...




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New IMS on GST Portal Aims to Curb ITC Discrepancy Notices and Reduce Litigation

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) portal's recently launched Invoice Management System (IMS) is set to significantly decrease the number of notices issued over Input Tax Credit (ITC) discrepancies...






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Ice For The Moonshine And Chichsaneg

The Fiery Furnaces “Quay Cur” (Stuck In My Head version) I love Matthew Friedberger’s endless delight in reinterpreting his songs. It seems like for him it’s mostly a formal game, but I think it’s also kind of a flex in showing off the strength and versatility of his melodies and musical motifs. The new Fiery […]




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Battery-like device made from water and clay could be used on Mars

A new supercapacitor design that uses only water, clay and graphene could source material on Mars and be more sustainable and accessible than traditional batteries




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Some wildfires are growing twice as fast as they did two decades ago

In the western US, the average maximum growth rate of fires has more than doubled over the past two decades




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Weird microbes could help rewrite the origin of multicellular life

Single-celled organisms called archaea can become multicellular when compressed, highlighting the role of physical forces in evolution




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Lakes are losing winter ice cover at an astonishing rate

Fewer lakes are freezing over each winter compared with past years, posing environmental and economic consequences around the world




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Spraying rice with sunscreen particles during heatwaves boosts growth

Zinc nanoparticles, a common sunscreen ingredient, can make plants more resilient to climate change – in a surprising way




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Distant dwarf planet Makemake might have a surprising ice volcano

A small world in the outer solar system appears to have volcanic activity possibly spurred by liquid water




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Voice Actor David Wald Leaves Role as Gajeel in Fairy Tail, Will Not Return to Crunchyroll Following Claims Company Opened His Mail, Gave Away Contents

David Wald claims Crunchyroll opened his private mail, threw away letters, gave away contents to staff




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Tuttle Licenses Lala The Memory Collector Manga

Title scheduled for April 2025 release






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Bottle Service




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tip more for bad service

Today on Toothpaste For Dinner: tip more for bad service


This RSS feed is brought to you by Drew and Natalie's podcast Garbage Brain University. Our new series Everything Is Real explores the world of cryptids, aliens, quantum physics, the occult, and more. If you use this RSS feed, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron. Patronage includes membership to our private Discord server and other bonus material non-patrons never see!




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nice generalization

Today on Toothpaste For Dinner: nice generalization


This RSS feed is brought to you by Drew and Natalie's podcast Garbage Brain University. Our new series Everything Is Real explores the world of cryptids, aliens, quantum physics, the occult, and more. If you use this RSS feed, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron. Patronage includes membership to our private Discord server and other bonus material non-patrons never see!




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one apocalypse customer service

Today on Toothpaste For Dinner: one apocalypse customer service


This RSS feed is brought to you by Drew and Natalie's podcast Garbage Brain University. Our new series Everything Is Real explores the world of cryptids, aliens, quantum physics, the occult, and more. If you use this RSS feed, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron. Patronage includes membership to our private Discord server and other bonus material non-patrons never see!





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25-year-old employee requests off to attend a funeral, micromanager demands for proof of the service: 'After this, I want to quit'

The last thing anyone wants when they are going through a family emergency is to have to deal with your micromanaging boss simultaneously. Here, we have an employee who took one day off to attend the funeral service of a family member. He did not request any bereavement leave or anything more than just the one day of paid time off he was certainly entitled to based on his contract. 

However, upon his return to the office, his micromanaging supervisor demanded for proof that he did, in fact, take time off to attend a funeral service. Apparently, this was because he also had to dip out early one day due to a dentist appointment. The supervisor's own boss was skeptical about the whole thing and forced the supervisor to request for proof. Now, all the employee wants to do is leave the company with no notice instead.

Keep scrolling below for the full story and for the best reactions from folks in the comments section. For more, check out this post about a 40-year-old company man who was passed over for a promotion in favor of a much younger coworker.




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'[He] was on 24/7 call, so unplugging the phone wasn't an option': Tech support guy gets revenge on an angry IT customer by programming the office phone to call him at 2, 3, and 4 AM every night

We learned from a young age that you should be nice to the other kids on the playground. Share the bouncy rubber ball, don't pull a girl's pigtails, and include everyone in your fun games! That's how it should be in the working world–the adult world–because if you make an enemy on the blacktop, you might just get destroyed in the next game of dodgeball. 

This IT customer learned never to mess with their tech support crew after being a total buffoon on the phone. He was known for screaming at the guys who were just trying to help him troubleshoot his modem, but finally, after being placed with the same phone support guy one too many times, he snapped and decided to get some revenge. 

Frankly, I think this guy's sleep schedule became a little more precious to him after he got completely pwned by the dude he was used to screaming at–I guess now it looks like the phone is the only thing screaming at 2 AM… 3 AM… and 4 AM. Do you think he'll be nicer to his next customer service rep after this? You be the judge.




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'His hand pauses in midair': Front desk attendant gets scolded for using his phone at work, instead he maliciously complies with company policy by wasting other precious office resources

No personal cell phones? Okay. This employee took his malicious compliance to the next level after getting scolded one too many times for using his cell phone on the job. 

I get it… It doesn't look good for a hotel receptionist to scroll memes while the line at the concierge starts to grow. Smacking your gum, rolling your eyes, and scrolling endlessly really isn't something you're supposed to be doing at work, but as many of us forget, our phones are actually super useful little tools. We've grown accustomed to traveling around all day with a tiny computer in our pocket that it's easy to let slip their more convenient functions. The front desk reception guy in our next tale knew all the ways his phone could help out clients, but after his manager got on his back about using his personal device on the clock, he decided to use the second language translating tool at his disposal. 

Keep scrolling to read how an employee turned a spiteful MC into a memorable guest experience when a traveler needed help with a quick translation.




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'Boss claims that me quitting will result in the business closing': Worker gives 2-week-notice after basically running the company they work for for their boss, prompting boss's total meltdown

It is truly mind-boggling how some employers will treat the workers who are essential to the success and operation of their business. They gamble that they can pay them below market rates and keep them exactly where they are and that their workers will continue to be milked like the cash cow that they are… After taking on increasing responsibility in their boss's small business, this worker knew it was time to move on to greener pastures. They did what they thought was the right thing and gave their boss their two-week notice, prompting a meltdown that they could not have anticipated. 

As commenters in the original thread noted, this begs so many questions. Like, if they were so important to the business why didn't their boss recognize that and reward them for it? Surely, there were chances and opportunities for their boss to give them a promotion or even a partnership in the business that they were so essential to. Still, their boss's general laissez-faire attitude and seeming reluctance to lift a finger to support their own business has spelled their own doom. It seems that they were totally complacent and happy to let the employee do all the work while they raked in all the profits.




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‘I got extra pay, a box of chocolates, [and] an apology': Karen gets fired after screaming for 40 minutes at a customer service rep because they refuse to break company policy

Is it really so difficult to be kind to the customer service person trying to troubleshoot your problem over the phone? I get it, everything's falling to pieces on your end, but it doesn't make any logical sense to be unsavory to the one person who can actually help you.  

This Karen in our next story proved that being aggressive over the phone doesn't get you everything you want, and sometimes it can get you fired…. Or maybe even investigated by the Feds. 

Imagine, this customer service employee was about 15 seconds from clocking out for the day–it was Friday at 4:59:45 PM and they were grabbing their coats on their way out and the blasted phone rang. Seeing that the number was from an internal caller, as in, someone within their company, the employee thought this would be a simple thing to solve and that they could make quick work of their coworker's problem. Except, the woman on the other end of the line wasn't looking for solutions, she was looking for a customer service rep to break the rules for her. 

Keep scrolling to see how a 40-minute IT support call turned into an apology letter, a box of chocolates, and an immediate, dishonorable resignation. 




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'[I] asked for a 15k raise': Hybrid employee pressured to come into the office 5 days a week, employee refuses to give in without his promised promotion

Let this story serve as a friendly reminder to stand up for what you were hired for in the first place. If your boss tries to impose new rules and regulations, new responsibilities, and new expectations that were not expressly written in your initial contract, then you are well within your right to advocate for yourself. That means advocating for a raise or promotion if you feel compelled to do so. It can also mean enforcing what's currently written in your contract if you do not wish to accept the new changes. Be prepared to receive some pushback, of course, but again, you have some leverage here.

This hybrid employee was hired with the expectation that he could spend two days working remotely, which was convenient for his family and young kid. When his boss suddenly decided to adjust those expectations and demand that he come into the office five days a week, the employee stood his ground and said he would only do so if he were granted a 15k raise. This led to a difficult negotiation process, but folks like us are proud of the original poster (OP) for not backing down. For more stories like this, check out this post about a company that tried to steal a job candidate's idea.




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30 Bold Eyebrow Choices That May Not Work but Are Certainly Iconic

People are, of course, entitled to their own fashion sensibilities, even when said sensibilities are not exactly the choices you would make. To each their own, as they say!

When we think of oddball fashion choices, the first thing we tend to consider is a bizarre outfit or haircut, but let us not forget about the impact eyebrows can have on the whole picture. If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then the eyebrows are the curtains that frame those windows… and let's be real: anyone who has been to their grandmother's home knows what an odd choice of window curtains can do to the entire aesthetic.

Here, we have a collection of bold eyebrow choices that may not entirely work, but they are, at the very least, difficult to forget. Keep scrolling below for the full compilation, and when you're done, check out this list of amusing exam fails from students who didn't exactly study.




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Another step in the evolution of multicellularity

I’m not a fan of phys.org — they summarize interesting articles, but it’s too often clear that their writers don’t have a particularly deep understanding of biology. I wonder sometimes if they’re just as bad with physics articles, and I just don’t notice because I’m not a physicist. Anyway, here’s a summary that raised my […]




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Nice




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Tech Life: The voice cloning lawsuit

Two voice actors take legal action claiming their voices were stolen and cloned using AI.




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School calls time on pupils' smart devices

A Sheffield school bans pupils from using smartphones and watches on its premises.




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The link between climate change, seaweed and ice cream

Seaweed production has been affected by warming seas – this is how farmers are adapting.




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Post Office jobs and branches at risk in shake-up

Hundreds of head office workers are facing cuts and loss-making branches are under threat of closure.




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Girl dies on M5 after getting out of police vehicle

The 17-year-old was being transported to custody when she left the vehicle and was hit by a car.




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Chisora to challenge licence ban

Dereck Chisora appeals against the withdrawal of his licence by the British Boxing Board of Control.




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Tax-News.com: Malaysia Updates Tax Guidance For Digital Services Providers

Malaysia has comprehensively updated its guidance on the requirement on foreign service providers to collect service tax on business-to-consumer supplies of digital services.




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Tax-News.com: Cyprus To Cut VAT On Tourism Services

Cyprus's 2021 Budget includes a proposal to lower the VAT rate temporarily on tourism services.




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Tax-News.com: Malta Adds To Online Tax Services For VAT, PAYE

Malta's Commissioner for Revenue announced on June 1, 2020, that it has launched five new online forms for businesses regarding payroll taxes and value-added tax.




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Tax-News.com: France To Collect Its Digital Services Tax This Year

French Minister of Finance Bruno Le Maire has reportedly said that France intends to collect the country's digital services tax in December 2020.




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Tax-News.com: France To Collect Its Digital Services Tax This Year

French Minister of Finance Bruno Le Maire has reportedly said that France intends to collect the country's digital services tax in December 2020.




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Tax-News.com: UK To Collect Interest On Overdue Digital Services Tax

The UK Government on September 16, 2020, tabled The Taxes (Interest Rate) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2020, which will enable HM Revenue and Customs to collect or pay interest on overpaid or underpaid digital services tax liabilities.