Jun 14, 2024

Dr. Gloria Ayee led a study group over the course of five sessions during the Spring of 2024, exploring the current pivotal moment on the African continent. Participants of the study group were invited to reflect on the role that international cooperation must play in supporting inclusive, sustainable development in Africa, as well as to move beyond outdated perspectives and learn about Africa’s profound transformation through trade, investments in clean energy and health, and youth empowerment initiatives.

Jun 21, 2024

Dr. Gloria Ayee led a study group over the course of five sessions during the Spring of 2024, exploring the current pivotal moment on the African continent. Reflecting back, Dr. Ayee highlights the key takeaways from the study group.

Watch how the copper bristles in Goody Clean Radiance brushes work to reduce buildup in hair.

Praised as the most beautiful countryside in China, the unique view of shaiqiu can only be found in Huangling village where baskets of colorful harvest bask in the sunshine.

Star Wars & VELUX Galactic Night Collection Copyright: VELUX Group

When Christen Press puts her game face on, she makes sure she helps protect it with Coppertone� Sport. Use and reapply as directed.

Years ago, NASA�s Hubble Space Telescope launched with an error in the telescope�s mirror, which blurred its images for its first years in orbit. For NASA�s upcoming James Webb Space Telescope that is traveling much farther out in space, there can�t be a mistake. Abbott scientists created a technology to calibrate the mirrors on NASA�s new James Webb Space Telescope, which is now the same technology used in the iDesign System that allows ophthalmologists to map the human eye with great precision for a highly personalized LASIK treatment.

This slander to my appley name will NOT stand.

You’re the one who called in this pizza? Slow down there, chief, we’ll get to the pizza. You won’t mind if I step in. Nice place you got here; looks expensive.

Hi everyone! Just checking in with a nice announcement: I am once again signing/personalizing books via my local indie, Harvard Book Store. 

I no longer live around the corner from the store, so I expect to go in for signing and personalizing only about once a month or so — so please order ahead if you anticipate wanting something! Once I have more info about holiday deadlines, I'll come back and blog about that. In the meantime, feel free to go ahead and start ordering. Here is the link: https://shop.harvard.com/kristin-cashore-signed-copies. 

Notice the instructions at the top: When checking out, indicate in the comments field that you would like a signed copy. Include any personalization you'd like as well. I'm happy to honor requests to wish someone a happy birthday, good luck with their writing, etc., but please do note that if you ask me to write something I'm not comfortable signing my name to (!), I won't honor those requests. (Yes, I've occasionally been asked to write some head-scratchers...) ????

Hope everybody is doing well. I'll be back very soon with info about upcoming online events for Gareth Hinds' graphic novel adaptation of Graceling, which releases on November 16! And now I'll send you off with a picture from today, in Mount Auburn Cemetery.

Years ago while trying to explain that a bad remake does not ruin your childhood, I described modern remakes as attempts to make money by “strip-mining nostalgia.” And before I explain the metaphor further, let me clearly state that BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F is a much, much better movie than that.

Strip-mining is how you destroy the landscape to get at just one thing. The strip-mining nostalgia metaphor kind of means “ruin my affection for the franchise.” And BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F did NOT ruin things.

I watched all three Beverly Hills Cop films before watching this, and then I watched the first one again, with Sandra, who hadn’t actually seen it.

She agreed with my assessment of the first film: the original BEVERLY HILLS COP is a very good movie, and the music deserved acting credit because it was not just instrumental (hah!) to the atmosphere of the film, it helped tell the story in ways that almost-but-not-quite crossed into the line of musical theater.

BEVERLY HILLS COP II was a competent, 80’s-era sequel. The production team knew how to make a good movie, but they didn’t really understand the science of a brilliant sequel. This was the 80’s, almost nobody understood that.

BEVERLY HILLS COP III was awful, and its biggest sin lay in the orchestral variations on Harold Faltermeyer’s “Axel F” theme. They were competent¹ arrangements, sure, but they sounded like they belonged in “Axel Foley Goes to Silverado.” Which I would watch, provided it was not made by the people who made BEVERLY HILLS COP III.

BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F was made by people who do understand the science of a good sequel. It follows the beat chart of the first movie, but it doesn’t just go through the motions. It knows what those beats are for, and why they worked, and it leans into that understanding to deliver what, for some people, can serve as a master-class in making a franchise film.

I’ve read several articles about the production of the film, and the most interesting thing I learned was that they re-recorded the Axel F theme using the original synths, which they got from a museum. This meant the theme had the same *exact* waveforms, delivering that familiar sound even after giving it the deconstruction and theme-and-variations treatment. That one song could now support multiple scenes without making us feel like they were just playing samples of the same song over and over. (Which, thanks to Crazy Frog², is a treatment we have definitely seen applied to Axel F. )

BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F follows the same basic plot as the first two films, in that the audience and the protagonist know who the bad guy is, and the detective work lies in accumulating the right evidence, and then surviving to deliver it³. It also improves on the scene-to-scene flow⁴ of that formula, giving us snappy dialog and dramatic moments that run straight up against action.

I should sum up. I’ve watched BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F twice now, and I have no regrets. I’m not tracking my thresholds lately, but this one definitely clears the Threshold of Awesome. It was better than just “better than I expected it to be,” and that might sound like low praise, but I’ll definitely watch it a third time. Hopefully that helps you calibrate your own expectations.

— notes —

¹ I used ‘competent’ twice because it’s the right word. In the arts it kind of means “knows how to hold a paintbrush, mix colors, and create a painting, but doesn’t know how to make actual art.”

² Google “Crazy Frog” at your peril. It was silly fun twenty years ago, but now it just leaves me annoyed, and ashamed for having liked it once.

³ The third film messes with the formula, giving us a plot twist right at the end. It was a nice idea, but it was not executed well. Just take my word for it. Don’t go watch BEVERLY HILLS COP III. Sure, you can go listen to “Crazy Frog” at your peril but BHCIII is a different level of DO NOT.

³ “Scene-sequel” format, which comes to us from Dwight Swain’s TECHNIQUES OF THE WORKING WRITER, is perfectly employed here. You don’t need to know that to enjoy the movie, but if you are a writer then it’s something you should pay attention to.

Countries are convening in Colombia to debate how they will achieve wide-ranging targets to stem biodiversity loss and how they plan to pay for it

The largest and most ambitious Martian drone yet could carry kilograms of scientific equipment over great distances and set itself down on the Red Planet unassisted

The focus is on finance at the UN climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, this month, but countries are a long way from any kind of consensus

Although the COP16 summit in Colombia ended with some important agreements, countries still aren’t moving fast enough to stem biodiversity loss

One day, doctors might be able to 3D print copies of your organs in order to test a variety of drugs, thanks to a new technique that uses light and sound for rapid printing

Can the world fight climate change without the US?

Highlights: The EN-840T DBE endoscope, created by Fujifilm with Prof. Hironori Yamamoto, prioritizes safety and

Water must be at the core of effective climate action, but many countries are unaware of the powerful water-related solutions that exist.

The post Water sector thirsty for change at Climate COP first appeared on International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

IWMI women researchers are leading the way on actionable policy recommendations and implementation for water resource management.

The post IWMI is working with governments to build water resilience at COP29  first appeared on International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

IWMI hosts pre-COP28 conference on “Accelerating the Water-Food Climate Nexus Transformation Pathways for Pakistan.”

The post IWMI to support Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change for COP28 first appeared on International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

Youssef Brouziyne, IWMI Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Regional Representative, says two key questions will dominate discussions around the Loss and Damage Fund at COP28.

The post At COP28, science and research are critical to the loss and damage conversation first appeared on International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

Rachael McDonnell, IWMI's Deputy Director General - Research for Development, stressed the impact of climate change on water resources during the event to mark the announcement.

The post Pakistan’s PM launches $77.8m ‘Recharge Pakistan’ initiative at COP28 to combat climate change first appeared on International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

New study investigates how convolutional neural networks (CNNs) can enhance nasal endoscopy accuracy and efficiency. The study focuses on overcoming diagnostic

A 56-year-old woman who had two uteruses has been successfully treated through total laparoscopic hysterectomy, reveal doctors. Even after three pregnancies

Voice disorders (!--ref1--) are prevalent among various professionals, including teachers, singers, lawyers, politicians, doctors, bus conductors, actors,

After receiving several reports regarding deadly patient infections due to contaminated duodenoscopes, Japan-based Olympus company has announced that

The Raazi director Meghana Gulzar is all set to make an action thriller based on a real-life incident, starring Kareena Kapoor in the lead role and also having Prithviraj in an important role in the film.

Constable, posted in the Crime Branch of J&K Police and spouses accused of drug trafficking across Jammu province; authorities seize narcotics, cash, and property as the investigation deepens.

The personnel deputed for election duty were sent on Monday to 225 polling stations located in remote and inaccessible areas of five districts of the state -- West Singhbhum, Latehar, Lohardaga, Gumla and Garhwa.

Abel creates AI that uses body cam footage and other data to fill out consuming police reports. For research, founder Daniel Francis shadowed the police.

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Penguin Random House, the trade publisher, is adding language to the copyright pages of its books to prohibit the use of those books to train AI. The Bookseller reports that new books and reprints of older titles from the publisher will now include the statement, “No part of this book may be used or reproduced […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

At its Universe conference, GitHub today announced a number of major new products, including the Spark project for writing applications entirely with AI, as well as multi-model support for its Copilot service. But Copilot itself is also getting quite a few updates. With this release, Microsoft-owned GitHub is bringing Copilot to Apple’s Xcode environment for […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

GitHub today announced that it will now allow developers to switch between a number of large language models when they use Copilot Chat, its code-centric ChatGPT-like service. Until now, Copilot Chat was powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4. Going forward, developers can choose between Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro, and OpenAI’s GPT-4o, o1-preview, and […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

ಶುಭೋದಯ..... ಮಂಗಳವಾರ ಶ್ರೀ ಗಣೇಶನಿಗೆ ಗರಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ಅರ್ಪಿಸಿ, ನಿಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲಾ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಕಾರ್ಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಗಣೇಶನ ಕೃಪೆ ಇರಲಿ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾ ಡಿಸೆಂಬರ್ 27ರ ದಿನ ಭವಿಷ್ಯ ನೋಡೋಣ... ಸಂವತ್ಸರ: ಶುಭಕೃತ್ಆಯನ: ದಕ್ಷಿಣಾಯಣಋತು: ಹೇಮಂತಮಾಸ: ಪುಷ್ಯಪಕ್ಷ: ಶುಕ್ಲಪಕ್ಷತಿಥಿ: ಪಂಚಮಿನಕ್ಷತ್ರ: ಧನಿಷ್ಠಾರಾಹುಕಾಲ: ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನ 03:11ರಿಂದ ಸಂಜೆ 04:16ಸೂರ್ಯೋದಯ: ಬೆಳಗ್ಗೆ 6.40ಸೂರ್ಯಾಸ್ತ: 06:02

ಶುಭೋದಯ..... ಬುಧವಾರ ಶ್ರೀ ಗಣೇಶನಿಗೆ ಗರಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ಅರ್ಪಿಸಿ, ನಿಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲಾ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಕಾರ್ಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಗಣೇಶನ ಕೃಪೆ ಇರಲಿ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾ ಡಿಸೆಂಬರ್ 28 ಬುಧವಾರದ ದಿನ ಭವಿಷ್ಯ ನೋಡೋಣ... ಸಂವತ್ಸರ: ಶುಭಕೃತ್ಆಯನ: ದಕ್ಷಿಣಾಯಣಋತು: ಹೇಮಂತಮಾಸ: ಪುಷ್ಯಪಕ್ಷ: ಶುಕ್ಲ ಪಕ್ಷತಿಥಿ: ಷಷ್ಠಿನಕ್ಷತ್ರ: ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನ12:46ರವರೆಗೆ ಶತಾಭಿಷ್ಠ ನಂತರ ಪೂರ್ವಭಾದ್ರಪದರಾಹುಕಾಲ: ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನ 12:21ರಿಂದ 01:46ರವರೆಗೆಸೂರ್ಯೋದಯ: ಬೆಳಗ್ಗೆ 6.40ಸೂರ್ಯಾಸ್ತ: 06:02

ಶುಭೋದಯ.....ಗುರು ರಾಯರನ್ನು ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನೆನೆಯುತ್ತಾ ಗುರುವಾರದ ರಾಶಿಫಲ ನೋಡೋಣ.. ಸಂವತ್ಸರ: ಶುಭಕೃತ್ಆಯನ: ದಕ್ಷಿಣಾಯಣಋತು: ಹೇಮಂತಮಾಸ: ಪುಷ್ಯಪಕ್ಷ: ಶುಕ್ಲತಿಥಿ: ಸಪ್ತಮಿನಕ್ಷತ್ರ: ಪೂರ್ವಭದ್ರಪದರಾಹುಕಾಲ: ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನ 01:47ರಿಂದ 03:12ಸೂರ್ಯೋದಯ: ಬೆಳಗ್ಗೆ 6.40ಸೂರ್ಯಾಸ್ತ:6:03