News

Twitter has been working on a number of exciting features in recent months. Twitter has discovered a new feature that will allow users to apply voice effects to their own speech/voice on Spaces.

According to reports, the feature is known to be “Voice Transformer.” It may be used to alter the voices of users who are using Twitter’s audio application – Twitter Spaces. This tool will help users to alter the pitch of their voice as well as apply effects to it.

Tipster Wong revealed

Popular tipster Jane Manchun Wong has previously revealed that Twitter was working on a Voice Transformer for Spaces.

Twitter is working on Voice Transformer for @TwitterSpaces which changes your voice pitch or adds echo to your audio pic.twitter.com/EgSvherbnL

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) July 22, 2021

“Twitter is working on Voice Transformer for @TwitterSpaces, which will allow you to adjust the pitch of your voice or add echo to your audio,” she said in her tweet.

Danny Singh, a member of Twitter’s research team, later validated the information.

Manchun stated that the feature will be beneficial for those who wish to retain their anonymity or who experience dysphoria while listening to their own voices.

Twitter’s Clubhouse-like audio room Spaces was first made available to iOS users in June 2020, and it was later made available to Android users in March.

Unlike Clubhouse, Twitter has not released a standalone app for Spaces; instead, the program is accessible through the Twitter app.

The Twitter Spaces have been warmly accepted by users, and they are currently being utilized to hold live audio concerts and discussion panels.

It does take an invitation to get started, but it is very simple to use Spaces, and it has the potential to attract a larger audience than any other standalone audio software.

Twitter Privacy Policy changes

Twitter has also stated that it would be revising its terms of service and implementing a new privacy policy, among other things. Spaces will be affected by the new rules as well.

The company announced that it will analyze data from Spaces in order to offer audio transcriptions and to look for any breaches of the Twitter Rules.

“We have updated our Privacy Policy to provide additional information about the implications of participating in or hosting a Space for your data. Data from Spaces is analyzed to offer audio transcriptions, to check for any breaches of Twitter Rules, and to make enhancements to the functionality of the tool. As a reminder, all Spaces are now open to the public, which means that your presence in a Spaces, as well as everything you broadcast while using Spaces, is also visible to the public,” Twitter stated on its blog.

Ford will roll out its all new standard certified cabin air filters called Ford Refresh95, with plans to cover a majority of its lineup by the end of 2023.

Manufactured in the U.S.A, Ford Refresh95 is Ford’s new standard advanced cabin air filter. As air moves through a vehicle’s air conditioning and ventilation system, Ford Refresh95 reduces microscopic particles that can originate from both inside and outside a vehicle’s interior.

Ford’s advanced particulate technology allow the Refresh95 to filter air particles 30 times smaller than a single human hair. The air filters can remove at least 95% of 2.5-micron sizeed traffic exhaust, toxic metals, and road dust particles – especially allergens, bacteria, and smog.

Ford Refresh95 will be made available on select upcoming vehicles, including the Ford Bronco and the all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E. Customers with compatible vehicle models will be able to purchase a Ford Refresh95 air filter from their local Ford dealer, starting in late 2021.

Abstract

This IDC PlanScape presents a digital transformation (DX) framework that enables mining companies to extract the greatest value possible from their enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. This document identifies a range of adjacent systems across the mining value chain, which should be integrated to share data with each other. This will ultimately provide mining operations with the holistic insights required for optimal decision making.

“Integrating the insights gleaned from the wide range of operational platforms used throughout a mining operation with the organisation’s ERP is critical when looking to create the greatest value. This is due to the improved ability to interpret and utilise knowledge from across the mining value chain to create the greatest impact,” says Ben Kirkwood, senior research manager, worldwide mining, IDC Energy Insights.

Coverage

One of the frustrating things about negative cycles is that you’re constantly reminded of what you’re lacking. 

Currently, we’re clearly in need of a bunch of second components of the Sputnik V vaccine, as Presidential Advisor Cecilia Nicolini made clear this week to the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which controls the commercialisation of the shot developed by the prestigious Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology. 

Another thing Argentina is desperately in need of is dollars in a world awash with greenbacks amid negative real interest rates. Hand-in-hand with the heat of the electoral campaign, the value of the black market ‘dólar blue‘ has picked up steam in recent weeks — despite additional currency controls put in place by the Central Bank — as it nears record levels and drags the spread over the official peso-dollar exchange rate north of 90 percent. Economy Minister Martín Guzmán has apparently promised the president and his veep that he has the firepower to keep a lid on the exchange rate until the elections, (which seems the only thing that matters to the political class) begging the question the question about how much the government will devalue after the electoral bout. 

And then, underpinning our most essential shortcomings, of course, is justice, made graphic by the concession of parole to none other than former vice-president Amado Boudou, a serious crook who claims he is the victim of crooked justice, while painting himself as a political prisoner and martyr for the cause. Oh dear.

Starting with the vaccines, a private email between Nicolini and her counterparts in the RDIF was leaked in which she emphatically demanded the arrival of more vaccines, particularly the second doses for the 6.6 million citizens who’ve received the first jab and trend substantially toward the older part of the curve, meaning they are the riskier groups. The letter, published by La Nación’s Carlos Pagni, read like a desperate plea, with Nicolini begging the Russians to respect their obligations and deliver the doses. She sprinkled it with toothless “threats” such as the possibility of cancelling the contract or the agreements that would be signed with US pharma companies. Nicolini asked the RDIF for the latest delivery schedules after seven months of delays, for protocols to run paediatrics studies in order to vaccinate children, and “vaccine cocktail results with Astra,” in order to study the possibility of combining doses with Sputnik V. The adviser notes the risks of the contract cancellation, of public prosecution for her and other public officials, and rejects a request to bill Argentine pharmaceutical firm Laboratorios Richmond directly instead of Human Vaccine/RDIF, with whom the original deal was signed. The opposition sought to take advantage of the airing of the letter to have a stab at the government’s amateurism, while claiming Nicolini was trying to threaten Vladimir Putin. 

The letter lays bare the desperation of the situation with Sputnik V. As Pagni himself observed, the lack of shortages of the second component are stretching beyond the recommended intervals, putting the efficacy of the jabs at risk. Argentina is far from the only country having delivery issues with the vaccine developed by Gamalyea though. A recent piece in Fortune magazine documented how Guatemala, the Philippines, and Mexico have all experienced serious delays, attributing it to the difficulty of developing two different components together with a surge in vaccine demand, especially from Russians themselves. And, of course, the shady business regarding intermediaries reselling Sputnik V has just begun, as The Moscow Times has reported. Middle to low income nations including Kenya, Ghana, Guyana, Lebanon, and Pakistan have all been offered or sold Sputnik V at huge mark-ups by intermediaries tied to the royal family of the United Arab Emirates. Wait for the blood to make it to Argentina.

In part, the problem has to do with dollars, or a lack of them. While several powerful countries in the northern hemisphere overstocked themselves with vaccines to the point where they are now giving them out “for free” — i.e. in exchange for political allegiance — nations like Argentina have extremely limited firepower. That doesn’t excuse Nicolini and the Fernández-Fernández administration for having preferred Sputnik V and AstraZeneca over other vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna, but it puts into context the relative scarcity of jabs, which in turn pressures the economic cycle. Over the past few weeks, the so-called “pax cambiaria,” or exchange rate stability, that allowed for a very sluggish decline in inflation and a timid recovery in economic activity has been disturbed by turbulence. Argentina’s legacy fear-gauge – the value of the “free” dollar, which in this case is the black market blue chip – has started to climb. As usual, several factors are at work, including the seasonal decline in export liquidations, as well as the proximity of tumultuous and uncertain elections which the government will face by trying to “put money in people’s pockets.” The internal power-struggle between Guzmán and his belt-tightening and Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof’s populist statism has definitely been sealed. The Columbia University academic knows he must help the ruling Frente de Todos coalition get as close to winning the elections as possible, which means the reopening of collective wage negotiations and fiscal stimulus, along with stricter currency controls including a sharp reduction in imports. The idea is to keep the Central Bank’s firepower in reserve, so that its president Miguel Ángel Pesce can have as much wiggle room as possible.

So what happens on November 15, the day after the elections? The outcome is very important, as a sensation of victory by the opposing Juntos por el Cambio coalition — which is beginning to appear more plausible — could boost investor confidence. Yet, the artificially slower devaluation of the official peso-dollar exchange rate means a hard devaluation could be in the books.

Which ultimately brings us back to Mr. Boudou, one of the most corrupt characters within Kirchnerism. He was granted parole after having served two-thirds of his conviction for illegally acquiring a company that prints legal tender — quite the irony — and now fills his mouth speaking of political prisoners and lawfare. Not even his former running mate, none other than Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, stands to defend him today. His situation, and the Judiciary’s decision to “forget” to investigate other accusations against him, perpetuate a sensation of a free-for-all for whoever’s in power. This vicious cycle affects every other element.

Spotify and Giphy make an unlikely pair.

What you need to know

• Spotify has partnered with Giphy to integrate the music service into the GIF platform.
• Select artists will feature direct links to their Spotify pages on Giphy.
• Artists include Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, The Weeknd, and more.

Spotify announced a partnership with Giphy this week to bring music to your favorite GIFs, in a move that may leave some scratching their heads.

Thanks to the new partnership, whenever you search for a GIF from select music artists, you’ll have the opportunity to jump straight into their Spotify page to a listening session.

“No matter how you pronounce it, GIFs are the ultimate visual metaphor,” Spotify said in its announcement. “And now, thanks to a partnership with Spotify and Giphy, music can be part of the equation.”

Selecting a GIF from an artist’s verified Giphy profile will display a tag underneath the GIF that will prompt you to listen to the artists, and clicking it will bring you straight to the song associated with the GIF. It should work whether you’re using the Giphy website or the app, which is available on all the best Android phones.

The integration works with artists such as Doja Cat, The Weeknd, Post Malone, Nicki Minaj, The Kid LAROI, and Conan Gray, although Spotify indicates that more will be added.

It’s definitely an interesting feature and one that seemingly came out of nowhere. However, if you’re really looking for a particular GIF from an artist, there’s a good chance you’ll be in the mood to dive into that particular song while you download or share the GIF with your friends.

Whatever the thought process was for this integration, it won’t hurt Giphy’s platform and only serves to put Spotify in more places.

The good news is that we can live without plastic bags, bottles, containers, cutlery, and wrappers. We can and we must. That’s why we’re calling on our beloved restaurants, festivals, and national parks to reopen with nontoxic reuse. Sign the Reopen with Reuse petition to tell the CDC that we believe the science that proves reusables are safe and we need their support to convince restaurants to reopen from the pandemic with reusables as a priority. Not only are reusables healthier for us and better for the environment, reusables can save restaurants between $3,000 – $21,000 every year. For instance, with incremental change, globally replacing just 20% of single-use plastic packaging with reusable alternatives offers an opportunity worth at least $10 billion – critical savings that can be passed along to support food service workers and small businesses. Ultimately, reusable practices should be the norm, not the exception.

Tom Kane, Illinois Credit Union System

On July 30, the credit union movement will come together to inspire an authentic and high-energy conversation about why we love credit unions.

Using the hashtag #ilovemycreditunion, credit unions and leagues across the country will use all social platforms to raise awareness of credit unions and share the amazing ways they serve their members and communities.

In this episode of the CUNA News Podcast, Tom Kane, president/CEO of the Illinois Credit Union System, shares how #ilovemycreditunion came about, the impact he hopes it will have, how to get involved, thoughts on spreading awareness of credit unions, and more.

You can listen to the CUNA News Podcast in Apple’s iTunes Store, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher Radio.

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CNN– Homes sales continue to soar. According to the National Association of Realtors, the average price for a home hit an all time high of nearly $363,000. That’s up 23% from last year. 90% of homes are selling within a month.

There’s a whole day dedicated to one of the most popular ice cream flavors. Today is National Vanilla Ice Cream Day. Vanilla bean, french vanilla, Neapolitan and dozens of other flavors just wouldn’t be the same without the traditional treat. You can dress it up with sprinkles, top it with hot fudge or add it to a milkshake.

ABC NEWS– Now to what’s being called the “Airbnb for backyard pools,” a new app helping people find a place to cool down in the summer, while homeowners cash in. ABC’s Will Reeve has more.

Congratulations to John Gormley, Carrie J. Little and Jim Haisler on being named to new leadership positions for the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) for the 2022 governance year.

The three will serve as committee vice chairs for NAR in the coming year.

• John Gormley, AEC-AE Institute Advisory Board. Gormley is the CEO of the Mainstreet Organization of REALTORS®.
• Carrie J. Little, Data Strategies Committee. Little is the designated managing broker-owner of CarMarc Realty Group in Warrenville.
• Jim Haisler, AEC Recommendations and Recognition Advisory Board. Haisler is the CEO of Heartland REALTOR® Organization.

They will be joining the following Illinois REALTORS® who will serve as NAR Committee Chairs in 2022:

• Patrick A. Dalessandro, Property Management Forum. Dalessandro is the president, broker-owner and founder of Coachlight Realty in Niles.
• Mabél Guzmán, Insurance Committee. Guzmán is a broker for Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in the greater Chicago area.
• Kim McCoy, AEC-RCE Certification Advisory Board. McCoy is the Mainstreet Organization of REALTORS® vice president of member services, operations and RPAC fundraising.
• Rebecca Thomson, Strategic Thinking Advisory Committee. Thomson is regional vice president at Coldwell Banker Residential and the principal for Thomson Realty in Chicago.
• Sarah Ware, Smart Growth Advisory Board. Ware is the principal and managing broker for Ware Realty Group, LLC in Chicago.