voice

3Mar

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

MONEY, VIDEO REELS

Did Elizabeth Holmes Intentionally Lower Her Voice? What’s Behind The Obsession

There is a scene in Hulu’s new series, “The Dropout,” where Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, wearing a white blouse, stands in front of a mirror and practices saying, “This is an inspiring step forward.” With each iteration, her voice deepens. As the world has learned about Theranos’ web of deception – whether through John Carreyrou’s bestselling book, “Bad Blood,” Apple’s podcast series “The Dropout” or Hulu’s streaming series of the same name – Holmes’ supposed attempt to alter her voice is a detail that captivates audiences. The behavior might strike some people as bizarre, even sociopathic. But because of my training in vocology, the study of vocalization, and my interest in speech biases, I’m intrigued by why Holmes may have felt compelled to change her voice in the first place. I...

Inside The Coming Voice-Profiling Revolution – Shhhh, They’re Listening

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

TECHNOLOGY

Inside The Coming Voice-Profiling Revolution – Shhhh, They’re Listening

You decide to call a store that sells some hiking boots you’re thinking of buying. As you dial in, the computer of an artificial intelligence company hired by the store is activated. It retrieves its analysis of the speaking style you used when you phoned other companies the software firm services. The computer has concluded you are “friendly and talkative.” Using predictive routing, it connects you to a customer service agent who company research has identified as being especially good at getting friendly and talkative customers to buy more expensive versions of the goods they’re considering. This hypothetical situation may sound as if it’s from some distant future. But automated voice-guided marketing activities like this are happening all the time. If you hear “This call is being reco...

Black Poets And Writers How They Gave A Voice To ‘Affrilachia’

5Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Black Poets And Writers How They Gave A Voice To ‘Affrilachia’

Appalachia, in the popular imagination, stubbornly remains poor and white. Open a dictionary and you’ll see Appalachian described as a “native or inhabitant of Appalachia, especially one of predominantly Scotch-Irish, English, or German ancestry.” Read J.D. Vance’s “Hillbilly Elegy” and you’ll enter a world that’s white, poor and uncultured, with few, if any, people of color. But as Black poets and scholars living in Appalachia, we know that this simplified portrayal obscures a world that is far more complex. It has always been a place filled with diverse inhabitants and endowed with a lush literary history. Black writers like Effie Waller Smith have been part of this cultural landscape as far back as the 19th century. Today, Black writers and poets continue to explore what it means to ...

Churchgoers aren’t able to lift every voice and sing during the pandemic – here’s why that matters

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, Religion, VIDEO REELS

Churchgoers aren’t able to lift every voice and sing during the pandemic – here’s why that matters

Because of COVID-19, churches no longer reverberate with song; hymnals are neatly stacked and projection screens blank. Even as church leaders plan for reopening, scientists warn that it might be too early to resume singing in groups. Though such restrictions are understandable, they rob congregations of an important aspect of their Christian faith. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 5, Believers should be “filled with the spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” As a choral conductor, scholar in African American sacred music and teacher of sacred music and worship, I have studied the relationship between singing and worship for over three decades. Singing is critical to identity and faith. In some ...

How a heritage of black preaching shaped MLK’s voice in calling for justice

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IN OTHER NEWS, Religion

How a heritage of black preaching shaped MLK’s voice in calling for justice

The name Martin Luther King Jr. is iconic in the United States. President Barack Obama mentioned King in both his Democratic National Convention nomination acceptance and victory speeches in 2008, when he said, “[King] brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln’s Memorial…to speak of his dream.” Indeed, much of King’s legacy lives on in such arresting oral performances. They made him a global figure. The name Martin Luther King Jr. is iconic in the United States. President Barack Obama mentioned King in both his Democratic National Convention nomination acceptance and victory speeches in 2008, when he said, “[King] brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln’s M...

Toni Morrison the Most Enduring Literary Feminine and African American Voice

4Oct

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

Journalism

Toni Morrison the Most Enduring Literary Feminine and African American Voice

Toni Morrison was born Chloe Ardelia ( Anthony) Wofford on February 18, 1931 in Lorain, Ohio, where her parents, migrants from the South, had moved to, to escape the problems of southern racism. Morrison is the second of four children, to, Ramah Willis and George Wofford, migrant sharecroppers on both sides, both of whom came from sharecropping families who had moved North in pursuit of better living conditions in the early 1900s. Her father's family, in particular, had faced a great deal of discrimination. Due to these bitter memories and the racial troubles he endured during his childhood, he maintained a strong distrust of whites throughout his lifetime. Morrison's parents instilled in her the value of group loyalty, which they believed was essential to surviving the harsh realitie...