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Astronomer's HR chief resigns after viral Coldplay ‘kiss cam' video

Astronomer's HR chief resigns after viral Coldplay ‘kiss cam' video

Straits Times5 days ago
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Astronomer CEO Andy Byron was reportedly seen in kiss cam footage with Ms Kristin Cabot, the firm's HR chief, locked in an embrace during a July 16 Coldplay concert in Boston.
A female executive of an American tech company resigned on July 25 after she was caught on a big screen at a Coldplay concert embracing the company's chief executive, reported the BBC.
Footage of the moment, which took place on July 16, quickly went viral on social media, sparking the scandal
dubbed as 'Coldplaygate' .
Astronomer's chief people officer Kristin Cabot's resignation comes shortly after
chief executive Andy Byron tendered his resignation on July 19. He had been previously placed on leave pending a company investigation.
In a statement released on social media on July 18, Astronomer did not reference the concert or the individuals involved, but said it had launched a formal investigation.
'Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability,' the company said.
'The board of directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.'
During the British rock group's concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on July 16, a jumbotron zoomed in on a man and a woman embracing in the stands. But the canoodling pair appeared shocked and horrified when they spotted themselves on the big screen, with the man ducking out of the frame and the woman hiding her face.
'Uh-oh, what? Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy,' said Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.
Internet sleuths soon identified the couple as Mr Byron, the now former chief executive, and Ms Cabot, Astronomer's chief people officer. Further details about their personal relationships also surfaced.
The video has garnered millions of views on TikTok and other social media platforms, giving rise to memes discussing everything from the folly of having an affair at a Coldplay concert to the hypocrisy of an HR representative seemingly caught in a workplace relationship.
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K-actor Ahn Hyo-seop says working with his idol Lee Min-ho on Omniscient Reader movie was ‘surreal'
K-actor Ahn Hyo-seop says working with his idol Lee Min-ho on Omniscient Reader movie was ‘surreal'

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  • Straits Times

K-actor Ahn Hyo-seop says working with his idol Lee Min-ho on Omniscient Reader movie was ‘surreal'

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox K-drama stars Ahn Hyo-seop (left) and Lee Min-ho at a press conference for the movie Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy at MBS on July 29. SINGAPORE – Rising star Ahn Hyo-seop had always viewed K-drama idol Lee Min-ho as a massive celebrity. 'I grew up watching all his shows – I'm a big fan. It's surreal to be on set with him,' Ahn tells The Straits Times in Korean through a translator in an interview at Marina Bay Sands. The 30-year-old Canadian actor was in town on July 29 with Lee, 38, and South Korean director Kim Byung-woo to promote their new fantasy action thriller movie Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy, which is based on the popular South Korean web novel Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint created by duo singNsong. Office worker Kim Dok-ja (Ahn) suddenly finds himself in the apocalyptic world of his favourite web novel, Three Ways To Survive The Apocalypse. 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Come face to face with your future self at SG60 exhibition
Come face to face with your future self at SG60 exhibition

Straits Times

time6 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Come face to face with your future self at SG60 exhibition

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The linchpin of the exhibition is Windows in the Sky, a segment where visitors can watch a personalised 25-second trailer of themselves in a future Singapore. SINGAPORE - Visitors to an upcoming exhibition will be able to see themselves living, working and playing in an envisioned future Singapore. They can also hold a conversation with their future selves in the immersive showcase, which starts on Aug 26. The SG60 Heart&Soul Experience at Orchard Library will be able to work this magic through a data set that took in future plans for the city state from more than 110 partners, such as the Forward Singapore blueprint and the SG Green Plan 2030. A human team then created 125 character archetypes and 2,500 'scenes' from the data, which generative artificial intelligence (AI) will help turn into a unique narrative for each visitor, based on the individual's background and interests. For instance, someone keen on the outdoors may see a future of himself doing something related to sustainability or solar panels. The linchpin of the exhibition is Windows in the Sky, a segment where visitors can watch a personalised 25-second trailer of themselves in a future Singapore on a wraparound, floor-to-ceiling screen. The national exhibition – which marks Singapore's 60th year of independence – is jointly developed by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information and National Library Board (NLB), and created by the team behind The Bicentennial Experience in 2019 and the SG50 Future of Us exhibition in 2015. Booking of tickets to the exhibition opens on July 29. Executive creative director Gene Tan, who is also NLB's chief librarian and chief innovation officer, said that while the past two exhibitions were more about telling overarching stories, this latest one seeks to create a tailored experience for every visitor. Mr Tan admitted that he was 'terrified' at the uncertainty and unpredictability of this highly personalised approach, with some 3.5 million permutations that the AI could generate. 'How do we have the audacity to tell people what the future is? So in the end, we came up with the idea of it as a sensation of the future... What it could feel like, rather than what it will be,' he said in an interview on July 25. At the exhibition, visitors will be able to chat with a lifelike digital librarian about their lives and interests, with their answers used to generate the personalised trailers. Visitors will be able to chat with a lifelike digital librarian about their lives and interests, with their answers used to generate the personalised trailers. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG Another segment will chronicle pivotal moments in Singapore's history as narrated by eyewitnesses, while a quirky emporium will showcase possible products from the future, such as cricket protein bars and okara soya cream soup. A quirky emporium will showcase possible products from the future, such as cricket protein bars and okara soy cream soup. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG A magazine stand inspired by the iconic Holland Village Thambi Magazine Store , and in support of SPH Media and The Straits Times' 180th anniversary, will feature some 60 newspaper front pages that spotlight key global and local events since 1965. A magazine stand will feature some 60 newspaper front pages that spotlight key global and local events since 1965. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG Using augmented reality, visitors will also be able to see how Singapore's landscape has transformed and will continue to change in a segment called Curiocity. Visitors will be able to see how Singapore's landscape has transformed and will continue to change in a segment called Curiocity. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG At the end of the exhibition, which will take about 60 to 90 minutes, each visitor will be able to take home a bookmark with a QR code that links to their personalised 25-second trailer. The organisers said that visitor data collected will be accessible only to NLB and assigned partners. Each visitor's image will be deleted after 24 hours, and each personalised trailer will be kept for only seven days. Selected elements of the exhibition will be repurposed to be part of the new Orchard Library when it reopens in 2026. Besides the ticketed experience at Orchard Library, there is also a non-ticketed installation series at the ground-floor atrium of Orchard Central and Orchard Gateway. This will be a visual tribute to SG60, tracing the nation's journey through time . Visitors will be able to walk alongside historical figures in colourised archival videos from the National Archives of Singapore from the 1900s to 2025. There will also be a generative AI-powered station, where visitors can take home personalised postcards of themselves in the past. In addition, the Tote Board and Singapore Pools have collaborated with Heart&Soul on a photo booth where for every photo taken, they will pledge $1 to support four mental wellness charities, capped at $500,000. Creative director Beatrice Chia-Richmond said building a national showcase that can resonate with Singaporeans from all walks of life was extremely challenging, as the creative team had never done a show where the visitor was the star. She hopes every visitor will leave the exhibition excited and optimistic, and will want to call Singapore home 'fiercely, over and over again'. Fellow creative director Michael Chiang said it will be a one-of-a-kind experience for all, and that Heart&Soul is probably the first time that anyone in the world has attempted a personalised exhibition of this scale. (From left) Creative directors Michael Chiang and Beatrice-Chia Richmond and executive creative director Gene Tan. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG NLB chief executive officer Ng Cher Pong said the exhibition aims to deepen visitors' connections with one another – as Singaporeans, and as a nation. 'Our hope is that this experience inspires optimism and confidence in Singaporeans as we look ahead to the next 60 years and beyond,' he added.

Registration open for tickets to free SG60 exhibition
Registration open for tickets to free SG60 exhibition

Straits Times

time6 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Registration open for tickets to free SG60 exhibition

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox 'Wheels of Time' traces the evolution of how Singaporeans connect, from handwritten letters to the digital age. SINGAPORE - A national exhibition that will use immersive storytelling and generative AI to create personalised experiences for each visitor will open its doors at Orchard Library on Aug 26 and run till end-2025. A flagship event to mark Singapore's diamond jubilee, the SG60 Heart&Soul Experience is now open for ticket booking at . Admission is free, and access to the ticketed experience is available on a first-come, first-served basis. New ticket slots will be released at the first of each month for the following month. For example, those keen on October tickets can book them from Sept 1. Besides choosing their preferred date and time, visitors have to provide their name, email contact and preferred language. They will also be asked to upload a photo to create their avatar, or choose one from a curated library. They will then receive a confirmation email with their free e-tickets. The ticketed experience, available in four official languages, runs for approximately 60-90 minutes, and is recommended for visitors aged 7 and above. It is held at the Orchard Library on levels 3 and 4 of Orchard Gateway from 9am to 6pm on Mondays, and from 9am to 10pm from Tuesdays to Sundays. Members of the public can also enjoy a non-ticketed series of installations on the ground floor atrium of Orchard Central and Orchard Gateway from 9am to 10pm daily. The exhibition brings together a rich set of materials from NLB's collections as well as from more than 110 partners from the public, private and people sectors. All the content was put into a dataset, which was further processed into character archetypes and story scenes. Based on each visitor's shared information, gen AI will create a unique 25-second trailer that shows possible versions of his future. Jointly developed by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) and the National Library Board (NLB), Heart&Soul is meant to commemorate both the Republic's 60th birthday and NLB's 30th anniversary. The exhibition's executive creative director, NLB chief librarian Gene Tan, said he hopes every Singaporean will find his place in the future of Singapore, and be emotionally connected to it. 'This is an exhibition that is based on you, inspired by you, and unique to you. And it changes each time you come to the show,' he said. About 400,000 people are expected to visit the exhibition, which will run till Dec 31. Chin Soo Fang is senior correspondent at The Straits Times covering topics such as community, politics, social issues, consumer, culture and heritage.

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