South Korean soprano Sumi Jo receives medal of France's Commandeur of the Order of Arts and Letters
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New York Times
29 minutes ago
- New York Times
Ring the Alarm for 13 Killer Dancehall Cuts
By David Renard Dear listeners, Great to be back with you again. I'm Dave Renard, an editor on the Times Culture desk. When I read a couple of weeks ago that Wayne Smith's 1985 smash 'Under Me Sleng Teng' turned 40 this year, I had to go dig up some old and new dancehall favorites that feel perfect for late summer. As Patricia Meschino's Times article lays out, 'Sleng Teng' transformed Jamaican music almost overnight after its all-electronic backing track, or riddim — courtesy of Noel Davey, Prince Jammy and a Casio keyboard — proved wildly popular. The first few songs on this playlist come from before that digital revolution, when reggae D.J.s (who, somewhat confusingly for outsiders, perform a role more equivalent to M.C.s in hip-hop) sang and rhymed over instrumentals or dub versions of previous hits. The lines between older tunes and new creations get thrillingly blurred, as the genre's past is dragged back into its present, tweaked and transformed. Artists also use and reuse the most popular riddims, putting their own spin on them and minting new hits. Here are 13 tracks that (very roughly) sketch out how dancehall has evolved over the last few decades. Some are well-known classics and others are more left-field personal picks. I just love how the champion sound keeps playing, Dave When he died in 2021, U-Roy was hailed as one of the originators of the Jamaican 'toasting' style of rhyming over a prerecorded track — and, by extension, as a pioneer of hip-hop. 'I'm the first man who put D.J. rap on wax, you know,' he told The Daily Yomiuri of Tokyo in 2006. On this 1975 song, he reinterprets Ken Boothe's 'Just Another Girl,' from 1969.▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
The Chatbot Updated. Users Lost a Friend.
Markus Schmidt, a 48-year-old composer living in Paris, started using ChatGPT for the first time in July. He gave the chatbot pictures of flowers and had it identify them. He asked it questions about the history of his German hometown. Soon, he was talking to the chatbot about traumas from his youth. And then, without warning, ChatGPT changed. Just over a week ago, he started a session talking about his childhood, expecting the chatbot to open up a longer discussion as it had in the past. But it didn't. 'It's like, 'OK, here's your problem, here's the solution, thank you, goodbye,' Mr. Schmidt said. On Aug. 7, OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, released a new version of its chatbot, called GPT-5. This version, the company said, would allow for deeper reasoning, while 'minimizing sycophancy' — the chatbot's tendency to be overly agreeable. Users weren't having it. People immediately found its responses to be less warm and effusive than GPT-4o, OpenAI's primary chatbot before the update. On social media, people were especially angry that the company had cut off access to the previous chatbot versions to streamline its offerings. 'BRING BACK 4o,' a user named very_curious_writer wrote in a Q&A forum that OpenAI hosted on Reddit. 'GPT-5 is wearing the skin of my dead friend.' Sam Altman, OpenAI's chief executive, replied saying, 'What an…evocative image,' before adding that 'ok we hear you on 4o, working on something now.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Boucher, Sondra S. 1939-2025 St. Joseph, Mo.
Sondra Sue Boucher (Barnett), 85, of St. Joseph, Missouri, peacefully at home on Aug. 16, 2025. She was born on Nov. 15, 1939, in St. Joseph, to Lloyd and Leva Barnett and graduated from Central High School in 1957. On June 19, 1957, she married the love of her life, Donald Lee Boucher, and together they built a life centered on family. Sondra had a gift for music and shared her beautiful voice by performing at the Frog Hop Ballroom and other local venues. She was also a talented bowler. At heart, Sondra was a homemaker who found joy in caring for children, tending to animals, and creating a warm and loving home. She especially cherished time spent with her grandchildren, often playing games and making lasting memories with them. She will be deeply missed by her family and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Lloyd and Leva Barnett; her husband, Donald Boucher; and her sister, Mary Maxwell. Sondra is survived by her children, Deborah Messa (Rick), Mardell Barber, and Douglas Boucher (Sarah): grandchildren, Sierra Haddix (Shawn), Tyrus Messa, Brandon Barber (Emily), Colten Barber, Oliver Messa (Jesse), Anna Beal (Sean), Gabrielle Boucher, and Jennifer Boucher; and four great-grandchildren. A Celebration of LIfe will be held on Sunday, Aug. 31, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Self Expression, 1011 South Belt Highway, St. Joseph. Arrangements by Heaton-Bowman-Smith & Sidenfaden Chapel. As published in the St. Joseph News-Press. Solve the daily Crossword
