Latest news with #Eno
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Talking Heads Serving Up More ‘Food' For 50th Anniversary
Just in time for the band's 50th anniversary this year, Talking Heads will reissue their Brian Eno-produced 1978 sophomore album, More Songs About Buildings and Food, in deluxe editions July 25 from Rhino Records. A previously unreleased alternate version of 'Found a Job' from the set is out now. Fans will be treated to three other unheard versions of album tracks, while an Aug. 1978 concert at New York's Entermedia Theatre is included as a Blu-ray with Dolby Atmos, 5.1 surround sound and high resolution stereo mixes. Click here to explore the LP and CD variants, which include a four-LP version with four bonus international seven-inch singles from the era. More from Spin: Bruce Springsteen Boosts Mexican 'Soldaderas' On 'Adelita' Pavement Returning To Headline Levitation Fest Clipse 'Sort Out' First Album In 16 Years More Songs About Building and Food was one of the first albums to be recorded at Island Records chief Chris Blackwell's Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas. 'To our great relief, [Eno] realized we were a tight live band at this point, so it made sense to record us all playing together in the studio,' frontman David Byrne recalls. 'We weren't all that comfortable in a recording studio, so this arrangement made us comfortable and put us at ease.' The album's atypical biggest hit, a cover of Al Green's 'Take Me to the River,' almost didn't make it to tape in the version fans came to love. 'We were used to playing the song at a pretty fast tempo like Al Green's original, but we gave it a go [in a slower speed],' recalls drummer Chris Frantz. 'After several takes, we got what [Eno] was looking for, and everyone loved his treatment of the snare drum. This song became our first radio hit.' More Songs About Building and Food also spawned favorites such as 'Artists Only' and 'Stay Hungry' and is well-known for its Polaroid mosaic cover photo. 'David took the pictures of Chris, Jerry [Harrison] and me, while I took the pictures of David,' says bassist Tina Weymouth. 'We used a close-up attachment and a red cloth for the backdrop. It was shot on the roof above Chris's and my Long Island City loft. I still have that camera!' Further surprises are planned this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary milestone. Byrne also appears to have his first post-American Utopia album percolating, although details have yet to be announced. To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.
Hindustan Times
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Windows 95 chime composer calls out Microsoft in blunt open letter: ‘Machinery of war'
Musician Brina Eno, who created the iconic Windows 95 operating system startup chime, has called out Microsoft in an open letter, accusing the company of helping the Israeli government with 'surveillance, violence, and destruction in Palestine.' In a four-page post on Instagram, the musician urged Microsoft to 'suspend all services that support any operations that contribute to violations of international law." Narrating the story of how he created the iconic jingle, Eno said: "In the mid-1990s, I was asked to compose a short piece of music for Microsoft's Windows 95 operating system. Millions - possibly even billions of people have since heard that short start-up chime-which represented a gateway to a promising technological future." However, he added that he now felt compelled to speak up. 'I gladly took on the [Windows 95] project as a creative challenge and enjoyed the interaction with my contacts at the company. I never would have believed that the same company could one day be implicated in the machinery of oppression and war," he wrote. The rock artist also called out Microsoft's contracts with Israel's Ministry of Defence, which the company acknowledged last week. It had said that its contracts with the Israeli government included cloud and AI services, but claimed that there was 'no evidence' that these were used to 'target people' in Gaza. Eno has also promised to use his original earnings from the Windows 95 startup chime project to help 'the victims of the attacks on Gaza.' A post shared by Brian Eno (@brianeno) Recently, Microsoft has faced criticism over its contracts with Israel, especially amid the ongoing bombardment of Gaza, with the tech giant's own employees being some of its fiercest critics. At Microsoft's annual developer conference this week, several events were interrupted by employee-led protests. During CEO Satya Nadella's keynote speech, one employee stood up and shouted, 'How about you show Israeli war crimes are powered by Azure?'—a reference to Microsoft's cloud computing services. (Also read: Video of Microsoft employee disrupting Satya Nadella's keynote speech goes viral) In April, Microsoft worker Ibtihal Aboussad interrupted a 50th-anniversary celebration, accusing Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman of being 'a war profiteer.' On the same day, another employee, Vaniya Agrawal, disrupted a separate event before being dismissed early following her resignation.
Hans India
22-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Microsoft Accused of Censoring Pro-Palestinian Terms in Internal Emails
Microsoft is under fire from within its own ranks as reports emerge that thetech giant is filtering internal emails containing terms such as"Palestine," "Gaza," and "genocide." Thecontroversy comes amid growing criticism of the company's alleged ties to theIsraeli military, with employees and public figures voicing concerns over whatthey see as complicity in human rights violations. The censorship claims were brought forward by No Azure for Apartheid,a coalition of pro-Palestinian Microsoft employees. According to the group,Microsoft began filtering these terms shortly after its flagship developerevent, Microsoft Build 2025, was disrupted by an engineerprotesting the company's involvement with Israel. While the system reportedly blocks words like "Palestine,"variations such as "P4lestine" or "Israel" seem to bypassthe filter, suggesting that the block is targeted. Employees argue this movestifles internal dissent and prevents meaningful dialogue within the company. In response to the criticism, Microsoft stated in a recent blog post that thereis 'no evidence' its technology is being used to harmcivilians in Gaza. However, this assurance has done little to calm the growingunrest. Brian Eno Joins the Chorus of Critics Public outrage over Microsoft's actions has now extended beyond its musician and artist Brian Eno, known for composingthe startup chime for Windows 95, voiced his disapproval in a recent Instagrampost. 'I gladly took on the [Windows 95] project as a creative challenge andenjoyed the interaction with my contacts at the company,' Eno wrote. 'I neverwould have believed that the same company could one day be implicated in themachinery of oppression and war.' Eno demanded that Microsoft 'suspend all services that support anyoperations that contribute to violations of international law.' He wasespecially critical of the company's contracts with Israel's Ministry ofDefense, accusing it of enabling 'surveillance, violence, and destruction inPalestine.' Employee Protests Continue to Escalate The backlash is not confined to social media. Microsoft employees havestaged several high-profile protests over the past few months. During CEO SatyaNadella's keynote speech at Build 2025, Azure engineer JoeLopez interrupted the event, shouting: 'Satya, how about you show how Microsoft is killing Palestinians?' Lopez was swiftly removed by security, but he later expanded on his views inan internal email shared on Medium. 'I can no longer stand by in silence as Microsoft continues to facilitateIsrael's ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people,' he wrote. Lopez claimed to have seen internal documents indicating Microsoft beganpitching services to the Israeli military shortly after the October 7, 2023attacks. 'Microsoft openly admitted to allowing the Israel Ministry of Defence'special access to our technologies beyond the terms of our commercialagreements,'' he added. 'Do you really believe that this 'special access' wasallowed only once?' Despite Microsoft's blog post asserting that a third-party review found 'noevidence' of its technology being used to harm civilians, Lopezdismissed the audit as 'non-transparent' and partiallyconducted by Microsoft itself. 'We don't need an internal audit to know that a top Azure customer iscommitting crimes against humanity,' he argued. 'We see it live on the internetevery day.' More Voices from Inside Lopez is not alone in challenging the company. Just last month, U.S.-basedemployee Vaniya Agrawal disrupted Microsoft's 50th-anniversarycelebration, confronting leadership including Nadella, Steve Ballmer, and BillGates. In a public letter, she condemned Microsoft's role in supportingIsrael's technological infrastructure, saying: 'It is undeniable that Microsoft's Azure cloud offerings and AI developmentsform the technological backbone of Israel's automated apartheid and genocidesystems.' Another engineer, Ibtihal Aboussad, made headlines aftershe interrupted a Microsoft AI event to confront AI CEO MustafaSuleyman with a blunt message: 'Mustafa, shame on you.' A Tense Road Ahead Microsoft's handling of internal dissent and its reported censorshippractices are drawing increasing scrutiny. With its own employees and prominentpublic figures calling for accountability, the company is now caught in agrowing storm over corporate ethics, technology's role in conflict, and theboundaries of free speech in the workplace. While Microsoft has attempted to reassure its workforce and the public, itsnext steps—particularly in how it handles employee concerns and transparencyaround international contracts—will likely define its reputation in thisrapidly unfolding controversy.
India Today
22-05-2025
- Business
- India Today
Microsoft bans word Palestine in internal emails, Windows 95 chime creator slams company for Israel ties
Microsoft has been facing mounting criticism over its alleged ties to Israel's military. And some of its most vocal critics are its own employees. In 2025 alone, there have been at least three instances of Microsoft staff speaking out against the company's involvement with the Israeli military. In a recent blog post, Microsoft attempted to address the concerns, claiming there is no evidence that its technology is being used to harm or kill people in Gaza. And the latest reported step taken by the company appears to be censorship. Microsoft has reportedly quietly begun filtering internal emails that contain terms such as 'Palestine,' 'Gaza,' and 'genocide,' preventing them from reaching recipients on the company's Exchange alleged email block was revealed by No Azure for Apartheid, a group of pro-Palestinian Microsoft employees, who claim the filter was activated shortly after the company's flagship developer conference, Microsoft Build 2025, was disrupted by an Azure engineer on Monday. While variations like 'Israel' or 'P4lestine' reportedly pass through unblocked, staff say the ban is evidence of growing restrictions on internal dissent. Windows 95 chime creator joins criticsAdding to the growing backlash, musician and artist Brian Eno (who is popularly known for composing the startup chime for Windows 95) has publicly criticised the company for its role in 'surveillance, violence, and destruction in Palestine'. In an Instagram post, Eno urged Microsoft to 'suspend all services that support any operations that contribute to violations of international law'. 'I gladly took on the [Windows 95] project as a creative challenge and enjoyed the interaction with my contacts at the company,' Eno wrote. 'I never would have believed that the same company could one day be implicated in the machinery of oppression and war.'advertisementEno particularly condemned Microsoft's contracts with Israel's Ministry of Defense, which the company last week in a blog post. Microsoft maintains that there is no evidence to suggest its tools have been used to target civilians in Palestine, but this has done little to ease concerns among critics. Protests by Microsoft employeesMicrosoft has recently seen a string of protests from its employees. During CEO Satya Nadella's keynote speech at Build 2025 event on Monday, a company engineer, Joe Lopez, interrupted the session to accuse Microsoft of complicity in Israel's military actions. 'Satya, how about you show how Microsoft is killing Palestinians?' Lopez shouted from the audience, before being escorted out. Lopez, a firmware engineer with Microsoft's Azure Hardware Systems and Infrastructure (AHSI) division, followed up with an internal email shared on Medium. 'I can no longer stand by in silence as Microsoft continues to facilitate Israel's ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people,' he wrote, citing internal documents that allegedly show the company began pitching its services to the Israeli military days after the October 7, 2023 attacks. 'Microsoft openly admitted to allowing the Israel Ministry of Defence 'special access to our technologies beyond the terms of our commercial agreements',' Lopez wrote in his email. 'Do you really believe that this 'special access' was allowed only once?'advertisementA recent report by Drop Site claims that the Israeli military has become one of Microsoft's top 500 global customers. In response to scrutiny, Microsoft recently published a blog post stating that it had conducted a third-party review and found 'no evidence' that its technology had been used to harm civilians in Gaza. However, Lopez dismissed the findings as 'non-transparent audits' conducted in part by Microsoft itself. He added: 'We don't need an internal audit to know that a top Azure customer is committing crimes against humanity. We see it live on the internet every day.'Lopez is not the only employee to confront leadership over Microsoft's involvement in the Gaza conflict. Last month, Vaniya Agrawal, a US-based employee, interrupted the company's 50th anniversary event in front of top executives including Satya Nadella, Steve Ballmer, and Bill Gates.'It is undeniable that Microsoft's Azure cloud offerings and AI developments form the technological backbone of Israel's automated apartheid and genocide systems,' she wrote in a public engineer, Ibtihal Aboussad, disrupted a Microsoft AI event just a day earlier, calling out Microsoft's AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman with the words: 'Mustafa, shame on you.'
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Brian Eno Challenges Microsoft on Israel Partnership, Pledges Windows 95 Chime Fee to Gaza Victims
The post Brian Eno Challenges Microsoft on Israel Partnership, Pledges Windows 95 Chime Fee to Gaza Victims appeared first on Consequence. Brian Eno is leveraging his historical ties to Microsoft to urge the company to cease providing AI technology and cloud services to the Israeli Ministry of Defense. In a significant further step, he has also pledged to donate the fees he received for composing the Windows 95 startup sound to victims of Israel's attacks on Gaza. 'Today, I'm compelled to speak, not as a composer this time, but as a citizen alarmed by the role Microsoft is playing in a very different kind of composition: one that leads to surveillance, violence, and destruction in Palestine,' Eno wrote in an open letter posted to Instagram on Wednesday, May 21st. 'In a blog post dated May 15, 2025, Microsoft acknowledged that it provides Israel's Ministry of Defense with 'software, professional services, Azure cloud services and Azure AI services, including language translation.'' Eno continued, 'These 'services' support a regime that is engaged in actions described by leading legal scholars and human rights organisations, United Nations experts, and increasing numbers of governments from around the world, as genocidal. The collaboration between Microsoft and the Israeli government and army is no secret and involves the company's software being used in lethal technologies with 'funny' names like 'Where's Daddy?' (guidance systems for tracking Palestinians in order to blow them up in their homes).' 'Selling and facilitating advanced AI and cloud services to a government engaged in systematic ethnic cleansing is not 'business as usual.' It is complicity,' he added, pointing out that corporations like Microsoft 'often command more influence' than governments. 'I believe that with such a power comes an absolute ethical responsibility. Accordingly, I call on Microsoft to suspend all services that support any operations that contribute to violations of international law.' Turning his attention to the 'brave' Microsoft workers who have 'refused to stay silent' about the partnership, Eno praised them for 'risking their livelihoods for people who have lost and will continue to lose their lives. I invite artists, technologists, musicians, and all people of conscience to join me in this call.' After pledging the fee he originally received for composing the Windows 95 chime 'towards helping the victims of the attacks on Gaza,' Eno ended his open letter by proclaiming, 'If a sound can signal a real change then let it be this one.' Microsoft acknowledged its partnership with the Israeli military several months after The Associated Press published a report detailing how the company's Azure cloud servers and AI technology were being used to select targets in Israel's attacks on Gaza and Lebanon. In an unsigned blog post published on May 15th, Microsoft stated it had found 'no evidence to date' that its services have been used to 'target or harm people in the conflict in Gaza.' In early April, Eno's Windows 95 chime was inducted into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry as a 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant' piece of recorded music. Now, it has potentially taken on even more profound historical significance. Popular Posts Trump Warns Springsteen: "He Ought to Keep His Mouth Shut Until He's Back Into the Country" New Reality TV Show That Sees immigrants Compete for US Citizenship Has Backing of Trump Administration: Report Holy Shit, You Have to See Footage from System of a Down's Concert in Brazil Bruce Springsteen Gives Trump the Middle Finger with Another Defiant Concert Guns N' Roses Share Video of Axl Rose Repeatedly Falling Onstage: Watch Nathan Fielder's The Rehearsal Tackles Autism — Thanks to a Consequence Article Subscribe to Consequence's email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.
