Latest news with #Hoppy
Calgary Herald
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
'4th Street is alive today': Calgarians flock to 34th Lilac Festival
Article content 'I like the live music and I like bringing my rabbit out,' he said, noting milder weather for this year's festival was ideal for Hoppy. Article content 'I usually bring a spray bottle and spray her down constantly, but I didn't really have to this year,' he said. 'It's just perfect for her.' Article content Article content Among the vendors was Carrie Fehr from Leduc, Alta., owner of Good Walk Collars & Leashes. She made the 2.5-hour drive to Calgary for the event — her biggest market of the year, she said. Article content 'It's an excellent vibe,' she said. 'It's been an awesome day . . . The crowd is great. Everyone's happy and looking forward to a great, sunny day.' Article content The Meow Foundation, a longtime festival participant, marked its 25th anniversary with a fundraising booth offering handmade items for pet owners. Article content 'It's a big deal for us,' said Stephanie Sterling, board chair for the organization that helps find 'forever homes' for stray and abandoned cats. 'We'll do 30 to 40 markets every year (and) this is one of our biggest.' Article content Article content What began as a small street fair celebrating the blooming of lilacs has grown into a major city-wide event. Lilac Festival event producer Jennifer Rempel said the day now provides a significant economic boost for local businesses. Article content
Channel Post MEA
7 days ago
- Business
- Channel Post MEA
SAP Unveils New AI Features For Enterprise Applications
At its annual SAP Sapphire conference, SAP unveiled innovations and partnerships that put the power of Business AI in every user's hands, revolutionising the way work gets done. From a virtually omnipresent Joule assistant to an expanded network of Joule Agents that work across systems and lines of business, SAP heralds a new era that democratises access to Business AI and can drive productivity gains of up to 30%. 'SAP combines the world's most powerful suite of business applications with uniquely rich data and the latest AI innovations to create a flywheel of customer value,' said SAP CEO Christian Klein. 'With the expansion of Joule, our partnerships with leading AI pioneers, and advancements in SAP Business Data Cloud, we're delivering on the promise of Business AI as we drive digital transformations that help customers thrive in an increasingly unpredictable world.' AI that boosts productivity Joule can accompany business users throughout their day, in and out of the SAP application universe, to find data, surface real-time insights and streamline workflows. Joule's new ubiquity includes an action bar powered by WalkMe that studies user behaviour across applications, turning the assistant into an always-available, proactive AI that can anticipate users' needs before they arise — always adhering to SAP's strict ethical AI guidelines. A collaboration with Perplexity, an AI-powered answer engine company, enhances Joule's ability to draw on structured and unstructured data to solve complex business problems. Powered by Perplexity and the SAP Knowledge Graph, Joule now instantly answers questions with structured, visual answers — such as charts and graphs — grounded in real-time business data within SAP workflows. SAP also unveiled an expanded library of Joule Agents that reimagine business processes and workflows from the ground up. Fuelled by the world's most powerful real-time business data and orchestrated by Joule, these AI agents work across systems and lines of business to anticipate, adapt and act autonomously so organisations can stay agile in a rapidly changing world. Leading companies reap business AI benefits Several leading brands showcased how SAP Business AI has enhanced their operations. Global brewer Heineken has introduced an internal artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, 'Hoppy,' to enhance business processes and offer real-time data access. The AI-driven chatbot runs on SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) and represents a significant leap forward in Heineken's commitment to streamlining internal processes and empowering its workforce. By leveraging advanced natural language processing with data across multiple systems, Hoppy eliminates the need for time-consuming manual searches and allows business users to focus on more strategic and impactful tasks. Since Hoppy was introduced within the company's collaboration platforms, Heineken has seen the time knowledge workers need to retrieve information fall to 1 minute from 15 minutes. With SAP Business AI capabilities at Hoppy's core, Heineken also is exploring automating repetitive tasks to enhance business processes and streamline communications and decision-making. Competitive gaming organisation Team Liquid is tapping into Joule Agents for instant access to game statistics, player performance trends and strategic comparisons using natural language. Unlike traditional AI models, AI agents are designed to perceive their environment, set goals and take actions autonomously to achieve those objectives. Team Liquid runs its data analysis through its 'Next Level Esports Center' dashboard, built entirely on SAP Business Technology Platform. Team Liquid's analysts rely on the dashboard to equip coaches and players with insights about upcoming opponents, managing high-pressure situations under short turnaround times and frequent data requests between games. Instead of relying solely on technical analysts, players, coaches and marketing teams can ask the Joule copilot for player or team insights, tapping into more than 1.6 TB of data from 10 million games to find the right answer and uncover strategic advantages. This shift eliminates the need for manual data retrieval, empowering diverse users to make data-driven decisions at game speed. Data that drives smarter decisions SAP also introduced new intelligent applications in SAP Business Data Cloud, each built for a specific line of business. These applications can continuously learn, simulate outcomes and guide actions using business-critical data, detecting changes to optimise processes, anticipate needs, and collaborate with both human and artificial thinkers to drive meaningful impact. The People Intelligence application, for instance, optimises team performance by transforming people and skills data into workforce insights and AI-driven recommendations. Additionally, SAP and Palantir are partnering to facilitate joint customers' cloud migration journey and modernisation programs. Seamless connectivity between Palantir and SAP Business Data Cloud will enable customers to build a harmonised data foundation across their enterprise landscape. Together the companies will responsibly deliver essential outcomes and support customers to quickly adapt to changes and disruptions. 0 0
The Herald Scotland
03-05-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Anything is possible when a duckling fits in a pocket
On Friday night, as we gathered in the village square for our unofficial pub night, one of the kids took a tumble. It was wet and getting darker by the minute, and his knees were muddied. His face was stained with tears. Read More Life on a Scottish island: 'This place is just magical, isn't it?' On a Scots island, you'll find your saviour serving in a village shop Life on a Scottish island: Hello there - can we borrow your forklift? 'I want to go home, mummy,' he cried at eight o'clock. 'I want to go home now.' But before his mum could reply, an unlikely hero came to the rescue. A few chirps and a squeak sounded, and suddenly, a duckling was produced from someone's fleece pocket. A tiny brown duckling with faint yellow stripes peered through their fingers, and the wee boy's face lit up. He spent the night feeding 'Hoppy' crushed digestive biscuits and water, crouching on his knees every so often and cooing at just how cute he was. I'd like to say that this was a rare occurrence, but really, I've come to realise that just about anything is possible here, and that 'normal' doesn't seem to be in our lexicon. Lesley, Hoppy's keeper, had spent the night before chasing the fluffy ball of feathers through the garden and under a bush. He'd escaped from his mother, and the hooded crows were beginning to circle. It was 11pm by the time Hoppy had been secured, and since then, he'd been tucked in the warmth of her pocket. While writing this, I asked Coinneach to turn out his pockets. Of course, guys' clothes come with much more storage space, and there were a lot of nooks and crannies to peek at. In his trouser pocket, he had an Allen key, two sets of oddly shaped keys that open the plastic box of paper towels in the loos in the Bunkhouse, and a handful of sea shells. The Allen key immediately brought a sheepish look across his face; we don't have many down at work, but it's something we use every day. The toilet roll holders around our workplace aren't easily changed, and need a certain size of Allen key to jimmy the lock open, and change the loo rolls accordingly. And more often than not, the black key slips into one of our pockets and makes its way home with us, only rearing its head the next day when the other has a shift starting and the cupboard is suspiciously Allen-key-less. In his fleece pocket, there's a single yellow zip. It isn't connected to anything, but has broken off an equally yellow inflatable Pikachu costume - one that's sat stowed away in cupboards for the last five years. It broke off just days after we moved here. We let slip to the kids on Halloween that such a costume existed just mere hours before a party was due to kick off in the village hall. And despite us living on the island for less than 48 hours at the time, our first impression on many of the islanders was that of Coinneach attempting to squeeze through the creaky door in his inflatable get up, and the zip breaking when the kids wanted a turn later in the night. We're sure it's an easy fix and a quick refasten, but the children don't need to know that. I'm on the mainland this week - less shopping and seeing friends like last time, and more squeezing in as many appointments and to-dos before the season is in full swing. Once on board the ferry, we changed from our wellies and waterproofs into our mainland white trainers and jeans, which normally lay untouched in the bottom of our wardrobe. I don't wear makeup on Rum, nor do I style my hair; two things that used to be the most important part of my morning routine. It makes visiting family in Inverness feel like a rare treat worth dressing up for. We've already gorged ourselves on pizza and cocktails - and if you read last week's column, you'll know just how good that first takeaway tasted. And reaching into my pocket earlier today, I felt the familiar metal of the Allen key. 150 miles from home, but a welcome reminder that we're never too far away from Rum. Elle Duffy is a former Herald journalist who is now living and writing from the Isle of Rum
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How 2 men transformed an Annapolis radio station for Black listeners in the 60s
In the 1950s and 60s, WANN Radio in Annapolis became a beacon for Black listeners by playing music and broadcasting voices that other mainstream stations ignored. The station, led by Charles "Hoppy" Adams and Morris Blum, changed the airwaves in Annapolis and beyond. Hoppy's son, Charles W. Adams III, remembers it well. "You could go to many homes in Annapolis and many times, people would be listening," Charles said. "His programming would start out with jazz and transition to more R&B." When the station first launched, it was competing with two others for the same audience, and none of them were doing very well. So, the owner, Morris Blum, decided to try something different, his son Dr. Larry Blum said. "A different type of music he heard about, and he knew that we had records in the station that had been provided by promoters and what have you," Larry said. "His manager at the time said 'don't play that type of music, it's called race music and we don't want that on the station.'" Then, he took another chance by hiring charismatic cab driver and company owner Hoppy as a D.J. in 1952. "Charles 'Hoppy' Adams was a phenomenon," Larry said. "He was an amazing individual, very compassionate and committed to his audience, to his family and to his circle of friends." Hoppy brought R&B, Gospel and Soul into Black homes. "To that audience, it meant a lot," Larry said. Every summer, WANN Radio brought its sound to life at Carr's Beach. The beach, owned by the Carr family, was a hotspot for live music and a place where Black Annapolis residents could gather freely during the height of Jim Crow. With WANN's promotions and Hoppy as the host, Carr's beach concerts became legendary and featured some of the biggest names in music. "Many of the entertainers thanked him because he started many of their careers and gave them exposure that catapulted them into stardom," Charles said. Hoppy was more than just a D.J. He became the trusted voice of Black Annapolis, giving listeners local news, job openings and encouragement. "They wanted to be not only about entertainment, but they wanted to help people as far as being aware of community issues, social issues, economic issues…and they had different programs to cater to that," Charles said. Morris welcomed Black-owned businesses, helping them reach new customers and build economic strength. "I think dad made it clear even at the young age that I was, that he wanted people to be treated with dignity and that lesson sunk in," Larry said. "There wasn't a lot of dignity for people who were different at that time in Annapolis in the 50s, 60s and 70s." Hoppy eventually became executive vice president and remained at WANN until it changed ownership in the 90s. He passed away in 2005. His son, Charles runs a foundation in his honor, carrying out his mission of encouraging others to live a better life. "He was thankful for the blessings that God had given him, and he wanted to share so people would have a positive outlook, self-esteem," Charles said. Hoppy and Morris were close friends until the end, and the impact of WANN radio lives on. "In the face of tremendous adversity, Hoppy Adams and Morris Blum attempted to plant the seeds of people enjoying their lives better, of having a better day, of enjoying entertainment," Larry said. Together, they proved that media has the power to break down barriers and build up communities. "Putting people together who hadn't been together before and helping people live a better life, that's what my father and Hoppy Adams were all about," Larry said. David Macaulay, America's "Explainer-in-chief" Policing the internet in Germany, where hate speech, insults are a crime | 60 Minutes Delta plane upside down in Toronto after landing incident | Special Report
CBS News
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
How 2 men transformed an Annapolis radio station for Black listeners in the 60s
In the 1950s and 60s, WANN Radio in Annapolis became a beacon for Black listeners by playing music and broadcasting voices that other mainstream stations ignored. The station, led by Charles "Hoppy" Adams and Morris Blum, changed the airwaves in Annapolis and beyond. Hoppy's son, Charles W. Adams III, remembers it well. "You could go to many homes in Annapolis and many times, people would be listening," Charles said. "His programming would start out with jazz and transition to more R&B." When the station first launched, it was competing with two others for the same audience, and none of them were doing very well. So, the owner, Morris Blum, decided to try something different, his son Dr. Larry Blum said. "A different type of music he heard about, and he knew that we had records in the station that had been provided by promoters and what have you," Larry said. "His manager at the time said 'don't play that type of music, it's called race music and we don't want that on the station.'" Then, he took another chance by hiring charismatic cab driver and company owner Hoppy as a D.J. in 1952. "Charles 'Hoppy' Adams was a phenomenon," Larry said. "He was an amazing individual, very compassionate and committed to his audience, to his family and to his circle of friends." Hoppy brought R&B, Gospel and Soul into Black homes. "To that audience, it meant a lot," Larry said. Every summer, WANN Radio brought its sound to life at Carr's Beach. The beach, owned by the Carr family, was a hotspot for live music and a place where Black Annapolis residents could gather freely during the height of Jim Crow. With WANN's promotions and Hoppy as the host, Carr's beach concerts became legendary and featured some of the biggest names in music. "Many of the entertainers thanked him because he started many of their careers and gave them exposure that catapulted them into stardom," Charles said. Hoppy was more than just a D.J. He became the trusted voice of Black Annapolis, giving listeners local news, job openings and encouragement. "They wanted to be not only about entertainment, but they wanted to help people as far as being aware of community issues, social issues, economic issues…and they had different programs to cater to that," Charles said. Morris welcomed Black-owned businesses, helping them reach new customers and build economic strength. "I think dad made it clear even at the young age that I was, that he wanted people to be treated with dignity and that lesson sunk in," Larry said. "There wasn't a lot of dignity for people who were different at that time in Annapolis in the 50s, 60s and 70s." Hoppy eventually became executive vice president and remained at WANN until it changed ownership in the 90s. He passed away in 2005. His son, Charles runs a foundation in his honor, carrying out his mission of encouraging others to live a better life. "He was thankful for the blessings that God had given him, and he wanted to share so people would have a positive outlook, self-esteem," Charles said. Hoppy and Morris were close friends until the end, and the impact of WANN radio lives on. "In the face of tremendous adversity, Hoppy Adams and Morris Blum attempted to plant the seeds of people enjoying their lives better, of having a better day, of enjoying entertainment," Larry said. Together, they proved that media has the power to break down barriers and build up communities.
