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On the Up: Rotorua teacher credits marathon success to local group
On the Up: Rotorua teacher credits marathon success to local group

NZ Herald

time05-05-2025

  • Sport
  • NZ Herald

On the Up: Rotorua teacher credits marathon success to local group

More than 7000 people entered the men's and women's races as part of the Rotorua Marathon event on Saturday. The year's event, the 61st Rotorua Marathon, had a new finish line in the heart of the newly redeveloped Rotorua Lakefront precinct with a grand final stretch down Eat Streat and finishing outside the Novotel Rotorua Lakeside. Liley, a father of two and teacher of 24 years – currently teaching Year 2 pupils at St Mary's Catholic School – trained for his first marathon six years ago. All was going well, until he got sick two weeks before the big event and 'chickened out' but still managed to complete the half marathon. 'As soon as I finished, I instantly regretted not going all in.' That feeling stuck – so this year Liley was back for redemption. He entered this year's event. He only just managed to fit in the training, either in the early hours of the morning or late evenings just before dark. Training through a house sale, work and parenting was a juggle, but with help from Browne and the crew at Jogging the Powerpoles, he made it work. He admitted he made a few rookie mistakes – including being the king of tripping in the Redwoods and thinking it was okay to skip stretching, which he now knew was a mistake. He's also learned not to skimp on nutrition. 'I had one big run with insufficient protein afterwards, and I was the grumpiest teacher in town the next day. 'Sometimes I catch myself watching other people run and suddenly hear Kerris in my head, advising on running technique and posture.' He has learned a lot, too. 'Once, I rubbed my legs in magnesium and wrapped them in clingwrap and it looked utterly ridiculous – I genuinely thought Kerris was pranking me. Joke was on me though, because it worked a treat for my sore muscles.' In the back of his mind, he knew he had to complete his goal. 'I don't want to be the guy who pulled out again. Telling others 'I'm doing this' keeps me accountable. Once you say it out loud, you've got to follow through.' Liley completed his goal of crossing the line in under six hours: five hours and 50 minutes. And, true to Jogging the Powerpoles ritual, he enjoyed a cream doughnut at the finish line. His advice was to do it now and join a group. 'There's no way I could have done it without the support of the group.' He said Jogging the Powerpoles was inspiring, from beginners to Ironman legends. 'It was also the best decision I made for my mental health. Nothing beats that post-long-run buzz when you realise: 'I just ran that far'.' Jogging The Powerpoles' next winter trail muster for beginners is 8am on June 8 at Waipa carpark.

AI doesn't replace the artist, but accelerate: Nvidia's Richard Kerris at WAVES Summit 2025
AI doesn't replace the artist, but accelerate: Nvidia's Richard Kerris at WAVES Summit 2025

Time of India

time02-05-2025

  • Business
  • Time of India

AI doesn't replace the artist, but accelerate: Nvidia's Richard Kerris at WAVES Summit 2025

The second day of the WAVES Summit 2025 saw a focus on the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the media and entertainment landscape. Richard G. Kerris, VP at Nvidia, delivered a keynote highlighting the company's commitment to enabling AI-driven workflows and democratising content creation. Kerris emphasised Nvidia's long-standing partnerships within the media industry, stating, "We've been a partner in the media for many years, and one of the things that drives us in our alignment is to create AI to be no more, therefore evidence." The core of the AI revolution, according to Kerris, lies with developers. "Developers are so key to what's taking place with AI, because they understand how an application works... so they can harness the power of AI and bring it to fruition with the work that's being done together." The impact of AI extends beyond visual effects, permeating various aspects of media and entertainment. Kerris touched upon generative AI for image creation, recommendation engines, personalised content delivery through language translation and video reformatting and enhanced experiences in sports and ad tech. "Engagement and personalisation in these experiences [are] what AI is helping transform," he asserted. To streamline the development process, Kerris showcased how Nvidia has introduced its "Media Two stack," which brings together various AI components in an accessible manner for developers. This includes "NIMS" ( Nvidia Inference Microservices ), which are validated and tested microservices for specific tasks like language translation or effects. These NIMS can be combined to create "blueprints" for specific applications. Kerris highlighted Sky Media's use of these technologies for automated highlights in sports broadcasts in creating interactive viewer experiences. He also showcased Nvidia's research in AI-driven audio model with "Fugato," which allows for the creation and modification of sounds from text and audio inputs. Kerris demonstrated and illustrated how these various AI components can work together, showcasing the use of simple 3D objects to guide AI image generation using Nvidia NIMS. Concluding his presentation, Kerris emphasised the importance of Nvidia's ecosystem of partners, which includes both established companies like Adobe (with its AI-powered features in Photoshop, Premiere and Firefly) and innovative startups like Runway (offering AI tools for creating entire environments). He stressed that these tools are not meant to replace artists but rather to accelerate their creative capabilities. "It doesn't replace the artist out there. What it does is it accelerates the capability for an artist to tell their story," Kerris added.

AI is not a threat to human creativity but a powerful ally, say tech leaders
AI is not a threat to human creativity but a powerful ally, say tech leaders

Time of India

time01-05-2025

  • Business
  • Time of India

AI is not a threat to human creativity but a powerful ally, say tech leaders

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not a threat to human creativity but a powerful ally—this was the unifying message across all three sessions on the opening day of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 in Mumbai. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack Nuclear Power! How India and Pakistan's arsenals stack up Does America have a plan to capture Pakistan's nuclear weapons? Airspace blockade: India plots a flight path to skip Pakistan Tech leaders from around the globe gathered to explore how AI is revolutionising media, storytelling, and digital production, while firmly positioning India at the forefront of this creative-tech transformation. Opening the day, Adobe Chairman and CEO Shantanu Narayen delivered a keynote on "Design, Media and Creativity in the Age of AI". He traced the evolution of the digital landscape—from the early days of the internet to the mobile revolution and now the AI era—emphasising India's increasing impact, with over 500 million people consuming online content and a growing appetite for regional language storytelling. Narayen stressed that AI is augmenting, not replacing, human creativity. 'Generative AI is enabling Indian creators to transcend traditional mediums,' he said, noting its growing influence in imaging, video, and design. From blockbuster films to real-time storytelling on mobile devices, AI is expanding the canvas for creators. He also outlined a four-part roadmap for India to assume global leadership: boosting creativity and production, evolving business models, building an AI-ready workforce, and fostering entrepreneurship. Live Events In the fireside chat "AI Beyond Work", NVIDIA's Richard Kerris, Vice President, and Vishal Dhupar, Managing Director of NVIDIA India, explored how AI is transforming the relationship between people and machines—particularly in creative domains. Dhupar reflected on the evolution of personal computing. 'PCs used to sleep after office hours. But humans don't,' he noted, referencing NVIDIA's long-standing vision of computers as creative collaborators—a vision now being realised through AI. Kerris provided a personal reflection, describing the challenges of early 3D animation. 'With generative AI , we can go from idea to creation much faster,' he said. He added a note of caution: 'Just because we all have a camera on our phone doesn't make us all great photographers.' Dhupar reinforced this sentiment: 'Creative people live their work. AI doesn't replace that—it enables it.' Kerris added, 'AI puts tools in your hands—but knowing the craft, the basics, that's still essential.' The final session, a masterclass titled "Bringing Stories to Life with Gen AI", was led by Anish Mukherjee, Solutions Architect at NVIDIA. He demonstrated practical uses of generative AI—from converting static images into digital humans to creating multilingual voiceovers and AI-generated music using NVIDIA's Fugato model. Mukherjee explained how the combination of large language models, AI animation, and DLSS technology is creating immersive storytelling experiences—particularly in gaming. 'AI-powered characters that respond intelligently to players are redefining narrative engagement,' he said. He concluded with a call to leverage computational power, robust datasets, and sophisticated algorithms to unlock AI's full creative potential. Open-source tools like Nemostack, he noted, are empowering creators to innovate across sectors.

‘We love big, hard challenges': Nvidia's Richard Kerris on empowering Indian content creators
‘We love big, hard challenges': Nvidia's Richard Kerris on empowering Indian content creators

Mint

time30-04-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Mint

‘We love big, hard challenges': Nvidia's Richard Kerris on empowering Indian content creators

Mumbai: 'We love big, hard challenges." That's the line Richard Kerris, vice president of media & entertainment at Nvidia, keeps returning to – and not just as a catchphrase. It's how the US chipmaking company is approaching the transformation of content creation, live events, gaming, and immersive storytelling through AI and accelerated computing. On his first visit to India for the inaugural Waves summit, Kerris shared Nvidia's long-term vision for the Indian media and entertainment ecosystem, a market that he said is on the cusp of going from outsourcing to ownership. For someone driving global strategy for one of the world's most advanced AI platforms, Kerris remains rooted in creativity. 'It's one thing to talk about the technology," he said, 'it's another to actually use it." A photographer himself, Kerris sees creativity as core to how Nvidia engages with its partners, users and developers. He said GenAI is now supercharging that creative spirit. India, Kerris said, has traditionally been seen as a service hub for animation and post-production. But that narrative is shifting. 'Studios here already know how to collaborate and deliver on time and on budget. Now they'll start driving the creative concept too," he said. One big reason for this change is Nvidia's consistent software stack: the same platform runs across consumer-grade GeForce cards and billion-dollar data centres. 'We've seen content made on GeForce cards win Academy Awards," he said, adding that affordability no longer has to limit capability. New compact AI devices like Spark are aimed at smaller creators, offering real-time rendering and scalable output without ballooning costs. 'From the aspirational to the professional, we have a platform that solves for both," Kerris added. Beyond content creation, Nvidia enables a new kind of media consumption where fans become participants. He referenced Arcturus and Viewport, companies that use AI to stitch together stadium feeds, allowing viewers to pick camera angles, follow players in real time or get instant AI-generated highlights. 'We're seeing the rise of truly interactive experiences, whether it's an NBA match or a live concert," Kerris said. 'This is a compute-intensive challenge, and that's what we do best." With India's live entertainment market expanding and consumer expectations shifting towards immersion, Nvidia's role in enabling real-time, personalised experiences is only expected to grow. Real-time rendering, once a post-production bottleneck, is another frontier being redefined. Kerris noted that about 20% of productions use game engines like Unreal, a figure projected to hit 70% in five years. 'You can now do multiple shoots in a day and use virtual lighting and LED backdrops. It's about giving control back to the creator," he said. This shift is particularly critical in India, where films are made in various languages and demand highly localised versions. Using AI, Nvidia-backed tools also enable real-time dubbing, not just translating but adjusting lip sync, facial structure, and even dialect. 'The translation has to understand the context," Kerris said. 'Saying something in LA vs Mumbai? The tools need to adapt to that nuance. It's not just subtitling anymore but a story-preserving transformation." With generative AI becoming easier and faster to deploy, concerns around originality and creative integrity are rising. 'There's a fear of what's not understood," Kerris admitted. 'But we've always had tools. The key is knowing how to use them responsibly." Nvidia, he said, is working closely with partners like Adobe to embed watermarking, traceability, and data ownership in the AI development pipeline. 'What you train on is as important as what you output," he said, stressing that content made with AI should still reflect the creator's intent. He pushed back against the idea that AI-generated music or visuals will replace human creativity. 'You might hear an AI-generated song once, but would you put it on a playlist? Taste is human. That's not going away," he said. Looking ahead, Kerris is particularly excited about agentic AI (systems that make decisions and act autonomously), that can mimic mentors or iconic creators. 'Imagine a trained AI agent that gives you feedback like a legendary director would," he said. 'What better way to inspire the next generation than to let them learn directly from icons, even virtually?" He sees this as particularly powerful in education. 'We all want to be mentored. AI can make that access possible," Kerris said. As India moves from a back-end contributor to a creative originator, Kerris sees Nvidia playing a vital role. 'We're not here to just sell chips. We're here to partner with studios, with startups, with creators," he said. The company is already in talks with local partners and cloud providers like Yotta and E2E Networks to offer flexible compute access at scale. 'India has the talent. Now it's about building creative confidence," he said. 'This is going to be an amazing next few years."

Young girl dies suddenly in night as parents pay touching tributes
Young girl dies suddenly in night as parents pay touching tributes

Daily Record

time23-04-2025

  • General
  • Daily Record

Young girl dies suddenly in night as parents pay touching tributes

A Scots family who lost their young daughter unexpectedly during the night are keeping her memory alive with touching tributes. Kerris Mitchell, who was born with special needs, tragically died at just two years old on January 4. Her parents Steph and Donny Mitchell, from Bathgate, West Lothian , said the night of her death was "normal" up until they checked on her just after midnight. It was then the couple realised their daughter was no longer breathing. An inconclusive post-mortem examination led pathologists to believe the tot died from Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood. In feeling alone while they grieved, they decided to channel it into something positive. Fondly remembering Kerris for loving Christmas and Easter, they initially decided to organise charity Santa visits, but later chose to "spread some Easter cheer" after realising how many youngsters were buried in cemeteries in the area. Speaking to Edinburgh Live , Steph, 31, said: 'The realisation was totally gut wrenching and it is not how the world should work,' Steph added. 'Originally we were not going to do anything for Easter but as it approached we decided to go for it. 'We picked four cemeteries in West Lothian to stay within our budget and put in around half a dozen flowers to each cemetery entrance bucket alongside hundreds of plastic bunnies. "By lunchtime we found they had all gone and we began topping up the flowers as we did not want anyone to miss out. We just wanted to spread some Easter cheer for Kerris.' Last Christmas, the couple, who both work as bus drivers, handed out presents to children in their street, gifted flowers to local cemeteries and paid a special visit as Santa to the cemetery where Kerris was laid to rest. Steph said: 'It is a struggle but since she passed . Her birthday fell just 11 days after she died which meant she was still in the mortuary and could not do anything for it. 'But we have always done something special afterwards to mark her heavenly birthdays . This year we did a balloon release. 'Kerris had the biggest sweet tooth and absolutely loved Easter and Christmas, and that is what motivated us really to do the Christmas project and now Easter . We've found it is important to stay busy and do something positive with our grief. 'When Kerris passed away and the funeral was over, everything sort of disappeared and you are left to deal with the grief as a family, which can be lonely. She had so much love for everyone, we thought how can we spread her love and memory to create a lasting legacy. 'So we decided to do something for other grieving families to show them they are not alone. Ultimately it is about showing there is kindness in such a cruel world.' The couple were showered with praise and support from loved ones, neighbours and even strangers for their kind Easter act, which they set up without fundraising or asking for donations. They are also parents to Kerris' four siblings, and have already made plans to return this Christmas to continue honouring her legacy in the community. Steph added: 'Everyone has absolutely loved it. We just wanted to make a difference for one or two families, so it was nice to feel like mission accomplished. 'The amount of love and support which has been shown to us with people returning the favour by leaving flowers at Kerris' grave. She had so many visitors this Easter . 'Everyone knows her name now. The community never got the chance to know her but she had such a big heart and loved everyone, this keeps her alive . 'It is amazing our community still gains from her love and she has been able to leave a positive legacy behind. We want other grieving families to know that regardless of how much time has passed since they lost their loved one, they are not alone.'

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