Latest news with #Sandbox
Axios
5 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Chicago father and daughter launch app to bridge political divides
A Carol Stream father and his Chicago daughter were often involved in family disagreements about politics, so they created a free app to help. Why it matters: U.S. politics topped the list of stressors for adults in a survey last year from the American Psychological Association. But only surrounding yourself with points of view that align with your own puts you in a political echo chamber. Driving the news: Lee and Libby Prosch launched the Sandbox app earlier this month. Flashback: During Thanksgiving in 2021, Libby, a self-described progressive, and her grandparents argued about the efficacy and necessity of the COVID vaccine. A full-blown fight ensued. Then, over Christmas, the family argued about climate change. The other side: Lee, who tells Axios he's straight down the center politically, tried to calm his kids' nerves by explaining the danger wasn't as imminent as they feared. "I don't think I've ever been that rattled as I was on that night," Lee says. They started talking about solutions for civil political conversations and came up with Sandbox. How it works: Each Sunday, Sandbox users answer questions about a political topic, from vaccines to immigration to health care access. Users are matched up with people who represent different points of view on that week's topic. The users are fed an assertion each day about that topic, and each person explains why they agree or disagree with the statement. At the end of the week, it's just an open chat between the users without prompts. Between the lines: The Prosches say the structure of the app helps weed out some of the vitriol present on the internet when discussing politics. "The fact that you have to take the time to explain your own response, and then see the other person's, means that you're not immediately just attacking them," Libby says. "It's a lot harder to be an asshole to one person when you know you're going to have to talk to them again."
News18
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Will AI Be A Threat To Musicians And Singers? Shankar Mahadevan Answers
Shankar Mahadevan has marked a transformative moment in the music industry by using artificial intelligence (AI) to create a new track titled, Rubaroo. The composition process was showcased virtually at Google's annual I/O developer conference in California, USA. 'We were able to merge a beautiful Sufi melody with a contemporary track. For a musician, it's such an inspiring tool," said the 58-year-old artist, who composed the song in his Mumbai studio using Sandbox, a platform developed in collaboration with YouTube and Google Lab. Watch it here: While embracing AI in his creative process, the Grammy-winning musician emphasised the difference between support and substitution. 'AI is enhancing technology right now. We should not assume it can replace humans. There's a fear that AI will replace musicians and singers, but there's nothing to worry about. Human intelligence, when combined with AI, can achieve wonders. We just need to use it to our best advantage and responsibly," the Noor E Khuda singer said. Shankar mentioned that he views AI as more of a 'friend and personal assistant" rather than a standalone creator, noting that it acts as a springboard for musical ideas. He clarified, 'It offers suggestions, like a line or a tune, which the artist can then build upon. Some suggestions are phenomenal and out of this world, while others are very amateurish and basic. The final decision must be made by a human. At the core, you need to be a good musician to use AI to your advantage." Reflecting on how technology has influenced music through the decades, he remarked, 'Fifty years ago, when synthesizers were introduced or when programming software became prevalent, musicians had the same fear. But we have remained irreplaceable." He added that AI integration is already happening across various industries, including music. 'It is already being used in every field. We have started utilizing it in our work. It's just a tool. Fifty years ago, when synthesizers were introduced, musicians worried about what would happen to them, but we realized no one can replace live musicians. The same fear occurred with programming software, but nothing happened," he concluded.
Hindustan Times
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Musician Shankar Mahadevan uses AI to create song Rubaroo, says AI can't replace musicians, it's like a friend-assistant
Ushering in a new phase for the industry, singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan used artificial intelligence (AI) to compose a new track, Rubaroo. The creation process was showcased virtually during Google's annual I/O developer conference in California (US). 'We were able to bring together a beautiful Sufi melody with a contemporary track. For a musician, it's such an inspiring tool,' says the 58-year-old, who created the track in his Mumbai studio using Sandbox, in collaboration with YouTube and Google Lab. However, the Grammy winner is quick to draw a line between assistance and replacement: 'AI is the way for enhancing technology right now. We should not assume that it can replace humans. There's a thought that AI will replace musicians and singers. But there's nothing to fear. Human intelligence, when working with AI, can achieve wonders. Just that, we need to use it to the best of our advantage and responsibly.' Describing AI as a 'friend and personal assistant,' Shankar explains that it serves as a trigger for ideas rather than a creator of finished music: 'It offers suggestions, like a line or a tune, which the artiste can then build upon. Some things were phenomenon and out of the world but some very amateurish and basic. will suggest with your work but the first and a last call has to be taken by human being! At the core you need to be a good musician to be able to use AI to your advantage.' Reflecting on the evolution of technology in music, he states, '50 years ago when synthesizers came in, or when programming software took over, musicians had the same fear. But we have remained irreplaceable." He says that lot of work is already happening on the AI front. 'It is already happening not only in music but in every field. We have started utilising in our work. It's just a tool. 50 years back when synthesizers came musicians were like what will happen to us, but we realised no one can replace live musicians, same fear was with programming software, but nothing happened,' he concludes.
Hindustan Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
The All-American Rejects' ‘house party' tour has fans going wild
The All-American Rejects are on a mission to bring house-parties back into the game. Having embarked on a 'House Party Tour' to promote their new single, fans now have the chance to bring their favorite 2000's punk-rock band to their own backyards by RSVPing a venue on the band's Linktree page. The concept for this tour arose out of the band's desire to reconnect with true fans at the ground level and challenge how lucrative the mainstream concert industry has become. So far, the band has played in a backyard in Chicago, a bowling alley in Minneapolis, a Columbia grad party at a private lawn in Missouri and the quad of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. This string of concerts kicked off on April 30, a week after the band released their single Sandbox, which is a part of their new album Easy Come, Easy Go, set to release on June 5. This will be the band's first album in 13 years. The band invited fans to send more locations for pop-up shows via a social media post. A post shared by The All-American Rejects (@therejects) The most recent show happened at a backyard in Nashville. A post shared by Rolling Stone (@rollingstone) To invite the band to their hometown, fans need only drop their contact details on an RSVP link at their Linktree page. The location of these pop-up shows is, however, kept confidential up until a few hours before performing and the fan who recommends the location is informed only some time prior to the band's arrival. Completely free of cost, these shows are a way for the band to challenge inflated pricing and lack of interest found at big concerts and reconnect with an audience that truly enjoys their music. 'We played this random house party [in Los Angeles], and it was like, of all the shows we played in the last 10 years, it was, like, this big wake-up call to the reality of, 'Oh, this is why we started doing this.' We played in house shows. We played backyards, VFWs, and I just told my manager, 'That worked. Let's do that,'" explained Tyson Ritter, frontman of the All-American Rejects. Ritter also gave a speech to the packed crowd at a recent house party where he stressed on the importance of delivering nostalgia and true songs to its fan base rather than trying to make a quick buck and thanked his audience for keeping the spirit of rock and roll alive. A post shared by 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐘 (@takingbacksaturday) Fans took to social media to express their admiration of the brand's genius marketing move and love for their fans. The band's next house party is listed for May 23 following which they will be taking to the stage on July 7 in Calgary, Alberta which leaves sufficient space for more pop-up shows to be conducted in between. They are also slated to open the Jonas Brothers show at the Schottenstein Center on Nov 8.
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
All-American Rejects crashing house parties around the US. Fans want theirs to be next.
All-American Rejects crashing house parties around the US. Fans want theirs to be next. Show Caption Hide Caption Watch as All-American Rejects perform surprise show Less than 30 hours after the show was announced, hundreds attended the All-American Rejects' surprise show in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The All-American Rejects are bringing house parties back from the dead. The pop-rock band is leaning into the nostalgia of decades past with their "house party" tour, giving fans the ability to submit an event or venue for the group's next pop-up show on social media. Last week, it was Phoenix Innovation Park on the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay's campus during finals week. The string of impromptu concerts kicked off at the University of Southern California on April 30, a week after they released a new track, "Sandbox," from their first full-length album in 13 years. "When we invade your campus, be prepared to live the movie. USC was a midnight day dream destined to be repeated… what college should we hit next? Comment the word PARTY and we'll shoot you a dm to rsvp," The Rejects wrote in an Instagram post. "Welcome to the Sandbox Era." The band has hit up a handful of house parties across the country, from a farm in Ames, Iowa to a graduation party in Columbia, Missouri in the last few weeks, with no signs of stopping. "How's it going? We've been overwhelmed with the reaction to our LA house party pop-up, lead singer Tyson Ritter said on May 13. "We see all your comments, DMs requesting these house parties in your city and we're going to make it [expletive] happen." What to know about The All-American Rejects' house parties, including how to make a pitch for your city. Fans pitch venues for pop-up shows Fans aren't ready to give up on the idea that The All-American Rejects could make a surprise appearance at a bowling alley or backyard in their city, pitching the band ideas in the comments or via Instagram story. "Day 3 of begging for Oklahoma!!" user Brandi Keeler wrote May 21. Another user, Eva Marie, a farmer from Arkansas, offered her backyard as the venue for the next "house party," adding there was "plenty" of land to host a crowd. "I refuse to give up," Marie wrote in a May 21 Instagram story. "Day 2 of posting my yard until All-American Rejects do a pop-up in Arkansas." Other fans have posted similar messages, telling the band to either play at a specific event like CrowFest in Minnesota or in states like Michigan, Tennessee, Indiana, Texas among others. While the venue for Wednesday's show will remain a secret for a few more hours, fans will be able to catch a livestream of the performance on TikTok at 10 p.m. ET (9 p.m. CT). "Where are we playing tonight? Wrong answers only…" the band said in a May 21 TikTok video on TikTok. "Rest of the world, tune in to the livestream at 9pm CST- text drop @7pm CST." How to attend the next All-American Rejects 'house party' All-American Rejects play pop up show at Iowa barn The All-American Rejects' latest pop up show took place on a farm in Ames, Iowa as they tour for their new album "Sandbox." Trying to get figure out where the next pop-up concert is going to be? The Rejects have fans covered, providing detailed instructions on how to RSVP for the next "house party show." "House party tour is happening! There's a good chance we're hitting your area if you're in the US. Comment party or use the link in our bio to sign up so we can text you the location when we come through so be ready," the band said May 13. "Let's [expletive] party." The band will text fans, who submit their name, phone number, city and streaming platform, when they are on their way.
