NATIONAL PANCAKE DAY – IHOP – NATIONAL GIRL SCOUT DAY – NATIONAL PLANT A FLOWER DAY – NATIONAL BAKED SCALLOPS DAY
The Genderless Digital Voice Is In The Works
Siri and Alexa may have some competition soon in the form of a genderless voice. It’s hard to imagine, but there can be such a thing. A team of linguists, sound designers, and technologists are working to make “Q” happen. The process has been tough, but there is a result.
At first the group, put together by Copenhagen Pride and Vice’s Virtue division, tried to blend a variety of voices into one; that was not pretty. So, the idea now is to hone in on the vocal sweet spot between 145 and 175 hertz. In that range, the waters of gender get muddied and it’s nearly a genderless tone, as well as pleasing to the ear.
There’s a website to show “Q” off and you can change up the voice’s range. It’s still being perfected and while that’s happening, the hope is to pressure tech companies to use Q.
One hurdle to get over is the fact that people react more positively to a female voice. The Q team says that helps enforce stereotypes. Then there is the expectation of being able to identify a gender through voice. The team is working on those issues.
You decide for yourself! Listen toQ here.
Source: Wired
Woman Wins Virginia Lottery 30 Times in One Day
Some people have all the luck the saying goes.
On Feb. 11, that person was Deborah Brown. The Richmond resident won the Virginia lottery 30 times that day after she bought 30 Pick 4 tickets with the exact same combination of 1-0-3-1.
Brown initially bought 20 tickets with that combination at a gas station in Chesterfield County.
"A couple of times during the day, I saw those numbers," Brown said when she recently claimed her winnings.
So later that day, she bought 10 more tickets at the same location with the same numbers.
The Pick 4 top prize for $1 play is $5,000. Drawings are held daily at 1:59 p.m. and 11 p.m.
On the night of the Feb. 11 Pick 4 drawing, each of Brown's 30 plays won the top prize, netting her $150,000.
"I nearly had a heart attack," Brown said, according to a statement from Virginia Lottery.
The odds of matching all four numbers in order are 1 in 10,000, the agency said.
Brown has no immediate plans for her winnings, the statement said, but she is considering renovating her home.
Link:https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/woman-wins-
You Can Drink Beer With Your Dog Now
If you've ever wanted to kick back and have a brewsky with your dog, now you can.
A couple from Houston, Texas has launched a new line of beer made especially for your furry friend. Production of the beer called Good Boy Dog Beer began last August. So far, three types of their beer is out on the market: IPA lot in the Yard, Mailman Malt Licker, and Session...Squirrel. A fourth beer called the Crotch Sniffin' Ale is being released next month.
Meganand Steven Long created the brew to help their dog’s health and it took off. Now it’s available in bars! Dog beer is non-alcoholic and is typically made from pork, chicken or vegetables.
Source:WWAY
Dating Trends: Being Fyre'd
The Fyre Festival drama has leaked its way into our dating lives in the form of a new trend. People are being “Fyre’d,”which is basically catfishing’s glamorous brother. Just like the Fyre Festival was wrongly hyped up and turned out to be a disaster, being Fyre’d is when someone talks and shows you a big game on social media, but ends up being a total dud.
The good news?Feeling cheated or misled once you arrive at a date is a lot better than getting on a plane to the Bahamas and being trapped there for a couple of days. But it still doesn’t bode well for your dating life. Luckily, we can avoid being Fyre’d before it actually happens.
In a way, we’re all hiding at leasta little biton our social media accounts. We’re masters of making everything look perfect thanks to colorful street art and portrait mode. But you can usually clock when someone’s life seems too good to be true – and it probably is. And if you get to a date and realize that the person has lied, it’s fair game to call it off. You don’t owe these Billy McFarland types anything!
Source:Daily Mail