Friday, October 16, 2020

Google song identification via singing humming whistling

 

Google Introduces Song Matching via Humming, Whistling or Singing (techcrunch.com)20

Google has added a new feature that lets you figure out what song is stuck in your head by humming, whistling or singing -- a much more useful version of the kind of song-matching audio feature that it and competitors like Apple's Shazam have offered previously. From a report:As of today, users will be able to open either the latest version of the mobile Google app, or the Google Search widget, and then tap the microphone icon, and either verbally ask to search a song or hit the 'Search a song button' and start making noises. The feature should be available to anyone using Google in English on iOS, or across over 20 languages already on Android, and the company says it will be growing that user group to more languages on both platforms in the future. Unsurprisingly, it's powered behind the scenes by machine learning algorithms developed by the company. Google says that it's matching tech won't require you to be a Broadway star or even a choir member -- it has built-in abilities to accommodate for various degrees of musical sensibility, and will provide a confidence score as a percentage alongside a number of possible matches. Clicking on any match will return more info about both artist and track, as well as music videos, and links that let you listen to the full song in the music app of your choice.

Monday, October 12, 2020

Atlanta Bank Greenwood

 

Is Digital Banking the Wave of the Future? (cnn.com)58

CNN looks at a unique new digital bank named Greenwood — and its implications for the future of banking:Greenwood was created by Bounce TV founder Ryan Glover and his close friend, rapper-activist Michael "Killer Mike" Render. The leadership team at Greenwood, which includes former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, unveiled their new platform on Thursday after raising more than $3 million in seed funding in June... While the bank doesn't open until January, the company launched its website on Thursday and there is already a waiting list for those who want to open a Greenwood account. "I will say we're in the tens of thousands," Glover told CNN Business on Friday. "That number is increasing by the day."

Like its competitors Chime, Aspiration, Money Lion and Vero, Greenwood is a digital bank whose financial services — including checking and savings accounts, mobile deposits and peer-to-peer transfers — are fulfilled almost entirely online. The bank offers a global ATM network, Apple and Android Pay services, and two-day advances on paychecks for customers who sign up for direct deposit. Unlike its peers, however, Greenwood's target audiences are Black and Latinx communities and anyone else who wants to support Black-owned businesses. Glover says the bank will specialize in financing Black and Latinx entrepreneurs who typically have a harder time securing loans from mainstream commercial banks. "In order to build wealth, you need bank capital," Glover said. "We will identify qualified entrepreneurs, business owners and creatives to equip them with the capital needed to make their dreams a reality..."

Glover points out that Americans have been banking online almost exclusively at higher rates in recent years. It's a trend major commercial banks have been slow to embrace and a sector Glover says hasn't done much to reach out to minorities. "There were no digital banking solutions that cater to the African-American or Latinx communities until Greenwood," Glover said...

"I believe digital banking is the wave of the future, not just something that's popular now," he said.