Help translate lyrics from the 17th and 18th centuries
Richard Stone
Orchestra co-director
Mr. Stone co-directs the Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra, and as part of that job translates lyrics for renaissance and baroque vocal works. He has knowledge of the main singing languages — Italian, French, German and Latin — but only the way they are currently spoken and written. Versions from hundreds of years ago were different, and less standardized.
“The A.I. helps me to gain the experience that my conservatory training didn't include,” he said. He does all of the initial translation on his own and uses A.I. more as a “consultant or a tutor” to check his work.
When there’s a passage he’s unsure of, he’ll show both the original and his translation to the A.I., going back and forth to come up with something he feels more confident about.
“The important thing is to maintain a reserve of skepticism,” he said. “It will make things up, so when I get suspicious I will quiz it.”
Mr. Stone was recently trying to crack this phrase in Italian:
Richard Stone via Stift Heiligenkreuz Musikarchiv
The first word gave him trouble.
“I transcribed the Italian word ‘pramo,’” he said. “I invested so much energy on my own and working with the A.I. on figuring out what ‘pramo’ could possibly mean. I eventually recognized the word as ‘bramo’ (I desire/wish). It could have been an unattested form of the word or an outright scribal error. That sort of intuitive leap is not something the platform I use is remotely good at.”
On Thursday, the temperature at the Palm Springs International Airport in California reached a high of 117 degrees. ABC's Trevor Ault was reporting live from the tarmac when asphalt temps spiked to 163 degrees Fahrenheit.
Extreme heat can impact aircraft operations and airlines can only send planes that can handle the heat.
Doodle 客製化； 也許美國是貓日
台灣
Father's Day
Friday, August 8, 2025
Father's Day is a day set aside for honoring one's father, as well as fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. "Father's Day" complements similar celebrations honoring family members, such as
Focus turns to 'wingsuiting翼裝飛行服'/ stuntman Mark Sutton馬克薩頓遇難
Wingsuits allow the wearer to both fall downwards and move across the sky at speeds up to 226mph
The death of Olympic James Bond parachutist Mark Sutton has focused attention on the growing popularity of wingsuiting, an extreme sport that sees people jumping off mountains, through valleys and flying parallel to cliffs at speeds of more than 200mph with little margin for error.
Mr Sutton, 42, died after leaping with a friend from a helicopter at 11,000ft while wearing a wingsuit above the Grandes Otanes area in Switzerland, close to the French border. He had been travelling at around 125mph when he hit a ridge, according to police who said his injuries were so severe that experts were forced to identify his body with a DNA test. The former army officer was in Chamonix with around 20 wingsuit pilots, considered among the best in the world. A police spokesman added: “The group had been invited by an extreme sports company which makes films that are broadcast on the internet.”
Formal identification is under way and an investigation has been opened. Mr Sutton had reportedly travelled to Chamonix earlier this week with his partner Victoria Homewood, 39. Repatriation of his body is expected to take a few days.
A video in tribute to Mr Sutton has been posted on YouTube showing footage from some wingsuit jumps he has made in Norway, Italy and Switzerland.
Mr Sutton stood in for Daniel Craig during Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony for the 2012 games. Gary Connery, who played the Queen, said he had lost a close friend who was “smart, articulate and funny”.
“In any sport where you share a common bond you can make friends in a heartbeat that last a lifetime,” he added. “My relationship with Mark was like that.”
He tweeted today: “All you jumpers/flyers out there, stay safe, make wise choices and know your limits and your locations, live to tell your stories, one love.”
Mr Boyle also paid tribute, saying the sad news of his death marked “a huge loss to his profession”.
Stuntman Steve Truglia told the BBC today that wingsuit flying is a “thrilling activity” that turns someone into “a flying fox”, but a much more dangerous activity than traditional skydiving.
