Month: June 2006

Preparing for life after Castro’s death

Preparing for life after Castro’s death
The University of Miami — in coordination with the American Red Cross of Greater Miami and the Keys and a slew of nonprofit groups and local, state and federal agencies — has completed what officials say is the most comprehensive plan ever put together in Miami to prepare for the critical days following the death of Cuba’s communist leader, who will turn 80 this year.

The greatest fear among the planning organizations is another mass migration along the lines of the Mariel boatlift in 1980 or the 1994 balsero crisis. Much of the report is dedicated to planning for such an event, such as assigning a county official as the point person and assigning specific tasks to deal with migrants.

Pandora’s Box finds Music Gems for your Own Tastes

Column by PC Magazine: Out of Pandora's Box
Pandora is an online music service that lets you build your own stations based on similarities among songs and artists. You start with the name of a song or a favorite artist, and it streams music by that artist and others that are similar. It determines similarities by consulting the Music Genome Project, a database that contains hundreds of descriptors or "genes" that make up a song—melody, harmony, rhythm, kind of accompaniment, lyrics, subject matter, modality, and more, instead of the vast imprecision of genre.

Pandora's descriptions come from a team of 35 analysts, who have listened to and analyzed all the 400,000 or so songs that so far are in the Music Genome database. Prospective analysts take a test to get the job, and only 20 percent pass. They then receive rigorous training, and their analysis is continually monitored and cross-checked by other analysts.

Creat your own Radio Station at Pandora