Ever stuck trying to name a song you heard? Now the computer will do it for you. “You call a toll-free number on your cell phone and play the music you’re trying to identify for 15 seconds. The program then contacts you via text message, whether it can make the ID or not. Sorry, but humming a tune won’t work. But the service can distinguish between different performers’ versions of the same tune to match audio “fingerprints” from its database of more than 2.5 million popular recordings. The database doesn’t include classical music or jazz.”
Tag: 07.05.05
Suing To Get Stolen Art Returned (It’s Problematic)
Armed with a new US Supreme Court precedent, Americans are taking on foreign governments to “force the return of artwork. But the plaintiffs face big obstacles, ranging from resistant museums and murky ownership records to less-than-sympathetic European law. And then there’s the matter of enforcement: if you win a lawsuit against Austria or the city of Amsterdam – both defendants in current cases – how do you collect?”