For Paul D Miller, the online world is catching up with the DJ mindset.
The composer, multimedia artist and writer, who is known professionally as DJ Spooky, says there is a great deal in common between data and music, and how algorithms and DJs deal with them. The similarities, he says, have become all the more apparent as we move further into a data-driven society.
Algorithms are the internet’s DJs, collecting, sorting and acting upon our likes, dislikes, and tastes. While this is literally true in the case of our tailored Spotify and Apple Music playlists, Miller says the wider uses of algorithms in social media can also be viewed as such.
“DJs are collectors of experiences, collectors of sounds,” he tells The National ahead of his talk on Friday at the 10th New York University Abu Dhabi Hackathon for Social Good in the Arab World.
Running until Friday, the three-day event is being held this year with a focus on quantum computing.
“People don't realise how much work it takes to put together a DJ mix. For example, you're collecting, you're listening, you're going through many files, different formats, analogue, digital, you name it," says Miller. "The world is catching up. Not just with collecting vinyl, which made a comeback right before the pandemic, but also with the psychology of these massive streams of information.”
However, he does note that while a DJ will likely stop when the party’s over, apps are programmed as “addiction engines”, with algorithms designed to keep you engaged.
“Whether you look at Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Spotify, the more you engage the medium, the more the algorithms create a very fine-tuned portrait of you and your tastes, which DJing is like.”
Like music, data is also prone to being altered, sampled and curated, Miller says. He brings up the Russian invasion of Ukraine as an example.
“They shut off Instagram in Russia, and Russia has a very flamboyant culture for Instagram. Like Instagram influencers there are huge,” he says. “They shut down Instagram because the Russians were getting all these memes.
“The Ukrainians were putting information about the war over Instagram, TikTok, you name it. Meanwhile, people in Russia [who were receiving information just from the state] were getting a totally different stream of information, and they were shut down. So you want to talk about a remix? That’s a remix!”
This fascination with how stories have become data-driven is at the heart of Miller’s coming book Digital Fiction: The Future of Storytelling. Previously the author of three titles, Miller says the book goes through the history of storytelling and the idea of how information and the structure of the self is the narrative. It will also look at how data is used for surveillance, authoritarian control, and in capitalism, the extraction of resources.
Still, Miller "firmly" believes that data can be used for good.
“What I’m going to be talking [about] at the Hackathon is how do we reverse engineer some of these issues that linger over [the] creative economy. How do we make the world a better place?”
“We need better tools for thinking of a 21st-century approach to problem-solving,” he says. “Right now, we're at a crossroads where computers have been used by large corporations and major nation-states in a way that doesn't enable people to be more creative. One could argue that people have been made more passive, and they're just accepting the data that surrounds them.”
Miller says he is a big believer in hackathons, as it encourages people to just "roll up their sleeves and dig into things.”
“The DJ and the hacker have a kind of similar approach. People who don’t just want to press play, they want to pull the whole thing apart.”
Miller has long been at the cutting edge of where music and technology cross.
Thirteen years before Kanye West made headlines for limiting the release of his Donda 2 album exclusively on his hand-held audio remix device, the Stem Player, Miller had released part of his 2009 album The Secret Song on the remix app DJ Player, allowing listeners to manipulate the tracks in a myriad of ways.
In 2012, he collaborated with Musicsoft Arts to release the DJ Spooky DJ App, which lets you use an iPhone or iPod to mix tracks.
“We had some of the first apps to optimise for mobile media. That caught a huge wave. It was much bigger than we expected,” he says. “We had the first DJ app launch in the App store in SoHo. There was a huge line just to demo the app.”
Today, DJ apps are abundant, but DJ Spooky’s app was revolutionary at the time, and set a benchmark for music remixing apps.
“We have millions of downloads,” he says. “But we got copied a lot. It was fascinating to see that ... I mean, I'm a big fan of creative copying and creative appropriation. It’s all good.”
The NYUAD Hackathon for Social Good in the Arab World runs until April 1 at NYU Abu Dhabi. Entry is by invitation only. More information is available at nyuad.nyu.edu
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
STAR%20WARS%20JEDI%3A%20SURVIVOR
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Respawn%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Electronic%20Arts%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PC%2C%20Playstation%205%2C%20Xbox%20Series%20X%20and%20S%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Roll of honour: Who won what in 2018/19?
West Asia Premiership: Winners – Bahrain; Runners-up – Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership: Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons
Dubai Rugby Sevens: Winners – Dubai Hurricanes; Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Conference: Winners – Dubai Tigers; Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers
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French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)
Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20CarbonSifr%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202022%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Onur%20Elgun%2C%20Mustafa%20Bosca%20and%20Muhammed%20Yildirim%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Climate%20tech%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%241%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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Monster Hunter: World
Capcom
PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20101hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20135Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Six-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh79%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
