Read Aloud – The New York Times
The Harvard Sentences are hundreds of sentences that have been used for decades to test technologies where speech understanding is essential, such as telephone systems and hearing aids. I recently came across the list and was impressed.
Some example sentences: It is easy to tell the depth of a well. Pigs were fed chopped corn and litter. Help the woman stand up. The harder he tried, the less he could do. He caught his hind paw on a rusty trap. Write a nice note to your loved one. Most of the news is easy for us to hear.
These sentences were chosen not for their meaning, but for their “phonetic balance”. their pitch is similar to spoken language. They are tools, not advice or koans. But when I read them, I was moved as if I were reading poetry. I found such a site listen to people read the sentences tried to see if it was possible to hear a series of lines aloud in different accents and without picking up meaning. These narrators were particularly adept at reading without affectation, but it is impossible to listen to the least emotional person uttering the words: “A warrior cat gave birth to kittens. The young girl did not give any clear answer. The food was cooked before the bell rang. What happiness there is in living” and do not identify some poems.
Is there a person on earth who does not like to be read? Children are given story time, nights if they are lucky, but we do it ourselves once we know how to read. I wrote about it last year audiobooks such as bedtime stories for adultshow they can tap into that dormant desire in all of us, to treat our dream as a project worthy of gratification and guardianship. I give permission every few months Joseph Brodsky reads the poem “A Song”. put me to sleep I recently read parts of Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself with a friend. Reading to someone is different from just talking to them. Words are not yours, so you do not own thoughts or meaning, only communication. You are free to interpret and perform. It is a process of collaborative discovery, intimate, but unlike conversation, the content comes from a third party. It’s about connection, and it’s about consuming art together, whether that art is a poem or The Polar Express or a novel where you and your lover read alternate chapters to each other while cooking dinner.
There are many ways to read up until now, if that’s your thing. Audiobooks, human and AI-narrated articles, recordings of author talks in bookstores, and yes, WAV files of curiously flattered people muttering Harvard Sentences in vain. There are few things I enjoy more than reading by myself or listening to a book alone on a long car ride. But you can still make an effort to read and be read by the people in your life. It’s comfortable. If you’re used to reading as a solo activity, this is strange and exciting. You always live in your head with your voice as you speak. It’s great to hear someone else’s stories for a change.
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CULTURE WEEK
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CULTURE CALENDAR
🎥 “Better Man” (out now): in britain Robbie Williams is a national treasure. His lyrics to Angels and Rock DJ are etched in almost everyone’s memory, and his boy band Take That was so popular that when it broke up in the 1990s, a charity set up a helpline for advice. distraught fans. But the press tour for this movie showed me that many Americans don’t know who he is. Follow Williams’ story in A Better Man, a biopic from the director of The Greatest Showman, in which Williams is cast as a computer-generated primate. (Wild.)
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Grandma with chocolate
Some weekends are made for long, meditative cooking projects. If you are looking, look no further than my recipe grandma with chocolate. Yes, it will take you all weekend, but that’s exactly the point. After all the kneading and kneading and rolling and stuffing, you’ll end up with two beautiful, streusel-topped loaves—one for you and one to give to anyone in need of a sweet treat. Babka also freezes well, meaning you can save some to enjoy the fudgiest kind in the future.
Sick or injured abroad? Read what you need to know.
Health: Buy it take better care of your heart this year.
ADVICE FROM THE WIRECUTTER
Replace the shower head
Replacing your old shower head with a new, high-performance model is one of the simplest and most satisfying upgrades you can make to your home. Any good one will likely be an improvement over the one you inherited when you moved in – especially if it’s been over a decade. And it doesn’t cost much. at Wirecutter’s Search to find the best shower headour tests surprised us a bit. The budget model caught our eye from the moment we tested it, and with its easy installation, sleek design and fantastic flow, it’s our top pick. — Tim Heffernan
GAME OF THE WEEK
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA: Cleveland has the best offense in the league. Oklahoma City has the best defense. Both have historically great records. What happens when they collide? This week, the Cavs beat the Thunder 129-122 in what was considered the best game of the NBA season. (Athletic Zach Harper called it “some of the best basketball you’ve seen in the last decade.”) Fortunately for fans, the rematch is just days away — this time in Oklahoma City. Thursdays at 7:30pm Eastern on TNT
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