Showing 1 - 10 of 16
UK pressures Elon Musk over Grok AI deepfake porn scandal
Life, Puriward Sinthopnumchai, Published on 07/01/2026
» The British government is demanding Elon Musk take immediate action to rein in his Grok artificial intelligence tool following reports that the software is being used to generate non-consensual sexually explicit images.
Masterpieces of the Magyar
Life, James Keller, Published on 14/05/2024
» Supported by B.Grimm, the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra (RBSO) gave a dedicated concert late last month at the Thailand Cultural Centre to mark the 155th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations between Thailand, Austria and Hungary. Many ambassadors were in attendance for this important historical event in the social calendar, including HE Dr Sándor Sipos of the Embassy of Hungary. The emphasis was, in fact, wholly on the music of the Magyar people, featuring top-drawer Hungarian violinist Vilmos Oláh and compatriot conductor Andrea Daru from Budapest. That culture certainly boasts earthy music of the most profound emotional depth, and indeed, the programming for this concert was an absolute delight for the aural senses, opening with the glorious Les Préludes by Franz Liszt.
Very soft Thai power in the making
Life, Apinan Poshyananda, Published on 20/09/2023
» Since the recent return of Thaksin Shinawatra after 15 years of self-exile to Bangkok and the parliamentary selection of Srettha Thavisin as Thailand's 30th prime minister on the same day, politics and culture have unfolded with drama and excitement.
Venice and the milk of dreams
Life, Apinan Poshyananda, Published on 15/08/2022
» Santa Maria Della Salute, also known as Saint Mary of Health, stands majestically at Punta Della Dogana by the Grand Canal in the city of Venice. In 1631, Venice experienced an unusually devastating plague when nearly a third of the population was wiped out. As a votive offering, the Republic of Venice vowed to build and dedicate a church to Our Lady of Health with objects of art that bore reference to the Black Death. In March 2022, after postponement due to Covid-19 that killed thousands in the city, the 59th Venice Biennale opened under the theme of "The Milk Of Dreams" and was welcomed like a warm delicious latte by the art world.
Metals and energy shortage is a looming threat
Life, James Hein, Published on 20/07/2022
» I know the word rare gives it away but the world is facing a rare earth metals shortage. The Chinese are currently the largest producers of this resource and they recently cut their production by half. Turkey is another potential source but that region has been unstable for centuries. Most modern technology cannot expand further without these resources and the whole idea of ramping up renewables requires lots of them. Elon Musk has said we don't have enough in the world for all the plans of our governments and other experts agree.
Contemporary mediocrities
Life, Apinan Poshyananda, Published on 03/05/2021
» At the recent ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture's (OCAC) Art Collection in the spacious art hall on Ratchadamnoen Avenue, a group of ageing male artists covered in sanitary masks surrounded the director of OCAC, Vimolluck Chuchart, who gave a self-congratulatory speech. She proudly announced that the public will be able to view for the first time the national collection of the Ministry of Culture's contemporary Thai art. Beside these elderlies stood a white giant fibreglass sculpture by Sutee Kunavichyanont in Thai military uniform wearing a helmet with a rifle erect. Sutee's Equality; Thai Soldier (2016) is inspired by the cultural mandates between 1939 and 1942 during the premiere of Phibul Songkhram that aimed to uplift the national spirit and moral code of the nation and instil progressive tendencies and newness into Thai life.
Too expensive to ride
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 16/02/2021
» What if you are a single mum who earns a daily minimum wage of 331 baht in Bangkok? You might find it hard to make ends meet and save for a rainy day. However, a plan to raise the electric train fare ceiling on the Green Line to 104 baht per trip could especially be a heavy blow. Fortunately, you can breathe a sigh of relief -- at least for now -- because the plan was suspended last week. Nevertheless, this controversy is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the city's public transport problems.
Ministry of pests
Life, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 03/08/2020
» I find it very hard to believe that the Ministry of Industry has listed 13 widely used herbal plants -- citronella grass, neem, turmeric, ginger, Chinese ginger, African marigold, Siam weed or bitter bush, tea seed cake, chilli, Chinese celery, ringworm bush, glory lily and stemona -- as hazardous substances.
No longer one-size-fits-all
Life, Arusa Pisuthipan, Published on 01/08/2019
» When it comes to healthcare of today, it seems taking tablets of over-the-counter vitamins or drinking eight glasses of water a day is no longer adequate. To live healthily in this 21st century, doctors and the health conscious alike have put more focus on personalisation which will definitely be here to stay.
Some cause for celebration
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 27/05/2019
» The LGBTI community has much to cheer this month, even in Thailand's much-maligned new parliament