Latest news with #Reader
The Age
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
Why Woolf is poised to break the Bennett curse, and build his empire
It did not take long for Dolphins chief executive Terry Reader to know Kristian Woolf was the man to spearhead the NRL's newest outfit into the future. Even though the shadow of Wayne Bennett was going to loom over whoever took the reins, they knew they had their man. 'He was the number one target for us at the start,' Reader declared. 'Even with Wayne as our coach, we still had a lot of questions. He said 'we'll do it together, let's find the best coach, and he'll be the assistant and take over at the end'. 'I don't think there's ever been a better transition of NRL coaches than what's happened. We weren't building a house of cards, we were setting up a club for the future.' Thus far, Woolf has dared to orchestrate a miracle – overcoming four-straight defeats in the first month to have his side one-point shy of the top eight. He has done so amid a concerning injury toll – one which has claimed stars Tom Gilbert, Thomas Flegler, Daniel Saifiti, Max Plath and Jack Bostock for the rest of the season. Felise Kaufusi will also be sidelined with a knee concern, while Ray Stone has been playing with two busted shoulders. Loading Given their season even began with a last-minute relocation to Sydney due Cyclone Alfred, Reader did not hesitate to claim 'I don't think a first-year coach has ever gone through what Kristian has'. And yet, as he plots a boilover of his former mentor against South Sydney on Saturday, Woolf turned his nose up at excuses. 'I've never seen anything like what we've had, particularly with season-ending injuries. That's footy, we're not going to get frustrated or whinge about it,' Woolf said. 'We need to go out with a mindset that we'll be at our best, be hard to beat and give ourselves a really good chance. 'I know how hard they worked in pre-season, I know how hard they work for each other. They haven't given me any indication that they're going to change anything because we've lost a couple of players. 'If anything, they're more committed to working hard for each other.' Building his empire Barely 24 hours before the Dolphins announced Selwyn Cobbo would join the fold in 2026, Reader hinted the Broncos' flyer was not in their sights. How things can change quickly in rugby league. 'He's one of those blokes that can do things other people can't. He's a guy you want in your team rather than the opposition,' Woolf said. 'I don't think it was ever no interest, it's about availability, spots and things like that. A fair bit has changed in 24 hours … there's a bit of movement all over the place and both ways for us.' That movement suggests those off contract face uncertain futures, but points to Woolf assembling the squad he believes can deliver a premiership. Cobbo will be joined by St Helens lock Morgan Knowles, while Francis Molo and Sebastian Su'A arrived mid-season. Flegler, Gilbert, Bostock, Plath, Saifiti, Isaiya Katoa, Jeremy Marshall-King, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Kulikefu Finefeuiaki and Kurt Donoghoe are signed until at least 2027, while Herbie Farnwort expressed his desire to remain. Reports also emerged England halfback George Williams could be signed, and even swapped with Kodi Nikorima. Woolf dismissed the notion. 'Kodi Nikorima is not up for sale or going to be swapped – that's not going to happen,' he said. 'He's playing his best footy at the moment. That's one thing we wouldn't entertain.' Breaking the curse Woolf tasted success before taking over from Bennett – guiding St Helens to three Super League titles while transforming Tonga into a global force. But given the history of Bennett's successors, the question was asked: could he break the Bennett curse? 'Coming into the NRL and the expectations and toughness of the competition, there are nerves anyway,' Woolf admitted. 'That [replacing Bennett] can certainly add to it. I thought about all that well before I came, [but] my two years working with Wayne gave me some confidence.' Loading Bennett has proven a tough act to follow. Jason Demetriou, Ivan Henjak, Steve Price, Rick Stone and Anthony Seibold did not last long. Yet after a winless first four rounds, Woolf did not panic. 'He's held up a high standard for us as a team. I think you can see from the way we started the year, to have a plan, now everyone's bought into what he's been teaching us,' Dolphins star Herbie Farnworth said. 'He's very calm, he's pretty much the same as what you see him on TV the whole time. The goal now is to make finals.' That mentality has guided them to seven wins their past 11 games, including triumphs of heavyweights the Storm, Bulldogs and Panthers while boasting the competition's second-best points differential. Despite losing 15 of 20 games across their past two campaigns from round 17 onwards, Woolf believed history was in no danger of repeating. 'It's always a challenge, when you don't get the start or results you want. That's part of the challenge,' Woolf said. 'I'm going to trust the work we've done, we've got great assistant coaches that put some new things in place. We've got to keep trusting each other. 'What's going to stop us falling into freefall is I trust the group.'
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Why Woolf is poised to break the Bennett curse, and build his empire
It did not take long for Dolphins chief executive Terry Reader to know Kristian Woolf was the man to spearhead the NRL's newest outfit into the future. Even though the shadow of Wayne Bennett was going to loom over whoever took the reins, they knew they had their man. 'He was the number one target for us at the start,' Reader declared. 'Even with Wayne as our coach, we still had a lot of questions. He said 'we'll do it together, let's find the best coach, and he'll be the assistant and take over at the end'. 'I don't think there's ever been a better transition of NRL coaches than what's happened. We weren't building a house of cards, we were setting up a club for the future.' Thus far, Woolf has dared to orchestrate a miracle – overcoming four-straight defeats in the first month to have his side one-point shy of the top eight. He has done so amid a concerning injury toll – one which has claimed stars Tom Gilbert, Thomas Flegler, Daniel Saifiti, Max Plath and Jack Bostock for the rest of the season. Felise Kaufusi will also be sidelined with a knee concern, while Ray Stone has been playing with two busted shoulders. Loading Given their season even began with a last-minute relocation to Sydney due Cyclone Alfred, Reader did not hesitate to claim 'I don't think a first-year coach has ever gone through what Kristian has'. And yet, as he plots a boilover of his former mentor against South Sydney on Saturday, Woolf turned his nose up at excuses. 'I've never seen anything like what we've had, particularly with season-ending injuries. That's footy, we're not going to get frustrated or whinge about it,' Woolf said. 'We need to go out with a mindset that we'll be at our best, be hard to beat and give ourselves a really good chance. 'I know how hard they worked in pre-season, I know how hard they work for each other. They haven't given me any indication that they're going to change anything because we've lost a couple of players. 'If anything, they're more committed to working hard for each other.' Building his empire Barely 24 hours before the Dolphins announced Selwyn Cobbo would join the fold in 2026, Reader hinted the Broncos' flyer was not in their sights. How things can change quickly in rugby league. 'He's one of those blokes that can do things other people can't. He's a guy you want in your team rather than the opposition,' Woolf said. 'I don't think it was ever no interest, it's about availability, spots and things like that. A fair bit has changed in 24 hours … there's a bit of movement all over the place and both ways for us.' That movement suggests those off contract face uncertain futures, but points to Woolf assembling the squad he believes can deliver a premiership. Cobbo will be joined by St Helens lock Morgan Knowles, while Francis Molo and Sebastian Su'A arrived mid-season. Flegler, Gilbert, Bostock, Plath, Saifiti, Isaiya Katoa, Jeremy Marshall-King, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Kulikefu Finefeuiaki and Kurt Donoghoe are signed until at least 2027, while Herbie Farnwort expressed his desire to remain. Reports also emerged England halfback George Williams could be signed, and even swapped with Kodi Nikorima. Woolf dismissed the notion. 'Kodi Nikorima is not up for sale or going to be swapped – that's not going to happen,' he said. 'He's playing his best footy at the moment. That's one thing we wouldn't entertain.' Breaking the curse Woolf tasted success before taking over from Bennett – guiding St Helens to three Super League titles while transforming Tonga into a global force. But given the history of Bennett's successors, the question was asked: could he break the Bennett curse? 'Coming into the NRL and the expectations and toughness of the competition, there are nerves anyway,' Woolf admitted. 'That [replacing Bennett] can certainly add to it. I thought about all that well before I came, [but] my two years working with Wayne gave me some confidence.' Loading Bennett has proven a tough act to follow. Jason Demetriou, Ivan Henjak, Steve Price, Rick Stone and Anthony Seibold did not last long. Yet after a winless first four rounds, Woolf did not panic. 'He's held up a high standard for us as a team. I think you can see from the way we started the year, to have a plan, now everyone's bought into what he's been teaching us,' Dolphins star Herbie Farnworth said. 'He's very calm, he's pretty much the same as what you see him on TV the whole time. The goal now is to make finals.' That mentality has guided them to seven wins their past 11 games, including triumphs of heavyweights the Storm, Bulldogs and Panthers while boasting the competition's second-best points differential. Despite losing 15 of 20 games across their past two campaigns from round 17 onwards, Woolf believed history was in no danger of repeating. 'It's always a challenge, when you don't get the start or results you want. That's part of the challenge,' Woolf said. 'I'm going to trust the work we've done, we've got great assistant coaches that put some new things in place. We've got to keep trusting each other. 'What's going to stop us falling into freefall is I trust the group.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
ElevenLabs releases a standalone voice generation app
Voice AI company ElevenLabs just released a standalone mobile app for iOS and Android users to generate voice clips from text. Until now, if you had to generate samples using ElevenLabs' AI-powered voice libraries, you had to rely on its web app. Now, you can use its mobile app to generate clips on the go. To use the app, you simply type or paste in the text, then select a suitable voice to generate an audio clip. The free plan gives users access to roughly 10 minutes of audio generation. You can choose different models to balance cost and quality, and you'll have a shared credit limit between the web and mobile app. ElevenLabs also said that the app has access to v3 alpha, its newest text-to-speech models, which allow users to control expressions with tags. Jack McDermott, the company's mobile growth lead, told TechCrunch that a lot of creators already use a web browser on mobile to create voice samples to use in videos with other apps like CapCut, Instagram, or Inshot. Seeing this demand, the company wanted to build a native experience. 'Over the past year, we've seen an explosion of creativity from our community — content creators, marketers, educators, voice artists, and professionals using ElevenLabs to bring projects to life. Many have accessed ElevenLabs from mobile web browsers and asked for a faster, intuitive, more powerful experience built natively for mobile,' he said, in an email message. The company will also compete with other voice cloning and generation tools like Speechify and Captions. This is ElevenLabs' second consumer-facing app after it released the Reader app last year to let users listen to articles, blogs, PDFs, and eBooks on the go. Earlier this year, it also opened up the Reader app for publishers to distribute audiobooks. Going forward, the company aims to release other new features like speech-to-text, a conversational AI agent tool, and add MCP-powered experiences like to the app. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Pink Villa
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Omniscient Reader: The Prophet locks release date with intense trailer ft Ahn Hyo Seop, Lee Min Ho, Jisoo and more
Omniscient Reader: The Prophet is an upcoming action-fantasy film featuring an ensemble cast. On June 16, its production team confirmed the release date and dropped the official trailer and posters, heightening anticipation for its release. Set in a dystopian world, blurring the line between fantasy and reality, this movie is set to offer an unique viewer experience. Omniscient Reader: The Prophet unveiled posters The fantasy action thriller film stars Lee Min Ho, Ahn Hyo Seop, BLACKPINK's Jisoo, Chae Soo Bin, Nana and Shin Seung Ho in lead roles. In the posters, each of them have their gazes fixed at the bizarre happenings following a novel world taking over the real world. Their expressions show worries of whether they will be able to save humanity from the clutches of the novel's monsters. Little Kwon Eun Seong is also a part of their quest for establishing good over evil. Omniscient Reader: The Prophet release date The 1 h 56 min movie will hit the theatres on July 23, 2025. Its posters and trailer launch heightened the buzz regarding the upcoming big budget project. Omniscient Reader: The Prophet unveiled trailer In the trailer, we see the leads using their special powers and weapons to take down the otherworldly creatures in thrilling encounters. Kim Dok Ja (Ahn Hyo Seop) states, 'The story that I love, the one that meant everything to me, has become reality.' As the only one who has read the novel, he knows exactly how events will unfold once the monsters enter the real world. Deadly chaos commences when a goblin named Bihyung suddenly appears on the subway, tasking the humans with a mission– killing at least one living thing. We then get a glimpse into the chaotic new world, showcasing the characters' iconic abiliies and weapons as they engage in an intense battle to survive. Kim Dok Ja informs his team of the novel's happening, stating, "We just have to clear up to the 99th scenario" and declared his determination to alter the humans' tragic fate in the real worlrd. With unwavering resolve, he mentions, 'With my companions, I will rewrite the ending of this story.'
The Age
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
She might be dead, but Agatha Christie is giving writing lessons. Sort of...
Creepy but vital question: if your writing tutor was the bestselling novelist of all time, and able to reveal the secrets behind writing irresistible crime mysteries while sitting at a mahogany desk wearing her trademark tweed suit and pearls, would it matter that she's dead – and that you are, in fact, looking at an eerily realistic, AI-supported video version of her? Such questions hover around the new BBC Maestro series, Agatha Christie on Writing, a 2.5-hour online course of 11 lessons led by the author herself, even though she died back in 1976 at the age of 85. Yet here she is, staring into the camera, grey hair neatly curled, a brooch on her lapel, taking us on a time-travel journey to the 1940s to share her tips of the trade. 'I am Agatha Christie,' she announces in the course's trailer, sitting with her hands clasped after a camera has panned across a fountain pen, a magnifying glass and a cup of tea in a floral teacup on her desk. 'And this is my BBC Maestro course on writing.' It's gobsmackingly real. But Christie, who's also shown getting out of a car, sitting on a garden bench writing and wandering through a large house, isn't entirely AI-created. Conceived with the help of Christie's great-grandson, James Prichard, the online lessons feature a real actor, Vivien Keene, who wears a wig and costumes and uses a script drawn from Christie's letters, interviews and personal writing. Nearly 100 people, including academics, researchers, hair and make-up artists, a set designer and visual-effects experts, are behind the course and the digital magic that allows Keene's moving face to be overlaid with Christie's features. Resurrecting famous dead people via AI isn't new. Virtually Parkinson, an AI-created podcast 'hosted' by the late Michael Parkinson, features a digitally recreated version of the chat-show host's voice (derived from recordings) interviewing living celebrities. The show's technical prowess means AI Parkinson is able to analyse guests' answers and pose follow-up questions. Take AI Parky asking UK gardening expert Monty Don about what draws him back to the garden: 'It always comes back to the same thing of getting down to the ground, back to the earth,' Don says. AI Parky: 'I find that interesting. What is it about this connection to the earth that nurtures you so profoundly?' Don, laughing: 'I think it's to do with ... the rhythms of nature ... the way things grow.' It feels like the tip of the iceberg. In 2024, US software company ElevenLabs partnered with the estates of Laurence Olivier, Judy Garland and James Dean to use the late actors' voices as narrators for books and other text material on its Reader app. How long, then, before Jane Austen or Charlotte Brontë, quills in hand, are explaining Elizabeth Bennet or Jane Eyre? If the Queen of Mystery's 'realness' is any guide, the answer is, imminently. 'I will pass on the best advice I can from my own experiences,' Christie says, her crystalline gaze eyeing her students. 'But I should warn you, you must be serious about it if you wish to be a success.' Lenny Ann Low
