Baby I'm a Star

"Baby I'm a Star" is a song written and recorded by American musician Prince from his album Purple Rain. It is also the B-side on the "Take Me with U" single.

Background and recording

"Baby I'm a Star" was originally composed and recorded in 1982, a highly prolific period which yielded many songs which Prince released over the years. The version on Purple Rain was re-recorded with The Revolution during a live performance in 1983 (the debut performance of Wendy Melvoin). Prince later reworked the live recording in the studio, adding overdubs and other refinements.

The upbeat song is about pop stardom, specifically a rising star as the chorus states "You might not know it now, baby, but I are — I'm a star. I don't wanna stop, till I reach the top." This would coincide with Prince's status in 1982. Musically, it's a dance number propelled by a drum machine pattern and an understated bass. The song makes heavy use of rapidly played synthesizers, often made to simulate a horn section (Prince would sometimes add a real horn section to the song in later performances). Revolution member Doctor Fink gets a call-out in the song to deliver a synth solo. The song also contains an unusual backmasking at the beginning and end of the song:

A* search algorithm

In computer science, A* (pronounced as "A star" ( listen)) is a computer algorithm that is widely used in pathfinding and graph traversal, the process of plotting an efficiently traversable path between multiple points, called nodes. Noted for its performance and accuracy, it enjoys widespread use. However, in practical travel-routing systems, it is generally outperformed by algorithms which can pre-process the graph to attain better performance, although other work has found A* to be superior to other approaches.

Peter Hart, Nils Nilsson and Bertram Raphael of Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International) first described the algorithm in 1968. It is an extension of Edsger Dijkstra's 1959 algorithm. A* achieves better performance by using heuristics to guide its search.

History

In 1968, AI researcher Nils Nilsson was trying to improve the path planning done by Shakey the Robot, a prototype robot that could navigate through a room containing obstacles. This path-finding algorithm, that Nilsson called A1, was a faster version of the then best known method, Dijkstra's algorithm, for finding shortest paths in graphs. Bertram Raphael suggested some significant improvements upon this algorithm, calling the revised version A2. Then Peter E. Hart introduced an argument that established A2, with only minor changes, to be the best possible algorithm for finding shortest paths. Hart, Nilsson and Raphael then jointly developed a proof that the revised A2 algorithm was optimal for finding shortest paths under certain well-defined conditions.

Suzuki Alto

The Suzuki Alto (スズキ・アルト) is a kei car built by Suzuki. Its selling points have long included a low price and good fuel economy. The model, currently in its eighth generation, was first introduced in 1979 and has been built in many countries worldwide. The Alto badge has often been used on different cars in Japan and in export markets, where it is considered a city car.

First generation (1979–1984)

The first generation (SS30V/40V), introduced in May 1979, was a three-door cargo version of the Fronte passenger car, equipped with a folding rear seat. Front suspension comprised coils struts, with leaf springs at the back. The steering was of the recirculating ball type, and four-wheel drums were used. On introduction, the Alto received the T5B two-stroke 539 cc (32.9 cu in) (SS30) three-cylinder engine, producing 28 PS (21 kW) at 5,500 rpm. The Alto was a "micro sensation" when introduced, largely due to its rock bottom price of ¥470,000 (circa $1,900 in 1979, at a time when the cheapest Ford Pinto cost $4,999 in the US). This low price was made possible by a number of Japanese special concessions for commercial vehicles: most notably, the engine did not require twin catalysts. Two less doors provided another saving, as did the exemption from commodity tax. The Alto's success changed the kei-car market, and other producers such as Subaru (with the "Family Rex") quickly followed suit with cut-price "commercial" vehicles that were really intended for private use. The Alto helped Suzuki move into seventh place in Japanese production for cars and trucks.

Agency for Science, Technology and Research

The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (Abbreviation: A*STAR; Chinese: 新加坡科技研究局) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Singapore. The Agency was established in 1991 to foster scientific research and talent for a knowledge-based Singapore.

History

Established in 1991 as the former National Science and Technology Board (NSTB), A*STAR was established with the primary mission to raise the level of science and technology in Singapore.

Leadership

The current chairman of A*STAR is Mr. Lim Chuan Poh. He was formerly the Permanent Secretary (Education) and the Chief of Defence Force. Mr Lim took over the reins of A*STAR from Mr. Philip Yeo, who later became Chairman of SPRING Singapore, on 1 April 2007.

The scientific leadership includes Tan Chorh Chuan, George Radda, Sydney Brenner, David Lane, Charles Zukoski and used to include Prof Low Teck Seng. Prof Low Teck Seng left A*Star on 19 July 2012 to join the National Research Foundation of the Prime Minister's Office.

Imma Star (Everywhere We Are)

"Imma Star (Everywhere We Are)" is a song by the American R&B recording artist Jeremih. It is the second single released from his first album, Jeremih. The music video was released in July 2009 and was directed by Marc Klasfeld.

Music video

The video shows Jeremih searching for a job and going around town to impress others, in attempts to show he is rich. He fails and others are disgusted by him. During the video he is seen flirting with a girl. He invites her into his car, where they watch a television that has been taped to the back of the headrest. He takes her to a club where he unsuccessfully attempts to bribe the bouncer with coins. After being rejected, they head to a drive-thru fast-food chain, where Jerimih buys his companion a half-eaten hot dog (the saleswoman eats half of it, as collateral for him not being able to pay for a full one.) Disgusted by this, his date leaves him at the drive-thru. The video finishes with Jeremih waking up to the fact that his follies were just a dream, and that he is indeed wealthy.

Baby I

"Baby I" is a song recorded by American singer Ariana Grande for her debut studio album, Yours Truly (2013). It was written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Antonio Dixon and Patrick "J. Que" Smith and produced by the first two. The song was released by Republic Records on July 22, 2013, as the second single from the album.

Background and release

In an interview with Complex, Grande reveals that "Baby I" was originally written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds for Beyoncé. Grande also stated that it was actually Mac Miller who picked "Baby I" to be the second single for her album.

Grande opined that "Baby I" was more "sophisticated" and "mature" and showed off her musicality and vocals more than her previous hit single "The Way", which was part of what made her excited to release the song. She was revealing snippets of the song days before its release. The single was released to the digital retailer iTunes on July 22, 2013.

Composition

"Baby I" is an uptempo pop and R&B song that runs for a duration of three minutes and seventeen seconds. "Baby I" is set in common time at a tempo of 102 BPM in the key of C♯ major, and D Major after the bridge. It was written and produced by Babyface, Tony Dixon and j.Que. A writer from Rap-Up describes the track as a "summertime record" which features Grande's "big vocals" over a "breezy beat". Several critics noted the '90s R&B music influence demonstrated in "Baby I", which will also be musically present on the rest of her album, Yours Truly. Additionally, '70s disco energy is also present in the song, with PopCrush describing it as "Mariah Carey gone retro".

Baby and I

Baby and I (Hangul: 아기와 나; RR: Agiwa Na) is a 2008 South Korean film about a rebellious 18-year-old high school senior who ends up caring for a baby with a note, claiming he is the baby's father.

Plot