Resource Interchange File Format

The Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF) is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data.

The Microsoft implementation is mostly known through container formats like AVI, ANI and WAV, which use RIFF as their basis.

History

RIFF was introduced in 1991 by Microsoft and IBM, and was presented by Microsoft as the default format for Windows 3.1 multimedia files. It is based on Electronic Arts' Interchange File Format, introduced in 1985 on the Commodore Amiga, the only difference being that multi-byte integers are in little-endian format, native to the 80x86 processor series used in IBM PCs, rather than the big-endian format native to the 68k processor series used in Amiga and Apple Macintosh computers, where IFF files were heavily used.

In 2010 Google introduced the WebP picture format, which uses RIFF as a container.

Ostinato

In music, an ostinato [ostiˈnaːto] (derived from Italian: stubborn, compare English: 'obstinate') is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, usually at the same pitch. Well-known ostinato-based pieces include both classical compositions such as Ravel's Boléro and popular songs such as Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder's "I Feel Love" (1977) and The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (1997).

The repeating idea may be a rhythmic pattern, part of a tune, or a complete melody in itself. Both ostinatos and ostinati are accepted English plural forms, the latter reflecting the word's Italian etymology. Strictly speaking, ostinati should have exact repetition, but in common usage, the term covers repetition with variation and development, such as the alteration of an ostinato line to fit changing harmonies or keys.

Within the context of film music, Claudia Gorbman defines an obstinate as a repeated melodic or rhythmic figure that propel scenes that lack dynamic visual action.

Riff (American band)

Riff is a R&B vocal group from Paterson, New Jersey, formed while its members were teenagers attending Paterson's Eastside High School. The ensemble began under the name Playboys in the late 1980s, with a style strongly influenced by doo wop.

After singing in the 1989 film Lean on Me (which is based upon events occurring at Eastside High), the group changed its name to Riff and signed to SBK Records, releasing a self-titled album in 1991. The group scored several respectable hits, including three in the Billboard Hot 100. Their song "Family" appears on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles soundtrack.

Following the success of the album, the group appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show, The Tonight Show and Soul Train, and opened on tour for LL Cool J and Vanilla Ice.

The group's second album, To Whom It May Concern, came out in 1993 to mixed reviews. It had two charting singles on the R&B charts.

Anthony "Chill" Fuller, Dwayne "Stylz" Jones and Michael "Nitty Green" Best went on to join the group Men of Vizion.

Muse

The Muses /ˈmjuːzᵻz/ (Ancient Greek: Μοῦσαι Mousai; perhaps from the o-grade of the Proto-Indo-European root *men- "think") in Greek mythology are the goddesses of the inspiration of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, song-lyrics, and myths that were related orally for centuries in these ancient cultures. They were later adopted by the Romans as a part of their pantheon.

In current English usage, "muse" can refer in general to a person who inspires an artist, writer, or musician.

Political allusions to the influential roles that the muse plays within the political sphere has also been referenced in current American literature.

Origins

The earliest known records of the Muses are from Boeotia, the homeland of Hesiod. Some ancient authorities thought that the Muses were of Thracian origin. There, a tradition persisted that the Muses had once been three in number. Diodorus Siculus quotes Hesiod to the contrary, observing:

Muse (surname)

Muse is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

Muse (headband)

Muse is a wearable brain sensing headband that can measure the wearers level of calm. The device measures brain activity via a series of EEG sensors, the level of activity is fed back to the user via headphones. Brain waves that correspond to a more relaxed state are represented by tweeting birds, those corresponding to higher amounts of brain activity are represented by storm sounds. Muse is worn over the ears and connects to a companion mobile app via bluetooth. The goal of Muse is to use biofeedback to train your brain, differing from a device like Thync that claims to actually alter brainwaves by wearing it.

Muse is the subject of various scientific studies, one of those at the Mayo Clinic, to understand its usefulness in supporting patients who have undergone breast cancer surgery.

Muse is manufactured by InteraXon, whose CEO is Ariel Garten

References

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