Japan's Computer Generated Pop Star

By Joanna Douglas, Shine staff

Remember that 2002 movie called “S1m0ne” with Al Pacino where he created a computer generated actress and fooled people into thinking she was real? The plot seemed very far fetched at the time, but now a similar thing has actually happened! Japans famous 61-member pop group AKB48 (they hold the Guinness World Record for being the "Pop group with the greatest number of members) recently introduced a new member, a 16-year-old girl named Aimi Eguchi, who starred in a new Japanese candy commercial. Only it turns out she wasn't real. PC Mag is reporting that she was created by using the “best” features of her band mates—the eyes of one girl, nose of another, and so on—and digitally constructing her on a computer.

 

The girl in this video is 100% computer generated. Seriously

Girls loved Aimi Eguchi and guys even developed crushes on her. But some folks in Japan got suspicious when they realized Eguchi’s name was derived from the candy brand’s name, Ezaki Gilco, and that she and the candy company shared the same birthday February 11. With Japanese fans feeling very confused, Aimi Equchi’s creators made a video explaining that she was not a real girl, but a creation they made.

Now we see how they did it, but we still have a few questions. In a band of 61 girls, why create a fake one to promote a product? Clearly for the gimmick and publicity (see, it’s working right now!). But with airbrushing tools already “perfecting” real women in photos, the concept of “perfect” computer generated ladies really freaks us out! It was a cool experiment, but let’s hope these artificially made ladies don’t catch on and start putting real actors out of work.

Now that you see how she was made, watch Aimi Eguchi's candy ad below.

ENJOY... 

from: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/japan-s-latest-pop-star-is-computer-generated-video-2501358/

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Real Gift for Great Service

"Once in a while someone gets a real gift in honor of great service."

I bump into this article from yahoo just now. Hope you'll get inspired by this without getting jealous, especially to all nurses. LOL

Reclusive copper heiress leaves $38 million to nurse
By Liz Goodwin

A reclusive copper heiress who spent the past decades living in New York City hospitals has left most of her $400 million fortune to charity--and a nurse who was randomly assigned to care for her 20 years ago.

The New York Post reports that Huguette Clark did not leave a penny to her family members. The lion's share of her fortune will go to a foundation to promote the arts. She left the biggest chunk of the remaining inheritance--a testament worth about $38 million--to her private nurse, Hadassah Peri. She also left Peri her collection of dolls and dollhouses, which The New York Times says could be worth millions.

Clark, who died last month at 104, divided up the rest of her assets among her accountant, her lawyer, a physician and a goddaughter. Authorities are investigating whether the lawyer, Wallace Bock, and her accountant, Irving Kamsler, inappropriately influenced how Clark handled her money. (According to the Post, Kamsler pleaded guilty in 2008 of attempting to send indecent images to underage girls online.)
For her part, Peri says she will cherish her inheritance in honor of her friendship with Clark--and give a substantial portion of it away, in emulation of Clark's own will. "I saw Madame Clark virtually every day for the 20 years. I was her private duty nurse but also her close friend. I knew her as a kind and generous person, with whom I shared many wonderful moments and whom I loved very much," the nurse said in a statement to the Post.

Clark was the daughter of Montana Sen. William Clark, who was once the second-richest man in the country. According to Clark's will, her nurse spent more time with her than anyone else and became a "friend and loyal companion," The Post reported. Clark had no children, and specified in her will that she had no interest in leaving money to the descendants of her half-siblings or other relatives.
She is also donating a painting in Claude Monet's famous Water Lillies series to the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C. It has not been publicly seen since the 1920s.

So many elderly people are left in nursing homes and not a family member ever shows up to see how they're doing and care about them. They don't care about them at all when they're alive and want nothing to do with them. But the minute they die and money is to be had, they're all right there, suddenly acting like they care.

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