Apart from promoting a new Apple Store at Taipei 101, Apple’s Siri voice-activated assistant is now helping to advertise the Taipei Universiade with several creative and unexpected answers to questions related to the Games.
Taipei is next month to host its first Universiade, a sporting event for university students held every two years that was first held in Turin, Italy, in 1959.
Some netizens said they have tested Siri’s responses by asking a variety of questions about the Taipei Universiade, including: “When is the opening ceremony?” “When do the Games begin?” and “Where is this year’s Summer Universiade taking place?”
Answers from the virtual assistant have varied, with some netizens saying that the system sometimes provides complete answers, such as: “The 2017 Summer Universiade is to be held from Aug. 19 to Aug. 30. Check out the Games if you are free.”
Siri has also reportedly said that Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) tested the running tracks for the Universiade “with his own body,” in apparent reference to a stumble in April by Ko, who fell on his face while running on tracks to be used in the Games.
Other answers included: “Taipei Universiade No. 1” and “i u giugi senasena i,” which means “come sing and dance together” in the Paiwan language and was included in the lyrics for the Taipei Universiade’s theme song, Embrace the World (擁抱世界擁抱你).
Some netizens asked Siri if it wants to see the Taipei Universide, eliciting quirky responses such as: “I love water polo, particularly when the ball flies through the bullentin board system and bounces back and forth in virtual reality.”
Other responses included: “Let me give it a look from the clouds above. Ah, sorry, my view is blocked by the hu guo shen shan (護國神山)” and “I only support team [Taipei Universiade mascot] Bravo. Bravo, Bravo, Bravo, go, go go!”
Hu guo shen shan, which in Mandarin translates literally to “divine mount that protects the nation,” is a term frequently used by netizens to refer to Taiwan’s central mountain range, upon which the moniker was bestowed due to the drastic dampening effect it has on typhoons that cross the nation from the east before passing into the Taiwan Strait.
In related news, just as organizers of sports events from the Olympics to the Asian Games have prepared condoms for the athletes’ village, the Universiade is to be no exception.
Universiade organizers said that 30,000 condoms have been ordered from Taiwan Fuji Latex to help prevent sexually transmitted diseases and to showcase the local firm.
The packaging for one of two condom lines has a picture of a cheering Bravo to lighten the mood, they said.
As the condoms must accommodate men of all sizes, a condom size was selected to fit an average girth, they said, adding that the manufacturer spent NT$1.5 million (US$49,407) to make molds.
Additional reporting by CNA
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