observations and reports

The question we all ask when we get to the store, “Do I have enough ________?” Well BettrLife always has an answer for you. As you checkout at any store the items you mark purchased are moved to your pantry. BettrLife starts learning when you buy certain products and how often you replenish those items. Thought auto-magic we can then take those items from your pantry and move them to your shopping list. The more you use it the better it gets! (via BettrLife)

The important part here is getting the usage data right.  Can it be inferred just from inventory?  Or does it also look at meals, assuming people are inputting them…

Creativity, collaboration and coffee all flow readily at OfficePort, a coworking space in the Crossroads Art District in downtown Kansas City, Mo. Opened in 2008 by business partners Shaul Jolles and Mike Edmondson, OfficePort is a low-cost, collaborative coworking space that caters to Kansas City businesses. Tech startups, small business owners, artists, freelancers and entrepreneurs can all find a space of their own at OfficePort. After OfficePort got its start with the Crossroads location, additional locations soon opened in Chicago’s downtown loop and Kansas City’s historic River Market. And, according to its website, OfficePort has a mission “to establish an OfficePort in the downtown of every major U.S. city.” Below is a photo tour of the original location (all photos by Annie Sorensen). For more information on OfficePort, visit officeportnetwork.com. (via Check out OfficePort, a coworking space that’s looking to grow (Photos) - Silicon Prairie News)

liquidx:

(via Creative Review - The interactive Periodic Table of Swearing)

(via objectsinspaceandtime)

The Old Man of the Lake is the name given to a 30-foot (9 m) tall tree stump, most likely a hemlock, which has been bobbing vertically in Oregon’s Crater Lake since at least 1896. At the waterline, the stump is about 2 feet (60 cm) in diameter and stands approximately 4 feet (120 cm) above the water. The surface has been bleached white by the elements. The exposed end of the floating tree is splintered and worn but wide and buoyant enough to support a person’s weight.[1] Fontinalis, a moss that is present in the waters of Crater Lake at a depth of 394 feet (120 m), also grows on the Old Man of the Lake, the only place the moss is found near the surface.[2] (via Old Man of the Lake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

CV Dazzle™ is camouflage from computer vision (CV). It is a form of expressive interference that combines makeup and hair styling (or other modifications) with face-detection thwarting designs. The name is derived from a type of camouflage used during WWI, called Dazzle, which was used to break apart the gestalt-image of warships, making it hard to discern their directionality, size, and orientation. Likewise, the goal of CV Dazzle is to break apart the gestalt of a face, or object, and make it undetectable to computer vision algorithms, in particular face detection.

Because face detection is the first step in automated facial recognition, CV Dazzle can be used in any environment where automated face recognition systems are in use, such as Google’s Picasa, Flickr, or Facebook (see CV Dazzle vs PhotoTagger by Face.com).

Project Overview

This project began as a thesis proposal at the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University in the spring of 2010 with the primary objective of thwarting face detection under the guise of high-fashion aesthetics. While there are several obvious approaches to hiding from face detection, some of these can be dismissed. Sunglasses, for example, are a known occlusion which some algorithms account for. And, though functionally effective, wearing masks in public can be illegal. Hoods are popular and effective but make the wearer’s intent to hide too obvious. As an alternative, this project explores ways of hiding in plain sight using ambigously deceptive fashion.

 (via CV Dazzle: Open-Source Camouflage From Computer Vision by Adam Harvey)

A user by the name of minxamo on YouTube provided a video that, “Increased contrast to show the smoke clipping through the track more clearly. Happens at around 1:14.” This video slows down the popular, “Controlled Quantum Levitation on a Wipe’Out Track” video and shows how the smoke rolling off of the wipeout vehicles accidentally wraps around the track outside of where it would normally be. Essentially the error in computer generated imagery was barely there but has revealed that all this popular buzz is around a fake technology video that everyone ate up like candy.

You can see the debunk video and the original video both below. What do you think? Does the Controlled Quantum Levitation look real even though you can see the smoke go outside of the track where it shouldn’t be?

“If a scientist was to demonstrate the effects of quantum locking on a track they would not bother using little wipeout vehicles and also go to the bother of painting graphics on the vehicles, also using such a slim vehicle would reduce the size of the ‘supposed’ nitrogen tank. Also, correct me if I’m wrong but magnetic flow always flows at 90 degrees to the flow of a current, Lenz’s law. The diagram shows the magnetic flow running parallel to the flow of current. Busted!  ”

(via Controlled Quantum Levitation Fools 50k+ Into Thinking Viral Video Was Real | Z6Mag)

(via Lettermon)

(Source: gratuitoustype, via ninakix)

The 28th Annual Chaos Communications Congress just wrapped things up on December 31st and they’ve already published recordings of all the talks at the event. These talks were live-streamed, but if you didn’t find time in your schedule to see all that you wanted, you’ll be happy to find your way to the YouTube collection of the event. The topics span a surprising range. We were surprised to see a panel discussion on depression and suicide among geeks (hosted by [Mitch Altman]) which joins another panel called Queer Geeks, to address some social issues rather than just hardcore security tech. But there’s plenty of that as well with topics on cryptography, security within web applications, and also a segment on electronic currencies like Bitcoins. There really is something for everyone and they’ve been thoughtful enough to include playlists for all talks, just the lightning talks, and lightning talks categorized by the day they occurred. Get those links from their YouTube channel description, or find them after the break. (via Watch all of the freshly published talks from 28c3 - Hack a Day)