Finding faces in Google Maps terrain

Something our human eyes seem to do, without any prompting, is to pick out shapes and structures that resemble other shapes and structures. Called pareidolia, it's a form of pattern recognition -- and a good example is the way we often see a human face where only a random collection of shapes or shadows exists. This, it is now known, is the reason for the infamousface on Mars.

Our own Earth, as folded and rippled as it is, is also prone to this phenomenon when viewed from above: the Badlands Guardian, discovered on Google Earth in 2006, for example. But we're sure there are many more human-esque faces lurking in strange corners of the Earth.

That is the premise behind Google Faces, a project by Berlin design studio Onformative: can pareidolia be imitated by a machine? Using OpenFrameworks, the studio has created an application that crawls Google Maps, using facial recognition algorithms to seek out areas that look like faces.

Making faces with Google Maps (pictures)

1-2 of 9

Scroll LeftScroll Right

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

The application uses a virtual browser to search Google Maps, transferring data back to the standalone application using ofxBerkelium to capture and store images of any "faces" found, communicating via Javascript. When the application has crawled all the available images, it jumps to the next zoom level and starts all over again.

Already, the program has been around the world several times, and the ground to cover only gets bigger as it zooms in farther.

"As it continues to travel the world within the upcoming months, it continuously zooms into the earth," Onformative said on the project page. "This process decreases the step-size for each iteration and therefore increases the amount of images and travel time exponentially. Some of the detected images aren't usable at all, as we are not able to recognize any face-like patterns within the detected images. Other satellite images, on the other hand, inspired our imagination in a tremendous, yet funny way."

Read More

Google+ photos get instant uploads, auto adjustments at I/O

Google's adding some new firepower to its photo hosting service on Google+ with features designed to save people time when dumping their photos into the cloud.

Key among them is a feature that will automatically backup photos taken on smartphones, and send them to Google's cloud storage. The move follows similar efforts from Dropbox, and more recently Amazon to provide peace of mind for people who aren't manually backing up their files.

For files that have already been uploaded, Google also has new tools to automatically edit and adjust behind the scenes. That includes a new highlight tool that will strip out duplicates or photos Google's algorithm deems badly taken simply based on their metadata, and will surface only the good ones. This doesn't delete the "bad" photos, however. Google can also now automatically enhance your photos as a batch.

The changes were unveiled during the company's keynote at I/O, Google's annual developers conference in San Francisco on Wednesday.

Google, in particular, talked up the auto enhancements and good photo selections as ways to save users time, and help make their photos look better. That includes skin softening, noise reduction, and red eye removal. Google also said it can determine quality photos based on where it was snapped, taking into account things like nearby local landmarks.

There's also what Google calls an "Auto-Awesome" tool that can take several photos and turn them into a panorama, a high-dynamic range shot, and even an animated image if there are several shots taken together in quick succession. There are five tools to start with, with Google suggesting it plans to add more over time.

Photo hosting has become one of the most popular activities on social networks. Facebook became the world's largest photo host in 2008, and now its users upload more than 350 million new photos a day.

Read More

Facebook to put own spin on Android with 'new home,' report says

A Facebook media event invitation the company released last week might be saying more than originally thought.

Last week, Facebook sent out an invite for an event it's hosting on Thursday. On the invitation, the company says, "Come See Our New Home on Android." Other than making clear that it the event will be Android related, the company provided no additional details.

However, the invitation's message might be coded to include the name of a new product the company has been working on, called Facebook Home, Google news site 9to5Google reported, citing people who claim to have knowledge of its plans. Facebook, the site's sources say, has been working on a version of the Android mobile operating system that will run on HTC devices and will put upfront Facebook's many features and apps, including messaging, photos, and contacts. The project is called Facebook Home, according to 9to5Google, thus the mention of the company's "New Home on Android."

The sources that 9to5Google is in touch with did not say exactly what will be shown at the event, but they expect Facebook to detail how its operating system, which is built on top of Android, actually works. So far, no carriers have signed on to carry the devices, 9to5 Google reported, but both Facebook and HTC are in talks to change that. Facebook and HTC will also launch an ad campaign to promote Home, the news site said.

Android Police reports that it's seen screenshots and a system dump, which it says shows "a mid-range HTC phone codenamed 'Myst'...[that] sounds a lot like the previously-leaked HTC Opera from last November, too, which was also billed as the alleged 'Facebook phone.'"

Among the most interesting findings, Android Police writes, are some permissions spotted in the code:

 These allow Facebook to read the settings for the stock Android launcher, the HTC launcher, and the Touchwiz Launcher. Having permissions for Touchwiz on an HTC phone is a dead giveaway that Facebook plans on releasing Facebook Home not just on this phone, but as a standalone app in the Play Store.

Read More

Google Images adds filters for animated GIFs

Google is making it easier to find the perfect animated GIF with which to e-mail a friend or post on a blog, adding new filters to Images that let users query specific file types.

 The file types now searchable include faces, photos, clip art, line drawings, and animated GIFs. All appear under "search tools." Click "any type" on the drop-down menu that appears to see the animated GIF option.

The filters highlight the wide range of file types contained within image search. Run a query on Justin Bieber, for example, and you'll find plenty of clip art and line drawings to go along with the photos you would expect.

The animated GIF search option allows users to preview the animations directly from the search engine results page, making it easier to decide which Grumpy Cat GIF to include on your blog.

Animated GIFs have long been included in Google Image Search, but users haven't been able to search for them directly until now. The filters were first noticed by Google Operating System.

Another new option lets you search for transparent images: click "Transparent" under the "Any color" drop-down box after clicking "search tools."

Read More

Electric Imp aims to make the Internet of Things devilishly simple

We constantly hear that to make the internet of things popular, we’re going to need to make connecting devices to the web and to each other easier. Electric Imp is hoping to handle both problems, according to CEO Hugo Fiennes. He discusses how his experience at Apple helped him build an easy-to-implement card that let’s people and manufacturers add connectivity to everything.

In the podcast he and I talk about how various startups are tackling the connectivity problem and where each fits in, why Wi-Fi is the best technology for the internet of things, despite its expense, and ponders the idea of our future devices having a slot where consumers can add an Electric Imp card if they see value in connecting it to the web.

Show notes:
Host: Stacey Higginbotham

• How to make Wi-Fi the de facto standard for the internet of things
• How other IoT players differ and where they fit into the ecosystem
• How to connect herds of cows and mangrove swamps
• Will everything have an “IoT slot,” and will consumers get to choose what they will add connectivity to after they buy it?

Read More

Space shots: Our beautiful world from far above

Today, the International Space Station gets a change of command as outgoing NASA Commander Kevin Ford transfers leadership of the space lab to Commander Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian astronaut to assume the role. Hadfield and crew will carry out the plannedExpedition 35 mission (PDF).

Our gallery below looks back at some the extraordinary images of Earth Hadfield captured with dSLRs during his first few months aboard the space lab (he and Expedition 34 arrived in mid-December). The unique vantage point of the ISS delivers unforgettable vistas, from the astoundingly abstract Australian Outback to a sensational shimmer of gold on the waters of the San Francisco Bay.

The Canadian commander isn't a stranger to showing us the lighter side of life far above the Earth. When he's not using the Canadarm2, running experiments, or taking on other important duties, the energetic astronaut taught us how space life changes simple tasks such as making a peanut butter sandwich or clipping fingernails.Hadfield, a social-media maven, regularly shares spectacular images and other information with fans who follow him onFacebook, Twitter, and Google+.

Read More

Pinterest Web Analytics tool weighs your popularity

Pinterest has launched a new Web analytics tool for site owners who want to see how well their pages are performing on the social network.

The tool, dubbed Pinterest Web Analytics, is available to companies with a verified Web site on the social network. The analytics provide detailed information on how many people have pinned something from their site, seen pins from their pages, or visited their site from the social network. The analytics also show repinned items, most clocked, and most recent pins.

Getting verified on Pinterest isn't a long process. Site owners who have a Pinterest profile need only input their Web address and ask for verification. From there, they'll add an HTML file to their server or insert a META tag into their site header to prove they're the owner. They then can use the tool.

The issue with Pinterest, however, is that it has had trouble actually making money. Getting companies to be more involved in its service is likely the first step in achieving profit. The Analytics tool could help Pinterest make its case that it's driving value to companies.Pinterest watched its star soar last year as millions jumped to the site to share all kinds of items with friends. The social network has become so successful that last month itraised $200 million in a funding round based on a $2.5 billion valuation. Last May, the company landed $100 million in funding on a $1.5 billion valuation.

Pinterest's analytics tool is available now. The company has promised more business-oriented tools in the coming months.

Read More

Iran cuts off 'illegal' VPN workaround to Internet filters

Iran has stepped up its efforts to deny its citizens unfettered access to the Internet, blocking a popular tool used to get around government blocks.

Quite aware of the censorship they face, many Iranians use proxy servers over virtual private networks to circumvent government restrictions and mask their activities. However, officials now say they have blocked use of the "illegal" tool.

"Within the last few days illegal VPN ports in the country have been blocked," said Ramezanali Sobhani-Fard, head of the Iranian parliament's information and communications technology committee, according to a Reuters story posted today. "Only legal and registered VPNs can from now on be used."

Iran's Supreme Council of Cyberspace announced in January that it would soon begin selling "official" and "legal" VPN services to companies and corporations that needed them for security.

Access to major international news sites and social-networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter is blocked by the country's government, which has been waging a battle against what it calls "inappropriate" content on the Internet. After blocking access to Google's search engine and YouTube in September, Iran's government launched its own video-sharing site."By launching this program, [the] Iranian government can prosecute users who are violating state laws and [the] Internet Filtering Committee will be able to take offenders to national courts under supervision of judiciary service," Supreme Council of Cyberspace Secretary Mehdi Akhavan Behabadi told theTehran Chronicle in February.

The country's government cut off access to the Internet several times in the past couple of years. The latest crackdown comes just a few months ahead of a presidential election scheduled for June -- its first since 2009 when the government also cut Internet access.

Read More