Month: April 2011

High-Quality Open Source Body Tracking Sans Kinect

High-Quality Open Source Body Tracking Sans Kinect

Draw a bounding box around an object in the camera’s field of view and Zdenek Kalal’s open source Predator algorithm will continuously track it in real-time with just a standard webcam. That’s right, get Kinect-like body tracking without the fancy hardware. With all those front-facing cameras out there, just think of the mobile applications! Minority Report-style HCI, face tracking, improved visual search, and video stabilization are a few examples.

Dinosaur Inspiration

Do we really know what dinosaurs looked like? Maybe the T-Rex didn’t have stumpy little claw-arms. In this illustration, posted by apeox of Half Dracula Half Cinderella, there are some dinosaurs reimagined with beefier arms and big thumbs. I would enjoy seeing them embroidered on a pillow. Thumbs up. Correction: Please excuse my dinosaur ignorance! […]

Crocheted Viking Costume

My crafty Michigan pal Veronica Knight crocheted her very own viking costume, complete with epic beard, for Halloween last year and will be using it as her entry into this weekend’s Motor City Beard and Moustache Championships. Enjoy this achievement in crochet work with me, won’t you?