My Future
September 14th, 2009
I’ve narrowed it down to one of these fields. Now I’m hunting for PhD programs opportunities accordingly.
Robotics
- Integrating robotics into daily life
- Applying computer vision, AI techniques
Medical information systems
- Electronic health records
- Helping doctors provide better care
Energy information systems
- Sensor networks to manage energy consumption
- Visualize energy use to affect behavior
Democracy / e Governance
- voting, public records, etc.
Brain computer interfaces (BCI)
- EEG or EMG computing interfaces
New Media Conceptual Artist
- Using all of the above to create art
Jay Leno’s Garage
August 28th, 2009
I came across Jay Leno’s Garage last night. It’s definitely the smartest, most entertaining car show I’ve ever seen. Jay tests amazing new and classic cars (and motorcycles), tells you what he thinks, and does some burnouts. The best part is that it’s not over produced like the nausea inducing MotorWeek on PBS or even the BBC’s TopGear.
SNL is Funny
August 28th, 2009
There is a lot of hating on SNL these days, but it’s really worth watching for the three or four gems in each episode. Be aware that it generally takes a few days of reflection to realize what was truly genius. Here are some winners from the last season you probably didn’t watch.
The 35th season starts in a few weeks (September 26th).
CPU video performance
June 15th, 2009
I have been trying to get a sense of how much video processing my computer can do. A 2.2Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo can capture 640 x 480 @ 30 fps from a Logitech Vision Pro webcam while simultaneously playing four previously captured clips encoded with H.264 and AAC mono audio. Capturing video while playing more than four videos results in dropped frames.
This plot shows a pretty linear falloff in captured framerate as the number of video files being played during capture is incremented.
LCD panel dimensions
June 14th, 2009
I needed to know the geometry of some common LCD panels for a project I’m working on. I couldn’t find a convenient chart, so I am contributing this one to the Internet. I worked out the X and Y values with some simple trig. An alternative estimation based on resolution multiplied by pixel pitch yields similar results ±0.125”.
| H” | X” | Y” | AR | X res | Y res | a° | b° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 12.0 | 9.0 | 4:3 (1.33) | 1024 | 768 | 53.13 | 36.87 |
| 17 | 13.27 | 10.62 | 5:4 (1.25) | 1280 | 1024 | 51.34 | 38.66 |
| 19 | 14.84 | 11.87 | 5:4 (1.25) | 1280 | 1024 | 51.34 | 38.66 |
| 18.5 | 16.13 | 9.07 | 16:9 (1.77) | 1366 | 768 | 60.65 | 29.35 |
| 15.4 | 13.06 | 8.16 | 8:5 (1.6) | 1440 | 900 | 57.99 | 32.01 |
| 17 | 14.42 | 9.01 | 8:5 (1.6) | 1440 | 900 | 57.99 | 32.01 |
| 19 | 16.11 | 10.07 | 8:5 (1.6) | 1440 | 900 | 57.99 | 32.01 |
| 20.1 | 16.08 | 12.06 | 4:3 (1.33) | 1600 | 1200 | 53.13 | 36.87 |
| 19 | 16.11 | 10.07 | 8:5 (1.6) | 1680 | 1050 | 57.99 | 32.01 |
| 20 | 16.96 | 10.60 | 8:5 (1.6) | 1680 | 1050 | 57.99 | 32.01 |
| 22 | 18.66 | 11.66 | 8:5 (1.6) | 1680 | 1050 | 57.99 | 32.01 |
| 21.5 | 18.74 | 10.54 | 16:9 (1.77) | 1920 | 1080 | 60.64 | 29.36 |
| 23 | 20.05 | 11.28 | 16:9 (1.77) | 1920 | 1080 | 60.64 | 29.36 |
| 24 | 20.35 | 12.72 | 8:5 (1.6) | 1920 | 1200 | 57.99 | 32.01 |
| 25.5 | 21.62 | 13.52 | 8:5 (1.6) | 1920 | 1200 | 57.99 | 32.01 |
| 30 | 25.44 | 15.90 | 8:5 (1.6) | 2560 | 1600 | 57.99 | 32.01 |
Hue Test Fail
May 28th, 2009
These are our results from an online Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue test that Sylvia found on the Internet. The test involves arranging color swatches into a continuous spectrum of hues. The bars indicate which hues we were unable to arrange correctly and I’m not sure what the height of a bar means.
As you can see, we got very different results depending on the display used for the test. A proper FM100 test kit costs about $700 and has to be completed under controlled (D50) lighting conditions. Nonetheless, it’s fun to play with the pretty colors and create some order from the randomized initial state.
Related Links: Color Management Systems Lab at RIT where I was a labbie in 2002; Munsell Color Science Lab at RIT
Arthur Ganson
May 9th, 2009
Sylvia and I saw a Ganson exhibit at MIT a few years ago. I just came across his youtube page with some videos of his pieces.
If you can stand the opening crescendo, there is a nice TED talk in which Ganson talks about his work.
Valves, Sardines, and Diapers
April 2nd, 2009
How It’s Made is a TV show that I used to watch on the History Channel and a Mystery Hunt puzzle begging to be written. Each episode details the fabrication process of four different things. See if you can figure out how the topics for any given show are connected.
Episode 37
- Car Radiators
- Hatchery Chicks
- Phyllo Dough
- Cross-country Skis
Episode 66
- Three Wheeled Vehicles
- Baseball Bats
- Artificial Bonsai
- Trombones
Items requiring more than one segment to describe
- Buttons
- Carbon Fibre Cellos
- Stamps
- Goalie Masks
- Optical Lenses
- Giant Tires
- Stetson Hats
- Sugar
You can find lots of segments on YouTube and a complete episode list on Wikipedia.
