Message, Projects

Digg-Style Site For Pictures

This is a little project that a friend and I put together.

Please don't shoot me down in flames! But instead of waiting a while for Digg's new pictures feature, a friend and I created a site dedicated to just photographs. It's a basic interface, but designed to be quick and functional. No registration required.

Hacking, Software, Languages, C/C++

Update: Installing OpenCV with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 C++

I have found I kept getting an error when I modified some of the example code.

The error message was:

C Run-Time Error R6034

Error Message
"An application has made an attempt to load the C runtime library incorrectly. Please contact the application's support team for more information."

After trying a few of the suggested fixes I was starting to give up hope.

Luckly I found a post suggesting  to change the configuration from debug to retail and recompiling.

It worked!

Hacking, sirBones, Software, Languages, C/C++

Installing OpenCV with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 C++

OpenCV stands for Open Computer Vision Library.

OpenCV is an open source library for computer vision development.  There are some very interesting sample applications included with this library.

This sounds like the perfect start for Sir Bones.

Before we can start we need to be able to build the library.

Requirements

Optional

We are going to be using Microsoft Visual Studio for this install.
The reasons for this include Support from OpenCV, Lots of Internet Articles for creating software, MSDN, Offical Software and its FREE.

Step 1 - Installing Visual C++ and Platform SDK

Visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/visualc/usingpsdk/ and follow Microsofts Guide to setup Visual C++ and the Platform SDK.

When you get to Step 3, add this line to "Include Files" (assume default install location)
C:Program FilesMicrosoft Platform SDK for Windows Server 2003 R2Includemfc

This is because OpenCV requires some files that are inside that folder.

Step 2 - Update Visual C++ with Service Pack 1 (Optional)

Service Packs for the each of the Visual Studio products are available on one page from Microsoft.

Visual Studio 2005 Express SP1

The specific update that you will require is called "C++ 2005 Express Edition SP1 - VS80sp1-KB926748-X86-INTL.exe"

Step 3 - Install OpenCV

Go get OpenCV Library and download OpenCV 1.0 for Windows

Installation is straight forward.

Step 4 - Customising Visual C++ for use with OpenCV

We need to setup the directories for Open Visual C++

  • Open Visual C++
  • Choose menu "Tools" and select "Options"
  • In "Projects and Solutions"  and go to "VC++ Directories"
  • Show directories for "Library Files"
  • Add "C:Program FilesOpenCVlib" to the list of directories

Step 5 - Open "OpenCV Workspace .NET 2005"

In the start menu a folder called "Open CV" was created when you installed OpenCV.

Inside the folder "OpenCV" there is a shortcut called "OpenCV Workspace .NET 2005"

Open "OpenCV Workspace .NET 2005"

This will load OpenCV solution within Visual C++

There is one last thing you need to do, to be able to compile OpenCV.

  • Choose menu "Build" and Select "Configuration Manager"
  • Change "Active solution configuration" to either "Debug" or "Release"

Step 6 - Build

Now that everything is installed and setup; building OpenCV should be a breeze.

  • Choose menu "Build" and Select "Build Solution"

Building OpenCV can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour.
When I built OpenCV it took about 10 minutes.< /p>

Congratulations OpenCV is now installed and built.

Update: Problem compiling OpenCV with Visual C++

Hacking, Software

Useful trick for Notepad in Windows

Have you ever wanted to record information in notepad and automatically have the date and time inserted?

Well now you can.

Open notepad and insert the following:

.LOG

Now save the document as <filename>.log

Also change the "Save as type" to "All Files", this is to prevent notepad saving the document as <filename>.log.txt


(Remember to replace <filename> with the actual name of the document you want to save as)

Now every time you open this document, the current date and time will be entered in for you.

Easy huh?

View Video of this useful trick for notepad in action

Humour, Message

XBox 360 off for a while

You see the oddest of things in the real world.

This message was seen on a XBox 360 during the Christmas Sales in Game store.

We are unsure as to the intent of the message.

Is it?

  1. Humour?
  2. Stupidity?
  3. or the Xbox is broken and they have no idea when it will be fixed?

Personally we feel it's either option 1 or 3.

XBox 360 will not be switched on until 47th Jan

Hacking, Hardware, Projects, sirBones

Featuring Sir Bones

I have been looking everywhere for some realistic ears for Sir Bones.   The idea of the ears is to channel forward sound in to the microphone; just like in the human body.

Trying to find realist ears is actually quite hard.  Most of the ears available are novelty ears, over-sized and not very realistic.
I even went into a fancy dress shop to ask if they knew where I could get some, with no luck.

Recently I was shopping in Tesco's and I noticed this scary Halloween mask. The ears were almost perfect size for Sir Bones, so I could not resist buying this face mask.

 Sir Bones getting ready for Halloween

Read more of this post »

Hardware, Projects, sirBones, Software

The beginning

I have been trying for a long time to understand computer vision, and trying to make a program that could pick out useful information from web cameras.

It was a standard set-up of 2 cameras and slight angles to each other, pointing forwards.

The trouble was they were free to move around. What was needed, was something to hold the cameras in a fix position.

Mac Mini with two web cameras

The hunt for a human skull was on!