#Bounding Box Software

[quohotos]

i demand the 3D objects thoughts

Well I put it off to the absolute last possible moment. If you're reading this it's already too late. Paint 3d is dead

You will not be able to download it from the Microsoft store, and let's be honest, it's too shit for anyone to actually archive it (not that I'd even know how given it's a uwp distributed through the store and never offered as a standalone exe)

But let's not dance on paint 3d's untimely grave. As the world's first ever Kafkaesque photo editor it gave something very special to us all. I've come to love it, even if every time I use it I feel a deep and unending desire to become the joker. So let us Eulogize this beautiful mix failed start of a future we were promised but was failed to be born. Let's pour one out for Paint 3d, and explain once and for all what it really means to paint 3d.

What is paint 3d?

Before you can understand Paint 3d, you must first understand ms paint. Microsoft paint, often just referred to as "Paint" is one of the oldest standard programs to come with any windows installation. It's a bitmap editor that was begun long before most tiktok users were even born. It holds a special place in a lot of 90s and 00s kid's hearts for two reasons.

without fail, it will be installed on every windows machine. You will always have paint. It's dependable, fast, easy to get into, and will open corrupted or mislabeled images. It's the notepad of images, quick, dirty and gets the job done. You can copy and paste screenshots into there to quickly crop them

It's a little bit shit. It doesn't support transparency (well it does now but lets not get ahead of ourselves) so if you tried to make a minecraft skin with it you'd get all these solid color blobs. It doesn't support layers, so anything made on it is going to have a level of earnest shittyness to it. Text can't be rotated, bounding boxes have to be predefined shapes, and once something is on the page it's on the fucking page. MS. Paint will put pixels on the page for you, but after that point it won't hold your hand.

Point 2 is really a larger part of how ms. Paint is remembered. Ms. Paint is synonymous with youth, it's synonymous with limited computer time, with ignorance, with having nothing better. The spectacle of doing anything in Ms. Paint lead to the selling point of ms paint adventures which became homestuck. If you want to strawman someone's political opinions, you draw them in MS paint. The early, edgy, ugly look of the 00s web was defined by MS paint just as much as it was defined by adobe flash. The limitations of this piece of shit software defined a generation's artistic identity. We love it because it is shit. We would not have it any other way

Okay but you didn't explain Paint 3d!

Well, gosh, don't interrupt me. Yeah, so what is paint 3d? In 2017 Paint was added to the deprecated feature list. A special update was pushed so if you opened up paint it would ask you if you'd rather switch to paint 3d

Paint 3d put a fresh new stab at the utility, redoing it in the new UWP format and dressing it up in the company's then standard design language. The refresh also added a whole host of nice, modern features such as:

An updated set of tools, some but not all of which are pressure sensitive when used with tablets/touch

The ability to use transparency!

Hurray those are great new features wait what do those other buttons do?

Yes paint 3d lives up to it's name, you can add stock 3d models to any of your drawings and they're all kinda awful

3d text, 3d models, go ahead and place them in your scene. They put the whole project spark asset library in there last year, if you can think of it it's probably not in there but hey there'll be something and it may or may not have a texture because the model may have been intended for 3d printing

You can manipulate these objects with a slick interface that's completely non industry standard but hey it at least looks nice.

Models can also be painted on and you can pick from these options to decide the albedo/metalic values. No I don't know how to set the custom values, sometimes it's there and if you click off it's gone forever. Good luck

Oh and also when you're painting you're given a very convenient gizmo to rotate the object that isn't available in normal mode. You can multi select objects and group them together but beware it doesn't always work and using the undo key sometimes spawns a new copy at the wrong position and scale but don't worry this is a small bug in a new program and certainly won't be present in the final version on November 4th I promise.

You can put stickers on models and there's a nice little UI to stamp it if you want to put multiple here are all the stock standard stickers

You can also use these pretty tiling textures

Or you can add any png from your hardrive

Those are the only options you'll ever get or need. You can also spawn arbitrary shapes, like cubes and spheres

And in a post launch update they even added the fucking TUBE BRUSH

Look how many tube there is. So many tube You can also edit the points individually after they're created but each tube has a maximum number of points that it can contain and you have no way of knowing until it's too late.

You can also use the 3d doodle to make a shitty potato looking thing, but if you browse the #paint3d tag you'll see a lot of people more talented than me using that tool to it's fullest

As you saw you also have the option to round or point the corners.

At any point you can click the 3d view button and suddenly you're no longer head on, you can orbit the camera and view the scene from any angle. Is it actually good to work with 3d scenes in this program? God fucking no

This scene nearly killed my computer to make, and that thing had okay specs for the time. Placing objects with the non standard (but touch friendly) controls is a pain and the camera cannot be oriented in any meaningful way. There is no frecam, there is no camera scale, you can orbit, you can pan. If you want more go learn blender.

You can also change the time of day

Go ahead, rotate the sun or change the filter, some of them are even minecraft specific. Most of them are objectively worse than the default, but hey you get a lot of options

Okay yes these are all cool features, but I've been dancing around paint 3d's one actually cool feature, the one that drives me mad... because it's a good idea

great even...

...too bad it's shackled to this program.

Oh this? This? yeah we can fuck with this. Now we're fucking talking

Now I can move my objects around in 3d, scale them, reorent them and make all kind of cool 3d compositions out of cut out pieces of my 2d artwork. If you look at any cool marketing material this is by far the feature they're most proud of

The possibilities are endless... unfortunately they're also frustrating.

See that flower I made has a white background, and there's no magic eraser so I'd need to manually cut it out with the eraser... or use magic select

If you're in a video call while this UI is active and you're sharing your screen it will only show the gif and not the program itsself

With the add and subtract tools you can provide hints about what should and should not be included. That's fine for something as simple as this drawn with a pen tool, but... well if you like to draw with the pencil? Get ready for pain buckeraroo. You can't manually slice out what you want, you just have to get the AI to guess and it will never guess perfectly. Part of your bat will be left behind on the canvas or it'll start picking up a few extra white pixels

but hey, it's 3d now, sometimes it works. You can choose to content aware fill whatever was behind on the canvas, or leave a weird white empty space behind

But now I have a field of flowers I can move however I like, okay but I think I want to add an extra leaf to one of them

Get fucked. Idiot. Once you cut it out, it's like paper. These 3d canvasses can never be grown, only shrunk and only by the eraser tool which carves in a perfect circle like a bull in a china shop. Now, it's actually very cool how you can recursively create new 3d canvasses out of existing ones, and I'm sure you could do cool stuff but any time the canvas shrinks that's as big as it'll ever be it can never grow

Also, yeah you can't just make a canvas in place, you either have to reserve space on your main canvas or clip it off of a second canvas you make earlier and just... I don't know stash it off to the side out of frame? this is how you use layers and if you want to re-order them put them in literal 3d space? Want to hide a layer? Put it behind your canvas.

This is what experts are calling: "technically a workflow, I guess"

This would be a really cool feature, unfortunately it's just not finished. It's missing that extra 20% that would make it at home in real software versus just a toy. Just like paint you have to sort of plan ahead and make all of your layers. In order... but in reverse bob ross order. See you need to make all of your foregrounds first, then and only then can you start working on your background canvas, and should you ever change your mind and want another foreground you must destroy a space of your background to create it. Oh, also, once it's 3d it can never be re-projected back into 2d... well you can turn it into a sticker, which kicks ass, but that will be flattened, if you wanted to retain the 3d rotation of it too bad. Also, making something into a sticker physically consumes it, so you'll need to copy and paste it first just in case otherwise it's gone forever

oh yeah and sometimes copy and pasting doesn't work, creates extra clones, or places them at the wrong space.

Okay let's save our work

You can actually save it as a project folder. You heard me right, folder. Paint 3d stores projects as individual folders

And they're all just called checkpoint, there's no association with like, which project each one is

And they're all full of undocumented binary files, with the exception of a png thumbnail at the very bottom.

So uhhh, why? You can't send project files to other people, at least not easilly. Is this some library that I don't know about? This all boggles my mind. I mean a .docx file is just a renamed zip file was it too much to ask to make these all renamed zips? Why would you leave it half finished like that and just not make a "new" file type?

Okay sorry I got lost in the weeds. Also I hit the image limit for this post so you're just gonna have to bear with me and use your imagination. You can do this I believe in you.

You can export as a .glb file that goes to your 3d objects folder (put a pin in that), or you can export it as a video/gif. There are few pre-canned animations like bobbing back and forth or rotating on a turntable. They can be sped up or slowed down, but that's about it.

Okay but why 3d?

God damnit I'm going to need more images for this so I'm gonna post this as is and hope I can add more photos on the reblog...

[rainedragon]

do you have any tips for scanning old magazines/catalogs? i'd like to help archive some of the publications i have, but i don't really know where to start ʕ⁠´⁠•⁠ᴥ⁠•⁠`⁠ʔ

i'm mostly concerned about binding (especially on glbs) and what scanner specifications to look at, but any other advice or resources would be appreciated too!

So, I'm not actually an archivist, I'm a web developer by trade. I own a relatively inexpensive flatbed printer/scanner, mostly because it was what I could go out to a physical store and buy for relatively cheap when I started out scanning old magazines and catalogs.

For anything that is staple bound, like a magazine, and can be put flat on a table while open, scanning is relatively easy. You just need a flatbed scanner that is bigger than the pages, and a book to put on top of the lid to keep it flat (don't use too heavy of a book or you will damage the scanner 1-2 magazines is usually good. Also, don't forget they are there, open the lid and fling them across the room). Line up a corner of the page on the corner of the scanner and you should be golden. Scan in photo mode if your scanner software has options. Ideally, for things like the GLB, you would either want a copy you can destroy (which I kind of think is what some of the 'latest magazines' scanning farms were doing in the 2010s) and to carefully unbind the whole thing and scan the pages flat (which I have no personal interest in doing because destroying books pains me and I'm not trying to digitize "clean" digital copies for any professional reason). OR, my understanding is you want something with a V-shaped cradle of some type that is specialized for scanning books, either as an actual scanner or a camera setup with software. The problem is last time I looked those were like 10K and up if you get a piece of specialized equipment.

I've vaguely dabbled with the idea of doing a very hacky version of a DIY build with boxes cut down to the right angle and some panes of glass and my DSLR for my pink house catalogs because they are too big but I never really got it fully figured out. I will admit, I haven't tried super hard. I kept getting reflections, and I had to worry about the glass scratching the pages, and I didn't feel like getting a proper light.... I know I should really try again, and try a little harder, but it's a lot and I have a lot of other stuff I need to do so it just keeps getting kicked down the road.

That said, if you want to get into trying a DIY build, there is a whole community of people who were doing that in the 2010s that have posted good info on types of glass and way more detailed suggestions than I can make here: https://diybookscanner.org/forum/index.php This box scanner is essentially what I was trying to set up and it theoretically should work, I'm pretty sure my whole issue is that I was trying to do it all quickly at like midnight one day and did not have the right lighting and didn't try too hard to fix that. Like... I could have tried a lot harder than I did https://www.instructables.com/Bargain-Price-Book-Scanner-From-A-Cardboard-Box/ (good pictures of one here: https://diybookscanner.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1202)

And then I needed to take it apart because I needed the table back...

But yeah, if you don't want to invest thousands or destroy them, I would say try a cardboard box scanner for things like the GLB, see if you can get it to work for you?

And then for things that can go flat, a combo scanner/printer that is good enough for photographs will be more than good enough for the print resolution of most magazines and the scanner/printer combos are way cheaper than dedicated scanners because they think you are going to become an ink customer and buy printer ink, so they make it cheaper. But the joke is on them. My combo scanner printer has never had ink in it before. (Note: do read reviews and make sure it's not stupid enough to require it's ink to be full to scan. I wouldn't put it past some companies to add that to their software). If you are really passionate about this, there are a lot of people who are way more dedicated to archival book scanning who have developed all sorts of DIY solutions for speeding up the process, automating parts of it, etc, and searching for terms like DIY book scanner should get you in the right place on the internet.

[this-week-in-rust]

This Week in Rust 534

Hello and welcome to another issue of This Week in Rust! Rust is a programming language empowering everyone to build reliable and efficient software. This is a weekly summary of its progress and community. Want something mentioned? Tag us at @ThisWeekInRust on Twitter or @ThisWeekinRust on mastodon.social, or send us a pull request. Want to get involved? We love contributions.

This Week in Rust is openly developed on GitHub and archives can be viewed at this-week-in-rust.org. If you find any errors in this week's issue, please submit a PR.

Updates from Rust Community

Official

Announcing Rust 1.76.0

This Development-cycle in Cargo: 1.77

Project/Tooling Updates

zbus 4.0 released. zbus is a pure Rust D-Bus crate. The new version brings a more ergonomic and safer API. Release: zbus4

This Month in Rust OSDev: January 2024

Rerun 0.13 - real-time kHz time series in a multimodal visualizer

egui 0.26 - Text selection in labels

Hello, Selium! Yet another streaming platform, but easier

Observations/Thoughts

Which red is your function?

Porting libyaml to Safe Rust: Some Thoughts

Design safe collection API with compile-time reference stability in Rust

Cross compiling Rust to win32

Modular: Mojo vs. Rust: is Mojo 🔥 faster than Rust 🦀 ?

Extending Rust's Effect System

Allocation-free decoding with traits and high-ranked trait bounds

Cross-Compiling Your Project in Rust

Kind: Our Rust library that provides zero-cost, type-safe identifiers

Performance Roulette: The Luck of Code Alignment

Too dangerous for C++

Building an Uptime Monitor in Rust

Box Plots at the Olympics

Rust in Production: Interview with FOSSA

Performance Pitfalls of Async Function Pointers (and Why It Might Not Matter)

Error management in Rust, and libs that support it

Finishing Turborepo's migration from Go to Rust

Rust: Reading a file line by line while being mindful of RAM usage

Why Rust? It's the safe choice

[video] Rust 1.76.0: 73 highlights in 24 minutes!

Rust Walkthroughs

Rust/C++ Interop Part 1 - Just the Basics

Rust/C++ Interop Part 2 - CMake

Speeding up data analysis with Rayon and Rust

Calling Rust FFI libraries from Go

Write a simple TCP chat server in Rust

[video] Google Oauth with GraphQL API written in Rust - part 1. Registration mutation.

Miscellaneous

The book "Asynchronous Programming in Rust" is released

January 2024 Rust Jobs Report

Chasing a bug in a SAT solver

Rust for hardware vendors

[audio] How To Secure Your Audio Code Using Rust With Chase Kanipe

[audio] Tweede Golf - Rust in Production Podcast

[video] RustConf 2023

[video] Decrusting the tracing crate

Crate of the Week

This week's crate is microflow, a robust and efficient TinyML inference engine for embedded systems.

Thanks to matteocarnelos for the self-suggestion!

Please submit your suggestions and votes for next week!

Call for Participation; projects and speakers

CFP - Projects

Always wanted to contribute to open-source projects but did not know where to start? Every week we highlight some tasks from the Rust community for you to pick and get started!

Some of these tasks may also have mentors available, visit the task page for more information.

* Hyperswitch - [FEATURE]: Setup code coverage for local tests & CI * Hyperswitch - [FEATURE]: Have get_required_value to use ValidationError in OptionExt

If you are a Rust project owner and are looking for contributors, please submit tasks here.

CFP - Speakers

Are you a new or experienced speaker looking for a place to share something cool? This section highlights events that are being planned and are accepting submissions to join their event as a speaker.

Devoxx PL 2024 | CFP closes 2024-03-01 | Krakow, Poland | Event date: 2024-06-19 - 2024-06-21

RustFest Zürich 2024 CFP closes 2024-03-31 | Zürich, Switzerland | Event date: 2024-06-19 - 2024-06-24

If you are an event organizer hoping to expand the reach of your event, please submit a link to the submission website through a PR to TWiR.

Updates from the Rust Project

466 pull requests were merged in the last week

add armv8r-none-eabihf target for the Cortex-R52

add lahfsahf and prfchw target feature

check_consts: fix duplicate errors, make importance consistent

interpret/write_discriminant: when encoding niched variant, ensure the stored value matches

large_assignments: Allow moves into functions

pattern_analysis: gather up place-relevant info

pattern_analysis: track usefulness without interior mutability

account for non-overlapping unmet trait bounds in suggestion

account for unbounded type param receiver in suggestions

add support for custom JSON targets when using build-std

add unstable -Z direct-access-external-data cmdline flag for rustc

allow restricted trait impls under #[allow_internal_unstable(min_specialization)]

always check the result of pthread_mutex_lock

avoid ICE in drop recursion check in case of invalid drop impls

avoid a collection and iteration on empty passes

avoid accessing the HIR in the happy path of coherent_trait

bail out of drop elaboration when encountering error types

build DebugInfo for async closures

check that the ABI of the instance we are inlining is correct

clean inlined type alias with correct param-env

continue to borrowck even if there were previous errors

coverage: split out counter increment sites from BCB node/edge counters

create try_new function for ThinBox

deduplicate tcx.instance_mir(instance) calls in try_instance_mir

don't expect early-bound region to be local when reporting errors in RPITIT well-formedness

don't skip coercions for types with errors

emit a diagnostic for invalid target options

emit more specific diagnostics when enums fail to cast with as

encode coroutine_for_closure for foreign crates

exhaustiveness: prefer "0..MAX not covered" to "_ not covered"

fix ICE for deref coercions with type errors

fix ErrorGuaranteed unsoundness with stash/steal

fix cycle error when a static and a promoted are mutually recursive

fix more ty::Error ICEs in MIR passes

for E0223, suggest associated functions that are similar to the path

for a rigid projection, recursively look at the self type's item bounds to fix the associated_type_bounds feature

gracefully handle non-WF alias in assemble_alias_bound_candidates_recur

harmonize AsyncFn implementations, make async closures conditionally impl Fn* traits

hide impls if trait bound is proven from env

hir: make sure all HirIds have corresponding HIR Nodes

improve 'generic param from outer item' error for Self and inside static/const items

improve normalization of Pointee::Metadata

improve pretty printing for associated items in trait objects

introduce enter_forall to supercede instantiate_binder_with_placeholders

lowering unnamed fields and anonymous adt

make min_exhaustive_patterns match exhaustive_patterns better

make it so that async-fn-in-trait is compatible with a concrete future in implementation

make privacy visitor use types more (instead of HIR)

make traits / trait methods detected by the dead code lint

mark "unused binding" suggestion as maybe incorrect

match lowering: consistently lower bindings deepest-first

merge impl_polarity and impl_trait_ref queries

more internal emit diagnostics cleanups

move path implementations into sys

normalize type outlives obligations in NLL for new solver

print image input file and checksum in CI only

print kind of coroutine closure

properly handle async block and async fn in if exprs without else

provide more suggestions on invalid equality where bounds

record coroutine kind in coroutine generics

remove some unchecked_claim_error_was_emitted calls

resolve: unload speculatively resolved crates before freezing cstore

rework support for async closures; allow them to return futures that borrow from the closure's captures

static mut: allow mutable reference to arbitrary types, not just slices and arrays

stop bailing out from compilation just because there were incoherent traits

suggest [tail @ ..] on [..tail] and [...tail] where tail is unresolved

suggest less bug-prone construction of Duration in docs

suggest name value cfg when only value is used for check-cfg

suggest pattern tests when modifying exhaustiveness

suggest turning if let into irrefutable let if appropriate

suppress suggestions in derive macro

take empty where bounds into account when suggesting predicates

toggle assert_unsafe_precondition in codegen instead of expansion

turn the "no saved object file in work product" ICE into a translatable fatal error

warn on references casting to bigger memory layout

unstably allow constants to refer to statics and read from immutable statics

use the same mir-opt bless targets on all platforms

enable MIR JumpThreading by default

fix mir pass ICE in the presence of other errors

miri: fix ICE with symbolic alignment check on extern static

miri: implement the mmap64 foreign item

prevent running some code if it is already in the map

A trait's local impls are trivially coherent if there are no impls

use ensure when the result of the query is not needed beyond its Resultness

implement SystemTime for UEFI

implement sys/thread for UEFI

core/time: avoid divisions in Duration::new

core: add Duration constructors

make NonZero constructors generic

reconstify Add

replace pthread RwLock with custom implementation

simd intrinsics: add simd_shuffle_generic and other missing intrinsics

cargo: test-support: remove special case for $message_type

cargo: don't add the new package to workspace.members if there is no existing workspace in Cargo.toml

cargo: enable edition migration for 2024

cargo: feat: add hint for adding members to workspace

cargo: fix confusing error messages for sparse index replaced source

cargo: fix: don't duplicate comments when editing TOML

cargo: relax a test to permit warnings to be emitted, too

rustdoc: Correctly generate path for non-local items in source code pages

bindgen: add target mappings for riscv64imac and riscv32imafc

bindgen: feat: add headers option

clippy: mem_replace_with_default No longer triggers on unused expression

clippy: similar_names: don't raise if the first character is different

clippy: to_string_trait_impl: avoid linting if the impl is a specialization

clippy: unconditional_recursion: compare by Tys instead of DefIds

clippy: don't allow derive macros to silence disallowed_macros

clippy: don't lint incompatible_msrv in test code

clippy: extend NONMINIMAL_BOOL lint

clippy: fix broken URL in Lint Configuration

clippy: fix false positive in redundant_type_annotations lint

clippy: add autofixes for unnecessary_fallible_conversions

clippy: fix: ICE when array index exceeds usize

clippy: refactor implied_bounds_in_impls lint

clippy: return Some from walk_to_expr_usage more

clippy: stop linting blocks_in_conditions on match with weird attr macro case

rust-analyzer: abstract more over ItemTreeLoc-like structs

rust-analyzer: better error message for when proc-macros have not yet been built

rust-analyzer: add "unnecessary else" diagnostic and fix

rust-analyzer: add break and return postfix keyword completions

rust-analyzer: add diagnostic with fix to replace trailing return <val>; with <val>

rust-analyzer: add incorrect case diagnostics for traits and their associated items

rust-analyzer: allow cargo check to run on only the current package

rust-analyzer: completion list suggests constructor like & builder methods first

rust-analyzer: improve support for ignored proc macros

rust-analyzer: introduce term search to rust-analyzer

rust-analyzer: create UnindexedProject notification to be sent to the client

rust-analyzer: substitute $saved_file in custom check commands

rust-analyzer: fix incorrect inlining of functions that come from MBE macros

rust-analyzer: waker_getters tracking issue from 87021 for 96992

rust-analyzer: fix macro transcriber emitting incorrect lifetime tokens

rust-analyzer: fix target layout fetching

rust-analyzer: fix tuple structs not rendering visibility in their fields

rust-analyzer: highlight rustdoc

rust-analyzer: preserve where clause when builtin derive

rust-analyzer: recover from missing argument in call expressions

rust-analyzer: remove unnecessary .as_ref() in generate getter assist

rust-analyzer: validate literals in proc-macro-srv FreeFunctions::literal_from_str

rust-analyzer: implement literal_from_str for proc macro server

rust-analyzer: implement convert to guarded return assist for let statement with type that implements std::ops::Try

Rust Compiler Performance Triage

Relatively balanced results this week, with more improvements than regressions. Some of the larger regressions are not relevant, however there was a real large regression on doc builds, that was caused by a correctness fix (rustdoc was doing the wrong thing before).

Triage done by @kobzol. Revision range: 0984becf..74c3f5a1

Summary:

(instructions:u) mean range count Regressions ❌ (primary) 2.1% [0.2%, 12.0%] 44 Regressions ❌ (secondary) 5.2% [0.2%, 20.1%] 76 Improvements ✅ (primary) -0.7% [-2.4%, -0.2%] 139 Improvements ✅ (secondary) -1.3% [-3.3%, -0.3%] 86 All ❌✅ (primary) -0.1% [-2.4%, 12.0%] 183

6 Regressions, 5 Improvements, 8 Mixed; 5 of them in rollups 53 artifact comparisons made in total

Full report here

Approved RFCs

Changes to Rust follow the Rust RFC (request for comments) process. These are the RFCs that were approved for implementation this week:

eRFC: Iterate on and stabilize libtest's programmatic output

Final Comment Period

Every week, the team announces the 'final comment period' for RFCs and key PRs which are reaching a decision. Express your opinions now.

RFCs

RFC: Rust Has Provenance

Tracking Issues & PRs

Rust

[disposition: close] Implement Future for Option<F>

[disposition: merge] Tracking Issue for min_exhaustive_patterns

[disposition: merge] Make unsafe_op_in_unsafe_fn warn-by-default starting in 2024 edition

Cargo

[disposition: merge] feat: respect rust-version when generating lockfile

New and Updated RFCs

No New or Updated RFCs were created this week.

Call for Testing

An important step for RFC implementation is for people to experiment with the implementation and give feedback, especially before stabilization. The following RFCs would benefit from user testing before moving forward:

RFC: Checking conditional compilation at compile time

Testing steps

If you are a feature implementer and would like your RFC to appear on the above list, add the new call-for-testing label to your RFC along with a comment providing testing instructions and/or guidance on which aspect(s) of the feature need testing.

Upcoming Events

Rusty Events between 2024-02-14 - 2024-03-13 💕 🦀 💕

Virtual

2024-02-15 | Virtual (Berlin, DE) | OpenTechSchool Berlin + Rust Berlin

Rust Hack and Learn | Mirror: Rust Hack n Learn

2024-02-15 | Virtual + In person (Praha, CZ) | Rust Czech Republic

Introduction and Rust in production

2024-02-19 | Virtual (Melbourne, VIC, AU)| Rust Melbourne

(Hybrid - in person & online) February 2024 Rust Melbourne Meetup - Day 1

2024-02-20 | Virtual (Melbourne, VIC, AU) | Rust Melbourne

(Hybrid - in person & online) February 2024 Rust Melbourne Meetup - Day 2

2024-02-20 | Virtual (Washington, DC, US) | Rust DC

Mid-month Rustful

2024-02-20 | Virtual | Rust for Lunch

Lunch

2024-02-21 | Virtual (Cardiff, UK) | Rust and C++ Cardiff

Rust for Rustaceans Book Club: Chapter 2 - Types

2024-02-21 | Virtual (Vancouver, BC, CA) | Vancouver Rust

Rust Study/Hack/Hang-out

2024-02-22 | Virtual (Charlottesville, NC, US) | Charlottesville Rust Meetup

Crafting Interpreters in Rust Collaboratively

2024-02-27 | Virtual (Dallas, TX, US) | Dallas Rust

Last Tuesday

2024-02-29 | Virtual (Berlin, DE) | OpenTechSchool Berlin + Rust Berlin

Rust Hack and Learn | Mirror: Rust Hack n Learn Meetup | Mirror: Berline.rs page

2024-02-29 | Virtual (Charlottesville, NC, US) | Charlottesville Rust Meetup

Surfing the Rusty Wireless Waves with the ESP32-C3 Board

2024-03-06 | Virtual (Indianapolis, IN, US) | Indy Rust

Indy.rs - with Social Distancing

2024-03-07 | Virtual (Charlottesville, NC, US) | Charlottesville Rust Meetup

Crafting Interpreters in Rust Collaboratively

2024-03-12 | Virtual (Dallas, TX, US) | Dallas Rust

Second Tuesday

2024-03-12 | Hybrid (Virtual + In-person) Munich, DE | Rust Munich

Rust Munich 2024 / 1 - hybrid

Asia

2024-02-17 | New Delhi, IN | Rust Delhi

Meetup #5

Europe

2024-02-15 | Copenhagen, DK | Copenhagen Rust Community

Rust Hacknight #2: Compilers

2024-02-15 | Praha, CZ - Virtual + In-person | Rust Czech Republic

Introduction and Rust in production

2024-02-21 | Lyon, FR | Rust Lyon

Rust Lyon Meetup #8

2024-02-22 | Aarhus, DK | Rust Aarhus

Rust and Talk at Partisia

2024-02-29 | Berlin, DE | Rust Berlin

Rust and Tell - Season start 2024

2024-03-12 | Munich, DE + Virtual | Rust Munich

Rust Munich 2024 / 1 - hybrid

North America

2024-02-15 | Boston, MA, US | Boston Rust Meetup

Back Bay Rust Lunch, Feb 15

2024-02-15 | Seattle, WA, US | Seattle Rust User Group

Seattle Rust User Group Meetup

2024-02-20 | New York, NY, US | Rust NYC

Rust NYC Monthly Mixer (Moved to Feb 20th)

2024-02-20 | San Francisco, CA, US | San Francisco Rust Study Group

Rust Hacking in Person

2024-02-21 | Boston, MA, US | Boston Rust Meetup

Evening Boston Rust Meetup at Microsoft, February 21

2024-02-22 | Mountain View, CA, US | Mountain View Rust Meetup

Rust Meetup at Hacker Dojo

2024-02-28 | Austin, TX, US | Rust ATX

Rust Lunch - Fareground

2024-03-07 | Mountain View, CA, US | Mountain View Rust Meetup

Rust Meetup at Hacker Dojo

Oceania

2024-02-19 | Melbourne, VIC, AU + Virtual | Rust Melbourne

(Hybrid - in person & online) February 2024 Rust Melbourne Meetup - Day 1

2024-02-20 | Melbourne, VIC, AU + Virtual | Rust Melbourne

(Hybrid - in person & online) February 2024 Rust Melbourne Meetup - Day 2

2024-02-27 | Canberra, ACT, AU | Canberra Rust User Group

February Meetup

2024-02-27 | Sydney, NSW, AU | Rust Sydney

🦀 spire ⚡ & Quick

2024-03-05 | Auckland, NZ | Rust AKL

Rust AKL: Introduction to Embedded Rust + The State of Rust UI

If you are running a Rust event please add it to the calendar to get it mentioned here. Please remember to add a link to the event too. Email the Rust Community Team for access.

Jobs

Please see the latest Who's Hiring thread on r/rust

Quote of the Week

For some weird reason the Elixir Discord community has a distinct lack of programmer-socks-wearing queer furries, at least compared to Rust, or even most other tech-y Discord servers I’ve seen. It caused some weird cognitive dissonance. Why do I feel vaguely strange hanging out online with all these kind, knowledgeable, friendly and compassionate techbro’s? Then I see a name I recognized from elsewhere and my hindbrain goes “oh thank gods, I know for a fact she’s actually a snow leopard in her free time”. Okay, this nitpick is firmly tongue-in-cheek, but the Rust user-base continues to be a fascinating case study in how many weirdos you can get together in one place when you very explicitly say it’s ok to be a weirdo.

– SimonHeath on the alopex Wiki's ElixirNitpicks page

Thanks to Brian Kung for the suggestion!

Please submit quotes and vote for next week!

This Week in Rust is edited by: nellshamrell, llogiq, cdmistman, ericseppanen, extrawurst, andrewpollack, U007D, kolharsam, joelmarcey, mariannegoldin, bennyvasquez.

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Discuss on r/rust

[reamnosart]

Ok I think I figured out how the ask box works? Feel free to send in doodle requests for upturned/ lethal company!!

Discovered a few more things while digging through (ripping apart the files for) the upturned

-if you have unity explorer you can force shrimp to spawn and follow you on every floor in the game (if he spawns in bounds. He usually does!!)

-through this method I have discovered that a non-hungry shrimp will still eat pepperoni pizza from the chuckler party

-ik is about three travelers tall

-ik has a lighter in the cabinet behind his desk

-about the shrimp thing. You can toggle most enemies to spawn on every floor with unityexplorer. Chompers, crows, pajama man, mannequins, ceiling hands and water slugs are on most floors. Chucklers are also pretty common if I remember correctly, and jacks are pretty rare.

-Ribcages can be spawned in very few situations if you’re going directly through the enemy tab under miscellaneous prefabs, but they have a cutscene trigger available on almost every floor. I’ll be completely honest, I’m not sure how to force an event like a cutscene to happen outside of regular gameplay. I’m familiarizing myself with unity by going through the games assets and will probably figure it out once I’m more comfortable with the software!!

-despite taking personal responsibility for your experience at the inn, Ikabod Kee doesn’t give a fuck if you die in front of him in the lobby (I accidentally killed myself with a chomper)

[edspeleerscock]

It’s been You.

Part one.

Chapter info!; Stalker!Rhys || Hinted Rhys/Joe. || Some hinted Kate/Joe. || Insinuated lewd acts. || Rhys is real.

Chapter summary; The stalker gets stalked with far more polished tactics. Although today would be the day the stalker willingly reveals themselves through a generous gift, one that was oh so carefully curated.

ao3 post !

A familiar app pinged on the American's phone for the 20th time this hour. This was getting annoying. That tedious little 'Evanesce' app seemingly never stopped pinging, uninstalling it was useless as it was burned into his phone's software and getting a new phone wouldn't free him from the app. 

"That's class for today. For next week's lecture read and study Desperate Characters by Paula Fox and have something prepared to argue your viewpoints." The American spoke as he leaned back onto his desk, waving his students off as they took their leave. That was an easy lecture, or as easy as it gets if your phone keeps buzzing.

The aforementioned phone was hastily picked up from off the desk and unlocked. Evanescence was quickly opened and the flood of messages he’d missed were appalling. Using an anonymous app to talk in such vulgar and explicit way was one thing, but using one that deletes messages once they’ve been read? Abhorrent. The language used was threatening at best and vaguely promising at worst. Talking so lowly of those he found himself surrounded with, anonymously airing their dirty laundry as though it were going to change anything. One message stood out, however, that was sent around the same time he brought his class to a close.

` I loved your lecture, professor. I’m sure we’ll finally be able to have a conversation face-to-face soon. `

‘I’d rather choke on nails.’

Instead of writing anything back, he just closed the app and turned his phone off. If he didn’t entertain it as he had done for the past few months, maybe the messages would stop. Maybe.

Now with his work day brought to a somewhat pleasant close, Jonathan took it upon himself to take his remaining papers home. Somewhere he could actually focus and not worry about getting watched. Ironic how everything has changed since this move. Besides, he has his eyes on someone right now who lives just opposite himself. Kate. He’d found some strange solace in her over the duration he’d been here as well as found himself to be slowly falling for her.

Finally in his flat, Jonathan locked his door, kicked his shoes off and sat himself down at his desk. His phone had been eerily quiet on his walk home, but he had felt as though he were being closely followed the entire journey. Turning around, though, proved nothing as nobody stood out to him or looked familiar.

The stalker finally gets stalked, with newer and more polished techniques. Ones with no flaws and carefully crafted to be bulletproof.

A pale hand opened his satchel and took out a folder with student work he’d yet to have marked or read over. Once the folder hit the desk, a piece of paper fell out and landed on the floor.

‘What’s this?’

The American placed his satchel down before leaning down to retrieve the paper. It was unusual for such things to happen as the papers were typically bound quite tightly within it.

Although this was different. Turning the page revealed a cryptic message:

` Check your door, I left you a present. <3 `

The American froze as the paper slipped from his grasp and landed back on the floor. How did that paper end up in his folder? How anticipated was this? Against his better judgment, he stood up from the chair and approached the door. He cautiously looked through the peephole, expecting someone to be stood there, however all that was out there was a box wrapped in wrapping paper and topped with a red ribbon bundle on top. There was a small piece of paper also attached, although it was illegible from the distance he stood at.

‘This is the second time I’ve had one of these. It better not be an piece of paper with an address on it. Again.’

The door was briefly opened then closed as the gift was retrieved. The sides of the box still held a little heat as it was probably only put down once he’d shut the door behind him. Weird.

The note on it went as follows;

` I hope you enjoy this gift. I’ve been following you around long enough to finally know what to give you. I admire your taste in literature so I thought I’d buy you a couple books from one of the book shops I followed you into. <3 `

He felt his stomach turn as he read the note. Oh god this was sickening. He hesitatingly flipped the little note over as there was a small arrow indicating to look on to the other side.

` I love your flat, by the way. You should learn to shut your curtains, people can find out quite a lot just from looking through one of your windows at night. Just as I did. `

“What. The. Fuck.” Jonathan uttered, disgusted with this revelation.

Even if this were somewhat similar to his own pattern, he’d never go out his way to be so cryptic and cynical. Nor would he leave ‘gifts’ and say such things.

Jonathan re-approached his desk and placed the gift down. The box felt a little heavy, it was like he’d been given two oversized dictionaries. His hands trembled as he lifted the lid of the box, even after reading that strange tag there was a lingering feeling it would be something else.

His hazel eyes were quickly drawn to the intricate packaging in the box. The box was filled with some interesting packing peanuts and.. Glittery hearts? Aside from that, there were a small pile of books. The one on top was ‘Romeo and Juliet’, an interesting choice. He’d yet to have gotten round to purchasing it or reading it yet, so it was appreciated. Although reluctantly. The second book was a memoir. An autobiography.

A Good Man in a Cruel World.

An encapsulating title. One that said so much yet so little at the same time. The life of an author, a soon-to-be mayor. A very important man.

One that had made a fatal error. The summary on the back used the same language and sentence structure as those disappearing messages and notes. While yes people can mirror someone else’s style in writing, this writing structure was unique in a way nobody could replicate. Not to mention the handwriting, it was distinctive and consistent just as his signature at the bottom of aforementioned summary.

The final items in the box was a new notebook, a fountain pen and some ink in a small cling-filmed glass jar. A sticky note was on top of the notebook. So many notes.

` I thought you might need this. No particular reason why, I just felt as though you may find yourself needing it soon. <3 `

‘Uh-huh.. Did you purposely decide to slip up and give me your own book, Rhys? Or was that a complete accident? No, far too coincidental for an accident. You planned this. You know what you’re doing, you-‘

The American’s internal dialogue was rudely interrupted by his phone buzzing. Another message. Well, three new messages. He picked his phone up off the desk and opened that pesky app.

<<I see you’ve gotten my gift.>>

<<Do you like it?>>

<<I’ve been watching you, so I can only assume you do.>>

<<Did you intentionally give me your own memoir? Or did you think I wouldn’t notice?>>

That was all he wrote before turning his phone off. Maybe that question was a little forward. Or maybe it wasn’t.

Jonathan picked up the two books he’d been gifted and approached his bookshelf, making some space before carefully sliding the books in. The memoir stuck out like a sore thumb in comparison to the darker book covers surrounding it. Such an eyesore.

“I’ll fix it later.” He mumbled to himself as he returned to the box. He took the notebook out and placed it on the edge of the desk, the pen and ink following. Then, he paused.

‘He’s been watching me?’

He brought a hand up to his temple as he furrowed his eyebrows. His fingers then slowly dragged down his face.

‘From where? Where I’m standing you’d barely get a good view of what I’m doing. So where-‘

Those fearful hazel eyes then fell onto the box. They searched every inch of it, looking for something. Then, he noticed it. A small camera hidden between the ribbon bundle.

That was it.

Was the last gift the same?

“Oh you bastard.” Jonathan grumbled. How could he have been so blind in trusting such bizarre gifts?

He was quick to put the lid back on the box before rushing it into the kitchen and binning it. Lid first, of course. He wouldn’t want any more of him recorded right now. He had a bigger issue to deal with, his new darling stalker.

Now returned to his phone, he opened the Evanescence app and was greeted with quite the lengthy message, which read as follows;

<<I gave it to you intentionally. I know you’re not that daft, Jonathan. You’ve got quite the eye for detail. I’ve noticed that actually, although you do seem miss quite dire directions in people and misconstrued their intentions. Like Malcolm, for example. You clearly believed he had ill intent on the basis he had a differing opinion on your heartbreak, Marianne was it? What happened to Malcolm, Jonathan? You were the last person seen with him. Back on topic, I have no reason to pry into what happened to such a lowlife. If you open my memoir, I’ve left you another gift. Take it as you will. Although I’m sure you’ll have quite a bit to say on it.>>

‘The memoir? What did he put in that memoir?’

Jonathan placed his phone back down onto the desk as he headed back over to the bookshelf. He hesitantly reached out for the book, dreading what ‘gift’ he’d been given now. What next? Another address? Another written note? Once his hand wrapped around the cover, he pulled it out and allowed it to fall into his other hand.

‘I dread to know..’

He stared at the cover before closing his eyes, a sigh passing his lips as he opened the cover. Something fell to the floor, crinkling as it did so. The sudden sound shook his eyes open as they darted to the source of the sound.

‘Oh my god. What the actual fuck?’

[darkwebsites54]

Unboxing the Unknown: Delving into the Dark Web Mystery Box

In the darker recesses of the internet, a subculture of intrigue and mystery grows — the dark web. Hidden under the surface of the World Wide Web, the dark web is famed for its unlawful activities, anonymity, and the selling of intriguing "mystery boxes." These scary gifts have caught the interest of many, offering a voyage into the unknown. In this essay, we will go on a virtual excursion into the dark web, studying the notion of the "dark web mystery box" and the secrets they hold.

The Allure of the Dark Web Mystery Box

The appeal of the dark web mystery box is a phenomenon that captures the excitement of the unknown in the digital era. In a society where quick pleasure and information accessibility are the norm, the notion of getting a mystery gift with unannounced contents has a magnetic attraction. It sparks interest and gives an experience that is both exciting and surprising. At its foundation, the fascination of the dark web mystery box may be due to various things. First and foremost is the element of surprise. In a time when we can trace our Amazon orders down to the minute, the prospect of getting something utterly unexpected is alluring. Each box is a Pandora's Box of possibilities, holding objects that vary from the unusual and weird to the possibly expensive and uncommon. The prospect of unpacking such a gift is an amazing experience in itself. Furthermore, the dark web mystery box feeds into our interest in the obscure and the intriguing. The descriptions offered by vendors are typically obscure, providing an air of mystery to the whole transaction. Buyers are left to decode clues and suggestions about what may be within, creating the feeling of adventure.

However, this attraction comes with a huge drawback. The dark web, where these mysterious boxes are commonly located, is a digital underworld connected with unlawful activity and possible risks. Navigating this secret area needs specialist software like Tor and a willingness to embrace the hazards that come with it. Buyers of dark web mystery boxes typically join a world where anonymity prevails, and confidence in the seller is vital, making the encounter all the more thrilling and risky.

The ethical and legal consequences of dealing with dark web mystery boxes are also a part of the allure's complicated tapestry. Some boxes may include things that skirt the bounds of legality, pushing customers into a moral gray area. Questions regarding the repercussions of participation in such a subculture continue, raising worries about the possibility of accidentally purchasing unlawful or unsettling objects. In conclusion, the attractiveness of the dark web mystery box is a tribute to the everlasting fascination of the unknown. It appeals to our inherent curiosity, our yearning for surprise and adventure, and our fascination with the enigmatic. However, it is a place filled with perils and ethical difficulties, reminding us that, in the era of the internet, even the attraction to the unknown comes with its own set of repercussions. It is an intriguing conundrum that continues to enchant and mystify those eager to investigate its depths.

The Dark Web's Underbelly

The dark web's underbelly is a digital domain wrapped in secret and infamy, a hidden area of the internet where anonymity reigns supreme. Accessible only via specialist software like Tor, it helps users can disguise their identities while traversing a complex network of encrypted websites and forums. While the dark web itself is not inherently evil, it has earned a reputation for supporting a myriad of criminal activities that flourish in its shadows. One of the most troubling features of the dark web's underbelly is its function as a marketplace for illicit products and services. Here, cybercriminals perform unlawful operations with relative impunity, trafficking in anything from narcotics and stolen data to counterfeit currencies and bogus passports. The anonymity given by the dark web protects these actors from the prying eyes of law enforcement, making it a refuge for illicit organizations to grow. Mystery box services on dark web sites involve purchasing packages with unknown contents, creating an element of surprise, but can often lead to illegal or dangerous items.

However, the hazards connected with digging into this hidden side of the internet cannot be understated. Users who wander onto the dark web subject themselves to a range of possible perils. Malicious hackers and cybercriminals exist, attacking unwary visitors with fraud, phishing attempts, and malware. Moreover, the dark web is not just a center for illegal transactions but also a collection of unsettling and criminal information, ranging from explicit photos to forums advocating hate speech and extremism. Law enforcement organizations worldwide actively monitor the dark web, attempting to combat its unlawful activities and catch individuals who operate inside its murky depths. Nonetheless, the ever-evolving nature of the dark web makes it a continual problem for authorities to successfully resist.

What's Inside a Dark Web Mystery Box?

The contents of a dark web mystery box are as cryptic as the unseen regions of the internet from whence they emerge. These boxes are frequently offered with cryptic descriptions, delivering little to no information about what customers will get. The fascination comes in the expectation of finding the unexpected since they offer a varied selection of products that may span from the quirky to the possibly priceless. Some mystery boxes may include uncommon artifacts, rare or old objects, esoteric devices, or even eccentric curiosities that defy classification. On the darker side of the spectrum, tales continue about boxes holding illegal or unpleasant things, giving an element of risk and unpredictability to the experience. The mystery around the contents of these boxes keeps customers engaged, as they embark on a virtual voyage into the unknown, typically with a combination of exhilaration and anxiety. However, it is vital to understand that the absence of transparency in dark web mystery box transactions presents ethical and legal considerations, as the line between curiosity and possible repercussions becomes more blurred.

Legality and Ethics

Legality and ethics surrounding dark web mystery boxes create a complex terrain that deserves careful scrutiny. The sheer nature of these enigmatic goods, typically acquired without any specific understanding of their contents, poses substantial ethical considerations. Buyers may unknowingly assist illicit operations, such as the trafficking of stolen goods, drugs, or other prohibited products when they participate in these transactions. The vendors themselves may use the appeal of the unknown, exploiting the curiosity of consumers for personal benefit, which may be considered an ethically problematic behavior. Moreover, the ethical problem extends to the possible damage that may arise from opening a dark web mystery box. While some parcels may contain innocuous curiosities or novelties, there have been occasions when customers found upsetting or even horrific contents. The psychological toll of such revelations underlines the ethical problems surrounding these transactions, as people may inadvertently expose themselves to traumatic situations. On the legal front, dark web mystery boxes operate in a legal murky area. The sale and purchase of these items are generally performed anonymously, making it hard for law enforcement organizations to monitor or control them efficiently. Buyers and sellers alike may be straying perilously close to unlawful activity without clear legal implications. In conclusion, the appeal of dark web mystery boxes is certainly intriguing, fueled by the human obsession with the unknown and the unexpected. However, the ethical and legal repercussions of engaging in this subculture are enormous. As we traverse the digital era, it is vital to exhibit prudence and ethical judgment, knowing that curiosity may lead folks into ethically problematic areas, and the repercussions of engaging with the dark web's cryptic offers are far-reaching.

Conclusion

"Unboxing the Unknown: Delving into the Dark Web Mystery Box" gives a glance into the hidden realm of the dark web, where mystery and intrigue combine with ethical and legal problems. While these intriguing boxes continue to intrigue the inquisitive, they also serve as a sharp warning of the dangers hiding under the surface of the internet. As with any trip into the unknown, step cautiously, and remember that curiosity comes with its own set of repercussions.

[breakingarrows]

Demoscene and “Art” Games on PlayStation 3

Early in the seventh console generation, with the inclusion of storefronts allowing a user to download games on every home console, the ability to self-publish or be picked up by a publisher increased thanks to this new ease of access and lower costs of digital distribution as compared to boxed retail products. For Sony and the PlayStation 3, this would see the release of some games both Sony, games media, and players alike would sometimes deem non-games, especially those that came from a group of artists called demosceners which we’ll look at today.

Currently: Linger in Shadows .detuned

To be completed: flOw Echochrome PixelJunk Eden Flower Noby Noby Boy Journey Datura PixelJunk 4am Papo & Yo The Unfinished Swan Proteus Bound Linger in Shadows

Released: Thursday, October 9, 2008 On: PlayStation Network for PlayStation 3 Developed by: Plastic Published by: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

Linger in Shadows was announced at the demoparty Breakpoint 2008 in Germany. Breakpoint was a successor to the demoparty mekka & symposium which ran from 1995 - 2002. Demoparties came out of the demoscene in which software crackers would create their own audiovisual effects and playbacks to be shared via demoparties, the internet, and inserted into cracked software. Organized parties would break the competition into categories of size and platform, letting the restrictions feed creativity. As explained by the organizers of the demoparty mekka & symposium:

What is MS? The mekka & symposium is a demo-scene party that was organized annually at Easter. More than 1200 young Multimedia artists gathered here for four days in order to meet similarly-minded people, to exchange ideas and to participate in the competitions, in which individuals and groups show off their talents in a certain form of electronic art called Demos. ms2002 has been the eighth and last event in a traditional party series that started back in 1995, when 300 mostly German visitors attended the BlackBox Symposium. To our 2002 event, about 1220 visitors came from all over Europe, and beyond - "sceners" have come to celebrate with us from countries as remote as Estonia and Israel! The event was never a LAN or gaming party. People playing Qu*ke or Half-Life on our events would have been considered non-creative by our "serious" visitors, and as a matter of fact, the participation of gamers on our parties has always been exceptionally low, which made the MS one of the last big enjoyable events for real sceners.

Breakpoint would see its first iteration during Easter 2003, Friday, April 18 - Monday, April 21. The lead organizer was Scamp who detailed in an interview some of the difficulties in running the first party such as heating, internet access, attendance-to-expense, and getting permission to have the meeting during the Easter holiday in Germany. Attendance cost was reportedly €40.00 for men and no cost for women. It was during Breakpoint 2008 that the team called Plastic would reveal a video teasing the project Linger in Shadows for the PlayStation 3, with official confirmation coming later that year at E3.

Linger in Shadows was released on October 9, 2008 as an “interactive art” application for $2.99. Sony was quick to assert that this was not the typical PSN release. Rusty Buchert on the PlayStation Blog would state, “I’ll start with the easier side, and that is Linger in Shadows is NOT a game. It was never meant to be a game and it will never be a game.” In IGN’s “Impressions” piece on the game Chris Roper stated, “Linger in Shadows hit the PlayStation Network this week, but make no mistake - it is not a game. It even says so in about three different places just to make sure the point gets across. Instead, it's being dubbed as "interactive art", which is a pretty fitting description.” GameSpot’s Ricardo Torres would similarly remark, “While this isn't a game…”

“Games” are restricted to things such as Pac-Man, Madden NFL, or even LittleBigPlanet. Linger in Shadows is interactable (the player makes inputs and the game responds and reacts) though because it doesn’t fall into the traditional, high score, killing, or numbers-go-up categories so familiar to game players it becomes a non-game. Sony understood this and is why they would denote it as “not a game” themselves in its promotions. While seeking out the various titles listed at the beginning of this article the main things I was looking for were “art” games that lacked the traditional video-game framework such as a scoring system or games that had “artsy” visual styles but were really just dressing up a traditional platformer or point and click adventure game.

Due to its “non-game” status, reviews from release are fairly scarce. HonestGamers’ 1.5/5 community review by zippdementia says, “What bothers me is that this was such an obvious attempt to make an extra buck off the PS3 owner with overblown advertising. Next time, Sony, tell me what's really inside your package. Don't tell me you're going to give me cheese and then hand me Cheetos.” Eurogamer’s Dan Whitehead appeared to be the most adept at talking about the game in a “review” context, ending theirs with “Linger therefore exists in a strange new realm between the hardcore demoscene and the mainstream audience being asked to pay to play around with its peculiar concept. It's an interesting move if it opens up Sony's platform for more demos to reach a broader audience, but perhaps not if they have to pass through the gateway of establishment approval to get there. This experiment may at least tempt a few more people to Google "demoscene" and, payment aside, it's refreshing to see something so esoteric being championed in such a public way. You certainly won't see anything like this on Xbox Live or the Wii Store. That, at the very least, makes Linger in Shadows something rather special.”

Modern reviews have not been kind either, as Gamerhub’s ⅖ reviewer Steven Barry writes in 2022 that, “To be fair to developer Plastic, they do go out of their way to emphasise that this is not actually a game and is instead ‘interactive art’. So, it does feel a little strange to review this like any other game when in reality it’s a glorified tech demo. However, this was a purchasable product on release in 2008 over the Playstation Network so that is why it’s ultimately eligible for critique.”

Since most people were more preoccupied with grappling with its status as a “non-game,” there wasn’t much discussion about what it actually is and does. Linger in Shadows plays and unfurls itself as a dream. There is an unlogic to the procession of movement, space, and plot. The first signal of this is when watching the dog try and run through the air to escape the ethereal black cloud presence haunting the concrete setting. The dog's attempts to flee are vigorous, but without much effect, calling back to a shared experience nearly everyone who dreams has, of trying to run but finding you are unable to move at much more than a snail’s pace.

The game mostly finds itself following the presence of a black sentient cloud figure, as it moves about an impossible high rise grouping and its various unlogic features, such as a large flower atop a levitating rock, barrels similarly suspended in the air, and the biggest “tech-demo” flag of “how many moving objects of different shape and synchronicity can we have at the same time?” The black cloud can be interpreted as a malevolent entity even before it turns the dog to stone due to its coloring and the faint imagery moving about within it recalling the antennae of insects, both elements long associated with the impure. A cat impassively watches as the cloud turns the dog to stone, maybe something of a mirroring of the player impassively watching and even participating, without much of a feeling for what’s occurring on screen. Soon after, a giant creature bearing a mask with eyes and a body of trailing tentacles appears. In contrast to the black cloud, which effortlessly weaved in, out, and between various objects without much effect, this mask creature blunders its way toppling various objects as it seeks out the petrified dog which it also ends up breaking apart. Bearing familiar eyes and a more tangent shape than the ethereal black cloud, this mask creature is instantly interpreted as the “good guy.” Confronted by the black cloud, the mask ascends a pillar of stone atop of which is a semicircle of columns surrounding a statue of a woman. The black cloud begins petrifying the mask’s tentacles, furthering the black cloud’s villainy and the mask’s innocence as a victim. The “camera” is destroyed by a toppled column leading to the credits. As the demoscene is more about visual demonstrations than narrative, it's not surprising that the one displayed here is pretty simple and straightforward and more a way to show off different character models and what the player can manipulate.

The “game” portion of the game is that during this entire video playback you can at any point pause and manipulate the camera and objects on-screen. Since everything is a rendered object you can escape the usual limitations of regular video playback, and the UI even resembles the UI of media playback on the console or any DVD/Blu-Ray player of the time. The game itself will guide you through what types of manipulation you can do, with an additional hidden object portion tied to finding images that are shout-outs to other demogroups tucked away just out of frame. Playing Linger in Shadows is mostly a touch and go affair of moving the timecode forward and backward and moving around the controller and pressing buttons to see what sort of movement you can do in this specific frame or scene. Aside from whatever you can come up with yourself there isn’t any set of objectives beyond the tutorial teachings and then the image hunting collection.

It is this lack of purpose or list of things to do that I think most frustrates people into declaring Linger in Shadows “not a game!” Coming from arcades with high scores to home consoles with experience to accrue and levels to beat and people to shoot, we’ve been conditioned to think of games as filling a certain role and no other. Even Shadow of the Colossus in 2005 was heralded as the fulfillment of “Games as art” that would convince people like Roger Ebert of the medium’s value. That goal is self-defeating anyway, but also Shadow of the Colossus, while a phenomenal work, still falls into the traditional video game category quite easily, with the game bearing the objective to kill 18 colossi that are framed as unique boss encounters. While there is no progression in terms of level or equipment you do slowly increase our stamina and health over the course of the game. Nobody would mistake Shadow of the Colossus as an “interactive art piece” like they would Linger in Shadows, but both are video games.

Watching another of Plastic’s demos from 2008, called “Into the Pink,” many similarities come up, from more explicit bugs, more imposing crawling shadows, moving lots of objects floating through the air, and distorting text/images so that they jitter. Another project of theirs, “Catzilla,” is much more an entertainment object playing with destruction on a city-wide scale which just happened to come out the same year as Man of Steel and its similar experiments.

This art stands among the other “demoscene” game(s) on PlayStation 3 as a period when Sony was interested in courting the margins of games in order to sell its struggling console. At the time, the PlayStation 3 was in dead last place when it came to home console sales, and so Sony had to look at alternative ways to attract engagement. One of those ways was to present the PlayStation 3 as something more than just a video game console. Early advertisements for the PlayStation 3 are routinely mocked, though they really don’t stray too far from some of the advertisements for the PlayStation 2, such as those famously directed by David Lynch. These more “heady” adverts attempt to sell the console based not on gameplay footage but on an idea of what the console could do/be. It didn’t work.

Not until the Kevin Butler series of commercials did PlayStation 3 begin to majorly change its presentation to the larger gaming audience. PlayStation Plus, courting indies, and the humbled approach they took towards developers with the creation of the PlayStation 4, culminating in the disaster that was the Xbox One’s lead-up to launch, secured their continued success to this day. The cost of that success has been a lack of effort to engage the margins of gaming, something unofficially certified with the closure of its internal Japan Studio in early 2021 and further with the shuttering of PixelOpus  and the announcement of ending support for MediaMolecule’s Dreams just this month. With its focus on huge titles, contemporary Sony would not throw money towards a group of students and tell them to “go wild” and release their demoware title on the PlayStation Network. The closest we have gotten in recent years was the release of Dreams, a game to create other games from MediaMolecule, itself a development team founded in part by a demoscene participant named Alex Evans known as Statix/TPOLM during the 1990s.

This is not to write off Microsoft and Nintendo’s attempts to court the indie space for success, as Xbox Live famously had its “Summer of Arcade'' titles, as well as being the console that really began today’s online network connectivity and distribution of smaller titles on the OG Xbox. Microsoft still had a restrictive storefront however, with file sizes and other limitations holding back small developers from seeking it out as the best place to try and publish their game. Nintendo also had some success with indie releases under the WiiWare brand (World of Goo and Bit.Trip Beat), but failed to do much to advertise or promote them.

One question that persists is in the intention behind the team of Plastic in creating Linger in Shadows. Dipping into demos and their productions, what strikes me is that the challenge comes from crafting advanced renders on platforms with limited and dated capabilities. As I’ll detail later, .theprodukkt was able to create a first person shooter with a file size of 96kb, and results for demoparties are broken down by platforms such as the C64, Amiga, and restricted file sizes such as 64kb. So why choose to utilize the PlayStation 3? Proudly boasted as the most powerful next-generation console in 2007, what appeal does that have to a group regularly challenging themselves to see what they can create using computers from the 1980s? Perhaps it was the challenge of working with the difficult to develop for CELL processor powered console. Perhaps they just thought it would be fun to swindle Sony out of some cash and just create whatever their whim deemed suitable for a wider audience instead of fellow demosceners. As I mentioned before, portions of Linger in Shadows definitely seem to be examples of the team simply trying to see how much they could get away with without breaking the game, though in 2023 it can be hard to look at it with the same eyes as someone in 2008, as graphics are continually chasing more and more fidelity with reality.

Shared between Linger in Shadows and the next demoscene game, .detuned, is Rusty Buchert, a producer at Sony Santa Monica who was the face of these demoscene games to the PlayStation audience at the time. Previously at Interplay Entertainment from 1990 - 2003, Buchert joined Sony Santa Monica Studio in 2003 and his major credits include flOw, Everyday Shooter, Linger in Shadows, Flower, .detuned, and despite his departure from the company in 2011 gained Special Thanks in Datura, Sorcery, The Unfinished Swan, and Sound Shapes. Speaking to Engadget in 2007, Buchert detailed his role as focusing on producing PSN titles for the PlayStation 3 and details what type of games and culture Sony was interested in cultivating.

We started searching for games like this [flOw] from the outset and we were searching through the Indie Scene right out the gate. In general the Scene thinks outside the traditional development box. All too often people get indoctrinated into one general way of thinking about games in genre, design, and execution. You are not going to get anything new thinking like that. We were betting on the fact that people wanted something new and not a rehash of a rehash of a rehash. There are a lot of games to sort through. When we find a gem we start pursuing it. Some work out, some don't. I recently heard back from one developer that wanted to finish college and then he would like to try. The game made me think he was already programming professionally. There are some other experimental projects that will also fit in this vein too. These are very much art and an extremely different take on interactivity.

In a later post on the PlayStation Blog, Buchert also discusses how he, and another producer, George Weising (who is still at Sony today) scoured the Indie Games Festival booth at GDC 2007 where they found and signed a deal with the team behind Everyday Shooter. Their seeking out of indie games led to the next project from a group called Plastic.

Linger in Shadows developer Plastic was a Polish demogroup led by Michal Staniszewski (bonzaj). Alongside Staniszewski for all three Plastic projects were Grzegorz Juraszek (fei) and Damian Bajowski (mime). Those who developed Linger in Shadows and went on to Datura in 2012 are Krzysztof Deoniziak (rork) and Wojciech Golczewski (Blz). Shared staff between Datura and Bound, released for the PlayStation 4 in 2016, are Andrzej Uszakow (uho), Kinga Staniszewska, Marek Bielawski (mare), and Michał Szymczyk (misz). Plastic joined Epic Games in 2022, and was credited in Cyberpunk 2077 under “Outsource Partners,” though Staniszewski details on his Linkedin that the work was, “Responsible for visual development and prototyping of Cyberspace in Cyberpunk 2077.” 

Grzegorz Juraszek (fei) is still active in the scene as he is the main organizer of the demoparty Riverwash, the largest of its kind in Poland. Damian Bajowski (mime) continues to work as an artist, most recently contributing to an episode of Netflix’s “Love, Death and Robots” called “Manson’s Rats.” Micahl Staniszewski (bonzaj) now works at Epic Games and has many YouTube videos talking about Plastic’s last game, Bound, which was released on PlayStation 4 in 2016. He has one lone video on the making of Linger in Shadows from December 2008. Krzysztof Deoniziak (rork) is also active in the scene, being credited on several demos in 2022. Wojciech Golczewski (Blz) continues to make music, though hasn’t been a participant in the demoscene since his time with Plastic early on. Andrzej Uszakow (uho) appears to still be at CD Projekt Red as a “Senior Engine Programmer.” I couldn't find much of anything to see what Kinga Staniszewska has been up to since Bound’s release. Marek Bielawski (mare) is currently a senior audio programmer at CD Projekt Red. Michał Szymczyk (misz) has the most surprising transition, while most of the developers stuck to Poland, Szymczyk is a Senior Software Engineer at the LA-based developer Infinity Ward starting in September 2017.

Plastic’s work on Linger in Shadow would be the first, but not only, demoscene game to find its way onto the PlayStation 3, as within a year of release another title from another demogroup would appear on the PlayStation Network.

.detuned

Released: Thursday, October 15, 2009 On: PlayStation Network for PlayStation 3 Developed by: .theprodukkt GmbH Published by: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

Developed by .theprodukkt, .detuned™ is a personalized, interactive music experience which gives you the opportunity to create dynamic artwork in real-time to accompany your XMB™ music collection. Manipulate the given scene by interacting with and modifying its unique graphics using the DUALSHOCK®3 Wireless Controller. Plus you can change and tweak your own music to accompany the scene. .detuned™'s brilliant design and capabilities call for the state-of-the-art processing power that can only be done on the PS3™ system. Download .detuned™ today for an artistic music experience! Features: -Artistic Experiences: An abstract and surreal interactive experience to players of all levels and interests -Personalized Music: Manipulate and tweak music tracks on the XMB™ to accompany your artistic creations -Power of the PS3™ system: Stunning and crisp HD environment that brings your artistic visions to life in real-time

It started with a team of eleven people, a majority of which came from 49Games GmbH of Hamburg, Germany. 49Games GmbH’s main development was the annual winter and summer games for PC and consoles in Germany. Summer Athletics 2009 for Wii, released on July 24, 2009 was the largest collaborative effort, seeing nine of the eleven developers for .detuned credited on that game. An earlier collaborative effort is more closely related to the work of .detuned, a first person shooter game called .kkrieger. Released on April 10, 2004 for Windows PCs, .kkrieger was a product of the Breakpoint demoscene party in April 2004 in Bingen, Germany. It was the result of a challenge to create a first person shooter in the vein of Unreal Tournament and Quake but with the restriction of being 96KB in size. GameDeveloper has an interview with programmer Fabian Giesen (who was only 19 at the time!) and Nostalgia Nerd on YouTube has a great video documenting the development of .kkrieger that is worth a watch if you want to know more about how they accomplished this feat.

Sony Santa Monica Studios Producer Rusty Buchert announced .detuned on the PlayStation Blog on May 1, 2009. He said it would, “[offer] an abstract and surreal interactive experience like nothing else. It is not exactly a game or an art piece like Linger in Shadows. It allows you to create your own visual to accompany your favorite music tracks on the XMB, and using the SIXAXIS™ Wireless Controller, you will be able to manipulate the given scene by interacting with and modifying a man and his world. It even lets you tweak your music as you play with it.” Their announcement is already getting ahead of the “not a game!” crowd, though the comments on that PlayStation Blog piece are generally positive and welcoming.

.detuned would release on PSN for $2.99 on October 15, 2009. Games media reviews were limited, as most game “critics” were used to reviewing games such as Madden, Call of Duty, and Uncharted, but something like .detuned was challenging when approached from the limited scope of a consumer review with the stated goal being a buyer’s guide to “should you purchase this?” IGN gave it a 4/10, Bad, with Chris Roper saying, “Currently selling for $2.99 in the US PlayStation Store, that's about a dollar per minute of entertainment. If you have cash to blow and want to see one of the weirdest pieces of software on any system, go for it. Otherwise, just watch our videos and you'll get the point.” GamesRadar’s Shaun Curnow would rate .detuned 2.5/5 with its negatives being, “-Not really a game, -Won't amuse everyone, -Won't amuse for long.” Again we hit the same reactions and falsehoods of criticism, not being a [mainstream’s expectation of a] game, not reaching some imagined universal appeal, and not lasting long enough to be “worth” it in the mental formula of $/hour. A retrospective review in 2019 from Gaming Audio News’ Trevor Chan would say, “It didn’t take long to wonder if it was worth paying the small amount of money for this bite-sized experience. It’s a great snapshot of a bygone decade. Does that mean one would go recommending .detuned as a ‘must-play’? No, but it is worth experiencing, even if just for a few minutes.” Again we come back to reviews being centered on this one point: Monetary Price. No matter the time it costs you, don’t go questioning whether those 40 hours in the latest RPG were truly meaningful, be glad you got more bang for your buck compared to this! 

As mentioned by GameSpy’s Sterlin McGarvey in their news writeup for .detuned’s announcement, Linger in Shadows, and .detuned, were positively regarded for their easy trophies, “It [Linger in Shadows] was also a handy way to clean up on some good trophies, another reason why many people picked it up.” This sentiment was echoed in PlayStation The Official Magazine Issue 22 for August 2009 whose Trophies for Cheaters by Carlos Ruiz includes entries for Linger in Shadows, Flower, and Noby Noby Boy. I admit, my purchase of Linger in Shadows and .detuned at the time was more for their easy trophies than interest in the demoscene or its history. It is only while looking back do I realize there is a richer field to examine than just a quick injection of trophy points. 

What is .detuned if not a video game? The visual effects manually activated by the player suggests it is a visualizer meant to mesmerize you while enjoying your custom tracks imported onto the PlayStation 3 hard drive. Reliance on human, rather than machine, for these effects means the attention of the player is squarely on enacting movement to the rhythm of whatever track is currently being played instead of enjoying the track and visuals meshed together. Due to this, it reads as more of a toy, something to pick up and play around with, poking at its odds and ends, seeing what action you can provoke and manipulate, before setting it down and moving on. This briefness of experience and interest may be why publisher, reviewer, and player alike referred to it as, “not a game.” It failed, intentionally so, to entertain for multiple hours, tell a story, or offer a high score. Still, I find it limiting to restrict the moniker of “game” from .detuned and its ilk. The player can manipulate and control aspects programmed by the developer, engaging in a unique kind of conversation between player and program that can only happen in video games.

As a game, what does .detuned evoke? The first time through was spent poking and prodding at the game, seeing what the different button press combinations could accomplish and create in the suited man. The default track demo that you can watch to get an overall feel for what this game is capable of producing works well, though the cuts and camera movement seem way out of range of what the player is capable of producing when in control. The lack of an editable timeline means creating your own music video with this game as the base foundation would be a waste of time and effort. So, as before, it remains a toy, something you can plug a music track into in order to have some fun pulling and twisting it around in your hand, not quite as literal given the capability of the Sixaxis within the PlayStation 3 controller (though maybe for the best given the Sixaxis never achieved much in its lifetime). One of the tracks I chose to test out was probably the most apt for a repeatable batch of animations: Daft Punk’s “Around the World.” Some other experiments were on Blink 182’s “What’s My Age Again?” and M.O.O.N.’s “Hydrogen” from the Hotline Miami soundtrack. Unfortunately I did not realize I could turn off the sound effect to the “crank” noise when using the analog sticks to forward and rewind the animations. Due to this, my experience, and footage, are inseparable from the annoying click-clack of the crank.

In 2012 Q-Games released a game very similar to .detuned in intention, PixelJunk 4am, a game for the PlayStation Move motion controller that allowed players to, “Mix and create your own music with the PlayStation®Move. ‘Paint’ with sound in 3D space by pulling new tracks from the surrounding audio palette.” Though more social-minded than .detuned was, the audio effect manipulation and importing of your own custom tracks, aka your iTunes library, is very similar to the sandbox playground of .detuned, and is something I hope to try out once I obtain a PlayStation Move myself.

Some members of .theprodukkt continue to work in the demoscene today. Dierk Ohlerich (chaos) is an organizer for The Revision, a German demoparty that continues even to this year with an event in April 2023. Thomas Mahlke (fiver2) has continued working in the demoscene as well, most often with the group Farbrausch, one of the groups shouted out in Linger in Shadows. Tammo Hinrichs (kb) has also helped organize The Revision, and continues to make music for demos. Sebastian Grillmaier (wayfinder) has continued to create music for the scene and even provided the theme music for The Revision 2022. Christoph Mütze (giZMo) also appears to have remained active in the scene contributing to projects as late as 2021. Fabian Giesen (ryg) currently works at RAD Game Tools in Kirkland, Washington and maintains his blog to this day. Bleick Bleicken (mcfly) has most recently worked as an art director for Chorus developed by Deep Silver. I had trouble looking for any recent output from Oliver Waechter (joey) and Uwe Meier (moonlay). I believe Thomas Heinrich (aTom) is this same Thomas Heinrich on Twitter who links to Glare Productions as his current place of employment. Lastly Leonard Ritter (paniq) is currently a co-founder and developer at Duangle working on a crowdfunded game called Nowhere, an “alien life simulator.” The game has been in development since 2011 though sadly it appears the latest update was in March 2021. 

Ever since my article on the short lived studio Endrant I’ve always wondered where these groups of people end up long after this project I’ve just played was probably last on their mind. Thankfully, in the comments of that Nostalgia Nerd video YouTube on .kkrieger there is a message from Tammo “kb” Hinrichs posted in October 2022 who gives an update on where the team is at now,

"Where are those guys now?" We exist, living our lives, all outside actual game development nowadays (because we wanted to have lives), but still quietly working away on various things that you might or might not have seen. Some of us are still active in the demoscene, and we're all fine, thank you :)

[greenoperator]

Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AI-900 (Part 6)

Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals: Explore computer vision

An area of AI where software systems perceive the world visually, through cameras, images, and videos.

Computer vision is one of the core areas of AI

It focuses on what the computer can “see” and make sense of it

Azure resources for Computer vision

Computer Vision - use this if you’re not going to use any other cognitive services or if you want to track costs separately

Cognitive Services - general cognitive services resources include Computer vision along with other services.

Analyzing images with the computer vision service

Analyze an image evaluate objects that are detect

Generate human readable phrase or sentence that can describe what image is detected

If multiple phrases are created for an image, each will have an associated confidence score

Image descriptions are based on sets of thousands of recognizable objects used to suggest tags for an image

Tags are associated with the image as metadata and summarizes attributes of the image.

Similar to tagging, but it can identify common objects in the picture.

It draws a bounding box around the object with coordinates on the image.

It can identify commercial brands.

The service has an existing database of thousands of recognized logos

If a brand name is in the image, it returns a score of 0 to 1

Detects where faces are in an image

Draws a bounding box

Facial analysis capabilities exist because of the Face Service

It can detect age, mood, attributes, etc.

Currently limited set of categories.

Objects detected are compared to existing categories and it uses the best fit category

86 categories exist in the list

Celebrities

Landmarks

It can read printed and hand written content.

Detect image types - line drawing vs photo

Detect image color schemes - identify the dominant foreground color vs overall colors in an image

Genrate thumbnails

Moderate content - detect images with adult content, violent or gory scenes

Classify images with the Custom Vision Service

Image classification is a technique where the object in an image is being classified

You need data that consists of features and labels

Digital images are made up of an array of pixel values. These are used as features to train the model based on known image classes

Most modern image classification solutions are based on deep learning techniques.

They use Convolutional neural Networks (CNNS) to uncover patterns in the pixels to a particular class.

Model Training

To train a model you must upload images to a training resource and label them with class labels

Custom Vision Portal is the application where the training occurs in

Additionally it can use Custom Vision service programming languages-specific SDKs

Model Evaluation

Precision - percentage of the class predictions made by the model that are correct

Recall - percentage of the class predictions the model identified correctly

Average Precision - Overall metric using precision and recall

Detect objects in images with the Custom Vision service

The class of each object identified

The probability score of the object classification

The coordinates of a bounding box of each object.

Requires training the object detection model, you must tag the classes and bounding box coordinates in a training set of images

This can be time consuming, but the Custom Vision portal makes this straightforward

The portal will suggest areas of the image where discrete objects are detected and you can add a class label

It also has Smart Tagging, where it suggests classes and bounding boxes to use for training

Precision - percentage of the class predictions made by the model that are correct

Recall - percentage of the class predictions the model identified correctly

Mean Average Precision (mAP) - Overall metric using precision and recall across all classes

Detect and analyze faces with the Face Service

Involves identifying regions of an image that contain a human face

It returns a bounding box that form a rectangle around the face

Moving beyond face detection, some algorithms return other information like facial landmarks (nose, eyes, eyebrows, lips, etc)

Facial landmarks can be used as features to train a model.

Another application of facial analysis. Used to train ML models to identify known individuals from their facial features.

More generally known as facial recognition

Requires multiple images of the person you want to recognize

Security - to build security applications and is used more and more no mobile devices

Social Media - use to automatically tag people and friends in photos.

Intelligent Monitoring - to monitor a persons face, for example when they are driving to determine where they are looking

Advertising - analyze faces in an image to direct advertisements to an appropriate demographic audience

Missing persons - use public camera systems with facial recognition to identify if a person is a missing person

Identity validation - use at port of entry kiosks to allow access/special entry permit

Blur - how blurry the face is

Exposure - aspects such as underexposed or over exposed and applies to the face in the image not overall image exposure

Glasses - if the person has glasses on

Head pose - face orientation in 3d space

Noise - visual noise in the image.

Occlusion - determines if any objects cover the face

Read text with the Computer Vision service

Submit an image to the API and get an operation ID

Use the operation ID to check status

When it’s completed get the result.

Pages - one for each page of text and orientation and page size

Lines - the lines of text on a page

Words - the words in a line of text including a bounding box and the text itself

Analyze receipts with the Form recognizer service

Matching field names to values

Processing tables of data

Identifying specific types of field, such as date, telephone number, addresses, totals, and other

Images must be JPEG, PNG, BMP, PDF, TIFF

File size < 50 MB

Image size between 50x50 pixels and 10000x10000 pixels

PDF documents no larger than 17 inches x 17 inches

You can train it with your own data

It just requires 5 samples to train it

Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals: Explore decision support

Monitoring blood pressure

Evaluating mean tie between failures for hardware products

Part of the decision services category

Can be used with REST API

Sensitivity parameter is from 1 to 99

Anomalies are values outside expected values or ranges of values

The sensitivity boundary can be configured when making the API call

It uses a boundary, set as a sensitivity value, to create the upper and lower boundaries for anomaly detection

Calculated using concepts known as expectedValue, upperMargin, lowerMargin

If a value exceeds either boundary, then it is an anomaly

upperBoundary = expectedValue + (100-marginScale) * upperMargin

The service accepts data in JSON format.

It supports a maximum of 8640 data points. Break this down into smaller requests to improve the performance.

When to use Anomaly Detector

Process the algorithm against an entire set of data at one time

It creates a model based on your complete data set and the finds anomalies

Uses streaming data by comparing previously seen dat points to the last datapoint to determine if your latest one is an anomaly.

Model is created using the data points you send and determines if the current point is an anomaly.

Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals: Explore natural language processing

Analyze Text with the Language Service

Used to describe solutions that involve extracting information from large volumes of unstructured data.

Analyzing text is a process to evaluate different aspects of a document or phrase, to gain insights about that text.

Text Analytics Techniques

Interpret words like “power”, “powered”, and “powerful” as the same word.

Convert to tree like structures (Noun phrases)

Often used for sentiment analysis

Determine the language of a document or text

Perform sentiment analysis (positive or negative)

Extract key phrases from text to indicate key talking points

Identify and categorize entities (places, people, organizations, etc)

Get started with Text analysis

Language name

ISO 6391 language code

Score as a level of confidence n the language returned.

Evaluates text to return a sentiment score and labels for each sentence

Useful for detecting positive or negative sentiment

Classification is between 0 to 1 with 1 being most positive

A score of 0.5 is indeterminate sentiment.

The phrase doesn’t have sufficient information to determine the sentiment.

Mixing language content with the language you tell it will return 0.5 also

Key Phrase extraction

Used to determine the main talking points of a text or a document

Depending on the volume this can take longer, so you can use the key phrase extraction capabilities of the Language Service to summarize main points.

Key phrase extraction can provide context about the document or text

Entity Recognition

Person

Location

OrganizationQuantity

DateTime

URL

Email

US-based phone number

IP address

Recognize and Synthesize Speech

Acoustic model - converts audio signal to phonemes (representation of specific sounds)

Language model - maps the phonemes to words using a statistical algorithm to predict the most probably sequence of words based on the phonemes

ability to generate spoken output

Usually converting text to speech

This process tokenizes the set to break it down into individual words, assign phonetic sounds to each word

It then breaks the phonetic transcription to prosodic units to create phonemes for the audio

Get started with speech on Azure

Use this for demos, presentations, or scenarios where a person is speaking

In real time it can translate to many lunges as it processes

Audio files with Shared access signature (SAS) URI can be used and results are received asynchronously.

Jobs will start executing within minutes, but no estimate is provided for when the job changes to running state

Used to convert text to speech

Voices can be selected that will vocalize the text

Custom voices can be developed

Voices are trained using neural networks to overcome limitations in speech synthesis with regards to intonation.

Translate Text and Speech

Where each word is translated to the corresponding word in the target language

This approach has issues. For example, a direct word to word translation may not exist or the literal translation may not be the correct meaning of the phrase

Machine learning has to also understand the semantic context of the translation.

This provides more accurate translation of the input phrase or phrases

Grammar, formal versus informal, colloquialism all need to be considered

Text and speech translation

Profanity filtering - remove or do not translate profamity

Selective translation - tag content that isn’t to be translated (brand names, code names, etc)

Speech to text - transcribe speech from an audio source to text format.

Text to speech - used to generate spoken audio from a text source

Speech translation - translate speech in one language to text or speech in another

Create a language model with Conversational language Understanding

A None intent exists.

This should be used when no intent has been identified and should provide a message to a user.

Getting started with Conversational Language Understanding

Authoring the model - Defining entities, intents, and utterances to use to train the model

Entity Prediction - using the model after it is published.

Define intents based on actions a user would want to perform

Each intent should include a variety of utterances as examples of how a user may express the intent

If the intent can be applied to multiple entities, include sample utterances for each potential entity.

Machine-Learned - learned by the model during training from context in the sample utterances you provide

List - Defined as a hierarchy of lists and sublists

RegEx - regular expression patterns

Pattern.any - entities used with patterns to define complex entities that may be hard to extract from sample utterances

After intents and entities are created you train the model.

Training is the process of using your sample utterances to teach the model to match natural language expressions that a user may say to probable intents and entities.

Training and testing are iterative processes

If the model does not match correctly, you create more utterances, retrain, and test.

When results are satisfactory, you can publish the model.

Client applications can use the model by using and endpoint for the prediction resource

Build a bot with the Language Service and Azure Bot Service

Knowledge base of question and answer pairs. Usually some built-in natural language processing model to enable questions and can understand the semantic meaning

Bot service - to provide an interface to the knowledge base through one or more channels

Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals: Explore knowledge mining

Used to describe solutions that involve extracting information from large volumes of unstructured data.

It has a services in Cognitive services to create a user-managed index.

The index can b meant for internal use only or shared with the public.

It can use other Cognitive Services capabilities to extract the information

What is Azure Cognitive Search?

Provides a programmable search engine build on Apache Lucene

Highly available platform with 99.9% uptime SLA for cloud and on-premise assets

Data from any source - accepts data form any source provided in JSON format with auto crawling support for selected data sources in Azure

Full text search and analysis - Offers full text search capabilities supporting both simple query and full Lucene query syntax

AI Powered search - has Cognitive AI capabilities built in for image and text analysis from raw content

Multi-lingual - offers linguistic analysis for 56 langues

Geo-enabled - supports geo-search filtered based on proximity to a physical location

Configurable user experience - it includes capabilities to improve the user experience (autocomplete, autosuggest, pagination, hit highlighting, etc)

Identify elements of a search solution

Folders with files,

Text in a database

Etc

Use a skillset to Define an enrichment pipeline

Key Phrase Extraction - uses a pre-trained model to detect important phrases based on term placement, linguistic rules, proximity to terms

Text Translation - pre-trained model to translate the input text into various languages for normalization or localization use cases

Image Analysis Skills - uses an image detection algorithm to identify the content of an image an generate a text description

Optical Character Recognition Skills - extract printed or handwritten text from images, photos, videos

Understand indexes

Index schema - index includes a definition of the structure of the data in the documents to read.

Index attributes - Each field in a document the index stores its name, the data type, supported behaviors (searchable, sortable, etc)

Best indexes use only the features that are required/needed

Use an indexer to build an index

Push method - JSON data is pushed into a search index via a REST API or a .NET SDK. Most flexible and with least restrictions

Pull method - Search service indexer pulls from popular Azure data sources and if necessary exports the Tinto JSON if its not already in that format

Use the pull method to load data with an indexer

Azure Cognitive search’s indexer is a crawler that extracts searchable text and metadata form an external Azure data source an populates a search index using field-to-field mapping between the data and the index.

Data import monitoring and verification

Indexers only import new or updated documents. It is normal to see zero documents indexed

Health information is displayed in a dashboard.

You can monitor the progress of the indexing

Making changes to an index

You need to drop and recreate indexes if you need to make changes to the field definitions

An approach to update your index without impacting your users is to create a new index with a new name

After importing data, switch to the new index.

Persist enriched data in a knowledge store

A knowledge store is persistent storage of enriched content.

The knowledge store is to store the data generated from Ai enrichment in a container.

[savioseal]

That's why you shouldn't settle on proprietary software and seek free ans open source alternatives.

There is a neat website called AlternativeTo. You can enter the name of the software you want an alternative to and it will show you what people propose. You can also apply filters for your search if you're looking for specific platform.

Also, switch to Firefox and consider switching to Linux. If you're not necessarily bound to Windows-only software, Linux is enough to browse the web, watch movies, listen to music, and play video games (some games may not work properly out of the box and may require some tweaking).

Don't let companies make you think you cannot live without their paid software

[mixamorphosis]

The second outing for my own 'Different Strokes' show on Box Frequency FM where I was joined by a friend from my childhood neighbourhood... Simon Cox. Much like myself, Simon has DJ'ed for a lot of years and for the most part it's been a hobby. I imagine, like myself and probably most people who picked this hobby up, the joy came from discovering new music, and then sharing those discoveries with friends and family. When DJ-ing became more accessible, that gave a new way to engage with the music we found and loved, creating something new out of that and finding tracks that do (and do not) work well together in terms of flow and transitions. Where things slightly diverged for Simon and myself is that he also dabbled in the world of making edits and sharing those on Soundcloud, which opens things up for you more than simply posting mixes. For those interested in getting into this world, learning software to create your own edits is without doubt a very good way to go about helping you build a profile and stand out from the crowd.

Simon provided an excellent house mix, leaning towards the deeper side for the most part, with some shades take in nu-disco elements and some techier sounds too. For my own contribution in Part 2, I start things off quite aligned in terms of the house vibe and then go a little bit eclectic for the second half of my mix.

Part One - Simon Cox

Tracklist

01. Napoleon – Dawn (Not On Label) 02. Emil Rottmayer – Eightyseven Part 2 (Emil’s Deeper Mix) (Unknown Label) 03. Dolle Jolle – Balearic Incarnation (Todd Terje Extra Doll Remix) (Permanent Vacation) 04. Mutant Clan – On & Amp (Bedrock) 05. Marius – Love Gun (6th Borough Project Mix) (Maxi Discs) 06. Andre Lodemann – Feeling Good (DFTD) 07. Langenberg – Sun & Sorrow (Dub Mix) (Dessous) 08. Kit Mason – Tape Reunion (Unknown Label) 09. Central Rodeo – Something Wrong - (Ayeko) 10. Chronophone Ft Jimi Hendrix – The Wind Cry’s Mary (8am Edit) (Unknown Label) 11. Guy Gerber & Guti – The Man From Atlantis (Supplement Facts) 12. Dief & Baker – Olingtuito (Unknown Label) 13. Cristoph – Dubs Business (DFTD) 14. Roland Tings – Floating On A Salt Lake (Internasjonal) 15. David August – Epikur (Innervisions) 16. ZZT – Zzafrika (Julio Bashmore Mix)(!K7)

Linked Tracklist [HERE]

Download [HERE]

Part Two - Me

Tracklist

01. Mr Scruff & Kaidi Tatham – Fresh Noodles (Prime Numbers) 02. Mannmademusic – Flexing (Shadeleaf) 03. Dropouts – All My Love (Intent Recordings) 04. Andy Hart – Love Technology (Sleazy Beats Black Ops) 05. Frozen Pension – Three Cheers For Fear (Roar Groove) 06. Dionigi – In The B Side World (Quantistic Division) 07. Glasser – Learn (John Talabot Remix) (True Panther Sounds) 08. Max Graef – Running (Tartlet) 09. StarRo – Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind (Soulection) 10. Comiskey Park – No Bounds (Reduction Kiln Version) (Narrow Gauge) 11. Tempelhof – Piano Piano (Aficionado) 12. [Re:Jazz] – That Night (Infracom!) 13. Curtis Mayfield – Underground (Curtom) 14. Gil Scott-Heron – Better Days Ahead (Arista) 15. Kabuki ft. Cleveland Watkiss – After The Fire (Best Seven) 16. ambientsketchbook – The Last Broadcast (Self Released) 17. 6th Borough Project – Outro (Delusions Of Grandeur) 18. Darondo – Let My People Go (Luv 'N Haight)

Linked Tracklist [HERE]

Download [HERE]

[boredtechnologist]

So, you want to build AI models that can detect enemy equipment, but you don’t exactly have a military budget lying around? What’s the game plan? Here’s a guide to building highly accurate AI detection models for enemy hardware - without breaking the bank.

By using synthetic data from 3D models, you can train powerful object detection models like YOLOv5 to recognize even the most elusive assets on the cheap.

When gathering real-world images is tough or expensive, synthetic data from 3D models becomes a game-changer for training object detection models like YOLOv5. Known for its speed and accuracy, YOLOv5 processes images in a single pass, making it ideal for real-time applications like video analysis and autonomous systems.

Using 3D models, synthetic images of objects - such as Russian, Chinese, and North Korean T-90 tanks (for example) - can be generated from every angle, under different conditions, and in varied environments. This flexibility lets YOLOv5 learn robust features and generalize well, even for highly specific detection needs.

Ultimately, synthetic data from 3D models offers an efficient, cost-effective way to build accurate, custom detection models where real-world data collection is limited or impractical.

Steps to Building Detection Models Using Synthetic 3D Images

1. Generating Synthetic Images from 3D Models

● Use a 3D graphics tools like Blender or Unity, to render images of the tank model from every conceivable angle. These tools allow control over orientation, distance, lighting, and environment.

● Render the tank against various backgrounds to simulate different settings, or start with plain backgrounds for initial training, adding realistic ones later to improve robustness.

● Add variety by changing:

■ Lighting conditions (daylight, overcast, night)

■ Viewing angles (front, back, top-down, low angle)

■ Distances and zoom levels to simulate visibility and scale variations.

2. Applying Realistic Textures and Weather Effects

● Apply textures (like camouflage) and surface details (scratches, wear) to enhance realism.

● Simulate weather effects—rain, snow, or fog—to make the images resemble real-world conditions, helping the model generalize better.

3. Generating Annotation Labels for Synthetic Images

● Use the 3D rendering software to generate bounding box annotations along with the images. Many tools can output annotation data directly in YOLO format or in formats that are easily converted.

4. Using Domain Randomization for Improved Generalization

● Domain randomization involves varying elements like background, lighting, and texture randomly in each image to force the model to generalize.

● Change the background or adjusting color schemes helps the model perform better when exposed to real-world images, focusing on the shape and structure rather than specific synthetic features.

5. Fine-Tuning with Real Images (recommended)

● While synthetic images provide a strong foundation, adding even a small number of real images during training can boost accuracy and robustness. Real images add natural variations in lighting, texture, and environment that are hard to replicate fully.

● For optimal fine-tuning, aim for 50–100 real images per tank type if available.

YOLOv5 URL: https://github.com/ultralytics/yolov5

Oh, by the way... the video is just one of 365 different rotations for this background and lighting.

[corepackaging]

What Are the Best Eco-friendly Candle Packaging Box Design Ideas in 2025

Candle makers have arisen for certain astounding types of candles. This affection towards candles has incited packaging organizations to improvise novel ideas for eco-friendly candle packaging boxes.

Today, let us show you the most lovely and innovative biodegradable candle packaging ideas in 2025. We will share novel ideas for making boxes for candles. Furthermore, these ideas will be entirely reasonable. That is, without a doubt. In this way, let's start:

How is A Unique Graphic Design Good for Eco-friendly Candle Packaging? 

Graphic design is the initial step to making the most hair-raising eco-friendly candle packaging boxes. When considering biodegradable candle packaging, first consider the design value since this graphic design becomes a reality in the packaging boxes after printing.

Many individuals request how to make a delightful graphic design for charming eco-friendly candle packaging boxes. You ought to completely talk with your graphic designer. You should tell them your dream theme.

Why is an Elegant Graphic Design Theme Essential? 

Remember, your eco-friendly candle packaging box will bring anything you will print on it. Let us furnish you with some dazzling graphic design themes for elegant, eco-friendly candle packaging ideas.

Abstract Graphic Design Themes

Abstract art isn't bound to a particular graphic design theme. This is how you needn't bother with a specific type of design on your eco-friendly packaging for candles. Indeed, even the image of the flame of a candle on packaging boxes will say everything.

You can get some creative, eco-friendly candle packaging ideas from professional packaging suppliers in the industry. You can put a flame of fire on the packaging box theoretically. It relies upon you and your target audience.

For example, if you need to supply eco-friendly candle boxes for supper for certain scholarly people, abstract design themes are one of the novel biodegradable candle packaging ideas.

Minimalist Graphic Design Themes

'Toning it down would be ideal' also applies to packaging items. This is how graphic designers utilize a couple of pictures, upgrading the visual appeal of the packaging boxes.

You can gain proficiency by utilizing a minimalist design approach by the image added to the picture. You can observe just two birds in a photo sitting on a rope. This is an ideal example of basic ideas. You can use a similar way to make your charming eco-friendly candle packaging boxes. Your item will be a candle.

This is likewise a human phenomenon; they will look haphazardly at it if you show them anything significant or give excessive subtleties. A minimalist design theme is an extraordinary candle packaging idea since it draws the client towards it.

Retro Graphic Design Themes

Retro graphic design themes are as yet important today. In every case, it is better to check out old graphics and packaging designs. This is the way you can combine them with modern trends. Packaging organizations utilize old design themes to make custom eco-friendly candle packaging boxes effectively.

Typography

The typography is likewise a part of graphic design for eco-friendly packaging for candles. This is how graphic designers generally depend on the utilization of text styles. Consequently, the item name on your packaging boxes becomes a complete design for your packaging theme.

You see the combined utilization of a retro design theme and vintage typography. Retro design themes had their own unique tones and textures. They are as yet pertinent today. Without a doubt, those packaging designs were basic as there was not a lot of graphic design software around then.

Then again, typography is a critical component of packaging results, as everything is equal. You can't overlook the magnificence of words. Along these lines, you should utilize appealing text styles to make candle packaging items. For this reason, you can see the utilization of a retro design theme and a one-of-a-kind textual style.

Besides, if you carefully use typography, it is one of the most impressive eco-friendly candle packaging ideas.

How Can You Use Add-ons? 

Retailers likewise know add-ons by the expression "premium features of printing." Add-ons improve the visual appeal of exceptionally printed eco-friendly candle packaging boxes.

·       Lamination

·       Spot UV

·       Debossing

·       Foil Printing

·       Embossing

In this way, presently continue to add premium features to your remarkable eco-friendly candle packaging ideas.

Lamination 

These days, at least three types of laminations are accessible. Assuming you need your eco-friendly candle boxes to sparkle forever, apply the gloss layer of lamination on them.

Matte lamination carries a dull surface to your packaging boxes. The delicate touch lamination is a somewhat new type of lamination. Retailers who make candle boxes additionally know that this kind of cover is called cello-touch.

Spot UV

UV quoting is a highly charming finishing feature. A coating layer of transparent compound welcomes a glossy effect on the text, logos, or pictures. Many individuals use spot UV to bring extra shine to please logos or item names.

Foil Printing 

Numerous retailers embrace gold or silver foiling on the item boxes. However, those tones are obsolete. Attempt to apply holographic foil on your candle boxes. Holographic foil is the new expansion to foil printing. This is certainly not a solitary tone. Holographic foil gives you a three-dimensional shine.

Embossing

Ask any packaging professional; embossing is the best type of minimalist design theme.

Debossing 

Debossing is the contrary strategy of embossing. Packaging vendors press the impression die/block from up on the paperboard. Thus, they press the pictures or text. You can see this in the case of the "Thanks" picture

[gts6465]

Image Annotation Services Explained: Choosing the Right Company for Your Project

Introduction:

In the fast-paced realm of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), the quality of training data is essential for developing effective models. For tasks like object detection, image recognition, and autonomous systems, annotated images are fundamental to achieving success. The process of Image Annotation Company , which involves labeling images to enable machines to interpret visual information, has emerged as a vital component in training AI algorithms. However, with numerous options at your disposal, how can you select the most suitable image annotation Company for your project? Let us delve into this topic.

What Are Image Annotation Services?

Image annotation is the process of attaching metadata or labels to images, enabling machines to recognize and comprehend the objects present within those images. This labeling can vary from simple tagging to intricate semantic segmentation. The various types of image annotation include:

Line and Polyline Annotation: Employed for delineating road lanes, pipelines, and other similar linear structures.

Bounding Boxes: Drawing rectangular outlines around objects to facilitate their identification.

Polygon Annotation: Accurately marking the boundaries of objects with irregular shapes.

Semantic Segmentation: Assigning a specific object category to each pixel within an image.

3D Cuboids: Providing depth and volume annotations for the identification of three-dimensional objects.

Landmark Annotation: Pinpointing specific features in an image, such as facial characteristics or significant body parts.

Why Outsource Image Annotation?

Delegating image annotation to specialized firms provides several advantages:

Focus on Core Competencies: Enables organizations to prioritize their primary AI development efforts rather than engaging in manual annotation activities.

Scalability: Extensive datasets can be annotated effectively, preventing internal teams from becoming overloaded.

Accuracy: Specialized knowledge in labeling leads to superior data quality, minimizing errors in artificial intelligence models.

Cost-Effectiveness: Utilizing specialized tools and personnel conserves time and resources.

Key Considerations When Choosing an Image Annotation Company

Proficiency in Your Field: Not all annotation projects are identical. It is essential to select a company that possesses expertise in your particular sector, whether it pertains to healthcare, autonomous vehicles, e-commerce, or security.

Annotation Precision and Quality :The success of AI models heavily relies on high-quality annotations. Inquire about the company’s quality assurance measures and the methods they employ to maintain accuracy.

Capacity for Scalability and Timeliness :Verify that the company is equipped to manage extensive datasets and can provide results within your specified timeframe. Discuss their operational infrastructure and workforce capabilities.

Technological Tools and Resources : An effective image annotation company utilizes sophisticated tools and methodologies to enhance efficiency. Confirm whether they employ AI-assisted annotation technologies or bespoke software solutions.

Data Protection and Privacy : Given the often sensitive nature of the data involved, it is vital to ensure that the company adheres to stringent data security measures, including compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or other pertinent regulations.

Cost Structure: It is crucial to maintain transparent pricing. Examine the pricing model employed by the company, whether it is determined on a per-image basis, hourly rates, or according to the scope of the project, in order to prevent any unforeseen expenses.

Client Testimonials and Portfolio: Investigate the company’s history and performance. Seek out client feedback, testimonials, or case studies that highlight their proficiency and experience in the field.

GTS: Your Trusted Partner for Image Annotation Services

GTS is recognized as a dependable partner in the realm of high-quality image and video annotation. With a solid history of providing accurate, scalable, and secure annotation services, GTS enables businesses to develop robust AI models. The following aspects distinguish GTS from its competitors:

Industry Knowledge: Expertise spans multiple sectors, including healthcare, automotive, and retail.

Innovative Technology: Utilizes state-of-the-art tools to enhance precision and efficiency.

Flexible Solutions: Equipped to manage projects of any scale with rapid turnaround times.

Dedication to Excellence: Guarantees superior annotations through comprehensive quality control measures.

Data Protection: Complies with rigorous data security standards to protect your information.

Conclusion

Selecting an appropriate image annotation company is crucial for the success of your AI initiative. By assessing factors such as expertise, quality, scalability, tools, security, and pricing, you can identify a partner that aligns with your objectives. Whether your focus is on developing autonomous vehicles or enhancing medical imaging, accurate annotations will propel your models toward success.

Are you prepared to elevate your AI projects? Discover the extensive services provided by Globose Technology Solution and guarantee that your data is managed by professionals.

[globosetechnologysolutions2]

What to Expect from a Leading Image Annotation Company

Introduction:

In the swiftly advancing domains of artificial intelligence and machine learning, image annotation is essential for enabling machines to comprehend and analyze visual information. For organizations engaged in developing AI models, collaborating with a premier image annotation firm can significantly impact their success. However, what distinguishes the top companies in this field? Here are the key attributes you should anticipate from a high-caliber image annotation service provider.

Proficiency in Various Annotation Methods

A premier Image Annotation Company should provide an extensive array of annotation services customized for different industries and applications. These services may encompass:

Bounding Boxes: Ideal for object detection and localization.

Semantic Segmentation: Involves assigning pixel-level labels to objects for sophisticated applications such as autonomous driving.

Keypoint Annotation: Suitable for facial recognition and human pose estimation.

Polygon Annotation: Effective for annotating irregular shapes within images.

3D Point Cloud Annotation: Essential for processing LiDAR data in robotics and autonomous vehicles.

Such comprehensive proficiency guarantees that your specific project needs are addressed with accuracy.

Scalability and Rapid Turnaround

Reputable annotation firms recognize the importance of time in AI development. They possess the necessary infrastructure and resources to manage large-scale annotation projects without sacrificing precision. Whether dealing with thousands or millions of images, they should be capable of scaling their operations and delivering results within the established timelines.

Cutting-Edge Tools and Technology

Leading firms utilize advanced annotation tools and software to ensure both efficiency and accuracy. They may also employ AI-assisted annotation platforms to expedite the labeling process while upholding high-quality standards. Seek providers that prioritize investment in innovative technology to optimize workflows and improve output.

Rigorous Quality Assurance Protocols

Accuracy is essential in image annotation. A premier company will establish comprehensive quality control protocols, including multi-tiered reviews and automated verification processes, to reduce the likelihood of errors. Anticipate thorough testing procedures to guarantee that the annotated data aligns with the specific requirements of your project.

Tailored Solutions

Each AI project possesses its own distinct characteristics, and a top-tier image annotation firm recognizes this. They should be capable of customizing their offerings to meet your particular needs, whether that entails following stringent guidelines, managing sensitive information, or integrating seamlessly with your current systems and workflows.

Data Protection and Privacy

In the context of proprietary or sensitive information, security is imperative. Leading firms emphasize data protection by employing secure systems, complying with international standards (such as GDPR), and entering into non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). Their dedication to privacy ensures that your data remains secure throughout the annotation process.

Skilled Workforce

A proficient team of annotators and project managers is the backbone of every successful annotation initiative. Top companies recruit trained professionals who possess experience in managing a variety of datasets. Their knowledge contributes to maintaining consistency and precision, even in intricate annotation assignments.

Open Communication and Support

A trustworthy image annotation partner prioritizes transparent and effective communication. They offer regular updates, comprehensive reports, and are readily available to address any inquiries without delay. This level of openness fosters trust and facilitates a seamless collaboration.

Affordable Services

While maintaining quality is paramount, leading companies also aim to provide competitive pricing. By streamlining their operations and utilizing advanced technologies, they offer high-quality annotation services at a reasonable price, ensuring excellent value for your investment.

A Demonstrated History of Success

In conclusion, a reputable image annotation firm will possess a track record of completed projects and contented clients. It is advisable to seek out case studies, client testimonials, and examples from their portfolio that highlight their proficiency and capability to achieve results across diverse sectors.

Conclusion

Collaborating with a distinguished image annotation company such as GTS.AI can greatly improve the effectiveness of your AI models. By providing specialized knowledge, scalability, cutting-edge tools, and a dedication to quality, these firms lay the groundwork for successful AI and machine learning endeavors. It is essential to select a partner who fulfills these criteria and aligns with the objectives of your project to ensure optimal results.

For those seeking a reliable collaborator in image annotation, GTS AI provides extensive services customized to meet your specific requirements. With proficiency in multiple fields and a dedication to quality, GTS AI guarantees that your AI models attain exceptional performance.

[globosetech]

Data Annotation: The Overlooked Pillar of AI and Machine Learning

Introduction

In the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), remarkable innovations frequently capture public attention. Yet, a vital and often neglected component underpins every effective AI model: data annotation. The absence of precise and thoroughly annotated data renders even the most advanced algorithms incapable of producing dependable outcomes. This article delves into the significance of data annotation as the overlooked pillar of AI and machine learning, highlighting its role in fostering innovation.

Defining Data Annotation

Data Annotation refers to the systematic process of labeling or tagging data to enhance its interpretability for machine learning algorithms. It serves as a conduit between unprocessed data and actionable insights, empowering models to identify patterns, generate predictions, and execute tasks with precision. Annotation encompasses a variety of data types, such as:

Text: Including sentiment tagging, entity recognition, and keyword labeling.

Images: Encompassing object detection, segmentation, and classification.

Audio: Covering transcription, speaker identification, and sound labeling.

Video: Involving frame-by-frame labeling and activity recognition.

The Significance of Data Annotation

Machine learning models derive their learning from examples. Data annotation supplies these examples by emphasizing the features and patterns that the model should prioritize. The quality of the annotation has a direct correlation with the efficacy of AI systems, affecting:

Accuracy: High-quality annotations enhance the precision of model predictions.

Scalability: Well-annotated datasets allow models to adapt to new situations effectively.

Efficiency: Properly executed annotation minimizes the time needed for training and refining models.

Categories of Data Annotation

Text Annotation

Text annotation consists of tagging words, phrases, or sentences to identify:

Named entities (such as individuals, organizations, and locations)

Sentiments (positive, negative, or neutral)

Intent (including commands, inquiries, and statements)

Image Annotation

Image annotation involves labeling various components within an image for purposes such as:

Object detection (utilizing bounding boxes)

Semantic segmentation (performing pixel-level annotations)

Keypoint detection (identifying facial landmarks and estimating poses)

Audio Annotation

Audio annotation encompasses:

Transcribing verbal communication

Recognizing different speakers

Classifying sound types (for instance, music or background noise)

Video Annotation

In the context of video data, annotations may include:

Action recognition

Frame classification

Temporal segmentation

Challenges in Data Annotation

Scalability

Annotating large datasets demands considerable time and resources. Effectively managing this scale while maintaining quality presents a significant challenge.

Consistency

It is essential to maintain uniformity in annotations across various annotators and datasets to ensure optimal model performance.

Domain Expertise

Certain datasets, such as those involving medical imagery or legal documentation, necessitate specialized knowledge for precise annotation.

Cost and Time

Producing high-quality annotations can be resource-intensive, representing a substantial investment in the development of artificial intelligence.

Best Practices for Data Annotation

Establish Clear Guidelines

Create comprehensive annotation standards and provide explicit instructions to annotators to maintain uniformity.

Utilize Appropriate Tools

Employ data annotation platforms and software such as Labelbox, Amazon SageMaker Ground Truth, or GTS.AI’s tailored solutions to enhance workflow efficiency.

Implement Quality Assurance

Introduce validation procedures to regularly assess and improve annotations.

Automate Where Feasible

Integrate manual annotation with automated solutions to expedite the process while maintaining high quality.

Prioritize Training

Offer training programs for annotators, particularly for intricate tasks that necessitate specialized knowledge.

How GTS.AI Can Assist

At GTS.AI, we recognize the essential role of data annotation in the success of AI initiatives. Our skilled team delivers comprehensive annotation services customized to meet the specific requirements of your project. From scalable solutions to specialized domain knowledge, we ensure your datasets are optimized for excellence. Utilizing advanced tools and stringent quality assurance measures, GTS.AI enables your models to achieve exceptional accuracy.

Conclusion

Although algorithms and technologies often dominate discussions, data annotation is the fundamental element that drives advancements in AI and machine learning. By committing to high-quality annotation, organizations can fully harness the potential of their AI systems and provide transformative solutions. Whether you are embarking on your AI journey or seeking to enhance your current models, GTS.AI stands ready to be your reliable partner in data annotation.

[bqsocial]

Instagram – B&Q 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway (Day 12) – Prize Draw Terms and Conditions – 12/12/2024

The Promoter:

B&Q Limited, B&Q House, Chestnut Avenue, Chandler’s Ford, Eastleigh, SO53 3LE

 Who can enter?

This promotion is open to all residents of the UK aged 18 years and over, excluding employees of B&Q Limited, their families, agents or anyone else connected with the promotion.

How to enter?

For your chance to enter and win all of the below, simply like this post and comment to tell us what DIY tasks you’re hoping to finish before the big day 🎅

Entries must be received by 23:59 on 12th December 2024. Any entries received after this date will not be accepted.

 Entry:

Only one entry per person will be accepted. Third party or multiple entries by the same person will not be accepted and we reserve the right to disqualify any entries we reasonably suspect to have been made fraudulently including through the use of bots, computer software or by any other means. We accept no responsibility for any lost, damaged or incomplete entries or entries not received due to a technical fault or for any other reason beyond our reasonable control.

Prize details:

There will be 1 winner selected. The winners will receive the following prize:

1 x Erbauer Connecx Modular Storage Polypropylene (PP) Toolbox

1 x Erbauer EXT 18V Cordless Jigsaw (Bare Tool) - EJS18-Li

1 x Erbauer EXT 18V Cordless Random orbit sander (Bare Tool) - ERO18-Li

1 x Erbauer EXT 18V Cordless Multi tool (Bare Tool) - EMT18-Li-QC

1 x Erbauer 113 piece Multi-purpose Drill bit set

1 x Erbauer EXT 18V Li-ion Cordless Combi drill & impact driver (2 x 2Ah) - EID18-Li

1 x Erbauer 50 piece Multi-purpose Drill bit set

1 x GoodHome Big box Decorating set, 18 pieces

1 x Erbauer 3 piece Adjustable wrench set

1 x Erbauer 6 piece Standard Mixed Screwdriver set

1 x Erbauer Carbon steel Claw Hammer

1 x Erbauer Tape measure 5m

1 x Erbauer 255mm Torpedo Spirit level

1 x mystery value B&Q gift card (value between £25 - £100)

The prize is non-transferable or exchangeable and no alternative is available. We reserve the right to replace the prize with a prize of equal or greater value where it becomes necessary to do so.

 Winner selection and prize fulfilment:

1 winner will be selected at random from all valid entries received.

The winner will be contacted via response to their winning comment by 5pm on the 13th December 2024. To receive the prize, the winner will need to respond via private message providing their contact details. If the winner fails to provide their contact details within 7 days of initial contact from the Promoter, the prize will be offered to the next randomly chosen entrant.

 Your Data:

We will process information about entrants in order to administer this promotion. For more information on how we use personal information, please see http://www.diy.com/customer-support/policies/privacy. By entering this promotion, you agree and consent to the processing of your personal data by us and by any third party acting on our behalf for the purposes of the administration and operation of the promotion.

Please note that we are obliged to either publish or make available on request the surname, county and, where applicable, the winning entry/entries of major prize winners. If you object to any of this information being made available in this way, please contact social.team@b-and-q.co.uk. We must nevertheless share this information with the Advertising Standards Authority where it becomes necessary to do so.

 Your acceptance of these Terms:

We reserve the right to refuse entry or refuse to award any prize to anyone in breach of these Terms and Conditions and/or hold void, cancel, suspend or amend these Terms and Conditions where it becomes necessary to do so. Our decision on all matters relating to this promotion is final and binding. No correspondence will be entered into.

 Liability:

By entering this promotion, you are deemed to have accepted and agreed to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.

Insofar as is permitted by law the Promoter and its agents and distributors will not in any circumstances be responsible or liable to compensate the winner or accept any liability for any loss, damage, personal injury or death occurring as a result of taking up the prize except where it is caused by the negligence of the Promoter, its agents or distributors or that of their employees.

This promotion is in no way endorsed or administered by or associated with Instagram or Meta.

 Governing Law:

Nothing in these Terms and Conditions restricts your statutory rights as a consumer. This promotion will be governed by English law and entrants submit to the jurisdiction of the English Courts.