Autofocus is Just So Last Century
By the end of this year, a startup company called Lytro expects to begin shipping cameras that do more than just focus for you. You'll get to choose the focus later. Autofocus is a nearly universal feature today but sometimes the autofocus, even with the camera operator's assistance, selects the wrong point of focus: Instead of focusing on the person in the foreground, the camera selects trees in the background; instead of focusing on the lion behind the fence, the camera focuses on the fence.
Lytro's CEO, Ren Ng, says that technology his company has developed lets users bring photos home, examine them on the computer screen, and change the point of focus. How? The only way I can think of to achieve this effect would be for the camera to make numerous sequential exposures, changing the point of focus with each.
Because I've been using cameras for a lot of years, I'm reasonably consistent when it comes to selecting the right point of focus and making sure that the camera focuses there, even with point-and-shoot cameras. But even for me, the thought of being able to adjust the focus after the fact is exciting.
Which do you prefer? Note that I'm not asking which of these two images is right. Both are right but one might be more appropriate for a given use than the other.
Would you choose to focus on the child ...
... or on the mother?
In the future you may not need to choose one or the other when you press the shutter release. Leave the decision for later.
Ng, who is 31, explained the process in his Stanford University Ph.D. thesis in 2006. And, despite my thought that this effect would be accomplished through the use of multiple sequential exposures, Ng says that he uses a special sensor inside the camera.
He calls it a microlens array and the sensor captures light from many directions and converts the information into data. In effect, it's not multiple sequential exposures but multiple simultaneous exposures with what is the equivalent of many lenses. I'm having trouble even beginning to imagine how this works.
So in the future a photographer may be able to concentrate entirely on composition while forgetting entirely about focus. Lytro says the new cameras will be about the same size as today's digital cameras and will have resolution that's equivalent to current technology.
If you want to read more, visit Lytro's website.
Lulz Sec Suspect May Not Be Laughing Now
British police have charged a 19-year-old suspect in connection with the Lulz Security cyber attacks. Lulz is the group that attacked websites belonging to Sony, the CIA, the US Senate, NPR, the British equivalent of the US FBI, and many others.
Ryan Cleary faces 5 charges under Britain's Computer Misuse Act but police have not been forthcoming with information about his role in the attacks. Lulz Sec indicated that Cleary is a minor cog in their wheel but Police Commissioner Paul Stephenson said the arrest is "very significant."
According to Lulz, the group used Cleary's servers but that was his only involvement with the group.
Lulz Security is an informal network of computer users apparently spread around the globe. The group has a quarter of a million followers on Twitter and has proved that it can launch coordinated attacks against people and organizations that attract Lulz's ire.
I Do Not (Heart) Itunes
Itunes is a fine application if you own a Mac. If you own a Linux computer, Itunes is not available and we should collectively thank Apple for not pursuing the Linux market. Unfortunately, though, Apple has decided to make Itunes available for Windows machines. That doesn't mean that you must use it, though.
Apple's applications for Windows are less than optimal. "Small piece of excrement in the punch bowl" might aptly describe (as politely as possible) my opinion of Itunes for Windows.
I have 2 Ipods: A Touch and a Nano 3G. If I plug in the Nano, Itunes will try to synchronize it, crash, and delete all the music from the portable device. If I plug in the Touch, Itunes will try to synchronize it, crash, and leave the music and apps alone. Neither of these is exactly the desired outcome.
I can easily reload music to the Nano from Winamp but Apple thought different enough when it came to the Touch that it created a device Winamp can't manage.
Enter Songbird
After installing Songbird, I opened the application. Twice during start-up Windows 7 told me that it had stopped responding and suggested that I close it. In both cases, I simply dismissed the dialog box and found that Songbird had not stopped responding.
The same thing happened when I imported my Itunes music library: Windows told me the application had stopped responding, I dismissed the dialog, and the process continued to a successful completion.
Exit Songbird?
It seems that no standalone application can deal with either the Ipod Touch or an Iphone.
Even worse, Songbird requires that Itunes be installed if you want to play any files in Apple's AAC format (M4A files). What's the point of that? I want to get Apple software off my machine.
For now, Songbird remains while I evaluate it. Itunes is back but is unused and unloved.
Other applications allow synchronizing Ipod devices (except Touch and Iphone) but some of them don't play music. So that leaves Winamp.
Winamp works well with Nano devices but not the Iphone or the Ipod Touch. Songbird's interface is better than Winamp's. Stay tuned and I'll let you know how this plays out.
If you have a Linux machine, here's an article with some recommendations.
Short Circuits
Recommended Websites
Occasionally I mention websites that I've found and think you might enjoy. It's been a while since I last did that.
So here goes ...
- 78 Photography Rules for Complete Idiots: Latvian photographer Ivars Gravlejs begins the site with Don't Take it Serious but the site does include several good suggestions along with a few that I consider wrong. See if you can figure out which is which.
- The Cold War: This is an interesting Cliff's Notes approach to the Cold War with history teacher John D. Clare who studied Modern History at Oxford University, graduated in 1974, earned a post-graduate Certificate in Specific Learning Difficulties, taught at Greenfield School, County Durham, and retired in 2010.
- Random Movie Facts: For example, In the movies, the ventilation system of any building is the perfect hiding place. No one will ever think of looking for you in there and you can travel to any other part of the building undetected.
- Need to type something in Russian? Я не русский шпион! You do need to know how to spell the words. If not, just use Google's language tools. Use this site and you can choose letters from the on-screen keyboard. (Incidentally, I noted that I'm not a Russian spy which is something the Nixon administration and J Edgar Hoover's FBI weren't so sure of.)
- Almost anything from CollegeHumor.com. The link I've provided is to a sketch called Girls Watch Porn, Too. No actual porn is involved but avoid this site if you're easily offended.
- Clever Typography: You'll find single-word graphic treatments (IMPOSSABLE) and more involved statements (Don't hold a grudge. Try my hand instead) on this site. It's delightful to see what graphic designers can do with simple messages.
Netherlands Leads the Way to Net Neutrality
This week Netherlands became the first European country to legislate network neutrality by forbidding mobile telephone companies from blocking, delaying, or charging customers extra for using Internet-based communications applications.
Because the Dutch law is a first in Europe, it will probably be used as the framework for laws in other countries as well as for rules that would apply throughout the European Union. Consumers who buy hardware and sign up for services from telephone companies have shown clearly that they don't appreciate extra charges or delays for services they thought were included.
Industry officials naturally predicted gloom and doom. The European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association warned that the law could reduce or eliminate operators' efforts to build high-speed networks.
The new law means that companies can offer a variety of plans with different speeds and prices but that they cannot link any of those plans to specific services that might be used over the Internet. And the law actually has some teeth: Violations could subject phone companies to fines equal to 10% of their annual sales.
The author's image: It's that photo over at the right. This explains why TechByter Worldwide was never on television, doesn't it?
