forcebwithu Posted July 19, 2025 Posted July 19, 2025 This came up in my YT recommend list. I'm just blown away on how far terrain and object mapping has come, and when married to gaussian splatting you end up with photorealistic views of the world from every conceivable angle. Almost as good as seeing these places IRL. Here's a quirky explanation of what gaussian splatting is and how it works. 2 1
boydeste Posted July 19, 2025 Posted July 19, 2025 8 hours ago, forcebwithu said: This came up in my YT recommend list. I'm just blown away on how far terrain and object mapping has come, and when married to gaussian splatting you end up with photorealistic views of the world from every conceivable angle. Almost as good as seeing these places IRL. Here's a quirky explanation of what gaussian splatting is and how it works. Technology advancement in this past 10 years really does blow ones mind at times. 1
lazarus Posted July 19, 2025 Posted July 19, 2025 (edited) 12 hours ago, forcebwithu said: ...photorealistic views of the world from every conceivable angle... I remember getting a set of NASA Gemini photos of earth when I was a kid...state of the art at that time. Nowadays it's the Chinese who are producing the 'wow' factor via their advanced drone technology and supporting software. The US has been left in the dust. "DJI accounted for over 90% of the world's consumer drone market as of June 2024." https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/06/26/1094249/china-commercial-drone-dji-security/ . . . From my research assistant AI Bob 🤖... DJI Terra is developed by DJI, a Chinese technology company. The company's headquarters are located in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. Shenzhen is sometimes called China's Silicon Valley, and DJI benefits from its access to suppliers, raw materials, and a young workforce. While DJI has a global workforce with offices in several countries, including the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, and South Korea, the company was founded in China and is deeply connected to its origins there. There have been concerns raised about DJI products and their ties to the Chinese government, leading to some countries, including the United States, imposing restrictions on the use of their products. However, DJI states it is a privately owned and operated company. . . . The rest of the story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJI . . . Edited July 19, 2025 by lazarus 1
forcebwithu Posted July 20, 2025 Author Posted July 20, 2025 6 hours ago, lazarus said: ... Nowadays it's the Chinese who are producing the 'wow' factor via their advanced drone technology and supporting software. The US has been left in the dust. "DJI accounted for over 90% of the world's consumer drone market as of June 2024." https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/06/26/1094249/china-commercial-drone-dji-security/ . . . Unfortunately for those in the US, there may be a ban put in place on the purchase of DJI equipment. When I asked AI Bob if any other country were considering a ban, the answer was no. Since this isn't the politics area, I'll say no more.
Toy Boy Posted July 20, 2025 Posted July 20, 2025 I've revised my bucket list way down, at least in terms of places and things I want to see. That's mainly because of the guy who makes the original Scenic Relaxation YouTube videos, his recent one on Laos is good: I'm not sure who he is but his first film was about the Alps in northern Italy, and he has a geologist's eye, so I'm guessing he's an Italian geologist, maybe a student who graduated not long before Covid, and started making these one-hour videos. With the drone, he gets views that are impossible on foot and you see stuff in the videos that you could never see if you visited in person. Just have a look at his video if the tepuis in Venezuela where he flies down what I guess is the Angel Falls, you ain't going to do that in person. The single videos covering big, complex countries like India and the US, Canada and Australia, are a bit disappointing, but then he managed to get permission to film in Oman where drones are strictly verboten. His latest videos cover places as as diverse as Mauritania, Ethiopia, Libya and Mongolia. My favourite of the lot is the one on Tibet. It saves me a lot of boot leather compared with visiting in person, too, lol. His success spawned a lot of imitators, many of them touting 8k movies, a bit pointless since I've yet to see an 8k TV on sale. For the real thing, subscribe to his channel https://www.youtube.com/@ScenicRelaxationFilms/videos He and his wife or GF put in cameo appearances from a distance, usually either perched precariously on a very high point or else enjoying sports. It's hardly new technology, I know, but watching these has removed a lot of my wanderlust and, as a geologist myself I enjoy seeing what he focuses on. With his drone coverage and a large screen TV you can see stuff you never imagined. 2
forcebwithu Posted July 23, 2025 Author Posted July 23, 2025 On 7/19/2025 at 12:54 PM, forcebwithu said: This came up in my YT recommend list. I'm just blown away on how far terrain and object mapping has come, and when married to gaussian splatting you end up with photorealistic views of the world from every conceivable angle. Almost as good as seeing these places IRL. Here's a quirky explanation of what gaussian splatting is and how it works. Who knew... In less than a year gaussian splatting is now old technology and triangle splatting is the latest and greatest in 3D photo rendering.
lazarus Posted July 23, 2025 Posted July 23, 2025 Drag and drop your image here or choose image Using screenshots may decrease detection quality Max image size 8MB, 10000x10000px OR Check Spot AI-Generated Images in Seconds! WasItAI is a powerful tool that helps you identify AI-generated photos with ease. Ensure visual integrity and equip yourself to distinguish AI from reality. Try WasItAI today and see the difference! https://wasitai.com
Toy Boy Posted July 24, 2025 Posted July 24, 2025 When I was working in the office someone usually had to take minutes of meetings. It was generally the most junior dogsbody, which was me to start with, so I got quite a bit of practice in the early 1980's. I hated the job, but nowadays there are AI note-taking apps that record the meeting and then produce a written summary, key points, and so on. I think I'd have killed for one of those way back then, lol. 2
forcebwithu Posted July 24, 2025 Author Posted July 24, 2025 1 minute ago, Toy Boy said: When I was working in the office someone usually had to take minutes of meetings. It was generally the most junior dogsbody, which was me to start with, so I got quite a bit of practice in the early 1980's. I hated the job, but nowadays there are AI note-taking apps that record the meeting and then produce a written summary, key points, and so on. I think I'd have killed for one of those way back then, lol. Speech to text has gotten amazingly good. I use it anytime I want to use my mobile for Google searches, sending an SMS or email.
Toy Boy Posted July 24, 2025 Posted July 24, 2025 24 minutes ago, forcebwithu said: Speech to text has gotten amazingly good. I use it anytime I want to use my mobile for Google searches, sending an SMS or email. I agree. The Whisper AI speech to subtitle app that I raved about in the other topic is brilliant. It gets a bit confused with foreign words and accents, and lacking context it occasionally gets things wrong, but for simply transcribing periods of normal conversation into text (and adding the srt time stamps as a bonus) it's really very good. Dragon Dictate, eat your heart out, lol!
forcebwithu Posted July 30, 2025 Author Posted July 30, 2025 More amazing technology. It does get a bit freaky at the 2:34 mark when they take one of the hands off and she controls it while it's sitting on the table top. 1 1
lazarus Posted July 31, 2025 Posted July 31, 2025 😛 . . . Japanese scientists created a soft robotic tongue that mimics real human licking Researchers in Japan have developed a soft robotic tongue that looks and moves like a real human tongue. It mimics the texture, moisture, and flexibility of flesh using gel materials and sensors. The tongue, named "Licker", was designed to simulate human licking sensations and tongue motion. Its creators say it could be used in therapy, especially for stroke patients and people with swallowing disorders. It can bend, stretch, and apply pressure just like a real tongue, offering a more lifelike experience than ever before. Scientists also believe it could lead to more realistic robot pets or human-robot interactions. But critics worry this is a creepy and unnecessary step in tech. Either way, Japan just brought us one step closer to robots that can lick like humans. . . . https://www.facebook.com/TokyoGaijinMode 1 2
lazarus Posted August 16, 2025 Posted August 16, 2025 Take birdwatching to the next level...& never leave your couch! . . . https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09PNJMZX8?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1 4
Toy Boy Posted August 17, 2025 Posted August 17, 2025 14 hours ago, lazarus said: Take birdwatching to the next level...& never leave your couch! . . . https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09PNJMZX8?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1 Great idea! My older brother back in Wales loves his bird feeders and watching them out of his kitchen window. One of those would take it to a new level, I'll suggest it to him. 1
karon steve Posted August 17, 2025 Posted August 17, 2025 Is anyone else getting sick and tired of everything being labelled AI? What is AI about a bird feeder with a camera? 1
lazarus Posted August 17, 2025 Posted August 17, 2025 4 hours ago, karon steve said: >Is anyone else getting sick and tired of everything being labelled AI? >>What is AI about a bird feeder with a camera? > Previously the labeling for AI was more nuanced: e.g., speech recognition, CGI, 'photoshopping', beauty filters, etc. AI has become the 'umbrella' term, and yeah it's overused. . . . What is AI about a bird feeder with a camera? >> The ability of a phone 'app' to recognize and categorize a bird species in a nano-second. IRL, I can't tell you the amount of time I've spent crossing referencing my bird books to make a positive ID of a new bird photo. There's been bird ID programs for awhile (see link), but this feeder/cam/ID app is the first I've seen. https://ebird.org/home 1
boydeste Posted August 18, 2025 Posted August 18, 2025 1 hour ago, lazarus said: 007 eyeglasses... . . . I would question that they can work all day with 1 charge, especially when connected to wifi etc. Having said that, the concept is great. 1
forcebwithu Posted August 27, 2025 Author Posted August 27, 2025 This was interesting to watch. Translation of title and description: FY2025 Research Facility Open Day (11) Drawing Pictures with Waves (Deep Sea Tank) This is a video from the 2025 Research Facility Open House "(11) Drawing with Waves." Due to the huge popularity and crowding on the day, we are releasing this video for visitors who were unable to see it. Waves are generated in the following order: "Flower Circle," "Concentrated Wave," "Swirl Wave," and "Mesh Wave." 1 1
forcebwithu Posted August 28, 2025 Author Posted August 28, 2025 (edited) Ok, not only is this amazing technology, but it's freaking hilarious. It's not just an auto-aiming trash can; he also has a mop attachment, garbage bag changer, and get this, it can play rock, paper, scissors with you as well. Edited August 28, 2025 by forcebwithu 4 1
boydeste Posted August 28, 2025 Posted August 28, 2025 1 hour ago, forcebwithu said: Ok, not only is this amazing technology, but it's freaking hilarious. It's not just an auto-aiming trash can; he also has a mop attachment, garbage bag changer, and get this, it can play rock, paper, scissors with you as well. They obviously have too much time on their hands. Oh and money to burn. Clever, interesting stuff though! Enjoyed watching it. 1
forcebwithu Posted August 28, 2025 Author Posted August 28, 2025 12 minutes ago, boydeste said: They obviously have too much time on their hands. Oh and money to burn. Clever, interesting stuff though! Enjoyed watching it. The make their money as YT content creators. They must be new at it as their channel has only a couple videos so far, the oldest from 2 months ago. https://www.youtube.com/@HTXStudio 1
Butch Posted September 10, 2025 Posted September 10, 2025 (edited) re the Gaussian splatting. The more I see stuff like that, the more I'm awestruck at how far tech has come in my lifetime, in fact, in the last 10 years. When I think maybe a bit too much, I begin to actually consider if the Simulation Theory has some weight to it. Incredible. Edited September 10, 2025 by Butch 1
forcebwithu Posted September 15, 2025 Author Posted September 15, 2025 (edited) The new Hypershell X Ultra Exoskeleton goes on sale today. Pretty cool technology. Now everyone can climb the highest munro with @Phantom51red and run long distances with @richy65. 🙂 Edited September 15, 2025 by forcebwithu 2 2
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