Archive for the ‘Internet’ Category

Yes, as the title says, the best Octave tutorial out there is the one made by Professor Andrew Ng from Stanford. He started his world-famous Coursera almost two years ago. Now is one of the most successful companies in the world, why? Because it really gives what it promises and more: makes you understand Science.

Well, well go deep on it by yourself. These videos down are one of the first videos that Profr. Ng made for the course “Machine Learning”. I took it a year ago in its original website ml-class.org and it amazed me. I understood everything and didn’t have to smash my head to do so.

One of the chapters of his class was about handling Octave, the best free substitute for Matlab. Are you eager to master these computing tools? Dive into Octave next to Professor Ng. I promise you will be also amazed by the clear and concise way he teaches. This, my dear people, is the best Octave tutorial ever:

Part 1:
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Free lectures! Free courses on-line! Free! Free!

Got your attention? I’m like spam.

So far, so good. It has been a year since I decided to get fully involved in this field of Computer Vision, and hasn’t been easy, but I gotta say it is full of surprises. My University has been strongly doing some research about it, and a proof of that is that the 3D Computer Vision course given in Coursera is actually done by a Professor in my university (tho in German). So, I think we’re moving quite strong.

quadrocopter

My curiosity took me to the Computer Vision chair of the Informatics Department at the TUM and I think this semester they completely got me, as I’m planning to get the 3 lectures given there: Visual Navigation for Flying Robots, Multiple View Geometry and Machine Learning for Robotics and Computer Vision. Robotics, Machine Learning and Computer Vision! Makes my mouth water. Huh! Beautiful. (more…)

Not sure if a late Easter egg, a passing joke or a permanent feature (would be fun), but Google gives us again the opportunity to play around with the common things on the internet.

This time comes all through Youtube. A new feature was added to the player of Youtube: the “Tape Mode”. You click it and your image will seem like an old VHS-cassette-like video. Quite nostalgic, I would say. I just discovered it watching some Ellen videos (I admit it, goddamit, that woman’s jokes are funny for me), and discovered this one with Steve Carell (better if you watch it in Youtube‘s website):

The legend says that they do it because of the 57th Anniversary of the commercial realease of the first VHS cassette. Well, quite a random number for me, but anyways. Not all videos have this feature. Apparently you just have to randomly find them too. Buuuu!!

Oh yeah, click “Pause” and it will keep the old effect of the cassette. These hipsters are everywhere with the electronic vintage effects. First their instagram, now this. I don’t think is gonna last, but I’d activate it for fun only.

Find a nice video and give it a try!

Many companies around the world are fascinated with natural selection, because there is no wider range of inspiration for technology than the nature itself. Machines, robots and software are being designed with a strong background in biological elements. It is not coincidence that terms like mouse, virus or bug are common in the thecnological field.

Festo is a german company whose main goal is to design and build actuators for the automation industry. They are one of the biggest in this field. However, the german engineering is challenging through Festo again, and the innovation lovers in the company created the Festo Bionic Lab, where they have a complete freedom to experiment with their creativity. What have they done? A field entirely made of biological immitation. Their creations may  deceive your eyes at first sight, but oh boy! They have nailed it. Let’s check their main robots (my favorites), just for you to have an idea what I’m talking about…

The Airacuda was the first project, released in 2006, and the big challenge was to create a system that could really be an underwater robot, behaving and moving as a real fish. It still seems quite “robotic” with no emphasis in its out-looks, but the engineering behind such an underwater systems has been a true innovation copying the fish.

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And the guys in Google seem to have lots of free time. Following the concept they created last year with an 8-bit Google Maps, this year they come with a new idea for April’s fool: an old style Treasure Hunt. I don’t know for how long it’s gonna be available but this trick looks very odd (tho funny).

When you open Google Maps for the first time you can see on the upper right options of visualization, an option that states ” Treasure”. Click it. That’s it, you can see now your map as an old middle aged map. They say you can find some hidden treasure chests, but I think it’d be very hard and time-consuming.

Munich vintage

But what happens when you wanna have a closer look? Well, unfortunately it zooms in until a definite distance, as they didn’t rendered all buildings and streets, just the main ones. However, if you choose the “Street view”, you will have a surprise having an old telescope-like look.

Munich landscape vintage

Aaaaand, that’s this year’s Easter Egg from Google Maps. Maybe not so special but, quite creative and entertaining. Have a look at your city. How much stuff is in it? Did you see the most interesting things?

For some weeks now, I’ve been learning about Finance and Market, it is a very challenging field for me and, as usual, has given me a lot of new knowledge.

This time, through the great group “Big Think“, Bill Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, explains fast but on detail everything you need to know about Finance and Investment.

Taking us by the hand and with really simple examples, his very graphical explanation gets rid of any common mistake we could have.

Highly recommended to learn a bit more. Less than an hour but a lot to catch.

It is like a spell to get my attention, and work perfectly. Jazz music and the concepts of Numerical Computation, Machine Learning and Image Understanding might seem very difficult to mix, but it happens and it is entertaining as nothing else.

First of all those topics entertain me a lot and, being a big fan of Jazz, I actually love the many people try to involve the listeners to my passions, like if they know what I like and put them together for me. For sure many people feel like me.

Well, many versions of these Nerd songs are rolling in internet. Following you’ll find a Playlist I made dedicated for the classic songs of the most used Numerical Computation Methods. A nerd list among the nerdiest things. Enjoy it! (more…)

This post is intended to be a completely personal point of view. Steve Vai was (and still is) a big influence as I was a kid trying to put some beautiful noise through my guitar.

Time has passed and I still enjoy listening to his music. He is a complete musician with a priviliged ear and fingers. Of course, he was a guitar freak since his early years, practicing and practicing every time, but either way he became an endless source of creativity and talent.

Chit-chat is done. The thing is that here I present my 7 (magic number) favorite songs of Steve Vai, just for you to know and (in a desired case) also respond with your favorite ones from him. Tan ta ra raaaaaaa!!: (more…)

More than a song, it is actually an amazing instrumental composition. If not familiar with Latin American music, let me tell you that there is a wide range of music styles in our beloved continent. Not everything is Salsa, my friend.

Danzón was born in Cuba in the late years of the XIX century and the early XX century. Because of its neighborhood with Mexico, precisely at the Atlantic coast, the Mexican nation adopted the dance with joy and became very loved as it is a romantic and flirting approach for the dancers, full of lust, enchanting moves and passion.

The danzón (which literally would mean in Spanish something like “Big dance”) became popular in the region along the Gulf of Mexico, being Veracruz the most representative place of it (tho Tabasco and Campeche have good representatives too). However, the melody today is “Danzón No. 2″ from the Maestro Arturo Márquez, the talented composer born in Sonora. Nowadays is this melody almost a symbol of Danzones and thus of Latin American music in general. No, it is not THE symbol, but it is for sure now a classic.

Many may not like Dudamel‘s version, as he uses to be very “fogozo” in its conduction. He gives another interpretation. Wagner would shit inward for sure if he hears Dudamel directing with his style, but we must not forget that this is a Danzón, a Latin American song and I personally think that Dudamel has taken it beyond and it is a real pleasure to listen to it.

Well, too much chit-chat. Following is my favorite version of Danzón No.2. Enjoy!

I first met this guy time ago when I saw a couple of his videos in internet. I thought “this grandpa has some passion”.

Huh, boy! Igor Presnyakov is not only that guy of the videos. He is HUGE, I mean it in the musical way. He became famous alsmost instantly and no doubt why! He is a virtuosos with the rare capacity of making very good covers with an acoustic or classical guitar. Excellent dude and big talent! Just check him out!

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