Ramble on, sing your song

Scripting stitching photos into panoramas

2009-12-26T17:59:00.012+02:00

Since my momentarily "new thing" for the last months in the mountains has been taking photos and stitching them into panoramas, I tried to optimize the process, especially since as with any "new thing", I tend to overdo it. Results on picasa.

The first step was finding a software for creating the panoramas. I was looking for something good, (reasonably) fast, minimum GUI and simple. Autostitch fit most of the profile. Initially, what I did was to pick the photos for each panorama by selecting them in the open files dialog, with Thumbnails view.

Time consuming, from experience some sort of pipelined workflow gives you same results faster. So I started going through all the photos in Picasa first, and in parallel moving the candidates for panoramas into separate folders. After, I started autostitch and did the stitch folder by folder. In the end, moved each panorama into the original folder naming it in such a way to keep the order of the photos when sorted alphabetically by filename, so that I could upload them efficiently to picasa web albums and keep the storyline.

This still involves a lot of repetitive, brainless work, especially in the "After" phase. I started looking for some command line options for autostitch, but unfortunately the developers there didn't consider it. After some browsing on the internet, I found a batch controller for autostitich, created with the exact purpose of allowing automatizations for panoramas creation.

Now all I had to do is write a script for the after phase. Since cygwin is always on my windows installation, bash was the natural choice.

I came up with this not-so-little messy thing:

Script can be downloaded from here.

Now, the "procedure" is:

download photos from camera to oane folder.

go through all the photos in Picasa, in paralel moving the ones that should make panoramas to separate folders each with Total Commander (Insert to select, Ctrl+X to cut, F7 to automatically create a folder with the proper name, navigate to it, Ctrl+V to paste, backspace to return and again)

when done, start autostitch, make the aproppriate settings (in my case, scale to 50%), and open one file from the original root folder (needed because of the way the batch controller works)

after that, I just start the script in cygterm, and after each photo is generated, I press a key for the script to continue (the preview picture needs to be closed before going to the next panorama).

the last step for me, is to re-open picasa, where now I have all the photos (non-panoramic) in between with the generated panoramas, crop, make other adjustments, and upload to picasa web albums.

Now, the solution works, and for how long this activity will still be of interest for me, I don't see other major improvements to be done in this direction. There are some serious limitations, most caused by the way autostitch is build and by the fact that the batch controller had to go through the Win32 API in a very "raw" way (search for a window, send button click events etc). I don't like the fact that you have to press one key to move to the next panorama, which prevents you from just "letting it run", maybe completely hidden. Also the not-so-robust behavior can be a problem.

So, if you know any other solutions to this (automatic panoramic pictures creation for multiple panoramas), please let me know. If not, and you had the same problem, maybe this can be useful.

Small revelations

2009-11-17T20:15:00.003+02:00

Tonight small surprises I did to myself converged and a strong feeling arouse: I am a man that WANTS.

When you're streched way beyond your known limits, and you get much new valuable input, something amaizing grows within only to surface so strong.

I love these dayz, when everything is just a haze (ro)

2008-07-11T12:54:00.000+03:00

I :x this country

Ieri, ceva treaba pe la faculta, trec pe la ai mei pt masa de pranz si dupa sa urc Copoul la picior. La iesirea din cartier, centru de colectare al metalelor, mereu o sleahta de tuciurii. ii vad de departe, stateau adunati cu mic cu mare in jurul unui puradel care se dadea pe o bicicleta (micuta gen bmx). Un aurolac care nu-i de-al lor (mdah, trec destul de des pe acolo :D) se apropie si "vrea si el", al mai burtos dintre tigani ii arde doua suturi in cur, toti se distreaza de minune. Ala insista, insista, pana la urma cel cu aere de bulibasa, generos, zice pustiului sa-l lase, eu deja ajunsesem la vo 20m de ei. Se suie aurolacu pe bicla si o ia usor pe strada in directia mea. La vreo 10m de mine, il vad ca se lumineaza la fata si accelereaza brusc, pana trece prin dreptul meu deja lacrima de fericire si radea cu toti dintii (4 sau 5), dand la pedala cracanat dar cu spor, cu pletele jegoase in vant - kodak moment :D. Satra miroase ceva, din ras trecusera pe surpriza, si purandeii o pornesc dupa el, apoi si aia mai mari, inclusib bulibasa, pana sa iasa din raza mea vizuala o luase la fuga dupa ala si lehuza in slapi. Dracu de pe bicla cotise deja la urmatoare intersectie. Pana la faculta ma mai ia periodic cate un acces de ras, de se uita lumea ciudat la mine pe strada ;)).

Later. Merg sa recuperez bocancii dusi la reparat (au vo 30 de ture la activ, inclusiv iarna prin zapada si s-au descusut saracutii), ii lasasem la primul pe care il gasisem in cartier cu masina de cusut pe lateral, tot un tigan, mic bondoc, chel, cu camasa si pantaloni cu bretele. Cand ma apropii de magazin, asta tocmai inchide, iesea cu vo 6-7 pechinezi + chihuahua-something. Ma recunoaste si imi spune ca a rezolvat cu bocancii, sa-l astept 10 min ca se intoarce. pana vb cu mine javrele au intrat intr-un magazin de carne, se aud ceva strigate de la vanzatoare si asta se duce sa le scoata. Stau pe o banca, admir "peisajul" (multa lume colorata - in ambele sensuri), asta revine, si-mi arata bocancii, zice ca doar i-a lipit ca e stricata masina da sa merg cu ei cu incredere, mi-i coase el cand ma intorc. Inainte sa ies, ia doi pumni de caise din lada de pe masa si vrea sa-mi dea, sa ma imbuneze :)).

Imi place la nebunie cartierul asta vara, plin de copchilaraie, tineri, galagie, de vo 10 ani nu s-au mai crestat cu sabile, de vo 5 ani nu m-a mai amenintat nimeni pe inserat ca ma taie daca nu scot banii, s-au umplut spatiile verzi dintre blocuri etc. Very very latino, aproape ca imi pare rau ca m-am mutat in cugul ala in zona "linistita" si plina de bosorogi.

Azi de dim, iar spre faculta, mi-a incarcat sefu de departament norma, nu dau de el, maine plec iar, si tre sa rezolv cumva. Fug dupa autobuz, n-apuc sa iau bilet din statie si merg la sofer, asta cand ma vede cu 10ron cica n-are sa-mi dea rest. Np, eu am vrut, asa cum si acu o sapt am vrut bilet la tren din statie si nu mi-o dat (ajunsesem cu 1min de plecare ianite dupa multe multe peripetii), si pana la urma am venit din simeria pana-n iasi cu 30ron/om grup de 6 :-", fara sa fi avut nici cea mai mica initiativa de manareala O:-) . Zic totusi cu voce tare ca astept sa inaseze de la oameni si raman in zona din fata. Mai urca cativa, tot cu bani mari, tot nu le da, eu scanez oleaca autobuzul, the usual stuff. Spre centru asa una din tipele fainute cu care "schimbasem priviri" se ridica sa coboare si vine pe la usa din fata unde eram eu, se tine de bara de care ma tineam si eu si chiar inainte sa opreasca autobuzul ma trage usor de un deget si-mi lasa biletul ei in mana (no phone number though, i checked :P). I mean .. how can you not love them, dupa faze din astea ? :)). La urmatoarele doua statii inca doua persoane imi dau biletele inainte sa coboare (avantaj voce patrunzatoare ;))), le dau la ceilalti care urcasera si nu a vrut soferul sa dea rest. La Bucegi urca si controlorul =)).

Adineaori m-am intalnit in autogara cu o parte din cei de la catzarat, oameni mereu pe drumuri, mereu grabiti si cu sclipiri in ochi. Maine plecare in gashca in crai la cocotz, canyoning si trasee nemarcate <:-P. I just love the summer :).

Planning is daydreaming ..

2008-06-26T13:15:00.010+03:00

.. any other (practical) purpose of it makes little sense to me. Usually, detailed plans just ruin the fun. I am, of course, talking about the holydays, summer and traveling, not about work :).

My next posts will probably be in the IasiOutdoors blog (ro). Summer rocks !

There's no safe way to see just how close you can get to a cliff without falling

2008-05-16T00:22:00.014+03:00

Curious individuals do have a tendency to test the limits, rather then take them as an established part of the environment. Probably because many of the rules we grow up with are not really justified, and they start feeling like a jacket that's too small, especially in "development stages". Many times though, after we live more, wise up and mellow, we turn with an indulgent smile to the "rebel" we were and realize that the rules themselves are not that much of a problem, the real issues were entirely different, and happiness doesn't lie just in breaking limits.

For the past two years, I've been really spreading myself in many directions. Trying everything that attracted me, especially when it came to work. I am sure that this helped me grow a lot, not only professionally, and it got me to a point where I am much better at judging the real value of my time and of the opportunities I get. BUT - I'm feeling like I'm close to an edge. If I push things much further without focusing, chances are I will spread myself to thin.

If you don't push boundaries, you rarely get anything relevant

2008-04-02T00:10:00.011+03:00

It seams to be true in science, it is definitely true in art. Some would argue that it applies to marketing and bussiness in general too. But today I'm thinking about people. Cosy, sedate interactions are a horribly slow way to get to know what one's really all about.

Practical perfection

2008-03-02T16:41:00.011+02:00

Just read this cool article by Guy Kawasaky about a smart, green building added to the Stanford campus, sponsored by Yahoo! cofounder Jerry Yang.

I couldn't quite pin-point the reason why I loved the whole thing so much. It was, of course, the modern and the environment friendly approach .. it was also the awesome fact that all the not-so-cheap investments made in various technology tweaks ($470/square foot) would pay for themselves in savings in only 6 years.

But there is more. It's spartan. It's modern not necessarily in looks but more importantly in concept. It's practical and simple. It's trully smart, not just preatty. It somehow reminded me of the fameous Antoine de St. Exupery quote:

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

Echoes

2008-02-07T00:47:00.002+02:00

A teaser:

Overhead the albatross
Hangs motionless upon the air
And deep beneath the rolling waves
In labyrinths of coral caves
An echo of a distant time
Comes willowing across the sand
And everything is green and submarine.

And the majestic, glorious, heartbreaking:

The Live At Pompei version is on YouTube too. Very worthwhile, as well as the rest of the concert (duh).

Warm fuzzy feelings

2007-12-28T02:23:00.000+02:00

Not long ago I wrote a post on dzone, signaling a problem about the voting system and suggesting some solutions.

If I'd have an option to cast my vote in the same place where the content that is producing it is located, I wouldn't miss rating one link.

The post became one of the most voted on dzone, and it actually caused a reaction.

A big problem at DZone is that you have to remember to go back and vote for links you have visited, and this Firefox add-on solves that problem beautifully. Every time you visit a link from DZone, this add-on places a small, unobtrusive widget on the target page to let you vote. Simply click the widget to cast your vote, and it will be registered just as if you had gone back to DZone. It’s a simple and convenient solution.

The extension does exactly what it should, and I strongly recommend it to any dzone user.

This was one of the coolest things I got from blogging. Making some difference on a larger scale.

Something that I enjoyed more, and less on a precioussssss ego-ride way, was the comment I received to this post (some very specific technical problem) on wordpress.

Man you saved my job. You performed a miracle just by solving this on your own. :-) May you prosper in life.

Despite the exaggeration, it's good to know that it helped someone. The post seams to be quite useful, it constantly gets 5-6 hits per day, and I'm happy for this.

This brings me to the point. It's a well written post (SEO and all) solving a real problem. It will make someone grateful, but it won't get me a subscribed reader. Thank God I'm not fixed on getting readers :). When I started writing in English, what I wanted was a place for experiments. And it's serving it's original goal well, I've learned many things that I expect to put into use for something real at some point. Everything else is a bonus :).

Happy new year.

Helping dzone: a usability problem ?

2007-11-17T14:37:00.000+02:00

If you're a developer and like to keep up-to-date with the trends in IT, and maybe learn a useful extra, you probably also read www.dzone.com. Community based, users post links that must get 4 votes to be promoted to the first page. The natural consequence is that the quality of the links depends solely on the number of active, voting users (since the "providers" and the "consumers" are the same group in this model).

Recently I noticed the announcement posted above the links list:

Well, I'm not a usability expert, but I think there is an elementary problem with the design of the dzone site that keeps users from voting. At least, it's keeping me from voting for links, new or front page.

I'm a mass surfer (and prolly most dzone readers are too). I use the middle mouse button to open tabs in the background (Firefox), and when I finish with one page, I close it and move to the next.

With dzone, this led to a problem. Once, I middle click on all the links that seem interesting from the main page, I get a bunch of opened tab that don't give me any additional information (except from the comments, maybe). So I use the middle mouse button again to open the links to the original pages, to see what they're really about. And I get something like this (but usually with more tabs :D):

So, in order to get to vote, I have to keep all the dzone tabs opened (or at least the links list), read through all the original pages, and then come back to the dzone site and actually rate the sites from what I remember. Or, keep on switching from each site to dzone to cast my vote. And that just ain't my style :)

I'm sure there are solutions. One I can think about right away would be to open the full original pages in a iframe and keep the dzone summary with the vote-up and vote-down buttons in a top iframe, similar to the way google opens images in the image search. Even better, mess with the original page a little and add the vote-up, vote-down button fixed in the upper right corner (this would be really cool, since when you go to the close tab button - if you use it - it is very easy for you to cast your vote).

There might be better ways to solve this. But if I'd have an option to cast my vote in the same place where the content that is producing it is located, I wouldn't miss rating one link.

Tangential (ro)

2007-10-28T03:06:00.000+03:00

An intro I made for a werewolf mafia I was game mastering some time ago. I kind of enjoyed writing it ;)).

Un trasnet spinteca aerul noptii si ma face sa sar in capul oaselor. Dar nu furtuna si obloanele izbite de vant m-au trezit. Iar am visat, si acum o spaima cunoscuta ma tine treaz in cearsafurile leoarca, cu ochii inca larg deschisi a groaza.

O variatie pe aceeasi tema, fantasme ale mintii mele amestecate cu franturi de amintiri. Tura asta se facea ca o luasera razna toti cainii din sat, scapasera din lanturi si goneau in haite prin desisurile padurii urate din Valea Rea.

Se innopta, era a furtuna, tata plecat de doua zile sa duca caii pe plai ca-n fiecare toamna iar eu pe prispa, bucurandu-ma de spectacolul stihiilor dezlantuite .. pe atunci vedeam altfel lucrurile ... Deodata printre brazii uriasi de pe coasta din fata casei au inceput sa coboare umbre, ghiceam ca erau cainii scapati, coborau in fuga de parca ar urmari sau i-ar urmari ceva. Am strigat la mama sa aduca pusca tatei, daca dadeau lupii la vite de pe acum nu ieseam cu bine din iarna. Mama cu fratii mici a ramas in casa, eu am pornit-o spre staul, nu aveam frica de lupi si trageam chiar mai bine decat tata. In fata staului, infipt pe picioare, il gasesc pe Flambur, cel mai strasnic dulau al tatei pe care il lasa mereu cu noi cand pleca dar care acum fugise de vreo doua saptamani cu toti ceilalti .. Bun, daca erau lupi imi va fi mai usor cu el la cum ii simte. Dar ceva nu era in ordine .. coama ii era ridicata pe spate si maraia dusmanos la mine. Deodata apar de dupa staul inca cativa dulai. Imaginile fug cum se intampla in vise, si ma vad in fata casei inconjurat de cainii salbaticiti si prea speriat ca sa ma gandesc la pusca. Nu stiu cum ridic ochii spre padure si ma ingrozesc: un lup alb, urias, nenatural de mare si parca luminand gonea la vale, indreptandu-se spre casa. Fug, tremur, ma impleticesc, abea reusesc sa inchid usa inainte ca fiarele sa-si clampane coltii in carnea mea. Inchidem obloanele in graba, in timp ce afara furtuna se dezlantuie odata cu cainii care scrijelesc, sapa pe sub grinzile temeliei, urla mai salbatic decat i-am auzit vreodata. Ne adunam toti in camera mare, in fata usii de stejar, fratiorii si mama plang, tremura, eu reusesc sa pun doua gloante pe teava cu mainile nesigure si acum o tin indreptata spre usa de care se izbeau ca innebuniti dulaii. Deodata se face liniste .. parca se opreste si furtuna. Insa doar pt o secunda, in clipa urmatoare usa zboara in tandari si in casa navaleste o fiara cum nu am mai vazut, un animal urias, lup pe doua picioare, falcile imense ranjite si pline de bale, cu blana insangerata lucind in lumina fulgerelor. Ridic pusca cu ultimele puteri ale unei fiinte secatuite de groaza, o intrept spre capul bestiei .. dar ochii goi, cruzi, ma opresc pt o secunda ... iar o licarire cunoscuta din ei ma paralizeaza de groaza .. acea groaza care m-a schimbat pe vecie ...

Sunt blestemat, o stiu. Si este, iar, timpul.

Colibri

2007-10-05T14:37:00.000+03:00

The greatest enhancer to Windows desktop usability: Colibri Type Ahead. It's been sooooo long since I've clicked on the start button the last time.

It only indexes the Start Menu, but it has some elementary AI build into it (it remembers the minimal keystrokes combination used for opening an application).

Random bytes of thought (3) ..

2007-10-05T14:20:00.000+03:00

.. that passed through my mind at some recent point:

not many ego boosters like beeing a mighty animal :D

you need a long, consistent stream of bad choices to actually fail

large scale idealism might _sometimes_ pay-off for players but it does come infiniteley much cheaper for bystanders

kindness of heart makes up for many flaws

there are many ways to make something done wrong appear as right

no advantage like a weakness turned around

looks like I can still be seduced by the wonders of a mind and the world it creates for itself

nothing more de-motivating then easy success

And some quotes, again, for authors look'em up with google.

Nothing can be so amusingly arrogant as a young man who has just discovered an old idea and thinks it is his own.

You need a healthy ego to endure the abuse that comes with any sort of success

It can be done / But only I can do it

All climbers are thin and tonic

Each sensation makes a note in my symphony

I’ve never been a praying man. But, if you’re out there, PLEASE SAVE ME SUPERMAN!!!!!

- I am not a number ! I am a FREE MAN !
- HA-HA-HA-HAAAAA

AdBlock EasyList problem with the Snap Shots FireFox extension

2007-09-15T11:13:00.001+03:00

I found a incompatibility between the EasyList filter subscription for AdBlock Plus and the Snap Shots extension. After some email's going back and forth with the CR department of Snap Shots and the maintainers of EasyList, I finally got a workaround:

Wladimir forwarded this to me. I have *.snap.com/* blocked in my easylist.

If you want to whitelist the Snap site, add:
@@|http://*.snap.com/

To allow Snap to work on other sites, disable:
.snap.com/$script
... in the easylist.

These should do it.

... Rick

The result:

So for those of you that want to use both, this is a solution. For me Snap Shots is a little too slow to use with google searches, and I rather use the middle mouse button since it's not keeping me stuck while the other page loads. But it's great for forums and other sites where the links don't come with a minimal description.

My thanks to Rich.

Alternative for all

2007-08-23T15:51:00.000+03:00

All is hardcore
When made with love
vs
Sinnerman you oughta be prayin
Oughta be prayin sinnerman
Oughta be prayin all on that day

Can you get the best of booth ?

Some more Gogole Bordello, I like these guys soo much.

Back online

2007-08-15T04:38:00.000+03:00

At one point I made the blog private, mainly because I've read some older posts and they seamed too self-important and ego-driven all of the sudden. It's a good constructive self-criticism, and maybe it will stick. ( doubt it though :) )

Anywayz, now it's back and I will keep it mainly professional / projects / music orientated.

For outdoor activities I've started a different blog here and populated it with some content from carpati.org where I post my mountain journals. If you are from Iasi, Romania just ask for editing rights and I'll add you to the author list so you can post (on topic), it's intended as a collaborative blog.

2007-05-21T21:46:00.000+03:00

I find that the better my "bussiness brain" works, the better it gets at seeing opportunity and finding it's place like fitting a piece in a puzzle, the more I feel the need of keeping and adding things in my life that can shut it down completely, from time to time.

Troubleshooting code dramatized

2007-05-11T14:04:00.000+03:00

1. gut feeling something is wrong
2. shit. something is actually wrong
3. become truly aware of the immensity of the problem
4. despair
5. start reading documentation, looking for solutions
6. become truly aware of the immensity of the documentation
7. despair
8. getting a general idea about a solution
9. figuring out the actual steps
10. coding it, testing it
11. I R God
12. back to 1 :D

Of course, it's not necessary a linear model, more of a cascade with returns :D.

Daily stress .. make it less

2007-04-26T19:21:00.000+03:00

Just some sparse random bits on what I've been dealing with the past few days:

if you're dealing with stupid, don't make the mistake of assuming you have an advantage ..

there's no winning against irrational

ro: taximetrist manelist care incearca din rasputeri sa fie om ok in societate vs programator roaker frustrat si cu un complex de victima. make your pick :D

New challanges

2007-04-23T22:08:00.000+03:00

As a follow-up to this post, the problem is solved, although the only credit I can take is for persistence.

New challenge: managing the cash in-flow and out-flow in the conditions when I don't receive a monthly paycheck (the fact that I never been a slave of the salary might help). Should be fun, finding a balance, especially that the idea of increasing the revenues is the one I strongly prefer :D.

A delicious Firefox extension

2007-04-14T13:03:00.000+03:00

As I've mentioned before, I'm a del.icio.us tagger.

They released a new Firefox extension, that integrated with the Firefox bookmark system. It's a little jewel ;).

Update: irrefutable proof that "it's a jewel": now I'm tagging just to get to use it =))

Followup

2007-02-21T11:51:00.000+02:00

Listened to some more of the Neville Brothers. Not that excited about the rest, and Aaron's Neville voice is kind of annoying. Maybe I'll find some of their older albums and change my opinion.

Still .. this song .. Never listened for a song for so long without becoming bored with it (like 6-7 times in a row). The beat .. the narrator voice .. and the way it evolves towards the end .

The Neville Brothers

2007-02-15T10:36:00.000+02:00

I accidentally got Sons And Daughters, by The Neville Brothers in my play-list .. and I'm speechless. Never did a post just on impulse .. like this one .. it's fantastic .. I'm so fucking high on it. Can't wait to get more of them to see what they're about.

Random idea to develop

2007-02-13T18:35:00.000+02:00

Been thinking .. yeah, it happens, sometimes ..

There is so much in this world that you cannot change (at least directly). Most "normal" people don't want to change what is beyond their reach - like the Moon orbiting around the Earth, or racists in South Africa while you live in Europe. But almost every person has a desire to have a influence in the environment around, and especially in the people. Well, it's a very broad subject.

To be more precise, you cannot have a direct and blunt influence on others. You have to respect what every person decides for herself, whether you agree with them or not.

So what would be a winning strategy ? Don't really know ... but focusing on someone's else flaw or mistake seams to be a sure losing strategy. You just have too little influence and the required effort is to draining, while you also might be missing some essential points. Of course, there are exceptions, different ways to look at it (you might sincerely want to help that person), special cases, but I'm only looking for a very general empirical theory :D.

So .. the only logical alternative I see is to focus on what you can change about yourself. Your mistakes, your flaws and shortcomings. Helping others grow (in case this is on your agenda) should be somehow indirect from that, or a side-effect. This is of course obvious and everybody applied it .. but only now I'm becoming truly aware of it. And it's a very constructive feeling, it has nothing to do with whining all day long.

Cool blog

2007-02-08T00:29:00.000+02:00

Thought I'd point to one of the rare blogs that actually might worth subscribing to. And it's not IT-ish :D.

It's people sending a home-made postcard displaying their deepest secret. New posts are published only once a week, so it can actually be enjoyable to get your feed. Some posts are fucked up, some are funny, some are touching. Some of the postcards have interesting artwork .. Overall, it's a 10+ on my score board. authentic is probably the best word to describe it.

Btw, there might be a good business behind it. They are printing books out of what people send.