Technology

Free Web Accessible Visual Regular Expression Generator

Free Web Accessible Visual Regular Expression Generator

Mark is a programmer who hates writing regular expressions. So he wrote a kind of visual regular expression generator that starts with the string to be searched, identifies recognizable patterns in it, and lets you select those you want. Then it outputs a working (albeit probably inelegant) regular expression to get the job done. The commentariat over at txt2re.com is somewhat predictably divided between grateful regex amateurs and annoyed experts. [via Boing Boing]

High-Quality Open Source Body Tracking Sans Kinect

High-Quality Open Source Body Tracking Sans Kinect

Draw a bounding box around an object in the camera’s field of view and Zdenek Kalal’s open source Predator algorithm will continuously track it in real-time with just a standard webcam. That’s right, get Kinect-like body tracking without the fancy hardware. With all those front-facing cameras out there, just think of the mobile applications! Minority Report-style HCI, face tracking, improved visual search, and video stabilization are a few examples.

DIY Geiger Counters Take Center Stage

DIY Geiger Counters Take Center Stage

MAKE’s interview with hardware hacker Akiba highlighted a fascinating trend: individuals and small groups taking their safety into their own hands by creating, modifying, and networking radiation detectors, a.k.a. Geiger counters, rather than relying on governments for information. The following projects and kits aim to put Geiger counters in the hands of ordinary makers. Resources […]

Data Sorting Dances

Created at Romania’s Sapientia University. The YouTube channel is AlgoRythmics. Although some naysayers have expressed doubt about the choreographic expression of a quicksort, per the AlgoRythmics Facebook page, videos of both quick- and merge-sort dances will be uploaded in a few days. Stay tuned! [Thanks, Stefan!]