Capacity

I believe we are infinite in capacity. As long as we increase our throughput wisely and organically, we are not at risk of depletion. Where we are limited is in time.

Scripting stitching photos into panoramas

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:

1. download photos from camera to oane folder.


2. 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)


3. 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)


4. 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).


5. 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

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)

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 ..

.. 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

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

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.