Since you can buy fake Instagram followers on a vending machine (no, it’s not a joke), the platform has found a mildly disturbing way to make sure its users are human. Despite Facebook shutting down its facial recognition system, Instagram is asking some users to send video selfies to verify that they aren’t bots. This was initially posted on XDA Developers, and social media consultant Matt Navarra posted it to his Twitter....
Admit it! object masking sucks. It’s not that it is impossible, even the hardest selections and masks can be created with some work (and some methods require less work that others). But, in general, masking is a hard and tedious work. Researchers in the The Chinese University of Hong Kong working with Adobe Research are now showing some work that uses Convolutional Neural Networks to successfully mask portraits. The paper bears the boring name “Automatic Portrait Segmentation for Image Stylization” [PDF link], and it shows how selection and masking can significantly improve if the software knows that it’s making a portrait....
If you’ve always wanted an easier way to sell your artwork online, then 8×10 could be the app you’re looking for. By connecting to Instagram, your followers can now purchase limited edition framed prints through your posts. It doesn’t matter if you’re a painter, graphics designer, or a photographer, as long as your image looks good framed, then you can earn bucks using it. 8×10 is such a promising concept, and if it becomes successful, then Instagram would surely be more than just a platform to gain exposure for many visual artists....
Photojournalists covering wars are exposed to life-threatening situations every day. Sadly, many of them have lost limbs and even lives while doing their job. This fantastic video from CBS Sunday Morning gives you a look into the lives and legacy of war photographers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaWfyqRdpHc The video reflects on life, work and legacy of Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros, who lost their lives in 2011 while covering a war in Libya. In the video, you can hear Chris explain that the problem with war photography is that “you can’t do it from the distance....
The research found that these tracking methods are inevitable The research found that these tracking methods are inevitable When we don’t want our data tracked, we would simply go to our settings (both system and app settings) and tap “Do Not Share.” Though this gives us a sense of security, it doesn’t cover all of the bases. The problem stems from system apps and bloatware. When you get a new phone, there are usually pre-installed apps, and you can’t get rid of some of them....
