Panasonic knows who you were with last night
Panasonic has hit a new depth in gubbins. It has built in ‘Face Recognition’ so the camera can identify who it has just photographed.
As a story, this would have been rightly ignored except to say it will be available with the other gubbins on the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580, Lumix DMC-FX48, Lumix DMC-ZS3 and Lumix DMC-TS1.
But somebody in Panasonic marketing has woken up to the idea that showing how you can recognize a picture of, say, a Panasonic director will neither create sales nor make the customers’ hormones jangle.
So with excellent taste and scientific rigor, marketing has made the right choice to put three Miami Dolphins cheerleaders to the camera to test this amazing idea.
(For American readers who do not understand the concept of cheerleaders one can merely feel pity. Think of how wonderful cricket could become with selected bands of cheerleaders roving the outfield? Dammit, I might even watch it myself.)
It is a scientifically proven fact that watching the Miami Dophin cheerleaders perform is an act of face recognition.
When spectators are watching them are they leering at their high kicking legs? Watching the gyrations of their super bodies?
No.
They are practicing face recognition which is what the camera does.
Checks their faces and ignores the rest of them. I am sure you could do that if you tried.
The first step is to register a particular individual, and this process consists of a few key elements in order to help the camera ‘remember’ a designated face. The selected cheerleader was Ariana who, while she has here charms, would not have been our first choice.
Then an icon was assigned to Ariana — it is the funny face about her head — to help distinguish between others. What would be chosen in my case gives one pause for thought. Probably my army rank and number.
Once you’ve chosen the appropriate icon you register the name, in this case Ariana would be appropriate..
I shall here quote another review. ‘This is the same interface as Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-TZ50, which is more sluggish than a Model T stuck in molasses. You’ll be pounding away in fury, attempting to mash the correct information via ultimate vexation. Once you’ve finally managed to register the name and everyone around you has left, it’s time to find them and take some pictures.’
I most certainly will not mention the name of Mike Perlman who wrote that on InfosyncWorld. I am not that sort of chap.
As you move the camera the stare remains, as it were, on Ariana. How does this technology work?
Panasonic’s explanation is that the ratios of facial attributes and their proximity to one another is how the camera calculates and stores a face. New to me but I am an amateur at these matters.
For instance, if a person’s eyes are far apart or they’re next-door neighbors, the camera will take this information into account.
The size of a face also has a bearing.
There is no mention of hair coloring so we cannot comment on blondes. And other aspects we might like to discuss but this is a family magazine.
So what is the point of this gubbins? None whatsoever. It just allows us to publish some picture of damned attractive women — this appears not to be BLORGE policy — and reflect on the idea of cheerleaders at cricket match.
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