In 2015, a research paper by Gatys, Ecker and Bethge posited that you could use a deep neural network to apply the artistic style of a painting to an existing image and get amazing results, as though the artist had rendered the image in question. Soon after, a terrific and fun […]
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Survivorship Bias
In WWII, researcher Abraham Wald was assigned the task of figuring out where to place more reinforcing armor on bombers. Since every extra pound meant reduced range and agility, optimizing these decisions was crucial. So he and his team looked at a ton of data from returning bombers, noting the […]
Read MoreMachine Learning/AI for Kids: Resources
I’m on a parent advisory committee at my daughter’s school. The committee is taking a look at the school’s existing Computational Thinking curriculum and where it might want to head in the future. Luckily for us, the faculty is already doing a very good job with the curriculum. So our role as […]
Read MoreNetgear ORBI – This is the WiFi You Are Looking For
“Steve, the wifi is down.” As the go-to guy in the house for all tech issues, I’ve been hearing that call, and reading that SMS text from family members for more than a decade. I’ve come to dread those words. In recent years, it’s been all-too-frequent. And since the longest-running […]
Read MoreUpdating PLEX Media Server
Here’s how to update Plex Media Server on a server running Ubuntu. Make sure you replace the URLs and packages with the latest release. Find the URL for the latest Plex Media Server package here. SSH into your server. Download the latest package (replace filename with the latest), then install it: Following […]
Read MoreDeOldify: Auto-color B&W Photos with Machine Learning
I’ve just discovered an incredibly cool project on Github: DeOldify, which uses deep learning to automatically colorize old black & white photos. It’s not perfect, but what it’s able to do is pretty amazing, and improving rapidly. In addition to ninja-level coding, author Jason Antic (@citnaj on Twitter) does a […]
Read MorePodcast Interview with “Built to Sell Radio”
I met John Warrilow in 2010, when we were both living in France. John’s an experienced entrepreneur, a published author (his own book, columns for Inc. and other business publications.) He runs Built to Sell Inc. and the informative business podcast “Built to Sell Radio,” which talks about the steps involved […]
Read MoreBuild Your Own Enchanted Rose Prop (Part II)
Part 1 of this article covers the basic parts list, code, and assembly. UPDATE (January 2023): I’ve built a version 2.0 of this prop. See “Enchanted Rose 2.0: Raspberry Pi Prop with Falling Petals” for updated instructions. UPDATE (April 2021): The Bluetooth shield used in this Arduino-based project is apparently […]
Read MoreBuild Your Own Enchanted Rose Prop
NOTE: There’s a version 2.0 of this project! Follow this link for information on Enchanted Rose 2.0. My daughter is in Beauty and the Beast this spring. So I thought it’d be a good opportunity to test my Internet of Things (IoT) skills using Arduino, Bluetooth and iOS, and build […]
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