Hand Gestures Recognition Technology

New hand gesture recognition technology from Victor Company of Japan Ltd. now makes it possible to control the television without a remote.

Tech-On!: Victor Company of Japan Ltd. (JVC) demonstrated a "handclap & gesture recognition TV" at CEATEC Japan 2007, which opened Oct. 2, 2007.

In the demonstration, the company operated the TV using its capability to sense the sound of handclaps and the gesture of a hand and fingers. The TV collects the sound of handclaps using the microphone on its top and distinguishes commands based on the timing and number of handclaps.

The TV detects hand gestures in the video being monitored with its camera and lets the user specify an icon by locating the hand on it and click an icon by bending and extending a finger.

As the TV recognizes a hand based on its shape, other things like sticks are not detected. If multiple hands are detected, the TV will give priority to the one at upper right.

Good thing this technology is not commercially available - Just imagine 2 or 3 kids each wanting to watch a different show...

Laws Regarding Palmistry

Palmistry is one of those grey areas when it comes to its governing laws and regulations in most countries. Normally it's the municipal laws and by-laws that you really have to look at. To read palms in one city may require nothing - Not even a business license. In another area you might need a business license and then have to make applications for additional permits as well, all prior to doing any paid palmistry work.

For example, in Santa Barbara California you have to look at Chapter 5.40 of their municipal code. There you'll find that palmistry is specifically listed as one of the "fortunetelling" practices that requires an "appropriate business tax".

The Santa Barbara Independent: We’ve all seen the signs for Madam Rosinka’s fortunetelling businesses, but other than that, we’re no Salem. Or so it seemed before reading Chapter 5.40 of the Santa Barbara Municipal Code.

Not that such practices are discouraged — rather, they’re perfectly permissible, so long as the magician pays the appropriate business tax. Among the professions for which a permit is required are astrology, palmistry, phrenology, life reading, fortunetelling, cartomancy, crystal gazing, and clairvoyance. You think that’s a comprehensive list? No. There’s also clairaudience, magic, necromancy, psychism, psychometry, mind reading, mental telepathy, automatic writing, spirit writing, trance mediumship, and sandgazing. If you’re reading this and asking, how could they have forgotten potion making in this list, rest assured — they didn’t. They also included materialization, ballot reading, conducting trumpet séances, prophecy, augury, divination, and the making of “magic articles.”

For anyone considering palmistry as a profession, it's just one more example of why you need to carefully check out the laws and licensing requirements in your exact area ahead of time.

Caught a Virus

Somehow wound up with a worm virus in my computer. Don't know yet how it got there in the first place, or how much damage it did before it was caught and repaired. So far everything is back and seems to be working fine (knock on wood)...

Fingernail Moons and Driving Habits

Your bad driving habits may be hurting you more than you realize - Perhaps doing as much harm as smoking 2 packs of cigarettes per day.

Take a look at your fingernails. In palmistry the "moons" at the base of each nail show how well blood and oxygen are circulating through your body. Too large of moons reveals excessive action of the heart (such as high blood pressure), while fingernail moons that are too small show weaker heart action and potential circulatory problems.

More and more I have been encountering very small fingernail moons on physically fit, active, and relatively healthy individuals. Sometimes these small moons can be attributed to carbon monoxide exposure from regular jogging along busy streets, or from smoking cigarettes. Yet in so many cases there seemed to be nothing in the lifestyle that would cause circulatory problems.

Well, today I drove on the freeway in rush hour traffic - Something I almost never do anymore. It quickly became pretty obvious where many people are getting their excessive carbon monoxide exposure. Just take a look at how close some drivers stay behind the car in front of them. If you don't leave enough space between you and the car ahead of you (especially in slow or stopped traffic), you may as well just put your mouth around a tailpipe and suck the exhaust straight in that way.

So there's one more reason to develop good driving habits - Follow too close and it's as if everyone in your car (children included) is chain-smoking cigarettes the whole time you're behind the wheel.