Ditching Karrigell

Karrigell is too complex for my needs. I'm going with mod_python for the web service backend and PHP/JavaScript for the frontend.

Going with PHP for the backend would make it easier to move to an external server that might not have Python, but starting with Python allows a quick start and giving some KPA-MySQL access code back.

The Publisher mod_python handler is excellent, exposes functions with their parameters. Extremely easy for web services. Combined with JSON for transfer of data, the web service side of it is pretty much taken care of.

The trick now is the right division of labor between PHP and Javascript. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of obvious tutorial for Prototype.

Setting up Karrigell according to http://karrigell.sourceforge.net/en/apache.htm (second version)

Moved autostart script to /usr/lib/cgi-bin

Enabled rewrite module.

Added handler for .cgi.

Still no worky:(

Notes on Taggart

Taggart is the code name for my newest crazy idea for a tagging system.

Put up mysql server with the usual password. Created db kpa, user taggart, as per in script in /usr/local/src/KPhotoAlbum-src/kphotoalbum/script/KPhotoAlbum

Ran script transferring all data from index.xml into MySQL. Created test script for getting out data, it seems to work.

Karrigell seems to be the nicer way to embed python in HTML, installed.

Next step: get list of images from a given folder and present them in HTML together with their tags. This requires some access methods -- they will be written as needed. Also need to interface with dcraw to get thumbnails - -c option is perty fast, but it needs downscaling too, and convert is slow. Using a faster resizer like point speeds it up a bit. Obviously need to cache these.

Note: filename and dirId are separate in the media db.

Keywording assistant

Ideas for a "keywording assistant" type application: Use keywords of other images not just as completions, but as suggestions.

Screen should contain either several lines of keywords from various input strategies (see below) or one big cloud with combined keywords, emphasizing the ones that are repeated from several strategies.

The user can click to pick, after which that keyword disappears and new ones arrive. Issue: How to avoid that the user clicks just as keywords change? Maybe fade in/fade out, maybe have slow movement from the edge, maybe keywords close to the mouse don't change. It's important that there is no interruption, the user should be able to click on several keywords quickly.

To lessen mouse straing, maybe have the top N keywords have letters or numbers assigned.

There are many possible strategies for selecting relevant keywords. Essentially, they find other pictures and add their keywords. It may be useful to have a way to push keywords out that don't apply, to avoid cluttering.

Strategies:

- number of shared keywords
- MPEG-7 image similarity
- image name similarity (e.g. numbering ranges close to the image in question) Only relevant for user's own pictures
- image time similarity
- image geo-tag similarity
- thesaurus similarity (this doesn't pick pictures, but individual keywords)

Photo editing ideas

Since reading Alain Briots 'Just Say Yes' essay on his standard reply to "Is this image manipulated?", I've been wondering about doing GIMPing (aka photoshopping) myself. Having met one of the forerunners in image composition, Scott Mutter, I'm not adverse to some fiddling, and like the possibilities it presents. One avenune that just popped up when looking at Jerry Uelsmann's front page is to make photos that show what I would like to see. A house with roots is plausible, I would love to live in one, but I don't think one exists. Why not use photography to explore the realms of the possible - things that ought to be, but would require more work in the real world that I can put into them.

New photos on walls

I changed out the photos on the walls at home, to some from the new batch (finally from the new camera). The black mattes are definitely better, though it's possible that a colored one would work better in some cases. White mattes are uninteresting, partly for the whiteness, partly because it hides the thin white edge around the picture itself. The extra edge on the prints helped with the smaller mattes, but the narrow edge is probably a few millimeters more narrow than needed, while the long edge is still too long. Of course 18.5x26.5 isn't exactly 2:3.

Specific notes:

0137-8108-waterfallrocks: Should have taken it a bit to the left, so the rocks were fully bordered by the water and the the waterfall itself could have been more towards the left corner. It is possible that the rock behind to the right should be made to have contrast in between the front and waterfall rocks, to give an even better feel of the depth.

0043-9109-hazy-landscape: Kinda dark for having a black matte. Possibly the front parts should be lighter, they are rather overpowered by the sunny top. Already starting to buckle despite being upstairs all the time. The foam core backing is definitely needed, and probably should go on together with the matter.

0166-9711-stretchedsand: This one just works.

0032-4738-leaves: I could possibly cut a bit of the top, bottom and left side, but otherwise it works.

0102-9044-tool: Very tempted to move the tool a bit in Gimp, but otherwise it's nice.

Need to sign them.

Fixing a Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens

For future reference (once I have another lens so that I can afford to risk losing the cheapo one):

The parts list for assorted Canon products is available at http://www.f20c.com/stuff/canon/partslist/ (for now -- probably should download them while they are there).

NFD phototrip

Went with NaturFotografer i Danmark to Uldum Kær, a wetland area near Horsens, this morning. Got up at three, was there just after four, when the sky was still reddening. Unfortunately, cloud cover was almost total, and we got no direct sunlight. There were many little lakes with iris, waterlilies, swans etc. While the landscape parts were limited due to lack of light (or fog), there was very little wind and macro was possible. Stayed there for 5 hours. Starting to think of a series about the dandelion.

More postcards, and reuploads

Put out 12 more postcards in Vesterport 3 (the place with Cryos).

Uploaded the right-size images to the webpage, so none should now look too small.

Made two presets on Lightroom export, and noticed a "minimize metadata" button that's probably a good idea for the JPEGs.

Further pics to update on website

Got almost all the 600-pixel images uploaded instead of 800-pixel versions that then get downscaled.  Missing the following, they should either be removed from the series or uploaded in correct size:

0040-9078-gable.jpg
0042-9107-landscape.jpg
0045-9115-landscape.jpg
0049-9272-windmill.jpg
0051-9466-thatched.jpg
0034-4739-leaves.jpg
0037-4808-windows.jpg (edit-2!)
0059-5540-sunset.jpg
0062-7328-ducks.jpg

Also need 600-pixel versions of the old photos.

Some photo trips

Went on a few trips since last post:

Samsø: Forgot my SD-CF card! Bummer, dude! And my backup was the other SD.

Ry: Missed a great picture of a heron at the mill by stopping too fast. Many photos were out-of-focus, even though they were taken with tripod, must take multiples and pick the best. Forests are actually tricky, can't see the forest for the trees. Have better control of aperture and ISO.

Moesgård: Got out too late (an hour before sundown), missed a lot of the good sun - it disappears fast in the forest.

Started passing out postcards last wednesday. Have now covered all obvious mail boxes in the industrial area south of us on the way to Bauhaus (10 postcards). Today did Høreteknik, Ældresagen and IF Erhvervscenter. No responses yet.

Making postcards

Made a new set of postcards today. In Dia, made a background layer with the print markings, and then one layer for each side. Exported them by hand to EPS (could have been done on the command line, but there were few enough I didn't bother). Concatenated all the EPS files and ran epstopdf on the result. Sent the PDF off to discountprint.dk - 378 for 50 of each of two postcards. Would have liked 100 of each, but that woulda been over 600, more than I'm willing to plonk down right now. If nobody bites on the first 50 postcards at all, then I guess the company sales idea is a flop, if somebody does bite I'll get money to get more.

I was 'official photographer' in Pisa for the PLANETS all-staff meeting. Took a bunch of pictures that I've hardly looked at yet, but in particular I took a group shot and mugshots of all the subproject leaders.

Found a reasonable light (between two lighted columns) for mugshots. Not quite enough room to get them back so light was on the fact rather than sideways. Took about 10 pics of each, which was good, since many were not very good. Getting light, focus, expression and composition right is not easy. Used the 50mm at f/2.8 ISO ... 400?

Group shot was reasonable. In the shade, camera on a table. Tried a panorama, but it got spoiled by not being carefully rotated.

Left work at 16:15. Sun down at 16:35. Went down to get fish. The container area is interesting, but full of trucks. Clouds behind KFK and Domkirken were interesting, took a few snaps. Also some snaps of wavy water to test long exposure and water reflections. Tried some railroad tracks on the way back.

Welcome to LiveJournal