Hardware Acceleration is Coming to Chrome - Try it Now

Hardware Acceleration is Coming to Chrome - Try it Now: "

Google just confirmed that Chrome will soon support GPU hardware acceleration. Developers can speed up the rendering of complex pages by offloading a lot of the processing to a computer's graphics card, which - after all - was specifically designed for these tasks. As browser developers continue to try to increase the responsiveness of their applications, hardware acceleration is the natural next place to look for performance gains. Microsoft is also working on hardware acceleration for the next version of its browser. The company plans to unveil the first complete build of Internet Explorer 9 next month. Mozilla, too, offers support for GPU acceleration in the latest beta version of Firefox 4 for Windows.

Sponsor

Vangelis Kokkevis, one of the engineers behind the Chromium project, notes that Chrome currently only uses hardware acceleration for displaying some content. Now that the basic infrastructure is in place, however, the Chromium team expects to move 'even more of the rendering from the CPU to the GPU to achieve impressive speedups.' In the long run, Google will likely also use this same infrastructure to offer support for accelerated 3D graphics in the browser.

Give it a Try

To try Chrome's built-in GPU acceleration, you need to run a cutting edge version of Chrome (even more cutting edge than the canary builds). You can find recent build of Chromium - the open source project behind Chrome - here. You can easily install Chromium parallel to Chrome and the two installs generally don't interfere with each other.

By installing Chromium, you will also get a chance to test Google Chrome Labs. You can find more information about this feature here.

Once installed, you need to run the application with the --enable-accelerated-compositing flag. To do so, you can either run the program from the terminal and set this switch by hand, or - in Windows - check the properties for the executable and append the flag to the target in the properties dialog.

Chances are that you won't notice too much of a difference right now, though you will probably notice some speed-ups while viewing highly complex pages.

More Technical Details

If you are interested in the exact details of how Google's hardware acceleration in Chrome works, have a look at this design document Google also just published.

Tip of the hat to Conceivably Tech for spotting this new feature first.

Discuss

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Two Must-Have Tools for a More Readable Web

Two Must-Have Tools for a More Readable Web: "

Here's how most folks use the Web. You get a link in email, Twitter, Facebook, IM, whatever and you open it in a new tab.

Then, at some point in your copious free time, and possibly while reading other more pressing things, you'll read these 43 tabs, right? Even better, some of the articles are 8 pages long so you'll load up pages 1-4 and 6 and you don't even know why.

Then, maybe your browser crashes or your system reboots or something locks up or you get confused as to why you wanted to read that in the first place.

This is not cool and I refuse to use the web in this way anymore. Here's what I do.

Consider this new workflow. You'll either Read It Now or Read It Later.

First, Reading Stuff Later

Whenever you find something long that you KNOW you want to read but you just don't have time now, don't open a tab. Save it to Instapaper. I've got a bookmarklet for Instapaper in my bookmark bar on all my computers in all my browsers. This important, hence the bold.

If it's not setup on all your machines in any browser where you might find content, you'll fall back to old habits and not use it. Take the 10 minutes and do it. The bookmarklet even works from within Google Reader. Anywhere you find stuff you want to read later. You can even have your Instapaper queue sent over to your Kindle if it makes you happy.

Example Workflow

Lets say I see this article by Phil Haack tweeted. I visit the page and while it looks interesting, he's SO loquacious and I'm busy now. I'll read it later.

I'll click "Read Later" in my bookmarks bar, and I see this notification.

Fast forward some hours. I've got time and I've collected a few interesting bits that I'm looking forward to reading. I visit Instapaper and see this:

There's the articles I've saved lately, with new ones first. It knows what I've read, what I've starred and what's been articled.

Here's an interesting bit, while I can click the link for Phil and visit his site, I don't. I'll click "Text" for Phil's article using a filter. The Instapaper filter is a lot like Readability (more on that later) in that it removes the non-content parts of the article. It also adds a little bar at the top where I can select between readable fonts, change the width, font size and line spacing. Everything here is focused on text and making the content I'm consuming more soluble.

I can of course also read from my phone (I'm working on a Windows Phone 7 version) or whatever device makes me happy. It's the same queue.

Second, Read It Now - with Readability

Sometimes I want to read something right now, but the site I'm looking at is just too busy. Recently I wanted to read this article on overclocking my motherboard. However the site looked like Las Vegas.

I have another bookmarklet called Readability.

There it is...

And as Rob Conery likes to say pressing it "is like closing the car windows while driving on the freeway."

I find that the simple introduction of these two tools, Instapaper for Reading Later and Readability for Reading Now not only allow me to consume and collect MORE information than before, but I'm slightly less stressed out while I'm doing it. Goodbye 43 tabs.

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© 2010 Scott Hanselman. All rights reserved.

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Ops! As 10 melhores invenções (acidentais) de todos os tempos

Ops! As 10 melhores invenções (acidentais) de todos os tempos: "

“Tudo vai de encontro com aquele que se agita enquanto o outro espera”, disse uma vez Thomas Edison. Mas só se mover já basta? O progresso é sempre deliberado? Algumas vezes a genialidade surge não por escolha – mas por acaso. Veja abaixo nossas dez inovações criadas pelo acaso favoritas.

1. Microondas – Percy L. Spencer

Percy Spencer, um engenheiro da Raytheron, após ser barrado pela Marinha para ir à Primeira Guerra Mundial, ficou conhecido como um gênio dos eletrônicos. Em 1945, Spencer estava brincando com um emissor de microondas magnétron – usado como base de radares – quando ele sentiu algo estranho em suas calças. Algo melecado. Spencer parou e percebeu que o chocolate que estava em seu bolso começou a derreter. Percebendo que a radição das microondas de magnétron eram as culpadas, Spencer entendeu o potencial culinário que aquilo tinha. O resultado final foi a criação do forno de microondas – eterno salvador de caras que moram sozinho e curtem comida feita em dois minutos ao redor de todo o mundo.

2. Sacarina – Ira Remsen, Constantin Fahlberg

Em 1879, Ira Remsen e Constantin Fahlberg, trabalhando em um laboratório na Universidade de Johns Hopkins, fizeram uma pausa para comer. Fahlberg se negou a lavar suas mãos antes de comer – o que normalmente significa uma morte rápida para a maioria dos químicos, mas que na verdade o fez perceber um estranho gosto doce durante o almoço. Adoçante artificial! A dupla publicou junto a descoberta, mas apenas o nome de Fahlberg entrou na (incrivelmente lucrativa) patente de um produto que é hoje encontrado em qualquer mesa de restaurante. Vale dizer que Remsen se deu mal – ele declarou mais tarde que “Fahlberg é um canalha. Só de ouvir seu nome sendo mencionado já meu causa enjoo.”

3. Slinky – Richard James

Em 1943, o engenheiro da Marinha Richard James estava tentando descobrir como usar molas para manter instrumentos sensíveis dentro de um navio sem se chocarem até se destruírem, quando ele acabou jogando um de seus protótipos para longe. Em vez de se despedaçar no chão, ele saltou graciosamente, e ficou em posição normal. Tão inútil – tão ágil – eis o Slinky. A mola se tornou um brinquedo bobo para milhões de infâncias – isso antes de cada criança se empolgar e torcê-lo de um jeito impossível de arrumar. Foram vendidas 300 milhões de unidades no mundo!

4. Massinha Play-Doh - Kutol Products

Antes de ser figurinha carimbada de chãos e carpetes de qualquer casa que tenha uma criança, a massinha foi criada ironicamente como um produto de limpeza. A pasta foi primeiro vendida como um tipo de tratamento para paredes sujas – até sua companhia começar a entrar pelo cano. A descoberta que salvou a Kutol Products – pronta para falir – não foi porque seu limpador de paredes funcionava bem, mas sim porque as crianças começaram a usá-lo para criar ornamentos de Natal nas aulas de artes. Removendo o componente de limpeza e adicionando cores para melhorar o visual, a Kutol transformou seu limpador de paredes em um dos brinquedos mais icônicos de todos os tempos – e trouxe enorme sucesso para uma empresa pronta para sumir. Às vezes, você sequer sabe quão brilhante é, até alguém contar para você.

5. Super Bonder - Harry Coover

No que pode ser considerado um momento bem caótico de descobertas em 1942, o doutor Harry Coover do Laboratório Eastman-Kodak descobriu que a substância que ele criou – cianoacrilato – era uma falha épica. Ela não era, para sua tristeza, uma revolução para um novo sistema de armas de precisão que ele esperava criar – o treco grudava em tudo que tocava. Então, o projeto foi esquecido. Seis anos depois, enquanto supervisionava um novo design experimental de cobertura para aviões, Coover se pegou preso na mesma bagunça melecada com um inimigo conhecido – o cianoacrilato se provou mais inútil ainda. Mas dessa vez, Coover observou que a coisa se transformou em uma cola extremamente forte sem necessidade de aquecimento. Coover e sua equipe começaram a colar vários objetos no laboratório, e perceberam que eles finalmente haviam encontrado um uso para aquela gosma irritante. Coover fez uma patente de sua descoberta, e em 1958, 16 anos após ele ter ficado colado pela primeira vez, o cianoacrilato começou a ser vendido nos mercados.

6. Teflon - Roy Plunkett

Da próxima vez que você fizer um belo omelete, agradeça ao químico Roy Plunkett, que sentiu enorme frustração quando inventou inadvertidamente o Teflon, em 1938. Plunkett esperava criar uma nova variedade de clorofluorcarbonos (mais conhecido como o odiado CFC), quando ele foi checar como estava seu experimento na câmara de resfriamento. Quando inspecionou uma caixinha que deveria estar cheia de gás, ele viu que aparentemente tudo tinha sumido – deixando apenas alguns flocos brancos. Plunkett ficou intrigado com esse mistério químico, e começou a experimentar suas propriedades. A nova substância provou ser um fantástico lubrificante com um ponto de fusão altíssimo – inicialmente perfeito para aparatos militares, agora encontrado normalmente aplicado nas panelas antiaderentes.

7. Baquelite - Leo Baekeland

Em 1907, a goma-laca era normalmente usada para isolar as entranhas dos primeiros eletrônicos – como rádios e telefones. Tudo bem, tirando o fato de que a goma-laca é feita com as fezes de um besouro asiático, e não é exatamente o jeito mais fácil de isolar um fio. O que o químico belga Leo Baekeland encontrou como saída foi o – prepare-se – polioxibenzimetilenglicolanhidrido, o primeiro plástico sintético do mundo, mais conhecido como Baquelite. Esse plástico pioneiro era moldável em praticamente qualquer forma e cor, e podia manter seu formato mesmo com altas temperaturas e uso diário – tornando-o a peça básica para fabricantes, joalheiros, e designers industriais.

8. Marcapasso - Wilson Greatbatch

Um professor assistente da Universidade de Buffalo pensou ter arruinado seu projeto. Em vez de pegar um resistor de 10.000-ohm para usar em seu protótipo de marcador de batimentos cardíacos, Wilson Greatbach pegou a variação de 1-megaohm. O resultado produziu um sinal que soou por 1.8 milissegundos, e depois parou por um segundo – um sino da morte para o coração humano. Greatbach percebeu que a novidade poderia regular o pulso, substituindo o batimento cardíaco imperfeito do paciente. Antes disso, os marcapassos eram do tamanho de televisores, trambolhos pesados que eram plugados temporariamente no paciente, externamente. Mas hoje o mesmo resultado pode ser alcançado com um pequeno circuito, perfeito para ser colocado no peito de alguém.

9. Velcro - George de Mestral

Um cão inventou o velcro.

Ok, essa frase é um pouco exagerada, mas um cachorro realmente teve papel decisivo aqui. O engenheiro suíço George de Mestral estava num passeio para caçar com seu cachorro, quando reparou na chata tendência dos carrapichos grudarem no pelo do cachorro (e em sua meia). Mais tarde, olhando num microscópio, Mestral observou os pequenos “ganchos” que prendiam os carrapichos nos tecidos e nos pelos. Mestral experimentou por anos uma enorme variedade de tecidos até chegar ao recém-inventado náilon – apesar de ele só ter se popularizado após o uso da NASA.

10. Raio-X - Wilhelm Roentgen

Certo, a gente sabe, os raios X são um fenômeno natural, assim eles não poderiam ter sido criados. Mas, quieto! A história de sua descoberta é fascinante e pura obra do incrível acaso. Em 1895, o físico alemão Wilhem Roentgen estava fazendo um experimento de rotina que envolvia raios catódicos, quando ele percebeu que um pedaço de papelão fluorescente estava se iluminando no quarto. Uma grossa tela foi colocada entre o emissor de catódio e o papelão irradiado, provando que as partículas de luz estavam atravessando um objeto sólido. Maravilhado com a descoberta, Roentgen rapidamente percebeu que imagens brilhantes poderiam ser produzidas com essa incrível radiação – a primeira do tipo foi a imagem do esqueleto da mão de sua esposa.

Ilustração de Sam Spratt.

Categoria:

invenções

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10 Tips for the Aspiring Street Photographer

10 Tips for the Aspiring Street Photographer: "

Let’s face it, starting street photography is no easy task. For the average photographer, going from shooting flowers into shooting people in the streets is like stepping into a Ferrari after driving a Toyota Prius. It is intimidating at first, but quite exhilarating once you try it out. After shooting on the streets for about four years, here are my top ten tips for somebody (with absolutely no background in street photography) to get their feet wet.

1. Ditch the zoom and use a wide-angle prime

Street photography is not like your 2nd grade science class. You don’t examine your subjects under a microscope. Rather, street photography is about experiencing life, up close and personal. When starting off street photography, you may be tempted to use your 70-200 zoom lens to feel less “awkward” from shooting in the streets. Rather, it will do much more harm than good.

First of all, you will look even more conspicuous in public holding a huge zoom lens. Secondly, if you use a zoom lens you have to point it directly at somebody, which makes the person you are trying to capture feel as if they have a gun pointed to their head. Rather, try using a wide-angle prime lens. This will solve two of the forementioned problems. One, prime wide-angle lenses are often quite small and look much less threatening than the typical telephoto lens. Furthermore, by using a wide-angle lens, you can still capture your subjects without necessarily pointing your camera directly at them. Which brings me on to my next point…

2. Get close

When I say close, I mean GET CLOSE. Get so close so that when you are taking photos of people on the street that you can see the perspiration dripping from their forehead or the texture of their skin. By using a wide-angle prime lens (as mentioned in the before point), you will be forced to get close to your subjects. The advantage of this is that the wide-angle lens will give you a perspective which makes the viewer of your images feel as if they are a part of the scene, rather than just a voyeur looking in. Not only that, but when you are taking photos really close to people, they often think that you are taking a photo of something behind them. I recommend using either a 24, 28, or 35mm on a full-frame or crop camera.

3. Always carry your camera with you

You have heard this a million times and you know that you should, but you always seem to find excuses or reasons NOT to always carry your camera with yourself. “It’s too heavy, it’s annoying, it’s a hassle, it’s frustrating.” I’ll tell you what’s frustrating. Missing the perfect photo opportunity (the decisive moment) and regretting it for the rest of your life. I have to admit that is a bit dramatic, but it is true. If you always carry your camera with you, you will never miss those “Kodak moments” which always seem to happen at the most unexpected times. I have taken some of my best images at the most unexpected moments—images that would have been impossible to take if I did not have my camera by my side.

4. Disregard what other people think of you

One of the things that people are worried about when starting street photography is worrying about being judged by other people as being a “creeper” or just being plain weird. Disregard these thoughts. When you are shooting on the streets, you will most likely be alone. That means that anyone who may be “judging” you is people that you do not know and will most likely never see again in your life. So why let them get in your way?

We may feel constricted by these “social rules” but remember, they can always be broken. There is no law out there which doesn’t allow photography in public places (regardless of what the police may tell you).

To prime yourself better for your street photographer “role,” try doing something unusual in public. Lay on the ground for a minute and see how other people react around you, get up, and simply walk away like nothing happened. Go to a busy intersection and stand like a statue and see how people react (trust me, nobody notices. I had to do this as an experiment for one of my sociology classes). When you go into an elevator, stand the opposite way. The social world is full of false rules that constrict us. Break them, and shooting in the streets should become quite natural.

5. Smile often:

It is funny how far a smile can go, especially when shooting in the streets. If you take a photo of somebody and they give you a weird look, simply tip your hat to them and show them two rows of your pearly white chompers. I would say that when smiling to strangers (even in the city of angels) I get over a 95% response rate. Even some of the most unapproachable people will smile back at you. By smiling often and to others, this will help you relax and lighten the atmosphere around yourself. People trust a street photographer who smiles, as they will simply disregard you as a hobbyist, rather than someone with malicious intent.

6. Ask for permission

Although many street photography purists say that the only true street photography is candid, I would highly disagree with them. Feel free to go up to strangers who you think look interesting, and ask to take a portrait of them. People love getting their photos taken, and as long as you act courteous and casual about it, most people will accept. Feel free to ask to take portraits of many mundane subjects of everyday life like the waitress at the diner, the bellboy of a hotel, or even a parking lot attendant.

7. Be respectful:

This is one of the tricky grey lines when it comes to street photography. I personally try my best not to take photos of homeless people when they look too down on their luck. Although I do agree that there are tasteful images taken of homeless people which call people into helping these people, there are also many images that look like pure exploitation. Think of the cliché shot of a homeless person crouched over on the street, begging for money. Before you take these images, think about what message you are trying to convey. Are you shooting for the reason of building awareness of the atrocious situations that many homeless people live in? Or are you merely taking a photo of a homeless person for the sake of taking their photo? Nobody can be the judge—only you can decide.

8. Look for juxtaposition:

I feel that this is what makes street photography so unique and fascinating when compared to other genres of photography. Street photographs are able to convey the humor, irony, and the beauty of everyday life, by juxtaposing people with others and the environment. Look for signs with interesting messages that seem to be contradictory to the people standing around it. Be on the lookout for human heads that seem to be displaced by street lamps. Look for two individuals that seem to be differing in height, complexion, or even weight. Capture an array of emotions from people, whether it be happiness, sadness, or curiosity.

9. Tell a story:

Imagine that you are a film director and that you are trying to make an interesting play. Who would you decide to play as your actors? What is your backdrop going to be. How are the actors going to be interacting with one another and the environment? What kind of emotion are you trying to convey—whimsical, curious, or gloomy? If a viewer looks at one of your photos, will they simply move on or will they take a minute or two and study your image, trying to figure out the intrinsic story? Does your image captivate the viewer and make them feel that they are a part of the scene? Ask yourself these questions the next time you are taking photos on the street.

10. Just do it:

This is the last but most quintessential point of all of becoming a street photographer. Reading all of these tips aren’t going to do you any good to become a street photographer. Photography is not done behind the computer screen, but on the streets with a camera in hand. Honestly when it comes down to it, all this obsession over cameras, lenses, and gear doesn’t matter. Grab your DSLR, point-and-shoot, iPhone, or whatever and hit the streets. The beauty of the world awaits you—don’t miss your chance.

About the Author: Eric Kim is a street photographer based in Los Angeles. He is currently writing a book titled “Street Photography 101” which will be distributed to the world for free in a convenient PDF format.

You can read excerpts from his in-progress book over at his blog and you can see his street photography on his website. Also feel free to also follow him on Twitter, Flickr, and Facebook as well.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

10 Tips for the Aspiring Street Photographer

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