Dung Beetles Inspire Video Enhancements for Camera Phones

By Priya Ganapati

Video cameras on your cellphone could soon be good enough to record a jazz concert, a nighttime street scene, or a candlelit dinner. A Swedish start-up has created an algorithm, inspired by dung beetles, that can be integrated into camera modules to offer high-quality video in extremely low light situations.

“We are talking about shooting video in situations that seem almost pitch black,” Benjamin Page, business development manager for Nocturnal Vision told Wired.com. “We can offer an unbelievable amount of noise reduction and contrast enhancement at the same time”. Nocturnal Vision presented its technology at the ISE 2010 imaging conference in London Thursday.

Toyota, which financed a significant portion of the research and development, has secured exclusive rights to use the technology in night-vision systems for cars.

Nocturnal Vision says it is now working with mobile phone companies such as Sony Ericsson to test its technology and find a way to integrate it into phones.

As more consumers use the cameras on their cellphones for video and photographs, companies are looking for ways to improve the quality of the camera modules. Earlier this week, Palo Alto startup InVisage Technologies said it has developed a new technology using a nanomaterial called quantum dots that would offer four times the light-gathering performance of current silicon-based sensors.

Nocturnal Vision says its software can be complementary to hardware-based improvements.

The company’s algorithm is based on research by a Lund University zoologist Eric Warrant on dung beetles, bees and other nocturnal bugs. Dung beetles are remarkable because of their ability to see enough detail in the night to find food and escape predators.

Their night-vision capability is the result of their ability to “sum the visual signal locally in space and time,” says Henrik Malm, one of the creators of the algorithm in his research paper. It’s known as adaptive spatio-temporal smoothing. That means the brain analyzes what’s going on across each frame of an image and what’s going on from one frame to another. (See Malm’s research paper on noise reduction and image enhancement in low light video)

In most digital cameras today, the short, one-time exposure (usually a fraction of a second) and imaging sensors that have uniform sensitivity across their area combine to produce pictures that have underexposed dark areas. Amplifying the dark areas uniformly means the low signal-to-noise ratio becomes pronounced, writes Malm. Instead, adaptive spatio-temporal intensity smoothing can even out the noise, while reducing motion blur.

To do this, Nocturnal Vision’s algorithm pools information from about seven frames before and after a shot to brighten, reduce noise and sharpen the video stream, says Page. The technology can work in real time as scenes are shot, or can be applied to video in post-processing. However, because it requires multiple frames, it won’t work with single-exposure still images.

For instance, a video on the company’s website shows a clip of a man walking in the night. The algorithm first enhances the darker pixels in the frame more than the lighter ones to reveal additional details. But that also introduces a noise into the frame. The algorithm then pools brightness information from adjacent frames to correct for the noise.

The challenge for Nocturnal Vision is that the algorithm sucks up processing power. Most smartphones today, including those featuring the 1-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, don’t have enough muscle to run the software.

“Currently, we are running it on test devices via GPU computation power,” says Page. “For a standard video with resolution of 640 x 480 it requires approximately 14 billion calculations per frame”.

Nocturnal Vision’s technology works best on uncompressed images. Since most camera phones compress photos as soon as they are taken, that means Nocturnal Vision’s technology would need to be integrated into a phone’s firmware — or directly into a new line of chips. The company says it is looking for chip makers to do just this.

Page says Nocturnal Vision hopes to see its software in the hands of consumers within the next two years. “If we can work with the chip makers, we could be in millions of smartphones,” he says.

And your next nighttime videos might not be quite so dark.

Wired

Rushing to do taxes? Avoid these 10 last-minute mistakes

By Sandra Block, USA TODAY

With the April 15 tax deadline looming, many folks have sweaty palms and heart palpitations. At times like these, though, remember what you probably learned in the first grade: When you hurry, you're more likely to make mistakes. Here's a look at 10 last-minute errors that could delay your refund or attract unwelcome attention from the IRS:

1. Incorrect Social Security numbers

In 1987, the IRS started requiring parents to provide Social Security numbers for children who were claimed as dependents on their tax returns.

If you omit Social Security numbers for any of your dependents — or use a wrong SSN — the IRS may disallow the exemption. You also could lose some valuable credits, such as the child tax credit, the child and dependent care credit and the earned income tax credit.

When you enter a dependent's last name, make sure it's the exact name that appears on the child's Social Security card. Likewise, if you got married and changed your name, make sure you notify the Social Security Administration before you file your taxes.

Whenever a name doesn't match a Social Security number, "It will raise a red flag and delay processing" of your refund, says Amy McAnarney, executive director of H&R Block's Tax Institute.

2. Incorrect bank account information

The IRS strongly encourages taxpayers to file electronically and arrange for direct deposit of their refunds. E-filing reduces errors and enables you to get your refund in a couple of weeks, vs. four to six weeks for paper-filed returns. But if you go this route, take extra care when you plug in your routing and account numbers. Otherwise, your money could end up in someone else's bank account.

This year, you can arrange to have your refund deposited in up to three accounts, including an individual retirement account. You can also use all or part of your refund to buy inflation-adjusted Savings Bonds.

3. Overlooking charitable contributions

If you itemize, you can deduct donations to qualified charities. But many taxpayers who give throughout the year fail to claim all of their contributions, says Mary Canning, dean of the School of Taxation and Accounting atGolden Gate University in San Francisco.

Not all charities send letters acknowledging contributions, Canning says, so review bank statements and credit card receipts for donations you may have forgotten.

In addition, you don't have to wait until next year to deduct contributions to charities that provided relief to victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti. Contributions made Jan. 12 through Feb. 28 can be deducted on your 2009 tax return.

4. Missing deductions on tax breaks

About 65% of taxpayers claim the standard deduction because they don't believe they have enough deductions to justify itemizing. But even if you claim the standard deduction, you could be eligible for tax breaks available to non-itemizers:

•Taxes on the purchase of a new car. You can deduct state and local taxes paid for a new vehicle purchased after Feb. 16, 2009, and before Jan. 1, 2010. You can deduct taxes on up to $49,500 of the purchase, even if the vehicle cost more than that.

•State and local property taxes. This tax break primarily helps homeowners who have paid off their homes or don't have enough mortgage interest to itemize. You can increase your standard deduction by up to $500, or $1,000 if you're married, to cover your property taxes.

This deduction isn't limited to your principal residence.

5. Missing the Making Work Pay credit

Last year's economic stimulus package provided a tax credit of $400, or $800 for married couples. Most workers who have taxes withheld from their paychecks received the credit throughout the year through an adjustment to their withholding. But when you file your tax return, you will still need to claim the credit. Otherwise, your refund could be delayed. The IRS says more than 2 million taxpayers have made errors in connection with the credit.

6. Not reporting the stimulus payment

As part of last year's stimulus package, Social Security beneficiaries received a $250 one-time Economic Recovery Payment. This payment isn't taxable. However, if you had earned income last year, you may have also received a Making Work Pay credit. In that case, you're supposed to reduce your credit by the amount of your recovery payment. Failure to do this could delay your refund.

Seniors who receive their Social Security benefits through direct deposit also received their Economic Recovery Payment that way and may have forgotten by now, McAnarney says. The IRS didn't send out a notice about the payment, so if you're not sure if you received one, check your bank records. The IRS recently launched an online tool to help seniors track their payments. Go to www.irs.gov and search under "Did I Receive A 2009 Economic Recovery Payment?" or call 866-234-2942.

7. Misunderstanding medical expenses

You can only deduct the the amount of unreimbursed medical expenses that exceeds 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. That's a high threshold, but rising health care costs have put this deduction within reach of many taxpayers, Canning says.

Eligible expenses include deductibles, co-payments, unreimbursed dental costs and even eyeglasses, she says. Transportation costs, such as mileage and parking when you go to the doctor, are also deductible. You must itemize to claim this.

8. Paying unemployment benefits taxes

You may have heard that unemployment benefits are taxable, and that's usually the case. But for 2009, up to $2,400 in unemployment benefits are tax-free, McAnarney says, so you'll need to subtract that amount from your total benefits when calculating your taxable income.

9. Thinking you're late for 2009 savings

If you qualify, you can still make a deductible contribution to your 2009 individual retirement account, says Gary Lundberg, product management director for CompleteTax, an online tax software program. Eligible taxpayers can reduce their 2009 taxable income by up to $5,000, or $6,000 if they're 50 or older. The deadline for 2009 IRA contributions is April 15.

For 2009, workers who are covered by an employer-provided 401(k) plan or pension must have modified adjusted gross income of $55,000 or less to deduct the full IRA contribution. Those with MAGI of between $55,000 and $65,000 can deduct a reduced amount. If your MAGI exceeds $65,000, and you're covered by a retirement plan, you can't deduct your IRA contribution. For married couples who are covered by a retirement plan at work, the deduction phases out between $89,000 and $109,000.

If you're not covered by a retirement plan at work, you can deduct the full contribution, as long as you earned at least the amount of your contribution. The same goes for married couples when neither spouse is covered by a retirement plan. If your spouse is covered by a retirement plan but you're not, you can deduct a full contribution to your IRA as long as your combined MAGI is $166,000 or less. If your MAGI is between $166,000 and $176,000, you can deduct a partial contribution.

IRA contributions are an above-the-line deduction. You don't have to itemize to claim them.

10. Forgetting to sign your return

If you file on paper, make sure you sign your return before you mail it in. An unsigned return, the IRS says, is invalid. Even if your return was prepared by someone else, you're still required to sign it, McAnarney says. Your preparer should sign it, too.

USA Today

11 years after, Senate reactivates voting machine

Emmanuel Ogala

Eleven years after the Senate’s electronic voting system was abandoned for inaccuracy, the Senate has reactivated the voting machines in preparation for the vote on the amendment of the 1999 Constitution.

Few minutes before the Tuesday plenary, the Senators were informed that they could not use their desk microphones like they did last week. David Mark, the Senate President informed them that before they could use their microphones, they would need an electronic swipe card to get it functional.

Shortly after, the senators were given some customised electronic swipe cards and taught how to operate the new voting system. The senators were visibly excited as they tested the viability of the cards with each senator having two spare cards.

To vote on a matter which the senate president wishes be done electronically, a senator will be required to first slot in the card and just push a yes or no button in the audio control panel on his front desk. The votes are then registered on two display boards placed where every senator can see, and also on a smaller panel on the senate president’s desk.

According to Mr. Mark, a hard copy of the votes indicating how the senators voted can also be printed out for authentication.

“The essence of reactivating the electronic voting machine is to lessen the time that will be spent on voting on each of the 39 constitutional amendment bills,” Mr. Mark said.

Late last month, when the senators voted on amendment of sections 145 and 190 of the 1999 constitution, the senate spent three hours voting on the bill because every senator stood to say their names and how they vote on the bills. This latest innovation is meant to minimize time spent on voting on crucial bills.

In less important bills or motions, the Senate use other voting methods like voice vote in which the senate president uses his judgement to decide which chorus was louder. Sometimes it is difficult for him to deliver empirically sound judgment based on the voices alone.

In some other cases, the senate divides the house in such a way that those in favour of a particular issue sit on one side of the aisle and then they are counted.

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Unsanctioned rally against rising utility charges held in Russia's Arkhangelsk

An unsanctioned protest meeting against rising utility charges took place in Russia's northern city of Archangelsk on Sunday, with its Communist organizers facing administrative penalties, a local police spokesman said.

Local authorities reportedly allowed the protesters to hold the rally during half an hour although it had not been sanctioned. However, local Communist Rudolf Korolev, who organized the meeting, would be fined, the spokesman said.

Two organizers of a protest march that followed the meeting are also to be fined, he added.

A Communist party spokesman said the party has requested the Archangelsk region's Prosecutor's Office to check the legality of a rejection by local authorities to sanction the rally.

A previous protest meeting against the increase of utility charges, which involved some 450 people, took place in Archangelsk on February 21.

A local government spokesman said the Arkhangelsk region's authorities have taken steps to reduce rising utility taxes.

In mid-March, regional legislative elections seen as a popularity test for the pro-Kremlin United Russia party took place in 76 out of 83 regions from the Far East to European Russia amid rising unemployment and utility charges.

The Russian opposition, which gained more support in the March 14 polls than in the previous elections in October 2009, appeared to be satisfied with the results of the voting. Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov then said the elections indicated that Russians' minds were becoming more left-wing, and their sentiments more "red".

The Communist Party is the second largest party in the lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, with 57 seats. The pro-Kremlin ruling United Russia party has 315 seats.

ARKHANGELSK, March 28

RIA Novosti

Bollywood film breaks new ground on sex in India

By Shilpa Jamkhandikar

MUMBAI (Reuters Life!) - A new Bollywood film has put the spotlight on changing sexual mores in small-town India, unsettling conservative filmgoers with spy cam footage and pushing the limits of the country's censorship board.

"Love Sex aur Dhokha" (Love Sex and Betrayal) is the latest in a series of avant-garde offerings stripping the film industry of decades of inhibition and dramatically changing the traditional formula of song-and-dance romances and violent revenge sagas.

The film, which opened in cinemas last week with an adults-only rating, has courted controversy with blurred visuals of a naked woman and voyeuristic sequences in its trailers.

Director Dibakar Banerjee says "Love Sex aur Dhokha" is more about a change in attitudes than it is about sex.

He says the film explores the lack of privacy in the modern world -- one where even mobile phones can capture, and broadcast, intimate moments.

"What my camera is doing is that it's recording a story that is changing in front of the camera," says Banerjee. "Earlier, sex used to be behind closed doors but now that is changing".

A decade ago, when a coy couple were about to kiss on screen, the camera would glide to two flowers brushing against each other or birds pecking at each other's beaks. Audiences just assumed the couple had done the deed.

In that sense, Banerjee's film, with a bunch of unknown actors, broke new ground with an extended sex scene which didn't quite escape the censor board's scissors.

But it's the director's use of unconventional cameras -- spy cams, handycams, supermarket security cameras and even underwater ones -- that seems to have won over the critics and drawn comparisons with Hollywood blockbusters "Paranormal Activity" and "The Blair Witch Project".

The story is told from the point of view of the camera, making it almost a character in a plot that interweaves three storylines -- a student who falls in love with his film's lead actress, a shop manager who traps an employee in an infamous MMS scandal and a sting operation on a rock star.

"The film effectively exposes the fat, sexual underbelly that sags out of the middles of this disturbingly prejudiced middle India," critic Mayank Shekhar wrote in the Hindustan Times.

Although critics agree "Love Sex aur Dhokha" marks a big leap for conservative India, it might take more than a few films to change mindsets.

When director Banerjee spoke to his mother about the project, she didn't repeat the name of the film because she didn't want to use the word 'sex'.

Writing by Tony Tharakan, Editing by Miral Fahmy

Reuters India

Thai Champion Regains WBC Flyweight Title in Japan

Thai former champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam successfully regained the World Boxing Council’s flyweight division title on Saturday, following a point’s decision win over Japan’s Koki Kameda.

Tokyo, the 27^th of March 2010 [PDN]: Pongsaklek originally won the flyweight division WBC title in 2001, defending the belt an impressive 17 times (flyweight division record) before losing the title to Japan’s Daisuke Naito in 2007. That fight ended Pongsaklek’s run of 56 straight victories.

Pongsaklek overcame Kameda in a tough fight using his superior technique and a balanced and calm approach, connecting punches with precision, winning the bout 2-0. Two judges had Pongsaklek at 116-112 and 115-112, whilst the third had the bout tied at 114-114.

Disregarding Pongsaklek’s penalty point in the fifth round, for an accidental batting, he was flawless in his technical approach. This was evident no more so than when he struck a couple of lighting quick uppercuts in the 11^th round drawing blood from Kameda’s nose, forcing the Japanese fighter to desperately hang on in the 12^th and final round, avoiding a knockout.

This was Kameda’s first defence of the title which he took from Daisuke Naito in November last year and his first defeat in 22 straight bouts. The Kameda family have come under intense scrutiny throughout the boxing fraternity, due to Koki’s brother Daiki’s suspension for dirty fighting in his title bout against Naito in 2007. The brothers father Shiro Kameda was also barred from being a cornerman as a result of the incident in which both Shiro and Koki urged Daiki to fight dirty.

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