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Every startup thinks their baby is the most beautiful. Still, I am not the one to not try something new. What sold me was their persuasive argument. Not only will the image quality be great, they will continue to improve the hardware with new software upgrades. 

Chugh and Sohlstrom said that with computer vision (and other aspects of AI) making progress by the week, we can’t think of the camera as static hardware. It can not just be upgraded, but also, the hardware can be given more capabilities over a period of time. 

The ability to upgrade hardware via firmware is well understood, but very few camera (and device makers) think of continuously enhancing their products with software. In other words, the camera is no different from a computer for them. Just like smartphone companies — who use their smart phone’s innards to make the camera better. 

Opal has since released a product called Composer, which allows you to enhance your Opal Camera. It takes advantage of onboard chips to do so. By installing the software, you can increase (or decrease) the depth of field effect (Bokeh) by controlling the virtual aperture. If you own an iPhone, this is the webcam equivalent of Portrait mode. In a media release, Opal explained:

The neural nets we are running become steps in a longer pipeline used within features on the device. For example Bokeh – for our Bokeh effect, we start with a neural network guessing the segmentation between the foreground and background, which kicks off a proprietary set of filters that tune the segment, and a graphic rendering pipeline that actually models the physics of how light enters a lens through a hexagonal lens – all to make a Bokeh effect that is far more convincing than anything else out there. Each of these steps, we’re doing 30 times a second.

You can Zoom in on your face and have the camera follow you around. There are several other enhancements, for example, pinch to zoom. The multiple mics filter out the noise. And you can create a “look” for yourself. Opal is not the only game in town — China-based Insta360 makes Link, a 4K webcam, that too is “AI” enhanced and offers gesture control, AI tracking, and many such features. These are table stakes in the business now. No wonder I find Logitech dowdy, in comparison. 

In the past, you needed mirrorless cameras to get similar functionality, and even then they are not very advanced. In comparison, Composer is a collection of algorithms and software that has the option of giving a $200 webcam more capabilities by the day. Hardware companies such as Opal have to consider offering a paid service where software and algorithms, and not hardware, help them make a profit by enhancing the camera on an ongoing basis. That is better than a one-time “hardware” sale. 

An ongoing evolution happening in the world of cameras. While overall sales of cameras might be slumping, there are many more “cameras” out in the world. In 2016, I made my argument in The New Yorker:

We are splintering what was the “camera” and its functionality—lens, sensors, and processing—into distinct parts, but, instead of lenses and shutters, software and algorithms are becoming the driving force. And this is not just happening on smartphone cameras. You can expect the software to define and enhance what lenses, sensors, and processing units in other settings can do. Dash cams, security cams, adventure cams, driving cams—these are just early examples of devices that have specific applications, cameras that could become much more powerful in the future.

Every single time I use Opal’s Composer, I become acutely aware of how far behind the camera companies are lagging in thinking about artificial intelligence, computer vision, and software to look beyond selling hardware. It is even more confounding because most modern mirrorless cameras have processors, connectivity, storage, and power. The possibilities are endless.

Sadly, Sony and Nikons of the world make hardware — and they won’t even know how to contemplate the notion — that sometimes, a camera is not just a camera. 

April 22, 2024. San Francisco

It is not just Post.News. Many Twitter-like social platforms such as Mastodon, Blue Sky, and Threads got out of the gates fast but eventually slowed down. When Threads launched, I pointed out, “The days of getting a social network to grow by importing an address book are gone — instead, it is about using, reusing, and using the social graph again to launch new products.” 

Threads seems to be the only one with staying power because it is being bootstrapped by Instagram’s social graph. Of the lot, it would be interesting to see how much bigger it can get — it has 130 million users — and how much activity it can generate. But is it a full-time Twitter replacement? I don’t think so. 

Trying to replace Twitter can only take you so far. You need to stand out and give people a reason to keep coming back. Something like AirChat is an exciting new way to socialize. Bottom line — social is going through its cable-like nichefication phase. The audience for each new flavor of Twitter-like (or any social) network is only so much. 

Bardin decided it was time to cut his losses and move on! 

April 22, 2024, San Francisco

 

Sad but True: Internet has become cable television. U.S. Internet households watch an average of 43.5 hours of video per week, up from 37.2 hours in 2020. #

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Five Long Reads

Why do today’s cars look so similar? Why are today’s cars so boring? Why are today’s cars so much safer? Do you see the connection? [NPlusOneMag]

The New Yorker asks, what is the deal with flying cars? Are they here yet?

“There is a yawning gap between ‘AI tools can be handy for some things’ and the kinds of stories AI companies are telling (and the media is uncritically reprinting),” writes Molly White, a tech critic known for her skewering of the crypto-bros. She is not an AI skeptic, but rightfully recommends a bit of caution and some perspective. 

Titanium is everywhere! Even my fountain pen nib is made from the #22 element on the periodic table. So what is titanium’s story?

Climate change is going to change everything, including America and its makeup. And the sad part is that it is already happening. Louisiana’s southern coast is experiencing a quiet migration northward due to worsening conditions. ProPublica reports on one of the most important changes in our world.

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All Things Considered

Why Solid State Drives are a solid bet for storage: Backblaze knows something about storage. I always listen to them when it comes to recommendations. They are taking a deep dive into the solid-state drives, which is a good primer. TLDR: Switch to SSDs because they are more reliable. Users replace them only to upgrade rather than due to failures. I still have Samsung drives that are going strong, though they use the older (slower) USB connections. 

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The Final Word

“There is an interesting relationship between fashion and photography – today, the camera is not just documenting the dress but is actually influencing its design. I mean, we used to be called couturiers, then we ended being designers and then creative directors – and today, the whole idea of image making has become the name of the game. The buzz is sometimes more important than the product, the packaging is almost stronger than the inside.”

(Late) Alber Elbaz: The Lanvin Manifesto

April 21, 2024. San Francisco

The Wall Street Journal, which has the exclusive, reports: 

Apple said it was told to remove certain apps because of national security concerns, without specifying which. “We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree,” an Apple spokesperson said.

The Cyberspace Administration of China asked Apple to remove WhatsApp and Threads from the App Store because both contain political content that includes problematic mentions of the Chinese president, according to a person familiar with the matter. The Apple spokesperson said that wasn’t part of the reasoning.

The move shrinks the number of foreign chat apps Chinese internet users can use to communicate with those outside of the country, a further tightening of internet controls by Beijing, which is sensitive to uncensored information circulating.

This surgical move is in sharp contrast to the United States and its continued dithering over TikTok, which has been (rightfully) accused of being China’s propaganda pipeline in the U.S. I translate this simply —our politicians are being short-sighted in thinking that there is a chance that Chinese will allow Bytedance to sell off their US app by extending the deadline. And as far as the general US population is concerned, they are already infected by the TikTok mind virus. Axios put it succinctly: 

It may be wishful thinking from Congress that with more time it will see a TikTok sale to U.S. owners — but there’s no real sign from the Chinese tech giant that it wants to do that.

TikTok would face a ban if it doesn’t sell to American owners — but members of Congress have also faced backlash from constituents who don’t want to lose the app, both for entertainment and business reasons.

As it stands, TikTok is a perfect way for the Chinese to shape public opinion in the US. There have been enough testimonials of it becoming a major source of disinformation. And they could come in very handy when it comes time to taking control of Taiwan in the near future. 

Chinese are happy to take decisive and swift action when it comes to controlling their own self-interests. And what is Apple going to do? Say no? And lose access to Chinese market, see revenues evaporate and stock price shrink? No one — especially since it is a stock that is indirectly owned by most Americans. 

As an aside, while China considers all its tech companies (like Bytedance) as part of its national strategic infrastructure,the United States (and its allies) think of Apple and other technology companies as public enemies.