''VisualRank'' - PageRank for Images

Google has unveiled a prototype for an Internet technology it calls "VisualRank," an image search algorithm that it says will bring the same kind of precision its "PageRank" technology did for text-based Web searches.

In addition to changing the formula for searching specifically for image results, Google said its new technology also takes into account pictures that look similar, grouping those results together.

"We wanted to incorporate all of the stuff that is happening in computer vision and put it in a Web framework," the New York Times quoted senior Google researcher Shumeet Baluja saying at the International World Wide Web Conference.

Google researchers say image recognition and searching has been one area of technology that has lagged behind as other areas have enhanced.

The online giant says it has the "most comprehensive image search on the Web," but it currently relies largely on key text phrases associated with the pictures.

In structuring the new technology, the Times reports that Google first focused on specific items that ranked as top searches on Google Products (formerly known as Froogle). It then moved to matching an image search, for example, for "iPod" by scanning Google’s massive image index for pictures that matched the actual file photo of an iPod than for images with the word "iPod" attached to it.

While Google feels it is paving the future, others have been dismissive. The CEO of the online shopping search start-up Riya told the Times, "I think what they’re trying to accomplish is largely impossible. Our belief is, there [are] not large-scale solutions."

Source: tomshardware.com

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The Pirate Bay Launches Uncensored Blogging Service

In their ever continuing battle to free the Internet, The Pirate Bay has now launched an uncensored blogging service, called Baywords. The service is intended to be a safe haven for bloggers who want to be able to write whatever they want, without being afraid to get shut down by their blog host.

The Pirate Bay is known for defending people’s right to freedom of speech on the Internet, and this is exactly what motivated them to start this new blogging service.

Brokep, one of the co-founders of the site, said that the idea to start a blogging service came up when the weblog of one of his friends was taken down from Wordpress recently, for linking to copyrighted material.

This, of course, goes against the “uncensored web” philosophy of The Pirate Bay team, and they didn’t hesitate to start their own blogging service, Baywords, using Wordpress as their blogging engine.

On the frontpage of the newly launched service Brokep writes: “Many blogs are being shut down for uncomfortable thoughts and ideas. We will not do that. Our goal is to protect freedom of speech and your thoughts. As long as you don’t break any Swedish laws in your blog, we will defend it”.

In a response, Matt Mullenweg from WordPress said that he supports Pirate Bay’s Baywords, but he assured us that Wordpress.com would never take down a blog for posting deviating thoughts or ideas.

“WordPress.com supports free speech and doesn’t shut people down for “uncomfortable thoughts and ideas”, in fact we’re blocked in several countries because of that. However as a US-based companies we must comply with US laws, which means if the primary purpose of a blog is distributing illegal material it’s not a good fit for WordPress.com,” Matt said.

Baywords is currently working on expanding the feature list to include support for domain redirects and improved stats. The service is ad-free for now, but Brokep said that there will be ads blended into the blog design later, to cover the expenses.

This is not the first time The Pirate Bay has started a service where people can publish whatever they want, without being censored. They already created an image hosting service for this reason, and a YouTube competitor is about to follow soon.

For people who are considering moving their Wordpress or Blogger account over to Baywords, importing is pretty straightforward and compatible with all the popular blog platforms.

Source: torrentfreak.com

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New Version of Nintendo DS expected at E3

A new version of Nintendo's blockbuster DS handheld could well be revealed at this year's annual Electronic Entertainment Expo.

According to video game company Enterbrain, a new DS model may be on the way with added functionality, but it is unclear if it would be an official successor to the Nintendo platform.

Bloomberg Japan reports that the head of Enterbrain, Hirokazu Hamamura has predicted that the new DS model will be revealed during E3, the world's biggest video game trade show.

The prediction is in step with a statement Nintendo made earlier this year. "All I can tell you is what we announce during E3 is gonna be fantastic," said company VP Reggie Fils-Aime in an interview with MTV's GameTrailers.

The DS first launched in the US in November 2004, so it is about time for a new model. A refreshed version of the system, the DS Lite, came out in 2006 and effectively phased out the original model. However, there is no difference in functionality with the Lite.

According to Hamamura, the new DS will likely include the ability to play back music and movies, and also an additional slot for external hardware components.

The DS has sold more than 16 million units in the US alone making it far and away the leading handheld platform. It typically outsells the PSP by a margin of two-to-one, and continues to sell better than any of the home consoles.

Source: tgdaily.com

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