fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
This utterly decadent Harman Kardon Bluetooth speaker is 64% off today
Tags: Tvs, Audio, Gear

A good portable speaker can bring your tunes wherever you go, whether you're moving around your house, hanging out in the yard, or heading out on an adventure. And today on Walmart, you can get the super high-end Harman Kardon Go + Play Portable Bluetooth Speaker for $180, down from a list price of $500.



This portable speaker connects to your phone or other mobile device wirelessly via Bluetooth, so you can conveniently play your music even from across the room. We haven't reviewed it, but the Go + Play should offer very good sound thanks to its dual woofers and tweeters, along with two passive radiators.



A rechargeable battery provides up to eight hours of playtime on a charge, so you can keep the music going all day long. In addition, a built-in dual microphone conferencing system means you can make and take calls right through the speaker, and a built-in handle makes it extra portable so you can easily take it along with you wherever you go.



This speaker averages 4.6 stars out of 5 across more than 150 user ratings on Walmart.com.



[ Today's deal: Harman Kardon Go + Play Portable Bluetooth Speaker from Walmart for $180 ]



Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.
Upgrade your TV speakers with this Sony S100F soundbar for under $100
Tags: Internet, Mobile Accessories, Chromecast, Audio

Genius is one percent inspiration, and ninety-nine percent perspiration (Thomas Edison)
Take Alexa in the car with Amazon’s Echo Auto for just $20
Tags: Security Cameras, Audio, Chromecast, Home Tech

Genius is one percent inspiration, and ninety-nine percent perspiration (Thomas Edison)
For cord-cutters, Channels DVR is what Plex might have been
Tags: Entertainment, Audio

Action is the foundational key to all success (Pablo Picasso)
Grab the 4-star Eufy RoboVac 30C robot vacuum for just $180
Tags: Tvs, Internet, Security Cameras, Audio

Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful (Joshua J. Marine)
Best high-resolution digital audio player: Which DAP reigns supreme?
Tags: Gear, Audio, Tvs, Electronics

Life is not all about studying. But if you can’t even conquer this little part of life, then what else can you possibly do?
Best smart speakers for the price
Tags: Mobile Accessories, Security Cameras, Audio, Cutting

Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and think of what could go right
Amazon Echo, Kindle, and Fire TV: All on Black Friday sale, all Editors’ Choice winners
Tags: Headphones, Entertainment, Audio, Consumer

Beware of monotony; it’s the mother of all the deadly sins (Edith Wharton)
Roku’s wireless subwoofer is just $150 today
Tags: Mobile, Audio, Gear, Cord

Roku’s streaming devices are some of the best in the biz, and its audio offerings promise to boost your entertainment experience even further. Today on Amazon, you can get the Roku wireless subwoofer for $150, down from a list price of $180 and the cheapest we’ve seen it.



This subwoofer boasts 250 watts of power, promising a booming, immersive audio experience. Its wireless connection allows you to place it anywhere, up to 30 feet from your TV, so you can position it wherever works best. And you won’t need to worry about hiding cables, even if your subwoofer is set up far from your TV. Automatic software updates keep it up to speed with any improvements Roku makes, while a 10-inch driver helps avoid audio distortion.



Note that this subwoofer only works with Roku Audio, including the Roku Smart Soundbar, Roku Wireless Speakers, and Roku Streambar. So even if you have a Roku streaming device, you’ll need Roku’s sound system to make this work.



This subwoofer averages 4.7 stars out of 5 on Amazon across more than 250 user ratings.



[ Today’s deal: Roku wireless subwoofer from Amazon for $150 ]



Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.
Apple TV+ originals: ‘Palmer’, starring Justin Timberlake, gets a trailer and release date
Tags: Music, Surveillance, Audio, Home Tech

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving (Albert Einstein)
Best smart speakers for the price
Tags: Audio, Entertainment, Home Tech

Great eaters and great sleepers are incapable of anything else that is great (Henry IV)
Best smart speakers: Which deliver the best combination of digital assistant and audio performance?
Tags: Connected Home, Audio, Chromecast, Cord

Leadership is the ability to get extraordinary achievement from ordinary people
Amazon Echo, Kindle, and Fire TV: All on Black Friday sale, all Editors’ Choice winners
Tags: Tvs, Home Theater, Audio, Cord

If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don't have to be pushed. The vision pulls you (Steve Jobs)
For cord-cutters, Channels DVR is what Plex might have been
Tags: Deals, Music, Consumer Electronics, Audio

Life changes very quickly, in a very positive way, if you let it (Lindsey Vonn)
Best smart bulbs for your connected home
Tags: Music, Audio

Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today (Will Rogers)
For cord-cutters, Channels DVR is what Plex might have been
Tags: Gear, Streaming, Consumer Electronics, Audio

If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way
Take Alexa in the car with Amazon’s Echo Auto for just $20
Tags: Connected Home, Music, Audio, Chargers

You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great (Zig Ziglar)
Apple TV+ originals: ‘Palmer’, starring Justin Timberlake, gets a trailer and release date
Tags: Audio, Home Tech

Never apologize for having high standards, people who really want to be in your life will rise to meet them
The Apple TV app is coming to Chromecast with Google TV
Tags: Connected Home, Audio, Consumer, Electronics

The best revenge is massive success (Frank Sinatra)
Best smart plugs: These gadgets will turn any electrical outlet into a smart socket
Tags: Connected Home, Audio, Entertainment, Services

You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great (Zig Ziglar)
This 50-inch 4K HDR TV is just $250
Tags: Cord, Music, Audio, Cutting

Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful (Joshua J. Marine)
Wyze wraps up 2020 with a $10 outdoor smart plug
Tags: Deals, Lighting, Audio, Entertainment

in The New York Times
Upgrade your TV speakers with this Sony S100F soundbar for under $100
Tags: Lighting, Security Cameras, Home Tech, Audio

Life changes very quickly, in a very positive way, if you let it (Lindsey Vonn)
Black Friday streaming deals: An upgrade guide for 2020
Tags: Internet, Connected Home, Audio, Electronics

Some people look for a beautiful place. Others make a place beautiful
Looks like we’ll have to wait until 2021 for a new Apple TV
Tags: Audio

It’s been more than three years since the Apple TV 4K went on sale, and cord-cutters had their eyes out Tuesday for a long-awaited refresh of Apple’s streaming set-top box and HomeKit hub. But while Apple did announce its long-awaited AirPods Max headphone, a next-gen Apple TV didn’t make the cut.



Mentioned in this article Apple TV 4K Read TechHive's reviewMSRP $179.00Learn moreon Amazon The Apple rumor mill went into hyperdrive on Monday with word of the impending AirPods Max (I preferred the rumored “AirPods Studio” moniker, but oh well), which Apple did end up unveiling Tuesday morning.



The $550 (!) headphone is slated to go on sale next week, complete with a custom 40mm dynamic driver, active noise cancellation, Transparency mode (which allows you to let in ambient noise), spatial audio, and a Digital Crown for controlling your tunes. We’ll have more to say about the AirPods Max once we’ve received more detailed specs and tried out a test unit.



[ Further reading: Cord-cutting myths busted ]But the other announcement that many were anticipating—a new Apple TV—failed to materialize. Bloomberg News’s Mark Gurman, who’s been a reliable source of Apple-related news and rumors, confirmed on Twitter that a revamped Apple TV wasn’t in the cards this year. “Delayed till ‘21,” Gurman tweeted.



Powered by the Apple A10X Fusion processor (which also sits in the 10.5- and second-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro), the fifth-gen Apple TV 4K made its debut back in September 2017, and it was the first Apple TV model to support 4K playback and HDR, including HDR10 and Dolby Vision. In September 2019, tvOS 12 added Dolby Atmos support to the Apple TV 4K.



Rumors about a new Apple TV have been somewhat sparse, although it’s a safe bet that the box would get a new and faster processor, such as the A12X that powers the third-gen 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pros. The A12X chip (or something similar) would be much better suited for Apple Arcade, Apple’s gaming subscription service, than the aging A10X Fusion, and it would hopefully speed up the overall tvOS interface, which has been feeling awfully chuggy over the past several months.



There’s also chatter about a new Siri Remote that would add “Find My” support, meaning you’d be able to quickly track down the remote in case it slips between your sofa cushions.



A more welcome feature would be a full-on redesign of the remote, specifically one that makes it easier to feel whether you’re holding it the right way up. With the current Siri Remote, it’s nearly impossible to tell if you’re holding it the right way in the dark, and almost every time, I find myself holding it upside down on the first try. Whether a new Apple TV would actually come with a revamped Siri Remote is an open question, however.



In any event, we’ll hopefully lay our eyes on a new Apple TV early next year, so stay tuned.



Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.
Save $26 on this extremely smart power strip
Tags: Headphones, Audio, Entertainment, Surveillance

Smart devices can add a lot of convenience to your home, but if you’re not ready to swap out all your “dumb” devices just yet, a good smart power strip can add connectivity and control to all your existing devices. And today on Amazon, the Kasa Smart HS300 plug power strip is on sale for $54, down from an $80 list price.



This power strip comes with six smart outlets and three USB ports, so you can plug in a whole ton of devices at once. Each of these outlets can be controlled independently, and you can check in on energy use with the Kasa smart app to turn off ones that take too much power. That app also allows you to control devices from anywhere, or use Alexa or Google Assistant to control with just the sound of your voice.



This power strip averages a stellar 4.7 stars out of 5 on Amazon across more than 1,700 user ratings.



[ Today’s deal: Kasa Smart HS300 plug power strip from Amazon for $54 ]



Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.
The best holiday 2020 deals on TVs, soundbars, media streamers, and more
Tags: Gear, Streaming, Audio, Electronics

Great eaters and great sleepers are incapable of anything else that is great (Henry IV)
Welcome to the Resistance
By: Sean M Everett
Tags: Audio, Space, Cannabis, Tech, Engineering

By signing up, you will create a Medium account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Amazon Echo, Kindle, and Fire TV: All on Black Friday sale, all Editors’ Choice winners
Tags: Tvs, Internet, Services, Audio

The level of education is in direct correlation with your salary
This 50-inch 4K HDR TV is just $250
Tags: Internet, Connected Home, Audio, Home Tech

When today is over, it will never come back
Amazon Echo, Kindle, and Fire TV: All on Black Friday sale, all Editors’ Choice winners
Tags: Headphones, Connected Home, Audio, Services

In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can (Nikos Kazantzakis)
Pick up luxurious wireless headphones at fantastic prices today
Tags: Deals, Audio, Cutting, Cord

Work while they sleep. Learn while they party. Save while they spend. Live like they dream
Connected Max Smart LED review: Cree Lighting ups its game with a new line of color tunable bulbs
Tags: Deals, Lighting, Music, Audio

Connected Max Smart LED review: Cree Lighting ups its game with a new line of color tunable bulbs Eric Dec 24, 2020·2 min read

The lighting mavens at Cree Lighting are pushing further into the smart home with the launch of the Connected Max line, a series of bulbs available in both dimmable (but not tunable) white and color-changing options. Color bulbs are available in BR30, PAR38, A19, and (unusually) A21 form factors. The tunable white is only available as an A19 bulb.



Today we look at the color A19 bulb, which serves as both a full color-changing bulb and a tunable white bulb. The bulb offers a now familiar, traditional design, with a large heat sink and an Edison style globe on top, roughly the same size as a typical incandescent. The bulb draws 9 watts and offers 800 lumens of brightness, making for a 60-watt incandescent equivalent.



This review is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best smart bulbs, where you’ll find reviews of competing products, plus a buyer’s guide to the features you should consider when shopping for this type of product.The bulb sets up initially via Bluetooth, but operates only on the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band. Initial configuration went quickly via the Cree Lighting mobile app, and I encountered no issues with installation. I especially appreciated its detailed setup process, which walks you through its various configuration modes instead of leaving it all for you to discover later.



[ Further reading: The best bias lighting kits for TVs and monitors ] Christopher Null / IDG Cree’s “follow the sun” mode can be infinitely fine-tuned.



Those modes include “light to sleep” and “light to wake” modes, which slowly fade out or in at bedtime and the waking hour respectively. There’s also a “follow the sun” mode which adjusts the color temperature throughout the day to keep you energized in the morning and relaxed after hours.



Naturally, there’s a full range of tuning options to play with, including a white color temperature range of 2200K to 6500K and a capable dimmer. As well, an intuitive color wheel makes it easy to light the room for a holiday—and the bulb’s colors are impressive in brightness and vibrancy.



A full range of scheduling and timer options are available, and the app connects with both Alexa and Google Assistant to let you control the bulb via voice.



For the most part, the bulb is responsive, though I did encounter more than a few brief disconnects, stutters, and delays during my testing, but rarely did I have to wait more than a few seconds for things to right themselves. That’s all perhaps to be expected given the pricing of this bulb at all of $10, which is definitely on the budget side (though not the least expensive model on the market, even among name brands). Despite some minor bugginess, it’s definitely worth the outlay.



Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.
These battery-operated motion sensor lights are less than $17 today
Tags: Headphones, Connected Home, Internet, Audio

Stumbling around the house in the dark can be dangerous—just think of all the toes you stub along the way. Today, though, you can grab some grown-up nightlights to help illuminate your nighttime path. Amazon has a deal on a six-pack of GAGAYA motion sensor lights, bringing them down to $16.91 from a list price of $20.



These battery-operated lights turn on automatically when they sense movement, and also turn themselves off after 20 seconds of inactivity, so you don’t have to worry about manual control. With a built-in magnet and a double-sided adhesive pad in each light, you have options for placing them anywhere you need them in your house, whether that’s in a hallway, on the stairs, or in a closet. In addition, the white LED light is bright enough to light your path even in the middle of the night.



These lights average 4.2 stars out of 5 on Amazon across nearly 3,000 user ratings.



[ Today’s deal: 6-pack of GAGAYA motion sensor lights from Amazon for $16.91 ]



Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.
The best holiday 2020 deals on TVs, soundbars, media streamers, and more
Tags: Gear, Music, Audio, Entertainment

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity (Albert Einstein)
Upgrade your TV speakers with this Sony S100F soundbar for under $100
Tags: Headphones, Audio, Consumer, Cord

If you don’t walk today, you’ll have to run tomorrow
Deck the halls with Amazon’s rocking one-day Anker speaker sale
Tags: Security Cameras, Audio, Cutting

Leadership is the ability to get extraordinary achievement from ordinary people
Looks like we’ll have to wait until 2021 for a new Apple TV
Tags: Connected Home, Audio, Home Tech, Cord

It’s been more than three years since the Apple TV 4K went on sale, and cord-cutters had their eyes out Tuesday for a long-awaited refresh of Apple’s streaming set-top box and HomeKit hub. But while Apple did announce its long-awaited AirPods Max headphone, a next-gen Apple TV didn’t make the cut.



Mentioned in this article Apple TV 4K Read TechHive's reviewMSRP $179.00Learn moreon Amazon The Apple rumor mill went into hyperdrive on Monday with word of the impending AirPods Max (I preferred the rumored “AirPods Studio” moniker, but oh well), which Apple did end up unveiling Tuesday morning.



The $550 (!) headphone is slated to go on sale next week, complete with a custom 40mm dynamic driver, active noise cancellation, Transparency mode (which allows you to let in ambient noise), spatial audio, and a Digital Crown for controlling your tunes. We’ll have more to say about the AirPods Max once we’ve received more detailed specs and tried out a test unit.



[ Further reading: Cord-cutting myths busted ]But the other announcement that many were anticipating—a new Apple TV—failed to materialize. Bloomberg News’s Mark Gurman, who’s been a reliable source of Apple-related news and rumors, confirmed on Twitter that a revamped Apple TV wasn’t in the cards this year. “Delayed till ‘21,” Gurman tweeted.



Powered by the Apple A10X Fusion processor (which also sits in the 10.5- and second-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro), the fifth-gen Apple TV 4K made its debut back in September 2017, and it was the first Apple TV model to support 4K playback and HDR, including HDR10 and Dolby Vision. In September 2019, tvOS 12 added Dolby Atmos support to the Apple TV 4K.



Rumors about a new Apple TV have been somewhat sparse, although it’s a safe bet that the box would get a new and faster processor, such as the A12X that powers the third-gen 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pros. The A12X chip (or something similar) would be much better suited for Apple Arcade, Apple’s gaming subscription service, than the aging A10X Fusion, and it would hopefully speed up the overall tvOS interface, which has been feeling awfully chuggy over the past several months.



There’s also chatter about a new Siri Remote that would add “Find My” support, meaning you’d be able to quickly track down the remote in case it slips between your sofa cushions.



A more welcome feature would be a full-on redesign of the remote, specifically one that makes it easier to feel whether you’re holding it the right way up. With the current Siri Remote, it’s nearly impossible to tell if you’re holding it the right way in the dark, and almost every time, I find myself holding it upside down on the first try. Whether a new Apple TV would actually come with a revamped Siri Remote is an open question, however.



In any event, we’ll hopefully lay our eyes on a new Apple TV early next year, so stay tuned.



Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.
Looks like we’ll have to wait until 2021 for a new Apple TV
Tags: Mobile, Mobile Accessories, Music, Audio

It’s been more than three years since the Apple TV 4K went on sale, and cord-cutters had their eyes out Tuesday for a long-awaited refresh of Apple’s streaming set-top box and HomeKit hub. But while Apple did announce its long-awaited AirPods Max headphone, a next-gen Apple TV didn’t make the cut.



Mentioned in this article Apple TV 4K Read TechHive's reviewMSRP $179.00Learn moreon Amazon The Apple rumor mill went into hyperdrive on Monday with word of the impending AirPods Max (I preferred the rumored “AirPods Studio” moniker, but oh well), which Apple did end up unveiling Tuesday morning.



The $550 (!) headphone is slated to go on sale next week, complete with a custom 40mm dynamic driver, active noise cancellation, Transparency mode (which allows you to let in ambient noise), spatial audio, and a Digital Crown for controlling your tunes. We’ll have more to say about the AirPods Max once we’ve received more detailed specs and tried out a test unit.



[ Further reading: Cord-cutting myths busted ]But the other announcement that many were anticipating—a new Apple TV—failed to materialize. Bloomberg News’s Mark Gurman, who’s been a reliable source of Apple-related news and rumors, confirmed on Twitter that a revamped Apple TV wasn’t in the cards this year. “Delayed till ‘21,” Gurman tweeted.



Powered by the Apple A10X Fusion processor (which also sits in the 10.5- and second-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro), the fifth-gen Apple TV 4K made its debut back in September 2017, and it was the first Apple TV model to support 4K playback and HDR, including HDR10 and Dolby Vision. In September 2019, tvOS 12 added Dolby Atmos support to the Apple TV 4K.



Rumors about a new Apple TV have been somewhat sparse, although it’s a safe bet that the box would get a new and faster processor, such as the A12X that powers the third-gen 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pros. The A12X chip (or something similar) would be much better suited for Apple Arcade, Apple’s gaming subscription service, than the aging A10X Fusion, and it would hopefully speed up the overall tvOS interface, which has been feeling awfully chuggy over the past several months.



There’s also chatter about a new Siri Remote that would add “Find My” support, meaning you’d be able to quickly track down the remote in case it slips between your sofa cushions.



A more welcome feature would be a full-on redesign of the remote, specifically one that makes it easier to feel whether you’re holding it the right way up. With the current Siri Remote, it’s nearly impossible to tell if you’re holding it the right way in the dark, and almost every time, I find myself holding it upside down on the first try. Whether a new Apple TV would actually come with a revamped Siri Remote is an open question, however.



In any event, we’ll hopefully lay our eyes on a new Apple TV early next year, so stay tuned.



Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.
Protect your gear with these smart surge protectors at all-time lows
Tags: Cutting, Lighting, Audio, Electronics

Studying is not about time. It’s about effort
Roku’s wireless subwoofer is just $150 today
Tags: Tvs, Audio, Home Tech, Electronics

Roku’s streaming devices are some of the best in the biz, and its audio offerings promise to boost your entertainment experience even further. Today on Amazon, you can get the Roku wireless subwoofer for $150, down from a list price of $180 and the cheapest we’ve seen it.



This subwoofer boasts 250 watts of power, promising a booming, immersive audio experience. Its wireless connection allows you to place it anywhere, up to 30 feet from your TV, so you can position it wherever works best. And you won’t need to worry about hiding cables, even if your subwoofer is set up far from your TV. Automatic software updates keep it up to speed with any improvements Roku makes, while a 10-inch driver helps avoid audio distortion.



Note that this subwoofer only works with Roku Audio, including the Roku Smart Soundbar, Roku Wireless Speakers, and Roku Streambar. So even if you have a Roku streaming device, you’ll need Roku’s sound system to make this work.



This subwoofer averages 4.7 stars out of 5 on Amazon across more than 250 user ratings.



[ Today’s deal: Roku wireless subwoofer from Amazon for $150 ]



Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.
This utterly decadent Harman Kardon Bluetooth speaker is 64% off today
Tags: Mobile, Music, Audio

A good portable speaker can bring your tunes wherever you go, whether you're moving around your house, hanging out in the yard, or heading out on an adventure. And today on Walmart, you can get the super high-end Harman Kardon Go + Play Portable Bluetooth Speaker for $180, down from a list price of $500.



This portable speaker connects to your phone or other mobile device wirelessly via Bluetooth, so you can conveniently play your music even from across the room. We haven't reviewed it, but the Go + Play should offer very good sound thanks to its dual woofers and tweeters, along with two passive radiators.



A rechargeable battery provides up to eight hours of playtime on a charge, so you can keep the music going all day long. In addition, a built-in dual microphone conferencing system means you can make and take calls right through the speaker, and a built-in handle makes it extra portable so you can easily take it along with you wherever you go.



This speaker averages 4.6 stars out of 5 across more than 150 user ratings on Walmart.com.



[ Today's deal: Harman Kardon Go + Play Portable Bluetooth Speaker from Walmart for $180 ]



Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.
Netflix drags streaming TV backward, and cord-cutters should take note
Tags: Consumer, Audio, Chargers, Cord

No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world (Robin Williams)
Your Top 5 Holiday Swells!
Tags: Apps, Christmas, Audio, Holidays, Podcast

This holiday season is bittersweet, but we can still honor some traditions like debating whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie, singing to our heart’s content, and cozying up by a fire with a good story. We wish you the happiest of holidays and look forward to hearing you soon on Swell!

Kieran White via Unsplash

It’s never too late to let us know where you land on the biggest holiday debate of the year!

Happy belated Hanukkah! Join this Swell with Liora exploring the story of Hanukkah.

Belt out your fave holiday tune. It feels great! Trust me.

New or old, your traditions matter, and we want to hear about them!

Join this review of a Christmas story that makes the spirit of the season come alive.

Merry merry,

Bowie | Swell Content Producer + Editor
Smart home guide for beginners: Make your home more convenient to live in without spending lots of time or money
Tags: Audio, Cord

Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful (Joshua J. Marine)
Apple TV+ originals: ‘Palmer’, starring Justin Timberlake, gets a trailer and release date
Tags: Audio

Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me (Carol Burnett)
What Does Audacity Mean
By: Valencia Mendoza
Tags: Computers, Audio, Tech, Software, Technology

Audacity is one of the most powerful tools on a computer, allowing users to edit their recordings in any format. Audacity is a free multi-platform audio editor based on interacting with various tracks with audio files. The software is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License and has been released. Runs on Microsoft Windows, Debian, macOS, FreeBSD, and other operating systems.

Audacity is a great tool for designing and editing music and audio-related projects.

Audacity can help you to improve the quality of audio to text transcription. Technology such as Audacity is on hand to help if background noise creates problems. You can pick “noise reduction” from the program’s features to sharpen your recording and give it the greatest chance of a correct and interruption-free transcription.

Once your source audio file is downloaded into Audacity Audio Editor there are lots of options that you can use to edit and improve the audio file. I found that the most useful option is to make your own soundtrack based on the sample. It also has a radial mixer that lets you use only the sampling channels that are selected. You can select the aptitude of the sound and plug in different devices without having to re-sync. Also you can record two recordings at the same time and now the audio synchronizers provide multi-interval channel titles.
Wyze wraps up 2020 with a $10 outdoor smart plug
Tags: Internet, Audio, Entertainment, Home Tech

You don't always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go, and see what happens
Sounder’s 2020 Podcast Playlist
By: Larell Scardelli
Tags: Podcast Playlist, Audio, Podcast Recommendations, Sounder, Podcast

BUSINESS

Ever wonder what it’s like to take a company from a $0 valuation to tens and hundreds of millions of dollars? Our very own COO and Co-founder of Sounder, Dan Daugherty, launched The Big Exit to find out. He interviews startup founders who have built their businesses from the idea stage all the way to some of the biggest exits in the world. Think: founders like Brett Jurgens, founder of Notion, and Lori Torres of Parcel Pending. “The purpose of this podcast is to educate, inspire, and empower entrepreneurs to one day grow their business to levels they may have once thought was not possible,” says Daugherty. “At the end of day, you want to create enough value for your customers to give yourself options as a founder to either exit or stay independent.”

Not to play favorites, but we love Travis Brown. He lives and breaths podcasts and loves to share what he knows. So of course he knows that, “Starting a podcast is easy. Staying consistent is hard.” To help, he hosts Podcast Therapy, a show that is jam-packed with tips to help podcasters keep their head in the game, find their voice, and grow their audience. “If you’ve ever felt like quitting podcasting or felt imposter syndrome, this show is for you,” says Brown. He also created Pod Decks— unique interview questions and conversation prompts to help new and seasoned podcasters avoid awkward pauses and missed episodes.

It’s come to the point that if you want to sell, educate, or influence, you need a solid following—you need a brand. Enter: Lead With Your Brand, the premier podcast for personal branding. “Apple, Starbucks, Nike. We all love brand,” writes host Jayzen Patria. This interview style-podcast welcomes CEOs, CMOs, entrepreneurs, organization heads and other leaders in entertainment, tech, and media to share their career success stories and personal brand journeys. There is plenty of inspiration and practical tools that you can use immediately to drive towards your next career breakthrough and answer the question, “Are you just coffee or are you Starbucks?”

Did you start a side hustle thanks to the pandemic? Then you’ll need to learn how to sell. You may know Sales Hacker as the leading community for modern B2B sales professionals. Their Sales Hacker podcast is an extension of that community! “Everything that Sales Hacker produces, from the podcast to the blog, is created BY sales professionals FOR sales professionals, with the sole aim of sharing what’s working today,” writes their team. When you subscribe to this show, you’ll get access to the latest sales tips, tactics, and strategies from thought leaders and practitioners. So, whether you’re just getting started in your sales career, or you’re a seasoned veteran, this podcast is designed to help take you to the next level.
用OpenCV實作簡單口罩辨識
Tags: Python, Dlib, Covid 19, Opencv, Masks

今年以來世界各地新冠肺炎肆虐，我在今年五月多用OpenCV搭配樹梅派做了一個簡單的口罩辨識。最近翻了一下以前寫的程式後發現還蠻有趣值得一寫的，不過這一篇不會寫有關樹梅派相關內容。

這篇算是一個OpenCV的簡單應用，其他OpenCV常用方法可以見我之前寫過的文章(雖然有點懶導致斷更了。不過因為觀看人數反響不錯，寒假有空我再把他補上去)

一、 實作流程與原理

原理非常簡單，計算戴口罩的部分(口鼻)與沒帶口罩的部分(眼額頭)之間顏色RGB的差距，當差距過大即辨識為戴口罩。

實作原理與流程如下面這幾個階段:

開啟鏡頭抓取影像 偵測人臉 將臉切成上下兩部分 計算各自上下兩部分的色彩直方圖 標準化畫計算上下兩部分直方圖差距 當差距過大即辨識為戴口罩

程式也非常簡單，就容我娓娓道來…。

二、程式

1. OpenCV開啟鏡頭

import cv2 as cv #抓取鏡頭 (如果你有的話)

cap = cv.VideoCapture(0) #設定影像尺寸大小

cap.set(cv.CAP_PROP_FRAME_WIDTH, 800)

cap.set(cv.CAP_PROP_FRAME_HEIGHT, 800) #如果cap能夠成功打開

while(cap.isOpened()):

ret,frame = cap.read()



# 顯示影像

cv.imshow("vedio",frame)



# 按下q離開

if(cv.waitKey(1) & 0xFF == ord('q')):

break #關閉視窗

cap.release()

cv.destroyAllWindows()

2. 偵測人臉

偵測人臉可以有兩種方式，一種是OpenCV的Haar Cascade與Dlib，Haar Cascade在網路上有較多的資料並且之後我也會寫到OpenCV方法整理的文章中，這次就來用dlib做吧 !

# 如果你是用anaconda環境安裝方式就是如下，不過我記得python環境要在3.6以下

conda install -c menpo dlib # 一般安裝就用

pip install dlib

安裝完dlib後，就能來抓取人臉了，程式非常簡單。

import dlib detector = dlib.get_frontal_face_detector() img = cv.imread("./某個人臉圖片.jpg")

img = cv.cvtColor(img,cv.COLOR_BGR2RGB) for face in face_rects:

# 取得左上角的座標、右下角座標

x1 = face.left()

y1 = face.top()

x2 = face.right()

y2 = face.bottom()



# 畫出來

cv.rectangle(img, (x1, y1), (x2, y2), (0,255, 0), 4,cv.LINE_AA)

# 印出來

plt.imshow(img)

plt.show()

結果

3. 切割人臉並計算直方圖

把抓到的人臉分成上 1/3 與下 2/3。

faceLong = y2-y1

upface = img[y1:y1+int(1/3*faceLong),x1:x2]

downface = img[y1+int(1/3*faceLong):y2,x1:x2]

計算各自之間的顏色統計圖，正規化後比較差距。計算顏色統計圖表會用到calHist

# calHist 參數

# cv2.calcHist(images, channels, mask(Size), histSize, ranges)

# image 輸入圖片

# channel RGB第幾個channel

# MASK 不要取樣的部分

# histSize 統計映射範圍，例如你設定[64]，就能將255壓縮到64之間

# ranges 取樣範圍 [0,256] 取0~255 color = ('r','g','b') for i, col in enumerate(color):

histr = cv.calcHist([upface],[i],None,[256],[0, 256])

plt.plot(histr, color = col)

plt.xlim([0, 256])

plt.title("upface")

plt.show() for i, col in enumerate(color):

histr = cv.calcHist([downface],[i],None,[256],[0, 256])

plt.plot(histr, color = col)

plt.xlim([0, 256])

plt.title("downface")

plt.show()

顏色數量統計

因為上半臉與下半臉的pixel數量不同，所以我們會先做正規化normalize。並計算兩者之間的相似度。(compareHist)

hist1 = cv.calcHist([upface], [0,1,2], None, [64, 64,64], [0, 256, 0, 256,0, 256])

# 平移縮放

cv.normalize(hist1, hist1, 0, 1.0, cv.NORM_MINMAX)

hist2 = cv.calcHist([downface], [0,1,2], None, [64,64,64], [0, 256, 0, 256,0, 256])

cv.normalize(hist2, hist2, 0, 1.0, cv.NORM_MINMAX) # 比較方法 HISTCMP_CORREL (相關姓) 0、HISTCMP_CHISQR (卡方) 1、HISTCMP_BHATTACHARYYA(巴式) 2

near = cv.compareHist(hist1,hist2,0)

print(near) # 相似度為: 0.15370643779881982

我們可以設定，當相似度過低代表他是戴口罩的。

4. 把上面所有東西整合。

設定上下臉相似度小於0.01就是沒有戴口罩，這個值可以透過自己的經驗去做調整。整體程式如下:

結果如下，本色演出:

三、 結論與參考資料

用這個方法優點是簡單、快速並且有著不低的準確率(我自己試的時候)。缺點是當戴著口罩時容易無法檢測到臉部、當光線過暗顏色差距不明顯容易辨識錯誤…等。總得來說是一個簡單的OpenCV應用練習。

參考資料如下
Signature Recognition Using OpenCV
By: Ramji Balasubramanian
Tags: Computer Vision, Learning, Opencv, Basics

Have you ever dreamt of working in a company and your role is to scroll down to 20–50 pages and validate the signature in the last page. It looks simple right?. But think like you have to do this for 500,1000,2000 pdfs per day. I am sure any person will feel bored and tired.

Here in this article we are going to see a simple technical solution which can be used to validate the signature using basic computer vision techniques. The Article has 5 section. The first one is about converting pdfs to images, in second and third section we will see how to identify the signature using contour and box it around, in final section will take one step ahead and learn about Morphological operations to extract the closed region of signature and validate the signature using Structural Similarity Index (SSIM)
A comprehensive guide to OCR with Tesseract, OpenCV and Python
By: Suresh Thiyagaraj
Tags: Tesseract, Ocr, Pytesseract, Optical Character Recogn, Opencv

Table of Contents

Introduction

OCR = Optical Character Recognition. In other words, OCR systems transform a two-dimensional image of text, that could contain machine printed or handwritten text from its image representation into machine-readable text. OCR as a process generally consists of several sub-processes to perform as accurately as possible. The subprocesses are:

Preprocessing of the Image

Text Localization

Character Segmentation

Character Recognition

Post Processing

The sub-processes in the list above of course can differ, but these are roughly steps needed to approach automatic character recognition. In OCR software, it’s main aim to identify and capture all the unique words using different languages from written text characters.

For almost two decades, optical character recognition systems have been widely used to provide automated text entry into computerized systems. Yet in all this time, conventional OCR systems have never overcome their inability to read more than a handful of type fonts and page formats. Proportionally spaced type (which includes virtually all typeset copy), laser printer fonts, and even many non-proportional typewriter fonts, have remained beyond the reach of these systems. And as a result, conventional OCR has never achieved more than a marginal impact on the total number of documents needing conversion into digital form.

Next-generation OCR engines deal with these problems mentioned above really good by utilizing the latest research in the area of deep learning. By leveraging the combination of deep models and huge datasets publicly available, models achieve state-of-the-art accuracies on given tasks. Nowadays it is also possible to generate synthetic data with different fonts using generative adversarial networks and few other generative approaches.

Optical Character Recognition remains a challenging problem when text occurs in unconstrained environments, like natural scenes, due to geometrical distortions, complex backgrounds, and diverse fonts. The technology still holds an immense potential due to the various use-cases of deep learning based OCR like

In this blog post, we will try to explain the technology behind the most used Tesseract Engine, which was upgraded with the latest knowledge researched in optical character recognition. This article will also serve as a how-to guide/ tutorial on how to implement OCR in python using the Tesseract engine. We will be walking through the following modules:
Can I compile OpenCV source in x86-64 on Apple M1 Chip?
By: Raymond Lo
Tags: Intel, Open Source, Apple M1 Chip, Opencv, Apple M1



cd opencv

mkdir build

cd build

cmake ../

make -j 9 git clone https://github.com/opencv/opencv cd opencvmkdir buildcd buildcmake ../make -j 9

It’s compiling on Intel (x86–64) architecture…

And it finished in maybe 5 minutes?

Let’s test it and see if it’s functional.

#from the home directory

cd opencv/bin

./opencv_test_core

So, we have 4 tests that failed out of 11490 tests. Not sure if it’s Rosetta related, but it has to do with the file storage and maybe a localized issue with OpenCV related.

Ok, that’s all, and comment here and let me know if you find anything interesting! It seems we can cross-compile many open source applications from x86–64 on the Apple M1. I think it also means we can avoid porting code and keep using x86–64 architecture. That’s pretty interesting indeed!
Face Detection Using Python In Colab
Tags: Python, Facedetection, Opencv, Colab

Face detection is a computer technology being used in a variety of applications that identifies human faces in digital images.

In this post, you will learn how to detect face using OpenCV and Python. The following code is executed in COLAB.
Eye Detection Using Python in Colab
Tags: Object Detection, Python, Opencv, Colab

CODE:

Uploading cascade files:

2.Uploading the image:

3.We need to import some packages: numpy , cv2 , matplotlib .

4.A path to access cascade classifier:

5.To display the image we uploaded:

6.Method to create rectangle when eye is detected, here 7 is the width of the rectangle and (x,y),(x+w,y+h),(255,0,0) is the RGB value of the outline of the rectangle.

7.The final output:

You can access the cascade files and the code from my Github.

https://github.com/AMULYA-SRKL/EYE-DETECTION
The Depth II: Block Matching
By: Ali Yasin Eser
Tags: Python, Depth Map, Stereo Vision, Opencv, 3d

Hello everyone! Welcome to the second part of the Depth. I will explain briefly the block matching algorithm. I assume that you have read the first blog and if you haven’t, please do so. We will use the codes from my stereo depth project.

In the first blog, we took left and right images and calibrated the cameras, individually and together. After the rectification process, we had stereo images that have the same points in the same line, which means that if we took a pair of images that shows a pen, the point of the pen should be (X1, Y) and (X2, Y) where Y is the line number and X1 and X2 are the columns from the images.

Rectified Images will show the same P.

In this case, the difference between X1 and X2gives us the disparity value. We have mentioned that if we look at a close object with the left eye is closed and vice versa, the location changes according to the opened eye perspective. And the difference is more and more significant when the object is more distant. This means that if the disparity value is smaller, the object is closer. This operation can be done for each point, but it’s not efficient because:

It’s a slow process. Time is valuable.

If rectification is not good enough, it’s not ideal to work with each point. We need to reduce the error and processing pointwise won’t help in this case.

That’s why we use block matching. Some of them are using optical flow(for image streams), or reduce the image size to use less processing power. I will mention the second one briefly, if you want detailed info please research the related papers.
The Battlefield of Cutting Edge Face Detectors
By: Sabina Pokhrel
Tags: Python, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Opencv, Technology

Face detector is one of the most commonly used AI component today. Whether you are building a system to count the number of people in room or a home security system that unlocks the door when you reach your front door, you need a face detector.

Given an image, a Face detector locates the faces present in the image and gives coordinates of each face present in the image.

There are tons of face detectors that are available, and honestly, it might be quite overwhelming for you to decide which one would be best for your project. There is no one right answer.

The choice of Face Detector depends on the requirements of your project such as available resource and target inference speed.

In this post, I will do a comparison of the four cutting edge Face detectors that are available today: OpenCV Haar Cascade, Xailient, Dlib and MTCNN. I will also give code for each of the Face detectors so you can either repeat the comparison or can use as a kick-starter for your project.
Computer Vision Full Syllabus
By: Rakesh Ts
Tags: Python, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Opencv, Deep Learning

Note from author:

This course is your ‘local author’ for Deep Learning. The course is designed in a way for students to have a perfect kick-off towards building a career in Data Science. There are practical examples of applications using Deep Learning meeting industry standards. Having experience as a Data Scientist in both service based and product based companies, the author has blended this course to have a striking balance between the theoretical and practical concepts in Deep Learning for Computer Vision. Most of the code snippets you find in this course are going to be useful for you, when you solve a computer vision problem across your career as a data scientist. So, it is important for you to practice the code along to get a hands on experience as a data scientist.

This article has the complete list of lessons that covers the computer vision tutorials. A to Z of Computer Vision and Deep Learning.

Target Audience : Final year College Students, New to Data Science Career, IT employees who wants to switch to data science Career .

Important Note: The below hyperlinks are connected to my friend’s link, which means you can view them any number of time without having to be a premium member.
Feature-matching using BRISK
By: Hasan Alsulaiman
Tags: Computer Vision, Python, Computer Science, Opencv

SIFT

scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) is a feature detection algorithm in computer vision to detect and describe local features in images, it was developed by David Lowe in 1999 and both the algorithm and it’s developer are very famous in the field of CV, But, it is patented!

BRISK

BRISK is a feature point detection and description algorithm with scale invariance and rotation invariance, developed in 2011 as a free alternative to SIFT and readily implemented in famous CV libraries such as OpenCV

Step one: finding features

to illustrate I will use the following two images:

image 1

image 2

Explanation

we need to compute feature points on both images, these are points the algorithm finds interesting.

detector = cv.BRISK_create() kp1, desc1 = detector.detectAndCompute(img1, None)

we initiate a detector object, and use it to compute the features and descriptors of each point, descriptors will help us match the points between the images, here is the results of the first step

feature points of image 1

and the same for image 2

feature points of image two

note that if you are using large images this may take more time so consider resizing your image.

now to the fun part, we match the two images,

FLANN_INDEX_LSH = 6 flann_params= dict(algorithm = FLANN_INDEX_LSH, table_number = 6, # 12 key_size = 12, # 20 multi_probe_level = 1) #2 matcher = cv.FlannBasedMatcher(flann_params, {}) raw_matches = matcher.knnMatch(desc1, trainDescriptors = desc2, k = 2)

FLANN is a matcher object, it will give us matches that may contain some inaccuracy, to eliminate inaccurate points we use Low’s ratio test, here I’ve made a function for that

I also want to draw a bounding box around the detected object, I will do this using Homography, simply put, I will project the borders of my first image on its new location in the second image, here is what that looks like

I have made a function to do homography, here is what it looks like:

You can find the entire code here, most of it is self-explanatory, but if you have a question feel free to ask me.
Face detection using Python and OpenCV
Tags: Python, Artificial Intelligence, Python3, Opencv, Programming

A modern implementation of the Classifier Cascade face detection algorithm is provided in the OpenCV library. This is a C++ computer vision library that provides a python interface. The benefit of this implementation is that it provides pre-trained face detection models, and provides an interface to train a model on your own dataset.

OpenCV can be installed by the package management system

sudo pip install opencv-python

OpenCV provides the CascadeClassifier class that can be used to create a cascade classifier for face detection. The constructor can take a filename as an argument that specifies the XML file for a pre-trained model.

We can load the pre-trained model for frontal face detection



classifier = CascadeClassifier('haarcascade_frontalface_default.xml')

Once loaded, the model can be used to perform face detection on a photograph by calling the detectMultiScale() function.

boundary_boxes= classifier.detectMultiScale(pixels)

for box in boundary_boxes:

print(box)

The photo can be loaded using OpenCV via the imread() function.

pixels = imread('img1.jpg')

Complete example

Running the example first loads the photograph, then loads and configures the cascade classifier; faces are detected and each bounding box is printed.

Drawing the rectangle can be achieved by drawing a rectangle for each box directly over the pixels of the loaded image using the rectangle() function that takes two points. Then plotting the photograph.

Running the function the output looks like

Thank you!.

Also, check out the post on Instagram.