MCC Workshop KL & Imagine Cup 2010

The workshop was great! I will be uploading some pictures from the workshop once it's uploaded by the cameraman there. After hearing the speakers, we've decided to cancel the initial plan (gesture recognition). We're now back to square one. We have to think of a new idea to submit before the end of August.

Other than that, there is another competition, Microsoft Imagine Cup 2010. I'm planning to join but currently I'm the only one. I need at least another two students to team up with me. The theme this year is: "Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems." Anyone interested? Do contact me and we shall discuss further. Though the chances to win might not be high, but the experiece will be great =)

Mobile Content Challenge

Wow. I'm going to join my first REAL programming contest in my life. Well, I've participated in e-Genting Programming Competition last year, but I don't consider it as a real programming competition because it was an open-book written-based competition. We were provided only a booklet and pen to write the codes with our own hands...not with a PC.

Well, back to the competition that I'll be participating. I'll be teaming up with K.P., Chua (my senior), and Mr. Michael Goh (MMU lecturer) as our advisor for the project. What we're planning to do is a virtual panel which allows handphone users to use hand gestures to control the phone. The idea was inspired to us by the Media Lab of MIT. You can watch the video of Pattie Maes fromf MIT Media Lab demostratiing the SixthSense here.

For more information about Mobile Content Challenge, you can refer to their page: http://www.mobilecontentchallenge.com

Still surviving

Week 5 of training and i'm still alive. => This week is quite fun actually. I've just created a facebook account and I've been playing the games in facebook during work. Farm Town is cute. And oh, there's Scrabble too! Missed playing Scrabble so much...It is my favourite board game since I was 13.

That aside, Mr. Michael Goh passed his device and software to me to collect data. This morning, I connected the device to my office PC, and also to the power plug (his device has some computer thingy in it). The power indicator flickered once I turn on the switch, and then it stopped working. The camera still can capture image though, since the power is only for the computer thingy in it. Not sure what actually happened to the device. Returned it to him to check and repair. Hope it will be OK... =(

And oh, I'm still stucked with my FYP ='( According to Mr. Michael Goh, the algorithm for skin detection I used is not so efficient. Now I need to do more research on skin detection algorithm. I think I'm going to propose a fixed-environment image capture device to my FYP advisor. It should be able to reduce my problems on the coding part.

Happy weekend! =D

Time does fly

I've been working in FIST office for one month now. It's still boring and tiring, but I don't really mind anymore since I'm used to it already. Things are going well so far at work. Don't really encounter any problems with my tasks.

However, my FYP is starting to kill me off. Currently I'm trying to make the program detect human skin and remove anything that is...non-skin. I managed to detect the skin, but the problem is, I can't fully separate the hand from the rest of the image. Here's an example of my current progress on the hand detection algorithm:

(a) Captured Image

(b) After Skin Detection

As you can see, there are still some noises at the background and also some white noises on my palm! Maybe I should try to add more filters. Wonder if median filtering would be helpful...maybe I should try that after this. =>

Week 2 from FIST Office

Boring week...been doing interface only. So, I spent most of my time surfing the net. :D

FYP task 1 submitted. Supervisor happy with my report, and gave me my second task. What I have to do for task 2 is to write a program to connect to the hardware(webcam), and capture still images from the video obtained through the webcam. Most probably I'll be using the AForge.NET framework with C#.NET.

Also, I might be helping one of our lecturers, Mr. Michael Goh, to collect data for his research project. He told me I can use the data collected for my FYP too, since his research is on palm-print too.

And oh, results are out! I'm very happy with it. Never been this happy before about my results. Hee~ And I'm planning to pursuit Master of Science in Mathematics in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia(UTM) after I've completed my degree in MMU.

Time to pack and go back~

Day 5 from...FIST Office

Day 4
Started some simple web programming task. Supervisor checked my diagrams, and he commented on the ERD (relationship problems). So i have to rethink how to relate the entities and let him recheck.

Day 5
Friday! Today I relate the entities in my ERD and to do so, I had to add three new entities so they can be related. Supervisor hasn't check my ERD, adn I don't think he will today. So in the meantime, I'm trying to design the interface.

Tomorrow I don't have to be in the office. =D I'm so happy about it! But wait...I don't have internet connection at home yet. What am i to do during the weekends? ='(

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Weekend plans:

1. Tidy up new house
2. Wash clothes (2 weeks worth of clothing to wash)
   
3. Play The Last Remnant (Best game I've played so far this year)
4. Watch Numb3rs Season 2 Episode 6 & 7
5. Go "jalan-jalan"
6. Go MMU on Sunday to check out the textbook stock clearance sale
   

Reporting from FIST Office Day 3

Day 1
No PC, no desk. Whole day in Software Engineering Lab, surfing the net. Completed 8 Sudoku puzzles.

Day 2
PC finally ready. Desk given is...at the entrance of FIST Admin Office. Whoever walks will surely see me. At least task was given, and I've finished it. Task 1: Entity Relationship Diagram(ERD), Context Diagram, Data Flow Diagram(DFD). Took some extra time to learn PHP.

Day 3
Nothing to do. First task will be presented to my lecturer on Thursday or Friday as he is not here today. In the meantime, trying to do the process flow for my Final Year Project: Palm Print Recognition for Attendance System. Almost completed the process flow...so i'm kinda bored now. Another 6 hours and 45 minutes before office hours end...

Worries

1. Tomorrow I'll be commencing my industrial training in Faculty of Information Science and Technology(FIST), MMU Melaka.

Working hours:
Monday - Thursday: 8:30am-1:00pm, 2:00pm-5:30pm
Friday: 8:30am-12:45pm, 2:30pm-5:45pm

2. Starting from tomorrow, I won't have internet access for at least 2 weeks...How am I going to survive? Luckily I will be able to use the internet in the office. Hope TM will do their job quickly and finished it as promised, 2 weeks...but i doubt that will happen.

3. Final Year Project task 1 given. Having problems with the process flow diagram. Submission? Before 12th of June 2009. No internet, can't do research at home. Hope I'll have free time during work to do my FYP.

Hack This Site!

No, I'm not asking you to hack this site...

It's a website which allows users to test their hacking skills. It's addictive, but if you're not the type of person who can sit in front of the PC for hours to solve mind-boggling problems, I advise you to stay off this website.

Try it here: http://www.hackthissite.org/

Thanks to Eric T.H.T. for the link.

LATEST

So far so good. Let's wait for the final decision. =) (=