PlantSnap for Exploring RainForests

PlantSnap, a Paid App, lets you snap an image of a plant then use image recognition to identify the plant. 

Surprisingly it IDs 90% of all known species of plants and trees. Over 585,000 species on Earth, they claim. 

It works in seconds because the image recognition models are downloaded to the device. 

They have over 7.5 million installs, so it's popular. 

Conclusion: The App works well and is using the latest in CoreML Image recognition technologies. I like the App for exploring Rain Forests in Kauai. The App is a lot of fun and educational. 

*Recommended

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Not From Earth App

Coming Soon!


Star KIC 8462852 was thought to be a star encased in a Dyson Sphere because of its periodic dimming. But then NASA scientists said the dimming is just an orbiting cloud of dust because the light spectrum did not dim equally. That is a strange conclusion. Aliens smart enough to encase a star but not smart enough to filter the light they want to capture?

We need to know if they are here!

We have a Beta Copy of the Not From Earth App  The App is scheduled for release in March of 2019. NFE claims to detect alien visitors using advanced AI and image recognition. It then unmasks the alien, providing a glimpse of their appearance using style transfer effects. The App includes hundreds of free Alien Transfer Effects or ATEs. 

The coders have managed to combine Style Transfer Effects with Depth Masks. 
"It's Important to see the Aliens on their own planets," said the product manager Nikola Tesla III. "We are wrapping up a galaxy browser for connecting aliens with their home planets."

Best Camera did a review on all the top Camera Apps and none of them had this cool style transfer and depth mask combination technology. 

The developers are busy training the image recognition and style transfer models. So far the App is easy and fun to use. Just snapshot individuals or even crowds and NFE will find the Alien and zoom in. Social sharing is included so you can warn others of discovered aliens walking among us. If everyone with a cell phone has this App, we have a fighting chance. 

"Best Pickup App Ever!" according to a beta tester in Santa Monica who went alien hunting on the beach with the App.

More to come on this unique solution to Earth's invasion. Check back here for release notice. 

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Oldest Photos Ever

The history of photography is fascinating. The artists taking these photos would be amazed at our modern mobile cameras and Apps.

In 1822, Nicéphore Niépce,  created the first fixed, permanent photograph, a copy of an engraving of Pope Pius VII. He accomplished this by contact printing in direct sunlight without a camera or lens. This first photo was destroyed later. 

Then in 1824,  Niépce created the first durable, light-fast camera photograph, on the surface of lithographic stone. This photo was also destroyed in the course of his experiments.

Then in 1826 Niépce took the earliest surviving photograph from nature. It required exposure in the camera of at least eight hours. 

Oldest Surviving Photo

The next is a photograph of Boulevard du Temple in Paris. It was shot in 1838 by Louis Daguerre. This is the first photograph to include a human.  The exposure time was over ten minutes. There were other people, horses, and moving objects, but they disappeared from the photo because of the long exposure time. But the man in the bottom left was having his shoes shined, so he was basically still enough to be included in the photo  - making him the first human to ever be photographed. 

Oldest Photo of a Human

Finally, here is the first Selfie ever taken. The date is 1839 in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia USA. His name is Robert Cornelius.

Oldest Selfie

Obnoxious IOS Settings to Turn OFF

Quick Guide for Pain Relief

1. Settings-> Privacy->Advertising (Off to Limit Ad Tracking and stop Apple from tracking you)

2. Settings->Privacy->Analytics->Share iPhone Analytics. (Why share everything you do?)

3. Settings->Privacy->Loation Services->System Services->Location Based Apple Ads (Disable this stupid option unless you want more Ads)

4. Settings->Privacy->Location Services->Product Improvements (Disable all unless you want your info shared)

5. Settings->Itunes & App Store->In-App & Reviews (Disable to Stop Apps from constantly asking you to review them with Pop-Ups..Ahhh)

6. Settings->Itunes & App Store->Video Autoplay (Disable to prevents App Vids from auto-starting when browsing the App Store)

BONUS: These will also reduce your battery usage

The Coding Secret

Finding the cause of a problem is often harder than coding the fix. And App Design Matters.

How to fix those impossible bugs:

• Reproduce the Bug
• Use Stack Traces
• Try to write a test case
• Have a good reference for error codes
• Google It
• Understand the bug cause, then get exercise, then code the solution.
• Become an expert on your debug tools. 

Best Female Photographers for 2019

100 Female photographers to Watch in 2019

Congratulations to our own Natalie Gildersleeve for making the list!

Natalie Gildersleeve Photography

Lifestyle, family, and portrait photographer in Portland, OR.

"The pictures we hold most dear are the ones that tell the stories of our lives. They’re the ones that linger in our mind’s eye and whisper truths to our hearts. We return to these pictures, over and over again, because there’s something precious we want to remember..."

Changing Direction

Never give up. But sometimes we need to change direction.