

Super Face Scanning Software
Sunday April 1, 2012
(This is not an April Fools thing). From Gizmodo:
The software is meant for developers to use in their apps—say, a browser extension that would block certain sites when kids were on the computer. Sure it's a little eery to think a computer can know us so well, but, God, get over it. And as it turns out, it's still pretty rough around the edges.
So I tried it out (direct link here) with these pictures:

And here are the results I got:
Bearded Me:
Estimated Age: 31
Max Age: 42
Min Age: 23
Gender: Male
Glasses: true
Lips: Sealed
Mood: Happy
Smiling: false
Clean Shaven Me:
Estimated Age: 24
Max Age: 32
Min Age: 19
Gender: Male
Glasses: true
Lips: Sealed
Mood: Neutral
Smiling: false
So the natural conclusion is that I look older with facial hair. Not bad! I was 25 at the time I took the photos so it looks like the age estimation stuff isn't too bad. At least for me. What are some of your results?
Disconnected
Saturday March 24, 2012
So my phone died about a week ago, leaving me semi-disconnected from the world and suddenly realising that hey, cellphones have become such a necessity in our lives. It's not that I'm addicted to one, it's just that I'm so reliant on it being there that when it isn't, it feels like I have been majorly inconvenienced. In any case, I borrowed my flatmate's phone so I can still receive texts and calls, I just don't have everyone's number (because most of it is stored on the memory card, not the SIM card) and the phone is really difficult to use so I'm trying not to use it as much.
I've also been feeling a bit disconnected in general, which is probably from the copious amounts of overtime I've been doing at work, trying to get this project product out the door (see what I did there, Sidhe guys?). And I've got a lot of faith in this game, it's just that it's needed a lot of reworking to get it feeling good and playing well. We're almost there.
It often happens that I forget what it's like to have free time while/after I've been doing a lot of overtime. My personal projects have been progressing in tiny increments. I have something ready for Psypoke's April Fools too! Haven't been playing many games recently - still need to play Limbo and Bastion that I bought from the Steam Holiday Sales - I have been playing an old, old, old favourite called Marble Drop, made by Maxis in 1997. I really need to finish all those PS2 games that I borrowed too... sigh. Oh, does Draw Something count as a game? ¬_¬
Random ranting and first world problems list:
- This weather is depressing and the days are getting shorter.
- The new give way rules are coming into effect tomorrow and there is going to be carnage on the roads because people are stupid. Also, this is amusing.
- I went aurora spotting a few weeks ago and saw nothing. Stupid Wellington clouds.
- My credit card bill is too damn high. Probably because of those airplane tickets I bought to the US. Giggity.
Hamilton - More of a Shallow Pit than a Hole
Wednesday February 15, 2012
I was in Hamilton over the weekend for a friend's wedding. We drove up on the Friday and back down again on the Sunday - a surprisingly large number of roadworks being done on State Highway 1 meant the drive took longer than expected. We had some delicious woodfire pizza in Tokoroa before reaching our destination, a holiday home on the east side of Hamilton, around 9pm. I swear it was raining moths at one point, with the stupid insects committing suicide all over the bonnet of my car. Disgusting.
Saturday was the day of the wedding. Since the ceremony was not until after lunch, we decided to check out the city center and found some nice cafes along the main road. One could have easily mistaken the scene for Cuba Street really, the food was nice, with an the atmosphere to match. I guess if you go to Hamilton with the expectation it's a horrible void of swirling toilet waste, and it turns out that, hey, there's some nice places, then you'll come away with an improved opinion of the city. The weather was nice and sunny and certainly this was a nice change from the overcast gloom of Wellington - though I suspect the weather was equally nice and sunny in our absence.
Anyway, Jono and I performed our usheral duties admirably and the ceremony went off without a hitch. The reception also went well and the food was delectable - although my only complaint is that the ham was a bit too salty! The cheesecake however, was divine, as was the pavlova, and the wedding cake, which was masterfully decorated with 6kg of white chocolate planks, was also delicious.
We stopped in Tirau for lunch at the Cabbage Tree Cafe on the way back to Wellington on Sunday. Tirau, despite its size, has some excellent cafes and certainly ranks above Hamilton in terms of character and likeability. We were home by 6pm and that gave me enough time to clean the stupid suicidal bugs off my car.
What a weekend. Congratulations to the married couple, Jono and Karlyn Dixon! Photographs are in the gallery.
Reunion Dinner
Sunday January 22, 2012
I always find myself being sentimental around Chinese New Year, mainly because I'm away from home and I'm missing all the great food you get, like yee sang and Peking duck. I try to go back to Auckland for Chinese New Year at some point during the 15 day celebration - even if I do miss the actual day of Reunion Dinner, we usually do have one and its meaning isn't diminished in any way.
This year, though, my parents are back in Malaysia and I was feeling a bit lonely when my flatmate suggested I do something special for myself. And that snowballed into making my own Reunion Dinner. I've never cooked for that many people before but it turned out well!

Spring Rolls (to appease the masses), Lettuce Wrap, Stir Fry Bok Choi and Cheese and Bacon Mussels

Roast Duck. Thank you Yans!
I know these may not necessarily usually be associated with Chinese New Year foods but I'm not that great a cook :(
To top it off for dessert, we had vanilla ice cream with Alphonso mango puree, and Jono's chocolate birthday cake.
In any case, wishing you all Gung Hei Fatt Choi in the year of the Dragon!
