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I just came across this: What is the Forum's opinion/analysis/impressions? - Page 3 — Parallax Forums

I just came across this: What is the Forum's opinion/analysis/impressions?

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Comments

  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2009-05-05 19:49
    Mark,
    I'll echo Phil's remarks. History is littered with attempts at the "next great thing". There have also been concepts that were not great, but fulfilled a need at a reasonable cost, could be communicated easily, and sold themselves.

    This is a technical audience here, not venture capitalists. Telling us that what you have is of value doesn't work. You have to demonstrate that and you have to do it in a context that makes sense here. We are not producing the next DARPA autonomous robot winner here. There are a few people experimenting with small scale autonomous vehicles, some wheeled, some model airplanes or helicopters where the the issue is basic navigation and flight control. Frankly, I think you'd do better here with a simple memory expansion board, maybe 512KB or 1MB and a tutorial with sample programs that teaches the technology involved, something that might be used as the basis of a science project on a high school level or a term project on an undergraduate level.
  • SRLMSRLM Posts: 5,045
    edited 2009-05-05 19:51
    @mallred

    So, Dr. Gouge is a researcher, huh? He has developed or is developing ways to mimic the brain, and has been doing so for over 40 years? Can you provide an citations to reputable scholarly journals that he has been published in? If (as you claim) he has been doing this for a while, and he is a doctor (in computer science I suppose?), then he must have been published in a non-pop culture journal. Something from ACM or IEEE would be a start.
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2009-05-05 20:02
    As an example of stuff that dis-inspires confidence, here is your list of bullet points for your servo control software that you sell for $20 on your website and a comparison with the existing servo control software that Parallax gives away for free:

    No external circuitry needed - Servo32...same
    Connect your servos directly to Propeller I/O pins - Servo32...same
    Controls 16 servos independently - Servo32...controls up to 32 servos independently
    Zero jitter - Servo32...same
    No servo buzz - Servo32...same
    Full rail-to-rail servo motion - Servo32...same, improved in Servo32v4
    User selectable framerate - adapts easily to any digital servo specifications - Not sure what you mean by this
    Requires only one Propeller COG, leaving the other seven for development - Servo32...same
    Fully documented in code comments - Servo32...probably same depending on what you mean by "fully documented"

    There's nothing wrong with developing new software that provides existing functionality with new features or new functionality, but you need to present your product based on value added compared to existing products (free or sold). If not, your credibility loses.

    Post Edited (Mike Green) : 5/5/2009 8:12:08 PM GMT
  • heaterheater Posts: 3,370
    edited 2009-05-05 20:16
    It just so happens that I have recently started work for a new start up that would pay handsomely for the solution to detecting the presence and movement of objects via video (or perhaps radar) and, importantly, counting many of them in a scene at once.

    Whilst the objects themselves come in fairly standard (and well known) shapes and sizes they are to be detected in a very diverse environment. Especially lighting and shadow wise.

    Many have tried video recognition solutions to this problem. And failed, even when the lighting was somewhat under control.

    So as you see I'm all ears when you turn up here.

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    For me, the past is not over yet.
  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    edited 2009-05-05 20:16
    What really turns me off is the self promotion, exaggerated claims and apparent primary motive of profit. I've met a few people that have claimed to be really on to something, something that would change the world. Either they were too deluded or too concerned with getting rich to make it happen. I think the former, but they could have saved some effort and perhaps benefited from peer review.

    mallred, I like hanging out with people that are smarter than me, everyone should try to do that. Make sure that you retain your skepticism though...

    Rich H

    p.s. of course I do not know what the real truth is here, it's just how it seems from the way information is presented.

    Post Edited (W9GFO) : 5/5/2009 8:21:39 PM GMT
  • mallredmallred Posts: 122
    edited 2009-05-05 20:17
    Look under Google, then click more, then click on Scholars.

    He is in IEEE, Advanced Imaging, Biophotonics World, and many other publications.

    He is well published.

    Use variations of his name, J.O. Gouge, James Gouge, James O. Gouge to find information on him.

    Much of Dr. Gouge's work has been done in the military realm and is not for public consumption, however, there is ample information in the public domain that will support his work.

    Thanks for your interest.

    Mark
  • mallredmallred Posts: 122
    edited 2009-05-05 20:20
    @ heater

    Dr. Gouge has used this very technology I have been talking about to discover underwater structures due to wave form patterns in the ocean with some of his military work that has been declassified. We have posted that on our website if you care to take a look.

    He is an imaging expert.

    If you wish to contact Dr. Gouge directly about a project, his email is gougejo@gmail.com.

    Thanks,

    Mark
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2009-05-05 20:28
    Mark,
    My doctoral advisor many years ago also made a name for himself in classified research and was little known in the public realm. I don't have any problem with that other than that there was a lot that he knew that he couldn't teach or otherwise share that would have been a gift for others.

    I'll just echo W9GFO's comments about how things have been presented.

    I wish you well with your endeavors, but I won't be buying any of your products without a major change in how they're presented.
  • mallredmallred Posts: 122
    edited 2009-05-05 20:32
    @ Mike Green

    Educate me. What are you looking for? How can I present this information in a more palatable manner? I am willing to learn and to change.
  • SRLMSRLM Posts: 5,045
    edited 2009-05-05 20:35
    From google scholar recent results,
    -16,900 results for James Gouge
    -6,940 results for J.O. Gouge
    -15,700 results for James O. Gouge
    -0 results for gougejo@gmail.com

    Do you have any specific papers that he has published? And why doesn't his email turn up any results? Where does he get the money for all the research that he does? To sell an $800 memory module, surely you have to make at least a half dozen before you can be a least a little confident of it's success? I'm not trying to be unfair to the mysterious Dr. Gouge or you, Mark, it's just that anybody can post anything on the internet. Critical outlook is a necessity.
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2009-05-05 20:38
    I've been following this thread quietly all day..

    I echo the sentiment shared by others here..

    It's exciting to see product development around the Propeller.
    It's even acceptable to promote (howbeit a little more softly) your product
    based around the Propeller. But if you want to be embraced by the community, you need to get involved more than promotion.

    I'd suggest that maybe you and perhaps this "Dr Gouge" who is Propeller knowledgeable take part in meeting the community a little, engage in conversations here, answer questions and contribute in more than in a promotional fashion, and you'll find ears much more perceptive to your product line. There are many here who contribute in both their knowledge and time as well as peddle Propeller products and are accepted in this community. That door isn't shut.

    We have all levels of experience and knowledge in this forum on a daily basis.
    Tell us a little about yourselves. Motivations for using the Propeller. Share goals and ideas. Don't sweat having to "prove" credentials with this group. Some have them, some don't, others don't care. [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    Bottom line.. Good to meet you! Join us!

    OBC

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    New to the Propeller?

    Visit the: The Propeller Pages @ Warranty Void.
  • mallredmallred Posts: 122
    edited 2009-05-05 20:52
    @OBC

    Thank you.

    I heartily agree. Today is the first day I have posted to this community. I have know about it for some time, but have been busy otherwise. I felt it time to share information about our company and products, as we are being discussed on this forum.

    I understand your point about anybody can say anything on the internet. It is a valid point. You have reason to be skeptical. What we are claiming is quite unbelievable to some. Yet it is true.

    I will be working with Dr. Gouge to take time to comment on these forums. He is the technical expert. I think that would go a long way to bridging our ideas over in this forum with comments from him.

    Would that be a good start? Perhaps I can start again with intelligent conversation and involve Dr. Gouge in the sharing of ideas and possibilities.

    Thank you for your warm welcome.
  • jazzedjazzed Posts: 11,803
    edited 2009-05-05 20:55
    Machine Intelligence Technologies ... responded to and did not start this thread (unless JMH is Dr G which I find unlikely). Can't blame Mark for trying to preserve an image.

    It gets rough here sometimes. Being "technologically" interactive on this forum would be a big plus. Best of luck.

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    --Steve


    Propalyzer: Propeller PC Logic Analyzer
    http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=788230
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2009-05-05 21:04
    Mark,
    One possible start would be to put together a "toy" example of your storage technology that would run on an unmodified Demo Board and use a keyboard and display for input/output. I may have the idea wrong, but you haven't described much what it does. Let's say what you have is an associative storage mechanism. Your example might store some number of key/data pairs or data items if the whole content of the data is the key, then allow you to enter key or search information and see what's returned. It would display some status information about how full the store is and how long it takes to retrieve an item, etc.

    You could either post the source code for this "toy" or post a pre-compiled binary for a VGA display and a TV display. From an IP perspective, it shouldn't matter whether you post the source or not since these sorts of examples don't scale up and the power of the IP is in making the full scale version work well.
  • mallredmallred Posts: 122
    edited 2009-05-05 21:42
    @ heater

    Here are some image analysis patents Dr. Gouge owns. These may help in your image analysis research.

    Image Analysis Method, Patent # 5,040,225
    System and Method for Detecting Patterns or Objects in a Digital Image, Patent # 6,373,984
    Method for Selecting Distinctive Pattern Information from a Pixel Generated Image, Patent # 5,267,328

    http://www.uspto.gov/
    Click Patents on the side bar, then choose 3 Search Patents
    Click Patent number search
    Type in patent numbers above
    This will bring up the patent.

    Hope that's a start for you.

    Thanks,

    Mark
  • CassLanCassLan Posts: 586
    edited 2009-05-05 22:57
    Wow it looks like the prices went up...now $1,691.52 for the 16mb Expansion kit!!
    OMG! But honestly for that kind of money I don't think the customer should have to do any soldering...

    If your serious about this product, and you want any kind credit on this forum, please post SOME propeller project.
    In case you haven't noticed, the spirit of this forum is the sharing of knowledge and learning through such sharing.
    If you don't have ANYTHING to offer that doesn't cost $$, then its hard for me to take you seriously.

    Even the people that constantly hawk their stuff in every post or reply they put up are still helpful/insightful to others questions.

    I for one don't care about the credentials of someone who has never posted/replied to this forum, ... and I don't even care about the credentials of those that do ; )

    Rick
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2009-05-05 23:04
    Most patents are not that helpful unless you're a large corporation trying to protect IP or gain access to someone else's IP. Often it's a matter of "gaming" the system, trying to come up with something that's different enough from someone else's patent to be patentable by itself and, of course, making claims that are as broad as possible.

    What would be much more useful would be an explanation of the algorithms, particularly from the standpoint of "what does this technique solve or make easier? ... and why" with examples.
  • HannoHanno Posts: 1,130
    edited 2009-05-05 23:22
    Wow, fun thread. Just wanted to clarify, that yes, the Propeller does have a fully integrated debugger, courtesy of ViewPort. Unlike the vague screenshots and interesting hyberbole about the KISS debugger (no free trial, no video, no info) there's plenty of info, video, and even a free trial download of ViewPort- mydancebot.com. This a wonderful forum of really smart people. If you want to sell something here make sure you've done your homework.
    Hanno
  • Dr. JimDr. Jim Posts: 7
    edited 2009-05-06 00:46
    This is Dr. Gouge.

    I have recently been made aware of this forum. This is the first time I have read any postings here.

    I have recently retired and decided to take a look at the state of Robotics technology.

    It is clear from these postings that toys are more important than practical research tools.

    Having said that, for those who wish to take a more in-depth approach to machine intelligence research, I will be more than happy to provide you with technical information concerning my patented and other technological breakthroughs in this arena.

    However, I cannot finance practical research by spending my time and yours expounding and expanding toy technologies.

    For those who are serious, I will set aside time to respond twice a week.

    Please be patient and I will try to respond to every question.

    To those of you who are non-condescending, I applaud you for your research efforts both as hobbyists and/or professional researchers. Please continue, for we (collectively) have not yet begun. All of us need to stick together and do our best to help each other. This will bring about major breakthroughs that none of us individually have thought of.

    We must, however, sell a certain amount of products to finance our ongoing research. Otherwise, it is all a moot point.

    I look forward to interacting on a regular basis with those of you who are serious with their hobby and their research.

    Please feel free to post to our blog.

    Sincerely,

    Dr. Jim
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2009-05-06 01:04
    Dr. Jim said...
    It is clear from these postings that toys are more important than practical research tools.
    Dr. Jim said...
    To those of you who are non-condescending, ...
    Need more be said?

    -Phil
  • mynet43mynet43 Posts: 644
    edited 2009-05-06 01:09
    Dr. Jim,

    I think you completely missed the point if you think this thread is about interest in toys.

    There are some highly technical people here that are really scratching their heads, trying to figure out exactly what you're selling, and trying to make sense of the many claims made by your friend Mark.

    I'll make it simple for you. If you're willing to answer real questions, go back to the first page of this thread and filter out everyting except the postings of Mike Green. The thread is so long that it got off topic several times.

    If you would explicitly answer the questions posed by Mike, it would go a long way in helping us understand what's going on. So far all we've heard is 'greater than sliced bread and apple pie', with no specifics.

    I know you can do better.

    My two cents worth.

    Jim
  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    edited 2009-05-06 01:09
    Dr. Jim said...
    This is Dr. Gouge.

    It is clear from these postings that toys are more important than practical research tools....

    However, I cannot finance practical research by spending my time and yours expounding and expanding toy technologies...
    Dr. Jim said...

    To those of you who are non-condescending,...


    Uhh..., oh never mind. rolleyes.gif

    Rich H
  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    edited 2009-05-06 01:11
    Ha Ha, Phil, you beat me to it!

    Rich H
  • HannoHanno Posts: 1,130
    edited 2009-05-06 01:19
    Heater- and others wanting to do "real" state of the art vision with the Propeller.
    Check out the OpenCV project. It was started by Intel 10 years ago and is now maintained by Willow Garage- I was there last Friday, they're doing real robotic work. It's not easy and there are no silver bullets. They're not building robots to kill humans and their work is not covered by patents. It's open source. You can download the source code to their vision library, AI library, and robot operating system. All free. willowgarage.com There's even an O'Reilly book out about OpenCV.
    Hanno
    Post sponsored by ViewPort, with OpenCV built in [noparse]:)[/noparse]
  • Dr. JimDr. Jim Posts: 7
    edited 2009-05-06 01:50
    @mynet43

    The purpose of the technology I am developing is to accomplish as many simultaneous, independent programming streams as I possibly can. This is the only way that we can perform near real-time cognizant processing.

    This means that all Propeller boards will have access to the expansion memory bus and load 256 byte blocks to execute in a specific COG. We can therefore bring all but one COG in the complete group of Propeller chips to bear on the massively parallel independent processing streams.

    No system or processor no matter how fast will be able to time division the processing of the multiple tasks which have to be performed in real time.

    My approach is to build a system that consists of many Propeller boards so that I might bring as many available COGs into the service of machine intelligence.

    This, in turn, automatically dictates an increase in shared memory resources so that all COGs can participate in the processing of the logic stream.

    It should be noted that neurons themselves have an extremely slow switching time, several microseconds. As long as we don't ask each propeller to perform too many simultaneous streams, we should be able to closely emulate the processing time of many small parts of the brain.

    The second problem is to accomplish this while utilizing the minimum number of I/O pins.

    I have implemented two bus structures common to every Propeller board. The first is an eight-bit parallel bus and the second is a two-bit bidirectional 3 megabit serial bus. The second bus is for commands only.

    I will talk more about this in a few days.

    Dr. Jim

    Post Edited (Dr. Jim) : 5/6/2009 2:01:34 AM GMT
  • mynet43mynet43 Posts: 644
    edited 2009-05-06 02:41
    Dr. Jim,

    Thank you so much for clarifying what you're trying to accomplish. It's starting to make sense.

    This goes a long way toward seeing what you're trying to use it for. And how you're approaching it.

    The users on this forum are generally trying to solve some problem themselves, and are asking for help in a specifuc area. I really hope you find some interest in buying your products here. I think this will require some detailed documentation, software support and a finished board.

    Thanks again for taking the time to give some details.

    Jim

    Post Edited (mynet43) : 5/6/2009 2:48:18 AM GMT
  • BradCBradC Posts: 2,601
    edited 2009-05-06 02:59
    Parent post deleted.. ex-post contents now redundant [noparse];)[/noparse]

    I must add here that Andy's PASD was probably the *first* debugger as such, but it was PASM only.. Cluso99 really produced the first workable SPIN/PASM debugger..

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    "VOOM"?!? Mate, this bird wouldn't "voom" if you put four million volts through it! 'E's bleedin' demised!

    Post Edited (BradC) : 5/6/2009 3:06:53 AM GMT
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2009-05-06 03:01
    Just an an FYI, the 512K x 8 static RAM chip (Alliance AS6C4008-55PCN), which I believe is the same RAM being offered on the Machine Intelligence Technologies website for $19.95, can be had from Future Electronics for $3.29 each (qty. 1).

    -Phil
  • CassLanCassLan Posts: 586
    edited 2009-05-06 03:01
    Well BradC he has already deleted his post so....
  • RossHRossH Posts: 5,511
    edited 2009-05-06 03:05
    Wow, this is getting confusing!

    mallred deleted his post, so I delete mine - but on second thoughts I'll put it back again ... I think Kaio deserves some credit for POD.

    There is also POD (the Propeller On-chip Debugger) by Kaio. Look here - http://forums.parallax.com/forums/default.aspx?f=25&m=178997&g=179300

    Works a treat.

    I've incoporated a version of POD in the Catalina C compiler that can also debug LMM code.

    Ross.
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