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Finding Yourself With Photo Recognition

itchyfish writes "You are lost in a foreign city, you don't speak the language and you are late for your meeting. What do you do? Take out your cellphone, photograph the nearest building and press send. For a small fee, photo recognition software on a remote server works out precisely where you are, and sends back directions that will get you to your destination. Seems a little far fetched, but amazingly cool if it really works."

17 of 336 comments (clear)

  1. try it in my neighborhood by matlantis · · Score: 4, Funny

    Every house looks the same where I live

  2. Won't work by ExCEPTION · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can just image the server's cpu goes up to 100% when I send in a photo of McDonald's.

  3. massive computational infrastructure by Black+Mage+Balthazar · · Score: 4, Funny

    Turns out the company owns stock in a number of hard drive manufacturers...

  4. i read a copy of the directions ... by seringen · · Score: 2, Funny

    it asks you to make sure that you get the street sign and a building number in the shot

  5. What if... by Bill_Royle · · Score: 4, Funny

    What if you took a picture of a McDonalds?

    Hell, you could be lost for days.

  6. Re:GPS? by PacoTaco · · Score: 4, Funny
    What if your in a flat area with no buildings, landmarks, etc? Or even worse, a very rocky, natural area (say something similar to the grand canyon).

    Then I think you're going to be late for that meeting.

  7. It will never be used... by INeededALogin · · Score: 2, Funny

    Guys asking for directions...

    This honestly seems pretty far-fetched. If you can't take the time to get directions, chances are that you deserve to die. You know, that whole thing of natural selection:-)

  8. Re:Hand gestures? by Jardine · · Score: 4, Funny

    Make sure to speak English very slowly too. All foreign people actually understand it as long as it's spoken slowly.

  9. Make sure you take a good picture... by jea6 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Make sure you take a good picture...of the closest street sign.

    --

    sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
  10. Depends.... by raehl · · Score: 2, Funny

    If you're meeting with Osama, you'll be right on time.

  11. It's cheaper than the current solution.... by raehl · · Score: 4, Funny

    By the time I total up dinners, movies, gifts, time and emotional distress, this would be *MUCH* cheaper, convenient, and more portable than having a girlfriend willing to stop and ask for directions.

  12. Alternate use #1 by Chuck+Chunder · · Score: 2, Funny

    Taking "intimate" photos and seeing what building you most resemble.

    --
    Boffoonery - downloadable Comedy Benefit for Bletchley Park
  13. How? by gnu-sucks · · Score: 2, Funny

    How, can a system that doesn't know the difference from your ass and a hole in the ground possibly tell which of the million or so McDonalds restaurants you are at?

  14. D'oh by lintmint · · Score: 2, Funny

    And to think I've been using street signs when I could of just photographed a building.

  15. You take a picture of your friend... by qualico · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...and within minutes there is a SWAT team all around your party.

    *** Turns out your buddy was flagged for a terrorist. ***

    darn.

    party over.

    but, it was a computer mismatch.

    great.

    and, you got a map of your location.

    party on!

  16. Sounds like Iraq to me by leereyno · · Score: 2, Funny

    You're in a foreign country, where the people don't speak your language, and you're late for a meeting with some murderous thugs you've been tasked with removing from the gene pool.

    What do you do?

    You pull out your night-vision goggles, target a nearby heap of rubble that used to be one of Saddam's "palaces." The goggles lock onto the complex geometric shapes and this information is automatically transmitted to a massive cluster of Cray's in New Jersey on loan from the NSA. Using state of the art satellite x-ray photography and next-generation neural-net AI (NGNNAI), your precise location is calculated and relayed back to you, all at the price of only 3 million dollars an hour. What, you didn't think it was the energizer bunny keeping all those Cray's up an running did you?

    Lee

    --
    Muslim community leaders warn of backlash from tomorrow morning's terrorist attack.
  17. Re:GPS? by BlackHawk-666 · · Score: 3, Funny

    If you're the sort of imbecile that flies to Portugal for a meeting, then tries to drive/walk there yourself without bothering to use a street map or taking a taxi then you're the sort of imbecile who won't have bothered to check the phone number for this service in Portugal. Surely a GPS reading is going to be more sensible? Frankly, people who are this stupid can stay lost in a foreign country for all I care.

    --
    All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.