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Russian photographer matches random people with social network photos

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Re: Russian photographer matches random people with social network photos

#121
post #39

The first thing that struck me (After I got over the whole, creepy/horror/revulsion thing) was how much more fun people seemed in their social media lives. Rather than seeing this as an exposition of "people on social media are so much more bland than they appear" I found myself feeling "people on the subway are so much more beautiful and interesting in their 'real life'" I feel like that might be backwards from how…

> It's really interesting to be confronted with the realization that every single person filling up space on the subway around you has a rich and lustrous story that brought them to that place and time. The dictionary of obscure sorrows[1] names this feeling "Sonder" The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worri…

Lovely! But quite the opposite of a sorrow, I felt it was a somewhat beautiful realization.

I'm sure if I was having a low day it could take it as a sort of "we're insignificant specks on a floating rock" but I was having a great day so tra-la-la :)

Re: Russian photographer matches random people with social network photos

#122

I don't see why this can't be done in real time. Point your phone towards a person in a cafe and immediately figure out her name, age, maybe relationship status, social class, augmented reality style. 5 minutes later accidentally bump into her .. and start a conversation, armed with lots of private info about the person. Or even more basic - thieves picking their targets - is this woman's purse likely to contain a lo…

Or, just refuse to be one of the sheep? Personally, I see nothing wrong with one internet picture for all these social sites. I wear huge women's sunglasses on my one picture I put out there. It's probally against TOS, but who really cares? There's always another website. That said, I've never had anyone pick me on my looks. I need to put in time writing, or talking. It's a pain, but I've never liked knowing anyone i…

Wearing sunglasses makes us look difficult-to-recognize to humans, because we tend to focus on the eyes, and recognize people by their eyes more than other parts of their face (relatively speaking). However, these algorithms have no such biases. It's more difficult because there's less information to work with, sure, but they can identify you just as easily by the shape of your nose, mouth, and the distance between reference points on the lower half of your face, as the top half of your face. You might as well be covering your mouth and chin and nothing else, for all it matters.

Re: Russian photographer matches random people with social network photos

#123

I don't see why this can't be done in real time. Point your phone towards a person in a cafe and immediately figure out her name, age, maybe relationship status, social class, augmented reality style. 5 minutes later accidentally bump into her .. and start a conversation, armed with lots of private info about the person. Or even more basic - thieves picking their targets - is this woman's purse likely to contain a lo…

You think Zuck doesn't have this on his phone?

Re: Russian photographer matches random people with social network photos

#124
post #39

The first thing that struck me (After I got over the whole, creepy/horror/revulsion thing) was how much more fun people seemed in their social media lives. Rather than seeing this as an exposition of "people on social media are so much more bland than they appear" I found myself feeling "people on the subway are so much more beautiful and interesting in their 'real life'" I feel like that might be backwards from how…

> It's really interesting to be confronted with the realization that every single person filling up space on the subway around you has a rich and lustrous story that brought them to that place and time. The dictionary of obscure sorrows[1] names this feeling "Sonder" The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worri…

> it's a made-up word

most are

Re: Russian photographer matches random people with social network photos

#125

I don't see why this can't be done in real time. Point your phone towards a person in a cafe and immediately figure out her name, age, maybe relationship status, social class, augmented reality style. 5 minutes later accidentally bump into her .. and start a conversation, armed with lots of private info about the person. Or even more basic - thieves picking their targets - is this woman's purse likely to contain a lo…

Or, just refuse to be one of the sheep? Personally, I see nothing wrong with one internet picture for all these social sites. I wear huge women's sunglasses on my one picture I put out there. It's probally against TOS, but who really cares? There's always another website. That said, I've never had anyone pick me on my looks. I need to put in time writing, or talking. It's a pain, but I've never liked knowing anyone i…

> just refuse to be one of the sheep

careful with that edge, you might cut yourself

Re: Russian photographer matches random people with social network photos

#126

I keep trying to figure out why this feels so wrong and creepy. You're in public, you can't avoid some random person from taking your picture. You have a public profile, you post pictures of yourself there, in public. But some how this feels... wrong, why is that? Something about the surprise of it? It feels like a surprise, it feels like something that shouldn't be so easy.

I think it feels wrong because for all of human history a person could take for granted a degree of anonymity while among strangers, and more and more that seems to be no longer the case. Forever, if someone recognized you, chances are you recognized them. People were either within some extended social circle or they were not, and this social circle was face-to-face. Now, we have something of an arms race going on wi…

> I think it feels wrong because for all of human history a person could take for granted a degree of anonymity

I think for most of human history, humans knew the majority of the other humans within travelling distance and people were wary of strangers because there was no reciprocal trust relationship.

Re: Russian photographer matches random people with social network photos

#127
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But this could be useful for someone with Alzheimers, or maybe a teacher that needs to remember his pupils.

Or normal people who, like me, can't connect names to faces without at least several interactions with a person in a short interval of time.

So instead of working on your memory or coming up with a mnemonic or just asking their name again (everyone forgets a name), you think it'd be less intrusive to scan someone without their permission?

Re: Russian photographer matches random people with social network photos

#128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or normal people who, like me, can't connect names to faces without at least several interactions with a person in a short interval of time.

So instead of working on your memory or coming up with a mnemonic or just asking their name again (everyone forgets a name), you think it'd be less intrusive to scan someone without their permission?

Of course. Why would I need permission to analyze the same image that hits my eyes and to consult a digital database I maintain (or public one I have access to)? Going this way I'd end up rejecting bicycles and notepads because they're not "natural" enough.

Personally, I believe that your tools are extensions of your body.

Re: Russian photographer matches random people with social network photos

#129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So instead of working on your memory or coming up with a mnemonic or just asking their name again (everyone forgets a name), you think it'd be less intrusive to scan someone without their permission?

Of course. Why would I need permission to analyze the same image that hits my eyes and to consult a digital database I maintain (or public one I have access to)? Going this way I'd end up rejecting bicycles and notepads because they're not "natural" enough. Personally, I believe that your tools are extensions of your body.

I'm sorry but your social faculties are way out of whack if you think it's a better option to scan someone than to simply ask their name. Do you not understand that I may feel uncomfortable if you've just scanned me and then use that data to try and strike up a conversation? Talk about making me feel like a product or mark. Bicycles and notepads do not actively analyze and reduce people nor do they enable a surveillance state. Don't make such specious extrapolations.

Tools are an extension of your body, yes, but you don't go using your hands to feel up someone because you needed more texture data. You don't stare at someone for a long time because that's rude and intrusive. Same goes for using technology like this.

Re: Russian photographer matches random people with social network photos

#130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course. Why would I need permission to analyze the same image that hits my eyes and to consult a digital database I maintain (or public one I have access to)? Going this way I'd end up rejecting bicycles and notepads because they're not "natural" enough. Personally, I believe that your tools are extensions of your body.

I'm sorry but your social faculties are way out of whack if you think it's a better option to scan someone than to simply ask their name. Do you not understand that I may feel uncomfortable if you've just scanned me and then use that data to try and strike up a conversation? Talk about making me feel like a product or mark. Bicycles and notepads do not actively analyze and reduce people nor do they enable a surveilla…

> Do you not understand that I may feel uncomfortable if you've just scanned me and then use that data to try and strike up a conversation? Talk about making me feel like a product or mark.

Do you feel uncomfortable about the fact that most of your friends don't even know your birthday date or phone number, and have both noted down somewhere (be it a phone or indirectly via profile info of your Facebook account)? Is it weird for you that some may even note down things you like so that they can check them out when looking for a good gift for you? Do you feel "like a product or mark" when a conference badge you wear displays your occupation or interests (sometimes used as an icebreaker)?

(Also, you shifted from just scanning to using the results to "try and strike up a conversation"; those are two different things.)

> Tools are an extension of your body, yes, but you don't go using your hands to feel up someone because you needed more texture data.

By scanning I'm not touching you. That would be a violation, yes. But why should I let you be a master of my eyes, and the (hypothetical, at the moment) tools I use to augment them?

People will get used to it, like they do with everything we've invented since dawn of time. Social conventions will adjust. Just because my eye implant can tell me what's your name doesn't mean I get to stop you on the street and start talking to you, no more than it is an acceptable behaviour today.

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