Webware

I'm among the legions who fume when the investigator on the TV show zooms in endlessly on a photo to uncover some minute detail that in reality couldn't have been photographed by any camera. Worst is when the investigator clicks some "increase resolution" button to smooth a bunch of blocky pixels into a richly detailed image.

Although that Hollywood hokum is an information-theory impossibility with a single image, some limits are lifted when you have multiple shots of the same scene. And a start-up called MotionDSP is working on commercializing that technology to improve photo and video quality.

The image above demonstrates the technology in action. Clicking the arrow buttons will load different images; my favorite is the mariachi band in the gazebo, in which the process reveals arches and architectural details otherwise lost in noisy murk.

The technology also can get rid of chunky compression artifacts, smooth jagged lines, enrich colors, reveal details, and make text readable. It's an example of computational photography--or videography in this case--in which sophisticated computer processing can improve a photo or video after it was taken.

MotionDSP has been funded by In-Q-Tel, the Central Intelligence Agency's venture investment arm, which naturally is interested in software to extract information from grainy or low-resolution images. But the San Mateo, Calif.-based company is raising a new round of funding to underwrite a more consumer-oriented application of its software, said Chief Executive and founder Sean Varah.

The company showed off its FixMyMovie.com technology for improving lower-grade video at the Demo conference last fall, but the company has other applications of the technology in mind, Varah said.

Most recently, the company added the ability to create a single high-resolution 1280x1024 JPEG image from a 320x240 video. The company also is contemplating use of the technology to stitch together smaller frames into a wide panorama, to improve image tones to retrieve detail in bright highlights and murky shadows. And it's possible, if there's demand, that the company could pursue resolution-enhancing technology to let photography enthusiasts improve their images, Varah said.

Improve your photos?
MotionDSP's technology works by comparing as many as 25 views of the same subject matter. The FixMyMovie site uses the consecutive frames of a video, but the technology also works on a collection of still images.

A burst of five or six images--"it's better if your camera moves a bit"--can be combined into a single still image with four times the resolution, Varah said.

"If you have good 10-megapixel image, do you need to make something bigger? It might make sense if you want to crop or make a billboard," he said.

I suspect there's a significant population that might be interested; some purchase tools like OnOne Software's Genuine Fractals to increase the pixel count of their photos for large-printing purposes. The MotionDSP method might not be a simple process, though, for example in a case with moving subjects.

For videos, FixMyMovie can make several improvements. A video shot with a cell phone at 7.5 frames per second, for example, can be increased to 15 frames per second.

Right now, the Web site is free, but eventually MotionDSP will move it to a "freemium" model in which customers would pay for improvements to longer or higher-resolution videos, Varah said.

Better video from set-top boxes?
MotionDSP also is exploring licensing deals that could enable companies to embed the technology in devices such as set-top boxes. "Everyone wants to take Internet video to the television," but today's low-resolution YouTube videos aren't inspiring on a large screen, he said.

Right now the software takes a little time to improve videos, but with multicore machines growing more common, on-the-fly processing will arrive soon. "I think real-time is less than a year away," Varah said.

The company also is seeking new investors. "We're out raising a round now to take FixMyMovie and really expand on it," Varah said.

One area of interest is building an online service that can be embedded elsewhere--Facebook, for example. Another is improvements to the FixMyMovie site that would let users automatically push videos to one's YouTube account or a blog.

MotionDSP got started about three years ago with technology from the University of California-Santa Cruz. The company now has 18 employees, with much engineering work done in Serbia.

My New Year's resolutions for 2007 were largely a flop, although I did frame and hang some vintage 1930s cruise ship menus as promised.

But if you're dead set on changing your life in 2008, many Web sites can assist with tallying and tracking resolutions. Some will continue to ping you with reminders, or even enlist other folks to pester you over the next 12 months. Facebook users can pick from various third-party widgets for setting and sharing goals, but other sites offer more customization.

Sweet and simple, Joe's Goals help you log progress on to-do items within a simple calendar. Just add a check mark to stuff that's done. You can show off your score card to others with badges for MySpace or your blog.

LifeTango's brainstorm wizard steps you through the goal-setting process, nicely leaving each item private by default. You can also send items on your list to friends, family, or the general public. The site functions well, but its orange and blue tones could use a makeover, and there's not much to do off the site.

43Things makes it quick to get started by typing in a goal and seeing, for instance, that 3,885 other people have pledged to "exercise more." You can post 43Things items to or from a blog. The site has removed its groups, which had become a target for spammers. But users can cheer each other, or pay $1 for a SuperCheer.

To pass the buck and the blame, 43Things' Should Do This tool lets you make suggestions about what the rest of the world, anyone or anything from Al Gore to poor people to Fox News, should do.

Remember the Milk beta makes your to-do items and reminders available in Gmail, via SMS, the iPhone, Windows Mobile devices, Skype, and popular IM clients. Integration with Google Calendar and contacts would let you connect to, say, a co-worker for an instant chat at an appointed time. Remember the Milk also can pinpoint tasks on a map and export your lists as Atom and iCal-ready feeds.

I find that Remember the Milk is the most portable goal-setting service of the bunch; you can take it with you instead of repeatedly returning to its Web site. Still, it would be nice to see such services import to-do items from software such as Microsoft Outlook.

For even less complication, Hassle Me simply sends you a nagging e-mail or IM nudge for any goal and time interval you pick.

Work that body
In poll after poll, Americans name eating less and exercising more as top goals for the new year. But who wants to count calories? Just tell Fit Day or The Daily Plate what you're eating, and they'll do the work, drawing charts of the nutrition you're getting or should be.

DietTelevision beta (more here) does the same, adding motivational videos alongside personal recipes suggestions with shopping lists. You can track food and water intake by texting the site from a mobile phone.

Traineo also helps you track a diet and workout plan, joining groups or calling upon four personal "motivators" to keep you on track. I like that you can rate your daily diet from poor to great if you're in a hurry and don't want to log every bite. However, some groups seem to be sponsored by diet products.

The Revolution Health portal (more here) launched Resolution 2.0, a tool for setting goals with a group that include working out more, being a better parent, and complaining less. Professionals, including personal trainers and doctors, lead the groups.

Like the general goal-making services, these fitness sites offer plenty of tools, but I'd like them to do a better job taking you off of their pages by integrating with more third-party calendars, e-mail services, and mobile devices.

Overall, I prefer FitDay's tight interface and quick setup. Daily Plate made me first skip an offer for a paid subscription, and then sent my password in a clear text e-mail. I just wish that FitDay listed more common consumables, like pad thai, so I don't have to look up peanuts and noodles separately. Daily Plate lists pad thai and other takeout staples of my diet.

If you need extra help with becoming well, more than 500 online support groups at DailyStrength aim to tackle tough problems such as substance abuse and disease.

Cutting carbons
If going green is on your wish list, Make Me Sustainable (more here), and Yahoo Green (more here) help to set goals, such as swapping out old light bulbs and toting reusable bags to the grocery store. Carbon Rally (more here) adds peer pressure to the mix by encouraging teams of users to compete.

JoesGoals is a simple online application that's great for tracking your daily goals. You can assign positive or negative points for things you want (or don't want) to do, and just click on the goal to add or subtract from your tally. For example, I'd like to quit eating M&M's every afternoon. I set that up as a negative goal; when I give in to it, I click on it and get a point subtracted from my goals score for the day. On the positive side, I should walk the big hill home instead of being lazy and hopping on the bus. And that's more important than a few M&M's, so I'm going to weigh it more heavily (2 points if I do it, instead of -1 if I give in to candy). JoesGoals keeps a tally of your points so you can get a good sense of how well you're balancing all the small improvements you want to make in your life.

I also find the service to be a good recurring to-do list manager. I have a few things I need to get done every day. I wouldn't call them life goals, they're just things I have to do. JoesGoals is a nice place to keep the checklist.

There's a sharing function, too: you can put a running tally of your total goal score on your blog or personal page with a simple widget (although the JoesGoals branding is over-the-top and will leave your friends wondering who Joe is), or ask friends to subscribe to your goals so they can give you support.

It's a sweet little app and definitely worth checking out.

Found on: Digg

See also: Webware's Resolution tracker roundup, This year, I swear..., and Lifehacker's collection, Six webapps to help keep your New Year's resolutions.

Each December 31, my childhood friends and I used to jot down New Year's resolutions and then hide them until the next New Year's party. What better way to forget about our life-changing goals for 364 days! It should be harder to escape your resolutions if you track them online. Here are some free places to start:

31 Left invites you to commit to one resolution at a time--and donate to a nonprofit of your choice if you fail. You can post publicly if you dare. When February strikes, 31 Left will send an e-mail either to congratulate you or ask that you pay up. I resolved to practice yoga "semi-weekly," which is vague enough to allow me to wiggle out of the $75 I pledged to an antislavery nonprofit. But since I've also decided to send more money to charities in 2007, maybe I should donate no matter how many times I wind up striking a pose.

Hassle Me doesn't make you pay if you slip up. Instead, it will keep reminding you of goals whenever you think you need a peck. Just type in your to-do item, time interval, and e-mail address, and the Hasslebot sends an e-mail nudge. It's a better deal than a $3 "Quit Drinking" ringtone.

Most tiny to-do list services are too simple for me. Remember the Milk, on the other hand, integrates your lists within Google Calendar and tracks locations of chores on Google Maps. I added a Remember the Milk gadget to the Google homepage that I check every week or so. This thorough service highlights tasks that are due or overdue, and it comes complete with keyboard shortcuts.

Getting in shape tops so many lists of resolutions. Traineo helps you track exercise habits with the support of its members as well as from someone in your life who's willing to do a bit of coaching. I didn't like that it asks for your height and weight before explaining whether or not your vital stats will remain anonymous. But once Traineo requests e-mail addresses of your potential Motivators, you can make your information private. Similar in purpose, SparkPeople also offers exercise demonstrations and recipes. Daily Plate aids you with counting calories and keeping a food diary. FitDay does the same, both online and on your desktop.

To help you grapple with tough events or to change deeply entrenched habits, Daily Strength acts as an online group support system. It puts you in touch with other people who are dealing with heavy-duty life-altering situations, such as substance abuse, divorce, and terminal illness.

This year, I swear that I'll finally hang up the set of 1930s tropical cruise ship menus that I framed. I could take that resolution a step further and join DecorNextDoor, which lets you share interior design tips with strangers. You can rate other people's furnishings a la Hot or Not--although more decor submissions are needed, because I'm tired of rating the same ho-hum red chair.

If you're still recovering from a holiday shopping binge, you might want to prepare 12 months early for the next onslaught of gift-giving. MetaWishList and Wishlistr keep track of the things you really want. Get your friends and family to sign up and share their desires, and everybody involved might be able to avoid fruitcakes by the end of the year.

For more digital assistance with New Year's resolutions, check out these downloads.