New software assigns appropriate melodies for pictures

Scientists have developed a new software called Picasso that can help users in assigning appropriate background music for pictures in an instant, by utilizing the technical skills of movie directors. Sebastian Michel, head of a junior research group at the Cluster of Excellence at the Saarland University, designed the software together with Ph.D. student Aleksander Stupar. "Usually, directors select consistent melodies for a particular movie scene," said Michel. The program utilizes the expertise of movie producers in assigning appropriate background music for pictures, enabling users to select music that will harmonize with their impressions of their last summer vacation without putting in an extraordinary amount of effort. A three-level algorithm carries out the elaborate process. First, the picture the user has chosen is compared with a huge database of movie scenes and their corresponding soundtracks. The software creates a ranking of the scenes that look most similar to the user's picture. This database was compiled by Michel and Stupar by splitting 50 movies into screenshots and their accompanying soundtracks. In the next step, the software creates a list of the selected tracks. And finally, the total number of tracks gets reduced to a few selections through a mathematical calculation; these are at last proposed to the user. Here, a list of suggestions makes sense because particular pictures bring up different associations for different users, according to Michel. "Some people might connect a picture of a little house surrounded by an idyllic landscape with a romantic weekend for two, while others might think about loneliness," Michel explained. Interested people can experience the software on the demo website and get an idea of Picasso's hit rate. Or they can use the free smartphone app "PicasSound," which is programmed to pick out an appropriate soundtrack using the music, which is already saved on the smartphone. It is free available for the mobile operating systems iOSX and Android. Next, Michel and Stupar will try to expand the software system to support automatic sound recording of audiobooks on a textual basis. Furthermore, the researchers are planning to integrate a function inside the system that will take the individual preferences of the users into account.

Whitney Houston 'died in bath' after 2-day booze binge

Whitney Houston was found dead in her bathtub by her hairdresser, with her face underwater and legs in the air. The singer - who battled drink and drug addiction in the past - had reportedly been on a 48-hour alcohol binge in the days preceding her death and is thought to have passed out before slipping under the water. Half a dozen bottles of prescription drugs including Lorazepam, Valium and Xanax - used as sleeping aids, relaxants and to ease anxiety - are also said to have been found in Houston's fourth-floor suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. After the hairdresser screamed, one of Houston's bodyguards came into the bathroom and dragged her from the tub before attempting to revive her. Unfortunately nothing could be done and the mother-of-one was pronounced dead at 3.55pm and her body was finally removed from the hotel on Sunday morning, Contactmusic reported. On the Thursday before her death the 'I Will Always Love You' hitmaker looked disorientated and wild-eyed as she left Hollywood nightclub Tru in the early hours and had scratched on her wrist and blood running down her leg. She was spotted downing tequila and went "berserk" when she saw on/off lover Ray J talking to US 'X Factor' contestant Stacy Francis. Witnesses who saw her leave said she seemed "wasted". Houston then went out drinking again on Friday and onlookers say her group was loud and boisterous. She was also displaying erratic behaviour during the daytime and on Thursday she was seen wandering around the hotel lobby with soaking hair and mismatched clothes. One source said she appeared bloated and "smelled of alcohol and cigarettes". Following her untimely passing, Houston's family issued a statement saying, "This is an unimaginable tragedy and we will miss her terribly".

Covered

Me (in a tizzy) : God, can I ask you something? GOD: Sure. Me: Promise you won't get mad? GOD: I promise. Me (frustrated): Why did you let so much stuff happen to me today? GOD: What do you mean? Me: Well I woke up late, GOD: Yes Me: My car took forever to start, GOD: Okay.... Me (growling): At lunch, they made my sandwich wrong and I had to wait GOD: Hmmmm.. Me: On the way home, my phone went dead, just as I picked up a call GOD: All right Me (loudly): And to top it all off, when I got home, I just wanted to soak my feet in my foot massager and relax, but it wouldn't work. Nothing went right today! Why did you do that? GOD: Well let me see..... the death angel was at your bed this morning and I had to send one of the other angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that. Me (humbled): Oh... GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that might have hit you if you were on the road Me (ashamed): ............ GOD: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick and I didn't want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work Me (embarrassed): Oh..... GOD: Your phone went dead because the person that was calling was going to give a false witness about what you said on that call, I didn't even let you talk to them so you would be covered Me (softly): I see God GOD: Oh and that foot massager, it had a short that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in the dark. Me: I'm sorry God. GOD: Don't be sorry, just learn to trust me.........in all things, the good and the bad Me: I WILL trust you God GOD: And don't doubt that my plan for your day is always better than your plan Me: I won't God. And let me just tell you God, thank you for everything today. GOD: You're welcome child. It was just another day being your God and I love looking after my children. Scriptural References: II Samuel 22:31, Proverbs 3:5, Hebrews 2:13

A REIR PARA TENER BUENA SALUD Y NO ENFERMARSE DE LOS NERVIOS ,NI DE DEPRESION

Adonde van las pulgas cuando mueren?... Al "Pulgatorio". Un chinche enamorado a una chinche le dice: "Te AMO chincheramente". Que le dijo una iguana a otra iguana?... Somos "iguanitas"!!! LA SUEGRA CON GANAS DE BUSCARLE BRONCA A LA NUERA LE PREGUNTA: POR QUÉ MI NIETO NO SE PARECE A MI HIJO? LA NUERA LE RESPONDE: NO SÉ......... YO TENGO UNA VAGINA, NO UNA FOTOCOPIADORA. Enfoca los problemas como lo haría un perro: Los miras, los olfateas, y si no te los puedes comer...los meas y te vas!!! Tres viejitos hablan de cómo se duermen: El 1ro dice: Yo hago crucigramas. El 2do dice: Yo veo novelas. Y el 3ro dice: Yo me masturbo... Y le preguntan los otros 2 viejitos asombrados: ¿y se te para? No, pero me canso y me duermo... Oh Dios… Que mi mujer nunca me ponga cuernos, y si me los pone, que nadie la vea, y si la ven, que nadie me cuente, y si me cuentan, que yo no les crea, y si les creo, que yo no me enoje, y si me enojo, que no la mate, y si la mato, que no me encierren, y si me encierran, que no me violen, y si me violan que no me duela, y si me duele, que no me guste, y si me gusta, que no me saquen de la cárcel !!!!! Hija: Mamá, mamá! Como es que se le dice a la mujer adicta al sexo? La madre responde: Ninfómana hija......... Déjame anotarlo porque los ignorantes del colegio me dicen puta !!!! EL BORRACHITO UN BORRACHO CAMINANDO DIFICULTOSAMENTE ES DETENIDO POR UN POLICÍA A LAS TRES DE LA MAÑANA Y LE PREGUNTA... - ¿DONDE VA UD.? EL TIPO, HECHO MIERDA LE RESPONDE: - VOY A UNA CONFERENCIA SOBRE EL ABUSO DEL ALCOHOL Y SUS EFECTOS LETALES EN EL ORGANISMO, EL MAL EJEMPLO PARA LOS HIJOS Y LAS CONSECUENCIAS NEFASTAS PARA LA FAMILIA, EL PROBLEMA QUE CAUSA EN LA ECONOMÍA FAMILIAR Y LA IRRESPONSABILIDAD ABSOLUTA DE UN PADRE... BLA, BLA, BLA... EL POLICÍA LO MIRA INCRÉDULO Y LE DICE: - ¿EN SERIO? ¿Y QUIEN VA A DAR ESA CONFERENCIA A ESTAS HORAS? - QUIÉN VA A SER CARAJO... ¡¡¡ MI MUJER CUANDO LLEGUE A CASA !!! Dos empleados del Censo llegan a una casa, para el Censo 2011, y preguntan: - Su nombre? - Adán. - Su Esposa? - Eva. - Increíble! Por casualidad la serpiente también vive aquí ? - Sí, un momento. Suegraaaa, la buscan!!! Van al hospital dos gemelos SIAMESES y uno de ellos dice: Doctor,doctor,mi hermano es gay y el doctor le dice: - Aja y cúal es el problema: - Que tenemos un solo culo !!!!! Llega el marido a su casa muy enojado y grita… -Vieja…!!!...arrugada…!!!...inútil…!!!...aguada…!!!...floja…!!! La mujer le responde… - Si es una adivinanza...!!!...es tu pichula…!!! LAS CHINCHANAS Tres negras chinchanas están en el aeropuerto y mientras esperan para tomar un avión, conversan entre ellas. La primera negra dice: No sé utedes, pero yo me voy a poné una tanguita coló rosa ante de montame en ese avión... Poque si el avión se cae y caigo con el poto pa' rriba, la tanguita colo rosa se va a ve desde lejos y será fácil rescatame. La segunda negra dice: Pues yo me voy a poné una anaranjá y fluorecente. y po qué de ese coló? preguntaron las otras dos. Poque si caigo al agua con el poto pa' rriba, ese coló sinifica "rescate". La tercera negra dice :Pué, yo, no me voy a poné naa ". ¡Cómo dice?, preguntaron las otras dos! Que yo voy sin tanguita ni naa, a poto pelao, como lo oyeron, poque cuando se cae un avión, lo primero que buscan es la caja negra..jejeje... 30 AÑOS DESPUES DE CASADOS.......LA PARTE TIERNA DE LOS MATRIMONIOS DURADEROS....... Estaba una pareja de esposos durmiendo y la esposa oye un ruido y dice: Viejo, levántate y asoma tu cara por la ventana para que crean que tenemos perro....... Y el viejo le contesta: Mejor asómate tú vieja, para que crean que la casa está embrujada.

Now, headset that controls blood pressure by slowing down breathing

A new gadget that controls high blood pressure by playing music could be an alternative to pills to help thousands of patients, researchers say. The device - which looks like a portable CD player - slows down breathing by playing relaxing music through headphones. It will be available on the NHS for the first time. Researchers claim it could help tens of thousands of patients control high blood pressure without having to take endless drugs with unpleasant side effects, the Daily Mail reported. Called the Resperate, it works by first checking a patient's breathing via a strap tied around the chest. It then creates a tune and patients breathe in and out in time with certain notes. The music then gradually slows down - as does the patients' breathing. Patients are advised to use the Resperate for at least 40 minutes a week - four sessions of ten minutes. The average person takes 18 breaths a minute, but to lower pressure you have to take ten or fewer - which is helped by the Resperate. The device will be available for GPs to prescribe to patients at a cost of 7.40 pounds a time and maker Intercure claims it has helped patients come off their medication. But experts point out there is no evidence to suggest it could replace medication. "As with any adjunct therapy, it must not be used as a replacement for any treatments prescribed by a GP," said a Blood Pressure Association spokesman.