How to setup OpenCV with Visual Studio 2010 without recompiling source

The tutorial documentation is a bit out-of-date. I thought I might share the process for anyone who might be interested:


OPENCV development environment setup

1. download and install opencv into c:\intel\opencv  ; http://sourceforge.net/projects/opencvlibrary/
2. download and unzip TBB into c:\intel\tbb ; http://threadingbuildingblocks.org/file.php?fid=77
3. download and install Path-Editor ; http://www.redfernplace.com/software-projects/patheditor/
4. open computer properties->advanced settings->advanced->environment variables
5. set the following variables:
OPENCV_INST=C:\Intel\opencv
OPENCV_DIR=C:\Intel\opencv\build\x86\vc10
TBB_DIR=C:\Intel\tbb\tbb40_20111003oss (or other relevant version folder)
6. run path-editor, add the following:
%OPENCV_DIR%\bin
%TBB_DIR%\bin\ia32\vc10
7. Run Visual Studio 2010 and make new console c++ application with empty-project checked
8. From Menu, select View->Other Windows->Property Manager
9. Add new sheets to Debug and Release seperately for OpenCV
a. under c/c++ / General, set:
Additional Include Directories=$(OPENCV_INST)\build\include
b. under Linker / General, set:
Additinoal Library Directories=$(OPENCV_DIR)\lib
c. under Linker / Input, set:
Additinoal Dependencies:
opencv_core231d.lib
opencv_imgproc231d.lib
opencv_highgui231d.lib
opencv_ml231d.lib
opencv_video231d.lib
opencv_features2d231d.lib
opencv_calib3d231d.lib
opencv_objdetect231d.lib
opencv_contrib231d.lib
opencv_legacy231d.lib
opencv_flann231d.lib

for the release property sheet, delete the "d" letter at name of each such lib file
10. The newly created .prop files for the property sheets can be reused in future projects
11. Add one of the .cpp files from the opencv cpp samples directory to verify it compiles properly
a. consider the file: C:\Intel\opencv\samples\cpp\tutorial_code\introduction\windows_visual_studio_Opencv\Test.cpp

Cheers!

Missed your Black-Friday xbox deal? Check this out: 250gb with kinect and two games: $296, includes 3 months gold

And I woke up at 4:30 to stand in line and get my $199 kinect 4gb bundle, one game only. Hmm.. Where's that receipt, I see a better deal....

 
That's $296 on Amazon, without pressure, lines, or click-quick-within-2-minutes-or-lost-it rush sale.

Now that I do have my own though, I must say - this thing is awesome, so much better than wii. We haven't even turned the wii on since buying the xBox...

Oops, tiny caveat, you have to buy it from an Amazon partner: best4sale, costs $291.95+$3.99 shipment. Hmm, is this new or open boxed? They would mention if not new, right?

Cheers!

German bond auction a disaster, new world debt markets freeze?!

What could be worse than sub-prime mortgage global meltdown? Sovereign debt meltdown, in the country you least expected.
German 10-year bond auction a "disaster"

A "disastrous" sale of German benchmark bonds sparked fears on Wednesday the debt crisis was beginning to threaten even Berlin, with the Bundesbank forced to dig deep into its pockets to ensure the auction did not fail.

In one of the least successful debt sales by Europe's powerhouse economy since the launch of the single currency, the low returns offered -- just 2 percent annually over 10 years -- deterred investors made uneasy by the escalating cost of the crisis to Germany.

That meant the central bank had to pick up 39 percent of the 6 billion euros ($8 billion) of debt Germany had hoped to sell after commercial banks bought just 3.644 billion euros of the issue.

"It is a complete and utter disaster," said Marc Ostwald, strategist at Monument Securities in London.

Black Friday event, all week on Amazon

I don't know about you, but I'll skip pushing and shoving at 5am at local Meijer, Best Buy and Walmart. Consider checking every hour or so Amazon for great deals instead, every day.

Apple products on Amazon cost less than Apple store, no sales tax

Yep, Mac Mini-s, iMac-s etc... not cheap, and for Windows fan - you'll have to deal with extra steps and costs, but if you are a fan and want to buy right now, I think Amazon's is your best choice.


iMac - $1,125.92

Mac Mini - $568.95
Meanwhile, I'm shopping around for a new PC. Which is how I came across this little fact regarding prices of Mac-s. It turns out that brand new Dells desktops were selling for $200 discount and an extra percentage discount with a coupon on the outlet store. Which means - the Dell desktop outlet inventory was swept clean.

Lesson learned, you see something you want in the right price and you should be able to afford - don't procrastinate. Good deals really don't last long.

Steve Jobs, RIP. Among most admired businessmen of our generation

You can't argue with success, after success, after success. His genius was in producing items the consumers really wanted, and making them even cooler with each new release.


PS. Yes, his autobiography is on sale.

Interesting to review the following video, Steve Jobs giving a commencement speech at Stanford: "How to live before you die".

New Amazon Fire tablet only $199, cheaper kindle devices, most exciting tech news this year, undercut Apple and everyone else

With Amazon's very own implementation of a web browser too...

I'm looking forward to a hands on review. Meanwhile, they are all available to order.


Check-out Wired's opinion: Playing with Fire: Amazon Launches a $200 Tablet, Slashes Kindle Prices

One year ago, almost to the day, Jeff Bezos gave me the reason why people should carry around a Kindle in the age of the iPad. No Angry Birds.

“The number one app for the iPad when I checked a couple of days ago was called Angry Birds—a game where you throw birds at pigs and they blow up,” Bezos told me in September 2010. “The number one thing on the Kindle is Stieg Larsson. It’s a different audience. We’re designing for people who want to read.”

Today at a New York City press event Amazon is releasing a $199 color 7-inch tablet device called Fire. It plays Angry Birds.

...

In case you missed it: Market is a-crashing

Yea... not good for anyone's savings. No safe haven, at all.

Recession Almost A Certainty, Says Advisor — Stocks Could Crash Soon

n the past few months, investors have gone from being generally bullish about the economy and stock market to increasingly concerned that we may be headed for another recession. For now, however, the consensus is still that we'll trudge along with slow growth but avoid an actual downturn.

One advisor who thinks that a recession is almost a certainty, however, is Lance Roberts, the Chief Economist at Streettalk Advisors, a $400 million advisory firm.

...

Don't miss out: Indie Bundle is back for a limited time

You set the price, and get great games!

The Humble
Indie Bundle #3

Video: Chinese green plans for electric cars stuck in neutral shift

There are those who keep pushing the idea that China today is a new capitalist super power, where everything is done right and everything is perfect. Here's evidence #14332 that taking a closer look changes the whole picture:

Apple to Amazon: All your profits are ours, Amazon: suck eggs

The headline is pretty much a summery of what happened today in response to Apple's attempt to confiscate profits from companies selling on their app-store. Talk about an aggressive corporation using its monopoly, where's the regulator exactly? In bed with the evil corporation? Lobbied and paid for within a certain party?

Sidestepping Apple: From Amazon to Condé Nast, Companies Rethink App Strategies

For some reason, buying at Amazon a tablet that is not an iPad begins to make a hell of a lot more sense.



Asus Eee tablet, that's right!

Cool Infographic:State of the Internet

A very animated and informative thing to pass your time with:

Created by: Online Schools

Apple hoards more cash than GDP of 126 countries, 76.2 Billion dollars

Hey, guess which "green" company is making a ton of money on backs of cheap chinese labor while this nation is suffering from massive unemployment...

For Apple, a $76 Billion Dilemma

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL - News) has built up a $76.2 billion cash hoard. Now the question is what the company intends to do with the money pile.

On Tuesday, the Cupertino, Calif., company disclosed cash, including short-term and long-term marketable securities, for the quarter ended June 25 increased 15.8% since March to $76.2 billion. That's more than the gross domestic product of 126 countries, including nations such as Ecuador, Bulgaria, Sri Lanka and Costa Rica, according to data from the World Bank.

The gigantic sum on Wednesday prompted some investors to call for it to use some of the cash for dividend payouts. "If they can't find ways to use it to grow, they should be returning it to shareholders," said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment officer of Solaris Asset Management, which owns Apple stock.

[More from WSJ.com: Apple's Lion Brings PCs Into Tablet Era]

Asked to comment, an Apple spokesman referred to a long-standing policy as outlined by Chief Executive Steve Jobs last October. "We strongly believe that one or more very strategic opportunities may come along that we can take that we're in a unique position to take advantage of because of our strong cash position," he said at the time.

The cash puts Apple at the head of a pack of large technology companies that have been stockpiling cash in recent years. Microsoft Corp., for example, has built up its cash levels to $60.9 billion, including equity and others investments as of March. Google Inc. has $39.1 billion and Cisco Systems Inc. $43.4 billion by a similar measure as of their latest reporting periods.

Many corporations have accumulated cash because of economic uncertainty over the last several years.

...

I believe in capitalism, but what exactly is Apple doing with all that cash?

Added FAQ page for EzBacktest

Check it out: EzBacktest Frequently Asked Questions

As more questions arrive, I'll add them with answers.

Cheers!

LinkedIn traded at 1,144.83 P/E?!

It's 1999 and there's no correction coming, go ahead and place your bets.

LinkedIn Corporation Class A Co (LNKD) - Yahoo Finance Graph Page

Blogger to be renamed to "Google Blogs"?

Just hope they don't change the blogspot domain, because that'll be a killer to hundreds of thoughsands of functioning existing sites out there.

Google to retire Blogger & Picasa brands

Say goodbye to the Picasa and Blogger names: Google intends to retire several non-Google name brands and rename them as Google products, Mashable has learned.

The move is part of a larger effort to unify its brand for the public launch of Google+, the search giant's social initiative.

Blogger and Picasa aren't going away, of course -- they're two of Google's most popular products. Instead, according to two sources familiar with the matter, Google intends to rename Picasa "Google Photos" and Blogger will become "Google Blogs."

Several other Google brands are likely to be affected, though our sources made it clear that YouTube would not be rebranded. The technology giant shut down Google Video, its failed web video service, in May.

The move isn't without precedent; Google acquired JotSpot in 2006 and rebranded it as Google Sites in 2008. In 2007, Google acquired VOIP platform GrandCentral and relaunched it as Google Voice in 2009.

The future of TV: internet, internet, internet

I know a few people who have cancelled Cable/Dish and were relying only on internet and netflix subscription for entertainment. What are the chances that actual TV channels will be internet only and be the default channels of future viewers?

Half of TVs to Have Internet Connectivity by 2015

About 47 percent of total flat-panel televisions shipped in four years will have Internet connectivity, as manufacturers bet on the expansion of Netflix and direct-to-consumer offerings from content producers like Time Warner’s HBO.

This figure, about 138 million units, is up from 25 percent of flat panels with WiFi capability shipped this year, according to a quarterly report by DisplaySearch, a unit of research firm NPD group. By the end of 2015, more than 500 million connected TVs will be shipped, according to DisplaySearch.

It may be no coincidence then that Netflix jumped to an all-time high on Tuesday, the same day as the release of this report. Investors also seemed to cheer the announcement from the leader in Internet streaming that it would be expanding into Latin America. The company had previous success with its first international move into Canada.

...

China buys up natural resources world wide, goes after Canadian oil

Looks like the global power is seeking more than just domestic needs.

China Has Its Eye On Canada's Oil

While the U.S. dithers with concerns about "dirty oil" from Alberta's rich tar sands, energy-hungry China makes Ottawa an offer it might not refuse. Memo to Washington: Pipelines can run west as well as south.

When President Obama pledged to wean us off foreign oil, we hoped he didn't mean our friendly ally to the north, Canada. Granted, it doesn't have beaches like Rio, where we're helping the Brazilians drill offshore, but we had hopes nonetheless.

Together, the U.S. and Canada have enough oil and natural gas locked up in shale formations, tar sands, Alaska, the Canadian Arctic and the Outer Continental Shelf to make OPEC pound sand. But we won't drill for ours and apparently, we don't want Canada's.

With more than 170 billion barrels, Alberta has the world's third-largest oil reserves, behind only Saudi Arabia and Venezuela and ahead of Russia and Iran. Daily production of 1.5 million barrels from the oil sands is expected to nearly triple to 3.7 million by 2025. The only question is, will this crude be flowing south to U.S. refineries or west for export to China?

At issue is the Keystone XL pipeline, parts of which have already been built, that would bring Alberta oil to Texas Gulf Coast refineries. The pipeline also could transport oil extracted from shale formations in the Rocky Mountain West.

...

Windows 8: Confusion and Panic

The following article on wired is controversial, because people misread it, and perhaps the author over stated the situation.

Microsoft announced Windows 8 will have a default OS layer that is based on HTML5 and JavaScript apps. It also stated that old API-s will be supported. Other chatter around the web is expressing panic that investments made into WPF and Silverlight will go to waste as Microsoft will shift focus. All relevant. But the article is discussing the situation as if existing API-s will no longer be relevant.

Why Microsoft Has Made Developers Horrified About Coding for Windows 8


Go ahead and read it all, including the comments and the linked blogs. The following is my opinion:

The real problem developers and software manufacturing companies have is that existing software can become less relevant as it will be apparent it runs on abandoned technologies. Key terms sometimes used to promote own product as edgy and top of the line will lose meaning when WPF becomes a bastard child. Investment into Silverlight as a web platform by web authors will sink even faster and developers who invest their time and money into education in these technologies will also feel they were duped by Microsoft and lost the investment.

Now here’s a point I’d like to make: I doubt the non x86 tablets will run older API-s, while the desktop windows 8 will surely do. So while we can now deliver WPF based applications to Windows 7 tablets such as ViewPad, that might not be the case in the near future; Investment and time lost.

And to be clear, I don’t have any insider info regarding what Microsoft does. I just assume they won’t release an OS for tablet that takes %75 of available hard drive like it does on the ViewPad, so the only logical step is to remove the legacy bloat.

Cheers!

Your home is worth 80% less than in 2001, in Gold

"Just" 80%?

Follow this link for a "Chart of the Day" with the revealing piece of data.

Yikes.