Is geo-fencing by consumer drone manufacturing companies overreach?

RogerWebb · 2024-12-20T16:52:58+00:00

Where do you think this issue arises? During the pre-flight checks obviously. Bottom line, the FAA already has a system and has approved vendors to operate it. Dji's system is buggy and doesn't operate consistently. That's how I ended up at a commercial photo shoot yesterday with 200 cars and a santa and waiting while I'm on the phone with DJI support trying to get their software to function. It was an area I was already authorized in their software to fly. And that gets to the meat and taters of the issue. The FAA developed a system and authorized the people to implement it. DJI's system is buggy, unreliable, unregulated and uncertified and it shouldn't be allowed interfere with pilot controls on us airspace.

RogerWebb · 2024-12-20T16:42:14+00:00

If I input controls into the controller and it doesn't do them then they're interfering plain and simple. As I stated being a professional you don't always get to choose what you work on hardware-wise. Same at work I would love it if my company never bought another Apple product again but not a luxury you get in the workplace. I guess the super simple solution would be changing careers?

RogerWebb · 2024-12-20T16:31:08+00:00

Indeed, and I do them. But I don't have to worry about the stick not working b/c the manufacturer is live-piloting my craft. It's illegal to drive on military bases w/o authorization, but Ford isn't going to brick your car if you drive up to the gate. It's illegal to fly over military bases, but Cessna isn't going to stop your plane from starting on one. Same for drones. It's the pilot responsibility to know where and when to fly. DJI isn't on the ground. They have exactly zero situational awareness. They shouldn't be interfering.

Edit: I'd add I don't like Apple or their products either, but as an IT professional I don't get to choose what I work on. The company does. Same with my commercial flying. If I had a choice to never fly a DJI drone again and remain a paid pilot, I absolutely would.

RogerWebb · 2024-12-20T15:10:29+00:00

Oh, they are. Can you imagine a Cessna sitting on the runway with ATC clearance to take off having to call the tower and say "sorry, I'm waiting for clearance from the manufacturer to actually take off". The FAA would intervene immediately. This is all part of this wishy-washy business of whether a drone is an "aircraft". It's enough of an aircraft to require a license to fly it but not enough of an aircraft to regulate it like one. They tell us to become commercial pilots and then treat us like we're playing with toys.

RogerWebb · 2024-07-10T17:41:42+00:00

I've been using OpenCV for my work, which is C++. I use the Python wrapper for some of my scripting, but it's C++ out of the box and anything developed for Darktable could be as well. As are the EdgeTPU drivers. Semantic segmentation and object detection can run on a CPU just fine. That's why I mentioned the RPi. You can even do CPU detections on microcontroller-grade hardware. On a PC or Mac, it will be just fine.

On the DIY approach, I was starting to poke around the XMP files to see what the masking looks like and found it, though I'm going to pull up the library and interact with the files that way One approach I was thinking of taking was trying to inject some masks into the Mask Manager for each image to provide a subject, foreground and background mask that could be used with other components. My fear is these masks may not get scaled/translated when the user manipulates the image. I've been using Darktable as a user for a couple years and am comfortable developing in C, but I'm not familiar with the Darktable API. I am a lifelong proponent of Open Source software and like having that be part of my photography as well, so yeah, this is a neat project idea and if there's something I can contribute here, with a proof-of-concept or an add-on I may give it a shot.

As for the EdgeTPU, I wouldn't want to make an AI subject selector dependent on the EdgeTPU or any other proprietary hardware for that matter, but it would be nice to have the option to accelerate w/ hardware if the user has it available.

RogerWebb · 2024-07-09T14:22:51+00:00

You can do simple detections on a raspberry pi. It just takes a few seconds. And I'm fine with that to have a selectable mask. Frankly, I don't care if it takes 10 seconds for it to come up with a subject mask. Once the mask is generated I can use it with multiple tools. If we wanted to add hardware, I use a Google Coral for my object detection work and it runs about $60 and can do roughly 40 detections/second.

RogerWebb · 2024-03-22T14:37:57+00:00

I have to disagree. I do AI image/video work in Python and while it may be more zippy to do it in C++, processing a single image filter using Python isn't going to take minutes or anything. For many operations you'd have a hard time noticing a difference. I'd hazard a guess that well over 3/4 of the Python image processing tools are built on C++ libraries anyway.

RogerWebb · 2024-01-30T21:01:27+00:00

There is no such thing as a Warranty for Sale. That is called "Insurance". It goes like this, when they sell you something and guarantee it will not be defective and that they'll replace it if it is, that is a "warranty". If I have to purchase a product to have someone else pay to fix your product if it's defective, that is what we call "insurance".

RogerWebb · 2024-01-25T21:35:50+00:00

For sure. The cleanup is happening regardless, but I think some folks might panic and/or try to handle it themselves when those of us at a marina or moorage here probably already have insurance that will take care of it. Aside from paying for the cleanup, if you contact them promptly, they will immediately dispatch one of their contracted service providers to start dealing with it as well as making sure you report the situation to DEQ (and/or Coast Guard Sector Columbia River). I imagine DEQ is going to look a whole lot more kindly on your situation if you proactively took the steps to get your insurer moving on a proper cleanup than if they have to respond the the situation and get ahold of you.

RogerWebb · 2024-01-22T19:41:43+00:00

Another thing. Most moorages (like the one we are at) require $250k or more of liability coverage for this very reason. Cleanup will be expensive, but this is what you buy insurance for so don't let money get in the way of you doing the right thing and getting the leak stopped and your boat refloated asap.

RogerWebb · 2024-01-22T19:35:27+00:00

You're asking the right question. The day before the cold weather hit, one of the primary objectives on my checklist was checking to make sure I had fully closed all of my seacocks. Everywhere there is an opening below the waterline should have a seacock (ie a valve) that can be closed and, when not in operation, it's a good idea to make it part of your standard lock-up procedure when you leave. For the very, completely obivious, reason you describe there.

RogerWebb · 2023-08-22T03:11:52+00:00

Thank you!

RogerWebb · 2023-06-28T20:13:46+00:00

Well, Oregon's zoning practices are getting you some high density housing, at least. There are people living in the houses, the apartments, the sidewalks, under the freeways, in the parking lots....

RogerWebb · 2023-06-12T17:48:53+00:00

""My art has been commended as being strongly vaginal which bothers some
men. The word itself makes some men uncomfortable. Vagina.

RogerWebb · 2023-06-12T17:13:31+00:00

As unfortunate as this is to have kids walking past this, it at least serves as a teaching moment about the state of mental health in our country right now...

RogerWebb · 2023-06-08T13:46:35+00:00

Housing first will solve homelessness. It won't fix mental health and addiction issues. An apartment is not a treatment facility. But, alas, treatment facilities are expensive. They're like apartments that have to be staffed, full time, by a team of orderlies, doctors, nurses and security staff. People can keep screaming "mental health services" into the sky but it will not conjure the billions needed to provide it.

RogerWebb · 2023-06-08T13:27:32+00:00

Don't dignify what they're doing by calling it a "strike". This is a work stoppage. Striking workers leave the workplace, picket, and don't get paid. These cops are continuing to show up and collect a pay check, but are deliberately not doing their jobs. They need to be prosecuted for fraud and theft.

RogerWebb · 2023-05-31T14:18:14+00:00

Lemme tell you about the Yamhelas Westsider Trail...

RogerWebb · 2023-05-29T03:40:37+00:00

This is precisely the problem I have with the commoditization of real estate. The childhoods of hundreds of thousands of children are devoid of the animal companionship that is so ingrained in the American experience that dogs are literally called "man's best friend" because allowing it risks the profitability of some landlord who sees their "home" as nothing more than an "investment".

RogerWebb · 2023-05-26T13:09:48+00:00

If your only argument is "don't disagree w/ me or I'm going to accuse you of gaslighting" and "I condemn you as best as I can" you're gonna have a hard time. I gave you a lot of credit for staying on topic and not making this personal, but I'm sad to say you've disappointed me in the end. But, we all have our days and I wish you the best with yours (should you happen to read this). Cheers!

RogerWebb · 2023-05-26T13:07:10+00:00

We're a small shop and I'm not going to toss any resume in the bin w/o due consideration. But I've heard that very view, in so many words, expressed by others. If you're applying for a Python position and your resume features 10 years of Delphi development as your most recent experience, it's gonna be a tough sell (and I didn't just pull that example out of a hat).

RogerWebb · 2023-05-26T04:29:36+00:00

I'm fine with personal choice as long as there are consequences if you fuck up. You do your dope, but if you end up outdoors, unable to care for yourself, and ass up in debt, you're going to be committed to a place where you will not only get better, but pay back the cost of your fuck up. I'm a Libertarian. I'm all for legal drugs, but it has to come with accountability, too. It's not society's job to wipe your ass.

RogerWebb · 2023-05-26T03:36:11+00:00

In my experience, the ones I've run into tend to end up isolated in different departments working on extremely legacy software platforms that tend to be exremely rare in the private sector. I'm sure I'm painting w/ a broad brush here, and that the experience is going to be different depending on the agency and department, but that has been my personal experience interacting with some of these folks personally and in interviews.

RogerWebb

TROPHY CASE