Video: Amazing Recursive Image Search, Starting with a Blank Image

Graphic evolution
Arts • Views: 20,487

This is just incredible - using the “similar to” feature of Google image search, Sebastian Schmieg put together a video of thousands of images morphing literally from nothingness; he started with a blank transparent image.

Youtube Video

sebastianschmieg.com/searchbyimage

search by image, recursively
starting with a transparent png (400×225px)
2951 images, 12fps
december 9th, 2011
netherlands

Sebastian Schmieg, 2011
more videos: vimeo.com/user9934287

Jump to bottom

39 comments
1 Kid A  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 4:04:38pm

Sure. And all that light takes millions of years to get here for us to see it, huh? More God-hating “science.”

2 Goosestepping Obama Tina Brown  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 4:05:46pm

One of the Hubble images in there i use as my background.
And do i win anything for being the first to spot the naked boobs?!

3 Feline Fearless Leader  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 4:09:05pm

It’s full of stars!

:D

4 Glenn Beck's Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 4:13:44pm

Reminds me of seeing the Mandelbrot Set for the first time.

5 PhillyPretzel  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 4:13:50pm

re: #2 Cankles McCellulite
You too? LOL

6 sattv4u2  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 4:14:54pm

re: #2 Cankles McCellulite

One of the Hubble images in there i use as my background.
And do i win anything for being the first to spot the naked boobs?!

I was going to type that, but my hands were busy!!
/

7 EdDantes  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 4:19:24pm

re: #2 Cankles McCellulite

One of the Hubble images in there i use as my background.
And do i win anything for being the first to spot the naked boobs?!

No, I have” boobdar.”

8 BongCrodny  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 4:19:51pm

re: #2 Cankles McCellulite

One of the Hubble images in there i use as my background.
And do i win anything for being the first to spot the naked boobs?!

Nice set of Hubbles there.

9 albusteve  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 4:30:00pm

as for me…
Floyd

Youtube Video
10 abolitionist  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 4:30:30pm

A Universe from Nothing - Lawrence Krauss - short version


‘A Universe From Nothing’ by Lawrence Krauss, AAI 2009 - long version

11 Glenn Beck's Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 4:30:41pm

By the way, if anyone hasn’t seen the episode of Bourdain’s “No Reservations” that was in Lebanon, do yourself a favor and see it. Basically, war breaks out as he’s filming.

12 Bubblehead II  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 4:32:06pm

re: #2 Cankles McCellulite

Seven + clicks so far. I had to go back and watch. For those interested 1:11

13 sattv4u2  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 4:37:41pm

re: #12 Bubblehead II

Seven + clicks so far. I had to go back and watch. For those interested 1:11

I saw this at 1:23

Image: spaceballs-eagle5.jpg

14 abolitionist  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 4:51:40pm

I’m fascinated that the similar-image search algorithm seems not to get stuck (permanently) in an infinite loop.

15 Glenn Beck's Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 4:53:48pm

re: #14 abolitionist

I wonder if that’s a factor of the search ‘remembeirng’ what you’ve come from, or if it indicates something about the algorithm.

16 First As Tragedy, Then As Farce  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 4:58:21pm

re: #10 abolitionist

A Universe from Nothing - Lawrence Krauss - short version


‘A Universe From Nothing’ by Lawrence Krauss, AAI 2009 - long version

I second that recommendation. And also third it. Well worth hearing. Twice, even.

17 abolitionist  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:03:41pm

re: #15 Obdicut

I wonder if that’s a factor of the search ‘remembeirng’ what you’ve come from, or if it indicates something about the algorithm.

I suspect the reason has to do with “remembering” in some sense. Long ago, I learned of an interesting factoid about higher dimensional spaces — that a point chosen at random from a “sphere” of many dimensions was very likely to be on or near its surface, and not very likely to be deep within its interior.

18 abolitionist  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:13:35pm

Correction: For large n, an n-dimensional space is reasonably well approximated by a corresponding n-dimesional sphere. Relatively few points are found near the center. Most are near the surface —which is an n-dimensional sphere.

19 Glenn Beck's Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:16:39pm

re: #18 abolitionist

Topology is destiny.

20 sattv4u2  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:20:11pm

Burger King, the No. 2 burger chain, has quietly begun testing home delivery of its burgers, fries and other sandwiches

[Link: www.usatoday.com…]

Better idea than the drive-thru
At least you’ll be close to a bathroom!!

21 Jerk  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:20:31pm

I liked how the breakfast table rage comic guy spit out his food. Great vid.

22 Charles Johnson  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:20:39pm

re: #14 abolitionist

I’m fascinated that the similar-image search algorithm seems not to get stuck (permanently) in an infinite loop.

The filmmaker answered that question at Vimeo:

kyle, if the image has been used before, I choose the next-highest. otherwise it would indeed loop pretty quickly, or even end up bouncing back and forth between two images.

23 Lidane  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:24:11pm

Speaking of the dark void, this is all over the news now:

Wikipedia Going Dark to Protest SOPA

24 abolitionist  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:25:44pm

re: #22 Charles

Thanks

25 Alexzander  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:29:53pm

re: #11 Obdicut

By the way, if anyone hasn’t seen the episode of Bourdain’s “No Reservations” that was in Lebanon, do yourself a favor and see it. Basically, war breaks out as he’s filming.

I thought that episode was over-rated. He spent a good chuck of that time lounging by the pool.

26 Bubblehead II  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:34:41pm

re: #13 sattv4u2

Space Balls reference, but other that, you lost me.

27 Charles Johnson  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:36:20pm

There’s another GOP debate tonight, which I’m sure fills everyone with a delirious sense of anticipation.

28 PhillyPretzel  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:37:07pm

re: #27 Charles
Oh yes. I am going to watch Antiques Roadshow.

29 Decatur Deb  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:43:06pm

re: #27 Charles

There’s another GOP debate tonight, which I’m sure fills everyone with a delirious sense of anticipation.

Perhaps they will say something honest and intelligent.

30 sattv4u2  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:43:09pm

re: #26 Bubblehead II

Space Balls reference, but other that, you lost me.

In Space??

Image: 200px-TV-Lost-in-Space-Volume-1-music-CD-1997-cover.jpg

31 Killgore Trout  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:43:14pm

re: #28 PhillyPretzel

Oh yes. I am going to watch Antiques Roadshow.

Image: Hugh-Fearnly-Whittingstall1.jpg

I might watch Hugh-Fearnly-Whittingstall butcher some chickens.

32 Glenn Beck's Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:43:26pm

re: #25 Alexzander

I thought that episode was over-rated. He spent a good chuck of that time lounging by the pool.

Not really his fault. It’s still a unique moment in time. The look on the guy’s face he’s out with when they hear gunshots for the first time is so profoundly sad.

33 jaunte  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:43:54pm

Part of NATO missile defense system goes live in Turkey

Iran — Turkey’s eastern neighbor — has publicly objected to the NATO system. Ali Larijani, Iran’s speaker of parliament, repeated his opposition to it during a visit to Turkey last week.

34 sattv4u2  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:44:15pm

re: #31 Killgore Trout

Image: Hugh-Fearnly-Whittingstall1.jpg

I might watch Hugh-Fearnly-Whittingstall butcher some chickens.

I used to watch my grandmother do that

Worse part ,,, I had named most of them!!

35 freetoken  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:45:57pm

It’s clear from the persistence of peace symbols, green colors, and sea ice graphs that this video is a subversive communist plot, and if it truly represents the images found by the Google search engine then it is also clear that Google is a Manchurian plant.

36 Decatur Deb  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:46:27pm

re: #34 sattv4u2

I used to watch my grandmother do that

Worse part ,,, I had named most of them!!

Used to hold them on the stump while a guy dropped the hatchet, then chase them headless through the yard when I had flinched and let go.

37 sattv4u2  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:49:15pm

re: #36 Decatur Deb

Used to hold them on the stump while a guy dropped the hatchet, then chase them headless through the yard when I had flinched and let go.

Nahh,,, Nona just did the one hand on the head and her other right under the neck and then one good fast twist!

38 Decatur Deb  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:51:02pm

re: #37 sattv4u2

Nahh,,, Nona just did the one hand on the head and her other right under the neck and then one good fast twist!

Yeah, did that as an adult, but the layers we raised had too little meat to be worth it.

39 Kragar (Antichrist )  Mon, Jan 16, 2012 5:53:49pm

re: #27 Charles

There’s another GOP debate tonight, which I’m sure fills everyone with a delirious sense of anticipation.

Tonight’s debate format will be Mitt Romney taking 15 minutes to point and laugh at each of the other candidates in turn.


This article has been archived.
Comments are closed.

Jump to top

Create a PageThis is the LGF Pages posting bookmarklet. To use it, drag this button to your browser's bookmark bar, and title it 'LGF Pages' (or whatever you like). Then browse to a site you want to post, select some text on the page to use for a quote, click the bookmarklet, and the Pages posting window will appear with the title, text, and any embedded video or audio files already filled in, ready to go.
Or... you can just click this button to open the Pages posting window right away.
Last updated: 2023-04-04 11:11 am PDT LGF User's Guide RSS Feeds

Help support Little Green Footballs!

Subscribe now for ad-free access!Register and sign in to a free LGF account before subscribing, and your ad-free access will be automatically enabled.

Donate with
PayPal Cash.app
Recent PagesClick to refresh
Texas County at Center of Border Fight Is Overwhelmed by Migrant Deaths EAGLE PASS, Tex. - The undertaker lighted a cigarette and held it between his latex-gloved fingers as he stood over the bloated body bag lying in the bed of his battered pickup truck. The woman had been fished out ...
Cheechako
Yesterday
Views: 96 • Comments: 0 • Rating: 0