Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with curves

Is there a "curves" function on Photoshop Elements 7?

tangyraspberry — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:49:07 -0800

Is there a "curves" function on Photoshop Elements 7? I just purchased Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 and cannot find the curves function.

Get thee gone, my polygon

soma lkzx — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:40:42 -0800

I've got a polygon of n points. How can I simplify out noisy edges? I have a bunch of ordered (x,y) pairs that make nice little polygons, but there're just too much data to be manageable. It'd be nice to average out some of the rougher bits into less points.

Most of the edges look like the heaviside step function, a.k.a. someone walking city blocks. Checking (x_i+1,y_i+1) vs. (x_i-1,y_i-1) and the rest of the diagonals could work out, but I'd really be into a more elegant/general algorithmic solution.

Less importantly but possibly related, let's say I wanted to give these polygons smooth sides. Do I drop bezier curve after bezier curve? I also just met splines on wikipedia - should I just apply this natural cubic spline curve algorithm with (x₁,y₁) = (x_n,y_n)?

I'm currently working on this in Ruby, if that matters, but am open to pretty much anything.

What exactly is displayed on Curves (for Women) Smart equipment?

Savannah — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:45:24 -0800

This is in regard to Curves Smart equipment, which is now available at some Curves for Women fitness facilities. Does anyone know what exactly the display depicts? Although I've seen pictures of it, which shows "Cardio", "Energy", "Range", and "Reps", I'd like to know what each one is indicating. Also, prior to the installation of the Smart upgrade, the hydraulic resistance was non-adjustable. The only way to get more resistance was to speed up. It appears that the hydraulics are still configured the same. If so, then is it safe to assume that the only way to increase intensity/resistance is to do more reps in the same 30-second time frame? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Fitting multiple curves with a constant sum?

enn — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:32:28 -0800

Is there a means of fitting curves to several independent series of points with the property that, if all the points at any given x in the original data have a constant sum, all of the interpolated points at any given x have a constant sum? Is there a means of doing so which generates a set of cubic or quadratic Bezier curves which I can use in SVG rather than a series of points or a function? This may be a very stupid question. My math is an embarrassment. Please talk down to me.

The (naïve, heuristic) interpolation I am using now purely for aesthetic purposes does not have this property.

The underlying goal here is to chart changing shares of a whole over time. Of course, the shares always total 100%; I'd like the interpolated values to do the same.

Is Curves that bad? Other options?

LolaGeek — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 10:02:26 -0800

Is Curves International (i.e. the company behind Curves gyms) really that bad? If it is, are there any other gyms that are similar to this chain in terms of target clientele and training plan? I've read the controversies about the CEO of Curves - articles stating that he donates large amounts of money to pro-life/anti-abortion groups; and then rebuttals stating that he gives money to many different organizations, this was just one of them, and he'll reduce the amount. Almost everyone I've talked to about this is pretty anti-Curves.

But, I am getting a little blubbery due to my sedentary job, and there is a Curves in a really convenient location that I pass on my way home from work. I like the fact that they are women-only, and they offer a fast circuit workout.

So is the controversy really true? If so, is there a similar gym I might join that is women-only and offers the same quick type of circuit program? Particularly in the King of Prussia, PA area?

Too curvy for "clothes for curvy women"

Anonymous — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 22:37:33 -0800

Apparently my measurements are unusual for a fat chick. Is there anywhere I can buy flattering clothes off the rack (in person, and no tailoring needed)? Preemptively: "You're not healthy" (I am) or "I'd hit it" (you wouldn't) go to thatinternetgirl@yahoo.com. I'm looking for helpful suggestions here -- please!

My measurements are 44-32-50. Just under the bust is 35". I'm currently wearing a 36DDD underwire, and somehow I'm comfortable in it (no lumps, bulges, or feelings of impending explosion). I am just under 5'9". While my BMI is not great, my waist-hip ratio is under 0.65. I'm young and I've never been pregnant, so I have no idea why I'm proportioned this way. Please let me know if any more measurements would be helpful.

The trouble may be obvious now that you've seen the numbers. In case it's not, the thing is that it seems like each of my proportions make me a different size. For an example, look at Torrid's sizing chart -- my tits make me a 16; my waist makes me too small for the store; and my hips and ass make me an 20. Similarly, Lane Bryant just introduced new Right Fit sizing, and the curviest style they offer is built for a 34" waist and 47" hips. If I wanted this shirt from Igigi, I would have to buy a size 22/24, and it would be a little loose in the bust, pretty tight around the hips, and give me a whole extra 10" in the waist.

So what do I buy? Or, more accurately, where do I shop instead?

Right now I wear pretty much exclusively jeans (Levi's 515s, made for 51" hips and 42" waist) with men's T-shirts/hoodies (XXL). I'm a college student, so this is somewhat acceptable, but you won't be surprised to learn that it isn't very flattering. But it doesn't seem to matter what I wear, since even when I dress up and look more feminine and fancy, it all looks baggy and terrible -- I have to fit the biggest proportions, which means my waist is totally lost.

I know it's popular to wear a cute flirty shirt with a huge belt over it. Honestly, though, I think it looks pretty dumb to wear a belt over a shirt -- and even if I could get over that, I still think it could only be justified if you have a slim figure and an unusually small waist and want say "look at this!" My waist is still bigger than most girls' hips, so I don't want to bring attention to it (duh). I just want to wear normal clothes that are cut to fit my size, not try to attract special attention with fads like huge weird belts that will be out of style soon. I am not specifically trying to define my waist, just trying to find clothes that fit me.

Also, because of my breasts, a lot of clothing looks really trashy on me. I know "wrap dress!" is going to be the immediate answer, but it looks terrible; anything low-cut, or otherwise purposely meant to draw attention to my body (like ruching/shirring), does. I know there was a related recent question, but besides our very different sizes, our goals are also very different. It seems like that question was "I have curves, how do I not look trashy at the office?" whereas my question is "where can I find normal, not specifically-curve-showing-off, clothes that fit me?"

My ideal clothing would be pretty modest -- cover me from collarbones to elbows to just below the knees. I'm happier being modest, and anyway, nobody wants to see my knees or upper arms. For professional situations I have flared black pants, a bunch of button-down shirts, and a jacket, all of which are nice, but subject to the same fit problems (not enough darts). For casual/classroom wear, I have absolutely no idea what to do, hence the jeans and men's Ts. For lingerie, I'm happy with my everyday bras, but fancy worn-to-be-looked-at lingerie/sleepwear would be awesome (underwire definitely needed, though).

I know there are tons and tons of online stores and mail-order catalogs that cater to plus-sized women, but there are two problems with those. The main one is that, like the examples above, their stuff isn't curvy enough to fit my measurements. Plus-sized, yes, and I need that, but I also need curviness. And second, I can't try the stuff on. And I need to try clothes on before I can even think about buying them. So I need to buy in person, although the good news is that I can get to New York City if needed.

So is there anywhere I can shop, in person, to find clothes that come close to fitting me, without having to have them altered? Even if I get stuff tailored (which is expensive, and I'm a poor student), even if the stuff is able to be altered, it doesn't usually fit very well or look very good because it wasn't designed for a figure like mine. Getting custom stuff made for me is hardly an option, so I'm looking for stores that cater to a not just plus-sized, but also curvy, niche.

Tricks of reading supply and demand graphs

dropkick — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 08:49:02 -0800

I'm having the darndest time reading and discerning supply and demand graphs in Microeconomics, and I'm looking for suggestions from econ whizzes on how to improve in this area. There is so much that can be read from a simple supply and demand graph: who is getting product and how much, who isn't, price ceilings and price floors etcetera etcetera. I want to get good at it, and I'm asking for any tricks in parsing all this information quickly and accurately. Where do I look first on the graph? What question do I ask first? What do you do to extract all that info from a few straight lines on a page?

Where's my car? (I'm inside it.)

obliquicity — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 14:04:19 -0800

My car has no corners! How do I learn where its edges are? I recently moved on from my much-loved '88 Volvo station wagon to a ca.-2000 Saturn coupe. Perhaps naively, I looked forward to the switch for one reason: it would be so much easier to find parking in San Francisco with a smaller car! The sad truth, though, is that I could park the Volvo in a tiny spot, thanks to its incredibly visible corners/edges/perimeter. The Saturn, on the other hand, I am very nervous about parking without loads of extra room, because I'm never entirely sure when I'm going to bump the cars in front of and behind me. The low driver's seat, the swoopy curves of the car's body, and the (relatively, I know) tiny windows ensure that I can't see a thing that's going on.

I assumed, based on past experience, that I would quickly get used to the new dimensions of the car -- but it has been nine months and I'm still getting it wrong. Is there anything I can do, short of bumping into things until I "get it," that will help me learn what shape and size my car is?

Too lazy to take a hard-right.

Jimbob — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 04:45:21 -0800

Do the curved triangular shapes made when cars (or even pedestrians) take "shortcuts" at T-junctions (seen here near my house and here in Western Sahara, although this seems like a deliberate one) have a name? What's the mathematics behind them? The psychology?

Exercise: Curves experiences?

jacquilynne — Tue, 27 Jul 2004 10:16:06 -0800

ExcerFilter - Do any of you lovely Mefi Girls go to Curves? Speaking as a person who has miserably failed at a vast number of exercise regimes for a few reasons (I have asthma, I hate looking at skinny people while I sweat through my fat and exercise bores me), I'm looking at Curves as a possibility for my latest exercise venture. I'd be interested in hearing about whether it works, whether exercise haters like me can get into it, and since it's probably inevitable, all the reasons why it's a stupid program and I'd be better off at a real gym.