The end result of one programmer’s attempt to solve a “Where’s Waldo?”
Beloved puzzle game has been solved with code
By Braden Goyette
It was a challenge no true computer geek could ignore: Find Waldo, not with your eyes, but with code.
A crafty programmer answered the call, developing an algorithm to spot the iconic globetrotting children’s book character in any illustrated crowd.
A user who goes by the moniker Heike created the “Where’s Waldo” detector after seeing this challenge posted on the popular programming message board, Stackoverflow.com.
The goal? Find Waldo using Mathematica, a software that can analyze images.
Drawings in the Waldo books, first published in 1987, typically camouflage the character — wearing his hallmark red-and-white-striped sweater — in bustling crowd scenes.
Heike’s algorithm narrows down the places Waldo could be hiding by searching for the colors of his signature shirt.
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