Abstract: The present invention relates to a sending apparatus that efficiently sends content provided by a viewer/listener to a sender and that performs live distribution using the content. Program content to be live-distributed by a user terminal (10) serving as the sender and sender specific information for specifying the user terminal (10) on the Internet (11) are distributed to a client terminal (12) via a streaming distribution server (13). Content provided by the client terminal (12) is directly sent to the user terminal (10) on the basis of the sender specific information. The user terminal (10) performs live distribution using the content that has been sent from the client terminal (12).

Abstract: Communication connection for peer-to-peer communication is established as follows. One personal computer, which wants to commence communication, transmits an electronic mail attached with an IP address of one personal computer to another personal computer, which is a desired destination. Another personal computer opens the transmitted electronic mail and obtains the IP address attached to the electronic mail, thereby establishing the communication connection. Information necessary for establishing the communication connection in peer-to-peer communication can be easily acquired.

Abstract: In an arrangement wherein a first personal computer and a second personal computer perform peer-to-peer communication, and the first personal computer has an additional function module which the second personal computer does not have, the first personal computer and the second personal computer can perform peer-to-peer communication based on the additional function module. Accordingly, the functions of a function module can be used for communication even in the event that not all terminals communicating have the function module.

Abstract: An image recognition system for recognizing a target having a color and a pattern includes a plurality of active eyes for recognizing a target. Each active eye is an information processing unit formed in a closed frame defined on a display screen, and each active eye is movable on the display screen, wherein each active eye moves until a color within the closed frame of the active eye is the color of the target in a memory, wherein plural active eyes are located at a boundary between the target and the background on the display screen, thereby forming a colony having a shape. When the shape of the colony matches the pattern of the target in the memory, the target is identified. The time of each processing cycle is very short, and thus, the movement of the object can be traced without a time lag.