opencv_demo.py

import sys
import cv

class FaceDetect():
    def __init__(self):
        cv.NamedWindow ("CamShiftDemo", 1)
        device = 0
        self.capture = cv.CaptureFromCAM(device)
        capture_size = (320,200)
        cv.SetCaptureProperty(self.capture, cv.CV_CAP_PROP_FRAME_WIDTH, capture_size[0])
        cv.SetCaptureProperty(self.capture, cv.CV_CAP_PROP_FRAME_HEIGHT, capture_size[1])

    def detect(self):
        cv.CvtColor(self.frame, self.grayscale, cv.CV_RGB2GRAY)

        #equalize histogram
        cv.EqualizeHist(self.grayscale, self.grayscale)

        # detect objects
        faces = cv.HaarDetectObjects(image=self.grayscale, cascade=self.cascade, storage=self.storage, scale_factor=1.2,\
                                     min_neighbors=2, flags=cv.CV_HAAR_DO_CANNY_PRUNING)

        if faces:
            #print 'face detected!'
            for i in faces:
                if i[1] > 10:
                    cv.Circle(self.frame, ((2*i[0][0]+i[0][2])/2,(2*i[0][1]+i[0][3])/2), (i[0][2]+i[0][3])/4, (128, 255, 128), 2, 8, 0)

    def run(self):
        # check if capture device is OK
        if not self.capture:
            print "Error opening capture device"
            sys.exit(1)

        self.frame = cv.QueryFrame(self.capture)
        self.image_size = cv.GetSize(self.frame)

        # create grayscale version
        self.grayscale = cv.CreateImage(self.image_size, 8, 1)

        # create storage
        self.storage = cv.CreateMemStorage(128)
        self.cascade = cv.Load('haarcascade_frontalface_default.xml')

        while 1:
            # do forever
            # capture the current frame
            self.frame = cv.QueryFrame(self.capture)
            if self.frame is None:
                break

            # mirror
            cv.Flip(self.frame, None, 1)

            # face detection
            self.detect()

            # display webcam image
            cv.ShowImage('CamShiftDemo', self.frame)
            # handle events
            k = cv.WaitKey(10)

            if k == 0x1b: # ESC
                print 'ESC pressed. Exiting ...'
                break
                sys.exit(1)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print "Press ESC to exit ..."
    face_detect = FaceDetect()
    face_detect.run() 

In regards to your question at my gist https://gist.github.com/DouglasAllen/2032003

What they mean is another term for your Mean Local Noon or Solar Transit. This is the base number to start all those calculations. Wikipedia is not the only place to look and we have updated that page somewhat. What that cycle number is really would be like a Modified Julian Date.
Many programmers just say MJD. That's when we trim off the JD_2000 value because most formula are using days since then. That's all that means. Days elapsed since Jan 01 2000. There are several types though. Try wiki again and look at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_day They came up with lot's of ways to make the number smaller because the computers at that time couldn't handle the larger ones. Not a problem today though.
Hope this helps and sorry I'm late but I seldom go back to my gists unless I need to refer to something.