Proof that no border control system will ever be perfect

Canadian man who swam to Detroit after 8 beers sorry for all the fuss (MSN)

Dueling headlines

Soon, your voice will be the only password you'll ever need (Business Insider - July 16, 2013) 

Soon, your body will be the only password you need (DVICE - June 26, 2013)


UPDATE:
I couldn't help it..

Biometrics headline of the year

2013 is just over half complete but I just don't see how this one can be topped:

Six million streak through SmartGate

Thanks are due the New Zealand Customs Service both for contributions to security, and for advancements in the art of the press release.

Bach's fingerprint

Bach's fingerprint care of Classic FM and @AdamVrankulj...

In 1717, when Bach was imprisoned by his employer, the authorities took his fingerprint...

(click for larger image @classicfm)

Mascot For The 2012 Olympics Has A Huge Camera Eye

Kashmir Hill's treatment of Wenlock at Forbes is funny. Alas, She has a lot to work with.

London decided to make its surveillance yen a dominant feature of its otherwise goofy mascots. “Wenlock” and “Mandeville” both have a huge single eye made out of a camera lens so that they can “record everything.”

There's even a Wenlock Policeman Figurine. Pictures & video at the link.

If Twitter is more your speed, you can follow Ms. Hill here.

FBI Combines Rapid DNA-at-a-Distance ID with Drone Technology

The FBI's rapid DNA at a distance identification (DAD-ID) technology is being combined with drone technology with the goal of instantly sequencing the genome of any person, anywhere in near real-time.

FBI's Rapid DNA-at-a-Distance ID (DAD-ID) Technology Program Continues Apace

The old DNA identification system took up to six weeks to analyze a DNA sample for criminal cases and that sample had to be taken, preserved and processed under laboratory conditions. Now the subject's entire genome can be sequenced in under 5 minutes without any physical sample at all, says Rehfeldt. "Our goal for felony case DNA searches is now 10 minutes, and in misdemeanor cases, it's 15 minutes," says Rehfeldt.

A record of all the genetic base pairs and detailed personal information about individuals analyzed by the new system will be maintained in the FBI's Clarksburg, WV facility.

"Deploying this technology on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's) will provide obvious tactical advantages over earlier deployments which relied on rather conspicuous motor vehicles."

Asked of the feasibility of deploying the technology on space-based platforms, Rehfeldt responded, "What's your name, again?"

Fooling Facial Recognition With Crocheting - Antics Ensue

Howie Woo (boingboing)



The video really is funny and extremely well executed, revealing the young Mr. Woo's artistic talents in the ancient art of crochet and modern video graphics.

But if you're serious about fooling (i.e. remaining undetected by) facial recognition systems, CVDazzle is the way to go.

Canada: Facial Analysis Tool Applied to Windsor City Council

Look who's smiling at City Hall (Windsor Star)

I enjoy seeing the playful uses of new technology and the Windsor Star article using face.com facial analysis to have some fun with the city council definitely qualifies.

Photo: Windsor Star uses face.com software to rank of city councilors' happiness.

Marra, who described himself as a “happy-go-lucky kind of guy,” said people who know him would be surprised by face.com’s bleak assessment of his picture.

Read it. It's funny.

What is a Face Scan, Anyway?

More than 10,000 Olympic athletes and their coaches are having fingerprints and face-scans taken by UK officials around the world in the biggest operation of its type to prevent the London Games being targeted by illegal immigrants or terrorists. (The Independent - emphasis mine)

Did I miss a revision to the J-School style manual stipulating that photographs are henceforth to be called face scans?

Is this a British usage thing like calling flashlights torches, trucks lorries, and elevators lifts?

Let me try:

"Are those face-scans of your children? They're adorable!"
"I lost a ton of weight, so I put a new face-scan on my LinkedIn profile."
"I hate my drivers license face-scan."

How am I doing? What? Not good?

My friend from Purley assures me "that's not the way it's done back home," pointing out that this guy didn't say...

"Your wife interested in er... face-scanning, eh?"

My friend is correct!

No, I think "face-scans" is a term meant to communicate an author's disapproval of facial recognition technology without directly acknowledging bias. Wink, wink; nudge, nudge.



Public service: Here's the whole 'Candid Photography' clip at YouTube

See also:
The Politics of Biometrics: A Shibboleth, from the SecurLinx blog's early days.

h/t @m2sys

Mirror Displays Animal Heads that Mimic Facial Expressions

A 3-D animal avatar as your reflection (PopSci.com)
Not biometrics, but a cool use of some of the technologies we use for facial recognition, nonetheless.

Do not attempt to adjust your radio, there is nothing wrong. There isn't any sound with the video.

.

Melbourne Area Libraries to Debut DNA-Vein Time Clocks?

Melboure, Australia has given the world a lot: Kylie Minogue, Cate Blanchette, the 1956 Summer Olympics, Rio Tinto, and the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Today, if the Australian Associated Press, is to be believed, Melbourne (Monash, really) is on the brink of giving us (or rather its librarians) a time and attendance system unlike any the world has ever seen.

Monash City Council's human resources department came up with the plan, which would require library staff to provide DNA samples and have their veins scanned using pattern-recognition technology to clock on and off for a shift. (AAP)

This is amazing. A multi-modal combination DNA-Vein biometric time clock will make for exceedingly accurate record keeping and a high assurance that the library staff are being paid only for time actually worked.

Some, however, may wonder why the libraries need a vein scanner attached to their DNA time clocks. That, gentle reader, is because identical twins have identical DNA. Identical twin librarians using a DNA time clock would quickly find themselves in a scene worthy of a Eugène Ionesco play:

Twin 1: G'day twin. Lovely day to be a librarian. (clocks in with DNA time clock) Ouch!

Twin 2: Right you are, Twin! (clocks Twin 1 out with DNA time clock) Ouch! (they both proceed to the stacks)

Head Librarian: Crikey! What are you two doing here? The attendance record shows that one of you was here for 5 seconds this morning.

Twin 2: No, Ma'am. We've both been here since 8:30.

Head Librarian: Well, that's not what it says here. 

Well, perhaps more Monty Python than Eugène Ionesco, but you get the picture. The vein reader attached to the DNA time clock is absolutely necessary to prevent these and other potentially embarrassing and time consuming situations from vexing library staff.


Additional Information:
Neither of these two straight news pieces mention DNA at all:

Finger scanners to keep tabs on librarians (ABC)
Melbourne council searches in vein for tardy staff *(CRN.com.au)  

David Heath at IT Wire seems pretty sure that the explanation for the Australian Associated Press story is other than that someone has invented a DNA-Vein time clock. You'll have to click through to see his explanation for yourself.

In the light of this additional information I must acknowledge the possibility that the Australian Associated Press writer who penned the above linked article is mistaken about biometrics as well as the possibility that DNA time clocks (with or without vein scanners) don't exist.

*Bonus: New (to me) biometrics pun! 

FBI develops rapid DNA at a distance identification technology

**APRIL FOOLS' DAY: 2011**

Brave New system could reduce DNA matching time to ten minutes (Manchester Guardian)

The old DNA identification system took up to six weeks to analyze a DNA sample for criminal cases and that sample had to be taken, preserved and processed under laboratory conditions. Now the subject's entire genome can be sequenced in under 5 minutes without any physical sample at all, says Rehfeldt. "Our goal for felony case DNA searches is now 10 minutes, and in misdemeanor cases, it's 15 minutes," says Rehfeldt.

A record of all the genetic base pairs and detailed personal information about individuals analyzed by the new system will be maintained in the FBI's Clarksburg, WV facility.

Asked if anyone at the FBI had expressed any reservations regarding the implementation of such a system on privacy or constitutional grounds, Rehfeldt responded via the Twitter messaging service "w00t! All your genome are belong to us!"