Fingerprints as ID - good, bad, ugly?

Grok Headline matches for Fingerprints as ID - good, bad, ugly?

The good and the ugly

The good and the ugly 11/13/2003 07:42 PM

PHP.net has a new feature on their search page - a really nice implementation of an auto complete text widget in Javascript. Even better, the search page is valid XHTML 1.0 Strict and uses CSS for the layout. Let's hope this is an indication of things to the come for the rest of the site, which still mostly consists of tag soup.

Here's the ugly bit: the javascript for the auto complete function is deliberately obfuscated. Now I know that this decision is completely up to the author of the script, but personally I find it exasperating. PHP is an open source project, and obfuscation in this way is the antithesis of the open source ideal. A big part about open source is that people shouldn't have to invent something twice - why waste duplicated effort when sharing code costs nothing and benefits everyone? I'm sure the author had their reasons for hiding the code in this way but to me it seems like a wasted opportunity to teach site visitors a useful new trick. A bug concerning the obfuscation has already been raised in PHP's bug tracker but was closed without a full explanation.

Obfuscation of client side code such as Javascript is a pretty futile exercise in any case. Most of the effect of the obfuscation can be easily reversed using a tool such as Jesse Ruderman's view variables bookmarklet, which displays all variables on a page (including ones that contain decoded content from obfuscated variables) and pretty-prints functions to make them more readable.

It's impossible to prevent "theft" of your Javascript, but if you really want to stop people from using it the best you can do is to place a copyright notice in the code and ask people to contact you for licensing options. If it's on the web, people can take it. Clear copyright messages are a far more ethical deterrent than ineffective tricks.

The good, the bad and the ugly

The good, the bad and the ugly 04/14/2005 12:33 PM
As Tom DeLay continues to get riddled, Trent Lott is shooting from the hip again.

CSS: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

CSS: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly 04/09/2004 04:01 PM
I took pretty aggressive notes during the panel that came after mine. Enjoy! (You can tell I was paying more attention to the two people who were talking about things I hadn't heard much about before; less notes from their...

EIOffice: The good, the bad, and the
ugly

EIOffice: The good, the bad, and the
ugly 06/02/2004 12:07 PM
Evermore Integrated Office is an extremely promising new Java-based office suite that currently runs on both Linux and Windows, with versions slated for Mac and Solaris. EIOffice is a remarkably faithful clone of Microsoft Office, with a twist -- it provides a level of integration unmatched by any office suite on the market. It's not without problems, though, a couple of which take EIOffice out of the running for some organizations.

Themes: Good, Bad, and Ugly

Themes: Good, Bad, and Ugly 02/10/2004 02:51 AM
MacThemes. net has posted a look at the entries in the OWC/Unsanity Theme Contest. Let's face it: most themes, with a few exceptions, just plain suck.

Panther: The Cool, The Good, The Bad,
And The Ugly

Panther: The Cool, The Good, The Bad,
And The Ugly 10/28/2003 11:06 PM
Panther is certainly interesting and will get better with minor tweaks. (Apple-x.net via MyAppleMenu)

Dealing with the Good, the Bad, and the
Ugly Feeds

Dealing with the Good, the Bad, and the
Ugly Feeds 01/16/2004 01:02 PM

It's amusing to me that so many bright engineers are fighting inside a paperbag over the issue of what to do with bad feeds.  For some reason, probably human nature, they have limited themselves into finding a solution at the spec and parser implementation level when there is no solution there and the discussion has devolved into exchanging “is so“ and “is not“.

The Biased Liberal post offers a solution at the UI level without irritating the user.  The problem can also be solved at marketing and legal level although I favor the UI level solution.

One rather amusing (?) thought I occasionally use to pull myself out of a hole is that the ultimate solution to every problem is world destruction.  All right, it's not funny, but it does shake me out of the box.  As to the implementation, it's easy if you believe a tree falling without an observer makes no sound.

Update:

Looks like the XML-DEV got thrown into the paperbag as well.  There is now a long ongo ing thread on Postel's Law, exceptions, and what to do with bad feeds.  Elliotte Rusty Harold did ment ion my Biased Liberal solution, but XML-DEVers seems to prefer talking about parsers, specs, what the world wants and needs, theories, history, scenarios, etc.  Well, they seem to be enjoying themselves so let's not bother them.

Adding Music to your Web Site - the
good, the bad and the ugly

Adding Music to your Web Site - the
good, the bad and the ugly 05/21/2004 10:04 AM
WebDevInfo May 21 2004 1:58PM GMT

The Good, Bad and Downright Ugly of
Flash Email

The Good, Bad and Downright Ugly of
Flash Email 08/18/2002 04:40 PM
Send Rich Media, Streaming or Flash Email may be all the rage with Marketers and Advertisers alike. But is it as effective as all of the folks trying to sell you on it say it is? Read on for some tips concerning what you should know before you try to send Flash & other Rich Media Email.

Guardian Unlimited | Columnists | Julie
Burchill: Good, bad and ugly

Guardian Unlimited | Columnists | Julie
Burchill: Good, bad and ugly 12/02/2003 12:28 AM

Livewire: the Good, Bad and Ugly -
Plastic Surgery Stories (Reuters)

Livewire: the Good, Bad and Ugly -
Plastic Surgery Stories (Reuters) 05/01/2004 07:51 AM
Reuters - The Internet can't make you beautiful, but it does cater to a host of vanities, from the search for the perfect eye shadow to the ultimate makeover, plastic surgery.

Two decades of DNA fingerprints

Two decades of DNA fingerprints 09/08/2004 10:23 PM
The 20th anniversary of genetic fingerprinting is marked by the Leicester University scientist who discovered it.

Alien Fingerprints 1.0

Alien Fingerprints 1.0 06/18/2004 08:48 PM
A set of interesting backgrounds and tileable versions of them.

RIAA wants your fingerprints

RIAA wants your fingerprints 06/04/2004 05:20 PM
Biometric iPod ready for market

"RIAA wants your fingerprints"

"RIAA wants your fingerprints" 06/05/2004 09:07 AM

Other News: Email Fingerprints

Other News: Email Fingerprints 04/15/2004 09:00 AM
A new technology promises to help fight "bounced" email caused by spam's forgeries.

Brain fingerprints under scrutiny

Brain fingerprints under scrutiny 02/17/2004 06:01 AM
A controversial technique for identifying a criminal mind is about to take centre stage in a last-chance court appeal.

This Robot Collects Fingerprints

This Robot Collects Fingerprints 04/21/2004 03:38 PM

Fingerprints on File, Right From the
Patrol Car

Fingerprints on File, Right From the
Patrol Car 09/22/2004 08:56 PM
A mobile wireless system being tested in Oregon allows police officers in the field to check fingerprints against state and national databases.

UK chemists detect air fingerprints

UK chemists detect air fingerprints 06/09/2004 04:13 AM
I love the smell of VOC in the morning

RIAA wants your fingerprints | The
Register

RIAA wants your fingerprints | The
Register 06/05/2004 07:22 AM
RIAA wants your fingerprints .. The Register .. theregister

theregister.co.uk/2004/06/04/biometric_drm
track this site | 5 links

Uncle Sam fingerprints visitors

Uncle Sam fingerprints visitors 01/05/2004 08:39 AM
Visa-exempts exempted (for now)

Net fingerprints combat attacks

Net fingerprints combat attacks 03/29/2005 04:11 AM
Eighty large net firms are banding together to create a system that will spot and stop net attacks.

Researchers Use X-Rays to 'See'
Fingerprints

Researchers Use X-Rays to 'See'
Fingerprints 03/14/2005 05:40 PM

Telerobots dust for fingerprints with
Superglue

Telerobots dust for fingerprints with
Superglue 05/03/2004 11:00 AM
Researchers at the University of Calgary have built a tele-operated fingerprinting system for bomb disposal robots. Typically, the only way to grab prints from an explosive device after a 'bot blows it up is to search through the detritus. The new system sprays a jet of superglue fumes at the supsicious package. According to a New Scientist article, "the superglue vapour reacts with the organic fingerprint deposits to form a conspicuous white polymer" that can be photographed using the remote camera before the bomb, and often the robot, are blown to bits. Link

Alabama workers clock in with their
fingerprints

Alabama workers clock in with their
fingerprints 01/05/2004 09:41 AM
Scanner monitors body temperature

Smoking gun has Wolfowitz's
fingerprints, but he wasn't the one
pointing it

Smoking gun has Wolfowitz's
fingerprints, but he wasn't the one
pointing it 12/26/2004 12:36 PM
My fellow Americans, in our name our government is torturing people scooped up indiscriminately — some were turned in for a bounty, not much of a guarantee of guilt. You and I are chaining them into a fetal position for 24 hours or more without food or water, letting them shit themselves. You and I are threatening people with vicious dogs. You and I are letting them roast in unventilated cells. And then there's this: "I saw another detainee sitting on the floor of the interview room with an Israeli flag draped around him, loud music being played, and a...

U.S. to require photos, fingerprints of
visitors

U.S. to require photos, fingerprints of
visitors 12/29/2003 08:37 AM
SiliconValley.com Dec 29 2003 7:45AM ET

Robot Technique Lifts Fingerprints From
Bombs

Robot Technique Lifts Fingerprints From
Bombs 04/20/2004 07:17 AM
As a journalist, one of the first things you are taught is "Be alert for stories involving heating elements, cartridges of Superglue, and short pipes." As such, here is news of the new forensic technique 'Robot Accessory for Fuming Fingerprint Evidence' (RAFFE), developed by Universities of Toronto and Calgary scientists,...

Statue of Liberty Checks Fingerprints
Against FBI Watchlist

Statue of Liberty Checks Fingerprints
Against FBI Watchlist 08/12/2004 11:39 AM

U.S. Taking Photos and Fingerprints Of
Visitors (washingtonpost.com)

U.S. Taking Photos and Fingerprints Of
Visitors (washingtonpost.com) 01/07/2004 03:26 PM
washingtonpost.com - The United States began fingerprinting and photographing foreigners arriving at U.S. airports and ports yesterday in an effort to track down wanted criminals and suspected terrorists and identify visitors who overstay visas.

Iris, fingerprints and face to be used
in ID card trial

Iris, fingerprints and face to be used
in ID card trial 12/08/2003 11:46 AM
Silicon.com Dec 8 2003 10:01AM ET

""I'd just like to get together with a
guy from time to time just to -- just to
play. I'd like him to be, uh, in very
good shape, flat stomach, good chest,
good arms, well-hung, cut, uh, just get
naked, play, see what happens, nothing
real heavy ..."

""I'd just like to get together with a
guy from time to time just to -- just to
play. I'd like him to be, uh, in very
good shape, flat stomach, good chest,
good arms, well-hung, cut, uh, just get
naked, play, see what happens, nothing
real heavy ..." 08/31/2004 08:45 PM

Recording industry to demand
fingerprints of music listeners

Recording industry to demand
fingerprints of music listeners 06/05/2004 04:32 PM
Isn't the recording industry silly for trying this? I'm glad it's wasting its time on this fool's errand. I hope Veritouch gets millions from the RIAA for this rotten idea, which has a zero percent chance of catching on.

The RIAA is hoping that a new breed of music player which requires biometric authentication will put an end to file sharing. Established biometric vendor Veritouch has teamed up with Swedish design company to produce iVue: a wireless media player that allows content producers to lock down media files with biometric security. This week Veritouch announced that it had demonstrated the device to the RIAA and MPAA.

Link (via /.)

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Brain
fingerprints under scrutiny

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Brain
fingerprints under scrutiny 02/19/2004 08:05 AM
Brain fingerprints under scrutiny

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3495433.stm
track this site | 5 links

Spain: American's fingerprints found on
bag containing detonators (USATODAY.com)

Spain: American's fingerprints found on
bag containing detonators (USATODAY.com) 05/07/2004 03:10 PM
USATODAY.com - The fingerprints of the American lawyer arrested in Oregon in the Madrid terror bombing probe were found on a bag containing detonators like those used in the March 11 attack, the Spanish government said Friday.

SanDisk Cruzer Profile drive checks
fingerprints

SanDisk Cruzer Profile drive checks
fingerprints 03/14/2005 04:36 PM
SanDisk Corp. on Thursday unveiled its new Cruzer Profile, a USB 2.0 flash drive that includes embedded fingerprint identification technology. While the product isn't available on SanDisk's Web site yet, the company is displaying the Cruzer Profile at the CeBIT trade show being held this week in Hanover, Germany. SanDisk said that the drive is approximately the size of a pack of gum and will be available in 512MB and 1GB capacities for US$99.99 and $199.99, respectively, when it starts shipping in mid-April.

Hi tech fingerprints How mobile phone
evidence led police to focus on Ian
Huntley

Hi tech fingerprints How mobile phone
evidence led police to focus on Ian
Huntley 12/17/2003 08:30 AM
BBC Dec 17 2003 7:48AM ET

I've seen ugly, but thats like

I've seen ugly, but thats like 08/21/2004 08:20 PM
Doing a Lynndie
Grok Description matches for Fingerprints as ID - good, bad, ugly?
GrokA matches for Fingerprints as ID - good, bad, ugly?

Fingerprints as ID - good, bad, ugly?

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