May 14 2007

My voice is my passport

Wow, this is the second movie reference in 2 posts.

You may have guessed that I’m interested in security and alternative computer input/output systems. This morning, I saw this post “Voice biometrics: coming to a security system near you.” about banks using voice print technology.
Interesting discussion about using voice to combine 2 id methods, something you have: voiceprint, and something your know: security question. The usual concerns about “Big Brother” are also mentioned.

Humorous, even if not politically correct, referring to some users as “goats” :-)


May 11 2007

Eyeball-tracking camera could change real-world ads

Interesting story about a camera that can count eyes. They suggest that it might be used by advertising companies to count the numbers of eyes that have looked at particular ads. Eyeball-tracking camera could change real-world ads
Getting closer to the ads in “Minority Report”
This might be interesting for anyone researching computer vision or pervasive and ubiquitous computing.


Apr 18 2007

‘Smart dust’ to explore planets

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | ‘Smart dust’ to explore planets
I just noticed this on BBC News. I’ve obviously heard of smart dust but I hadn’t thought of it in the context of interplanetary exploration. Interesting stuff!


Mar 29 2007

With desktop camera, your face can be your password | CNET News.com

Just noticed this story (via a link from LifeHacker)

With desktop camera, your face can be your password | CNET News.com

The company produces a 3D desktop camera that can be used for authentication. So instead of entering a password, smartcard or fingerprint, your face can log you into a computer (or open a door). Interesting for anyone working in the field of computer vision.


Jul 24 2006

Holux GPSlim236

I bought a Holux GPSlim236 GPS receiver recently. It’s a bluetooth device that can be used with a laptop, PDA, or Smartphone. I’ve used it with all three and I’ve been impressed. (However it is my first GPS device, so I’m not comparing it with anything else. There are lots of reviews on the Internet if people are interested - Google search)

It was also my first eBay purchase. (I find it surprising that it took so long for me to buy from eBay - my first Internet purchase was probably over 10 years ago)