Update 2024-03-27: Greatly expanded the "Samples" page and renamed it to "Glossary".
Update 2024-04-04: Added 5 million mid-2011 posts from the k47 post dump. Browse (mostly) them here.
Update 2024-04-07: Added ~400 October 2003 posts from 4chan.net. Browse them here.
Welcome to Oldfriend Archive, the official 4chan archive of the NSA. Hosting ~170M text-only 2003-2014 4chan posts (mostly 2006-2008).
Biometric tech making its way into the consumer market but flaws exist
A woman scanning her palm while borrowing a book, without the need for a library card, at a public library in Japan.
NEW YORK - They are not taking any chances at Barclays. Stating an account number and other bona fides is not enough to get to your money at the British bank's wealth and investment management service.
As an additional safeguard, a program analyses customers' voices when they call in, to make sure they match a voice print on file.
At some ATMS in Japan, the machine scans the vein pattern in a person's palm before issuing money.
And, since September, people have been using fingerprint sensors on their iPhone 5s to unlock their devices or to shop at the iTunes store.
These are the three examples of biometrics systems, which have long been the province of border control, military surveillance and national intelligence.
Now these systems are rapidly moving into the consumer mainstream to unlock laptops and smartphones or as a supplement to passwords at banks, hospitals and libraries.
But the technology also comes with a host of troublesome issues about its vulnerability to hacking and misuse.
The stakes can be high when inherently personal biometric data is hijacked, said Mr Bruce Schneier, a security expert and author of Liars And Outliers: Enabling The Trust That Society Needs To Thrive.
"If someone steals your password, you can change it," he said. "But if someone steals your thumbprint, you can't get a new thumb. The failure modes are very different."
Despite these concerns, the technology is making its way onto the office desktop - and the laptop too. A new Fujitsu laptop, the Celsius H730, released recently in Japan, can be ordered with a choice of biometrics: a finger-print sensor or, for an additional US$116, a palm scanner instead. To unlock the computer, you hold your palm over the sensor, and the software checks your vein pattern to make sure you are the authorised user, said Fujitsu spokesman Joseph Dean.
Biometric devices can identify vein patterns in the finger, the back of the hand or the palm, said biometrics expert Anil K. Jain from Michigan State University.
The technology works quite well, he said, adding that "it's difficult to forge because the vascular patterns are inside the body". The veins are revealed by a harmless infrared light.
Palm scans are gaining the most traction in the vein-reading market. Professor Jain said. Identifying features include thickness of the veins and the angles and locations where they intersect. Some systems combine fingerprints and finger-vein patterns.
A different biometric, voice printing, is offered by Nuance Communications to many customers including Barclays. The voice print is based on about 100 characteristics including pitch and accent, said Mr Brett Beranek, a manager at Nuance.
Voice prints, even if stolen, will not lead to identity theft, he said.
"If someone did compromise the database, there's nothing they could do with it," he added. "We are not storing people's voices, but the characteristics of their voice."
Consumers should not expect that biometric technologies will work flawlessly, Prof Jain said. They can be a good solution, balancing convenience with security, but they are not foolproof.
For example, people could be barred by a fingerprint mismatch from access to their smartphones or bank accounts.
"There could and will be situations where a person may be rejected or confused with someone else," said Prof Jain.
The recent ship rescue drama in the Antarctic highlights a rare breed of ships that operate in the icy regions of the world
When three icebreakers from Australia, China and France failed to free the ice-bound Russian vessel Akademik Shokalskiy in the Antarctic, the US' only active heavy icebreaker, the Polar Star, is summoned to help.
But she did not get to show off her prowess as the weather improved and the ships freed themselves.
Commissioned jn 1976, the Polar Star remains one of the largest class of ships and one of tbe most powerful non-nuclear icebreakers in the world, besides Russia's nuclear-powered icebreakers.
Its primary missions in polar regions include clearing a shipping route of sea ice for resupply ships to bring food, fuel and goods to research stations. The Polar Star also serves as a scientific research platform, With five laboratories and accommodation for up to 20 scientists.
WHAT IS AN ICEBREAKER?
While ice-capability vessels with extra-protected hulls, propellers and rudders are able to go through thin ice, it is up to the strong and powerful icebreakers to cut through heavy sea ice.
1. THE POWER TO PUSH
The Polar Star's three propeller shafts can be powered by either a diesel-electric or gas turbine power plant. The diesel-electric plant can produce 18,000 shaft horsepower (13,425kw) and the gas turbine plant a total of 75,000 shaft horsepower (55,925kw). Each shaft is connected to a 4.9m diameter, four-bladed, controllable-pitch propeller that allows the vessel to reverse.
2. ROCK THE BOAT
The Polar Star can 'rock' itself loose when it gets struck in the ice with a heeling system. It consists of three pairs of connected tanks on opposite sides of the ship. Pumps transfer a tank's contents (35,000 gallons, 133 kilolitres) to an opposing tank in 50 seconds and generate 24,000 foot-tons (64,800kw) of torque on the ship.
3. GLIDE OVER ICE
The icebreaker clears the sea route by pushing straight into ice pockets. As it glides its bow over the thick ice, its weight comes down on the ice floe, crushing it. The smooth hull also pushes the broken ice around or under the ship, as a build-up of 'broken ice in front of the ship can slow it down. The Polar Star can break ice more than 6m thick.
EUROCOPTER HH-65 DOLPHIN
For major depolyments, the Polar Star carries two helicopters on board. They support scientific parties, do ice reconnaissance, cargo transfer, and search and rescue.
HULL COMPARISON
Unlike a normal ship, the hull of an icebreaker is not pointed but has a more rounded structure. While a pointed hull helps a normal ship to slice through the waves and reduce friction between ship and water, the smoother hull design allows the icebreaker to glide more easily over the thick ice coat.
ICE-NIPPED
Blizzards or heavy winds push the sea ice field together, piling up the ice. When a ship finds itself in a situation where ice is forcibly pressing on both sides, it is said to be "nipped".
WEATHER ALERT!
It is often difficult to predict the fast-changing weather in the wide-spanning Antarctic, so constant surveillance is needed.
Navigation station with 360 deg views
POLAR STAR
Polar-class icebreaker
Length : 122m
Beam : 25.45m
Speed : 33kmh, 5.6kmh in 1.8m ice
Crew : 15 officers, 127 enlisted, 20 scientists
HISTORY OF ICEBREAKERS
While icebreakers may vary in sizes and utilise different types of technology, their design adheres to the first-developed principle.
THE FIRST ICEBREAKERS
In the 11th century, an ethnic group of Russians (Pomors) who lived on the shores of the Arctic Ocean developed the ships known as koch. Its hull was protected by a belt of ice floe resistant flush skin-planking (made of oak or larch).
STEAM POWERED ICEBREAKERS
With a bow built to achieve an ice-clearing capability (20 degrees raised from the keel line), the Russian Pilot of 1864 can push itself on to the top of the ice and break it it is an important predecessor to modern icebreakers.
DIESEL-POWERED ICEBREAKERS
In 1933, Sweden built the world's first 4,330-ton diesel-electric icebreaker, the Ymer. In 1941, the US also started building its own icebreakers, the Wind class.
NUCLEAR ICEBREAKERS
With diesel-powered icebreakers needing to be refuelled regularly and escalating fuel costs, Russia ushered in the era of nuclear-powered icebreakers. it continues to operate all existing and functioning non-nuclear powered-icebreakers.
BY THE NUMBERS
$90M : The 38-year-old Polar Star recently completed a three-year overhaul that costs $90m. Last year, the Polar Star was officially reactivated and returned to the fleet.
Aluminum beams for endless building possibilities in miniature size
T-slot profile
MakerBeam offers assorted aluminum T-slot profile beams, brackets and fasteners which make machine building easier and more effective. The beams are available in different lengths. The profile measures 10x10mm.
Each side of the square profile has a slot running along its length into which square headed MakerBeam bolts can be slid. This method of fastening allows for accurate and solid joints.
Professional prototyping
T-slot is a popular technology widely used for industrial automation and machine enclosures. The compatible elements simplify machine building and give you enormous flexbility.
MakerBeam offers miniature T-slot profiles to build robots and small machines. A wide variety of structural designs for machine and robotic frames is possible. The T-slot profile gives you the freedom to integrate mechanical and electronic components. MakerBeam provides structural rigidity. In combination with polymorph or 3D printing complex connections can be made. Prototyping becomes easier using MakerBeam. You can use and reuse the professional aluminum beams.
Advantages of MakerBeam:
- Compatible components available.
- Shorter design and assembly times.
- All elements can be combined.
- Threaded M3 connections make for easy assembly and dismantling.
- All elements can be reused.
- Low weight structure with high loading capacity
- Aluminum profiles provide attractive design
- Black anodised is useful in photography
MakerBeam Starterkit contains:
Beams:
300mm x 4
200mm x 8
150mm x 6
100mm x 16
60mm x 8
40mm x 8
Brackets:
90 degree x 24
60 degree x 12
45 degree x 12
Corner x 12
Bolts & Nuts (M3, 250pcs):
Nuts x 1
Bolts x 1 (square headed)
Makerbeam Hex nut driver
Specifications:
Dimensions : 10mm x 10mm
Available lengths in mm : 40, 60, 100, 150, 200, 300, 900
An American teacher Mary Herberth explains all the basic concepts of Java in a single class (class as in both a school class and Java class) in a naughty way.
Hi guys. My facebook account got hacked and the person who hacked it keeps writing all kinds of stuff on the wall and writes things to people so I really want it back! Can anybody help me do this? PLEASE!? :)
What piece of tech might you give a 4 year old, if you wanted her to become a tech genius? What might you start teaching her this early, so she can make a life for herself with tech?
