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Tip of the Week -
Winking Good Security
 There’s been a lot of talk about facial
recognition and security lately, and it all sounds very interesting, but
perhaps a bit futuristic and high-end and not for the likes of you and me.
Well, not any more, and you can try it for yourself with a free piece of
software called KeyLemon. The basic free
version of the program takes over the Windows Logon, and instead of entering
your name and password (you can still do this, by the way), you simply look at
the webcam and it matches your facial features against its records and if you
are who you claim to be, it lets you in. You can’t fool it either, using a
photograph as it asks you to blink your eyes, and it tracks changes in your
face by automatically recording one image of you each day. The more
sophisticated paid-for versions can do all sorts of other tricks, like logging
on to your Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter accounts, it can also be set to take pictures
of anyone who tries to use your PC without your permission. Face it, you want
to try it out…
30/01/12
Do
you have a tip or tweak for Windows that you would like to share with
other PC users? If so we would really like to see it, jot it down and
email it to us at: PCTopTips
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News Briefs
News Brief Archives 2006, 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Get Your Slice of Pi
 Start saving your pennies, and I mean pennies,
because the remarkable Raspberry Pi
has just gone into production. In case you haven’t heard of it, Raspberry Pi is
a computer, but not just any computer; it’s not much larger than a pack of 20
cigarettes, yet it packs the same kind of capabilities and performance as full
size laptops and desktops. What’s more it’s British and when it goes on sale in
the next few days (hopefully) it will be selling for under £20.00. More
importantly there are very high hopes that it will introduce a new generation
of youngsters to the art of programming, and creating their own software,
rather than just learning how to use ready-made applications, which is basically
all they are taught to do in schools these days. It sounds incredible but
Raspberry Pi takes advantage of advances in phone processor and video chips,
which means an entire computer, including sound and video adaptors, USB, SD
card, network and HDMI connections can be fitted onto a board measuring just 54
x 85cm. It has been designed to use existing Linux distributions and new
versions have been developed to take advantage of the PCs ARMv6 architecture.
If you go to the website you can see demos of it doing an excellent job
rendering high definition video, as well as doing more mundane tasks like word
processing and games. For less than twenty quid don’t expect a case, and you’ll
have to provide your own keyboard, mouse, monitor and power supply, but what
really matters is that there’s a whole community of users growing up around
this little device. It’s going to be big in education, robotics, multimedia, in
fact any field that can be thought of, and quite a few that haven’t yet, and if
it all works out it British programmers could once again be showing the world
how it’s done.
3001
Scanning For Shooters
 Gun-toting villains, footpads and
ne’er-do-wells take heed. The constabulary may soon have the technology to
detect your firearms while you are walking down the street, without frisking
you, from a distance of almost 5 metres or 16 feet. The device, reported in the
New York Times, works by detecting distortions in the natural radiation field
that all living things generate. This radiation is electromagnetic in nature
and in what’s known as the terrahertz region. It passes through cloths but is
blocked by dense objects, like guns. The scanner is currently being tested by
the New York Police Department, in collaboration with the Pentagon. It was
developed by the US Department of Defense and is still in prototype form and is
currently about the size of a large flat-screen TV, but it is bound get smaller
and the NYPD reckons the range could eventually be extended to 25 metres (80
feet). It’s not going to be deployed just yet, though, and there will be the
inevitable invasion of privacy claims, not to mention possible health concerns
as some long-range terrahertz imaging devices – and it’s not clear if this is
one of them – also emit radiation.
2301
Dorky Door Chime for Trekkies
 The big question is why has it taken 45 years
for someone to come up with a Star Trek themed door chime? Well, the long wait
is over and now you can have your very own Enterprise wall panel. It’s suitably
futuristic and incorporates a motion sensor, that makes the classic ‘swoosh’
door sound, or if you like, the strident Red Alert sound to warn you if those
pesky Klingons are dropping by to borrow yet another cup of sugar. It’s the
real deal too, officially licensed by the Federation, or at least the people
who give the nod to these sorts of things, and the bad news, well it doesn’t
run on Dilithium crystals or anti-matter, just 6 rather boring, and decidedly
old fashioned AA cells. Not sure when we in the UK will be fortunate enough to
get our hands on one but if you’re in a hurry you could try ordering one from
the US online store at thinkgeek.com,
where it will cost you a mere 30 galactic credits (or US dollars if you’re ordering
from Earth).
1601
News Brief Archives 2006, 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
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