The Future of Surveillance

This article appeared in daily Dawn Oct 11, 2003 issue

How biometric technology works? Any of the biometric identifiers of a person is measure. The sensing device checks all possible dimensions like length, width, thickness, and surface area of the identifier. Resultant unique characteristics are processed and stored on computers as a sample. A mathematical representation of the identifier is retrieved when the user’s identification is required and verified by comparison with the pre held records. In addition, the sensor updates the configurations every time identifiers of the same person are read. The results are automatically processed to cater for different changes over time. Database of biometric identifiers may be stored at a central location, or at place where it is to be used, or on electronic devices.

Biometric in desktop computing has been around for some fifteen years now but it still is a relatively newer concept for the general users to grasp.

Read at Dawn

The Fad That Fades

This article appeared in daily Dawn

Sending greetings on occasions is a traditional part of our culture, and people from all age groups, particularly children, revel in sending and receiving greetings. With Eid around the corner, the custom is once again triggered, but unlike earlier many years, when it was greeting cards that ruled the roost, this is now the age of electronic messaging.

While greeting cards hold a charm of their own, most young people prefer the ‘techie’ way of exchanging greetings, since it is far more hassle-free, and definitely more affordable. And hence, the this age-old custom of paper cards gave way to e-greetings, courtesy, the hundreds of site which offer free e-greeting cards with spectacular graphics, funky, innovative messages and background music. But the latest fad today is greetings via text messages on cell phones.

Cell phone mania has taken over the entire nation and has become an inseparable part of everyday life almost everywhere in the world. Their usage is exponentially growing, thanks to the tough competition among many cell phone brands; the word is that more companies are coming in operation soon. And while the gadget may be used for other purposes as well, like listening to music and capturing pictures, the most popular function – other than talking of course – remains messaging, which comes out full throttle during Eid.