Biometrics: Request for automation to reduce FBI backlog

The StrategyPage has a short article on the backlog facing the FBI in analyzing DNA samples - 40,000 samples in the que with a work-off rate of 4 samples per week! Automation will reportedly improve the work-off rate to 200 samples per week.

One data point that would be useful in getting a fuller picture would be the rate that new samples are being added to the que. If anyone has any information on that, please post it in the comments.

The article also gives a brief history of biometrics, starting with appearance (visual) and going through fingerprints (first recognized as unique 4 centuries ago!) and others until the recent methods of gait and DNA.

Enjoy!

Fun: Sew me the music

Gizmodo highlights a sewing machine by SOUNDS.BUTTER that stitches the time-amplitude waveform of the sound.

Image Forensics: Was North Korean leader's photograph tampered with?

A photograph was released by the North Korean government last week that purported to show Kim Jong-il, their national leader, reviewing military troops - and looking suspiciously healthy after reportedly suffering a stroke. The Times Online and BBC (both center-left UK newspapers) report on the discrepancies in the photograph, including mismatching shadows and a missing black line.

Fun: All of Murphy's Laws in one place

Murphy's Laws, the Complete Collection (or so they claim!).

Enjoy!

Physics: A round-up of recent interesting links!

My aplogies for my light posting of late. Outside commitments have kept me from posting nearly as much as I would like. Here is a collection of links that I have saved up over the last several weeks to blog about. I hope you enjoy them, but please note that some of these are not serious, scientific articles - just because it can be found on the Internet doesn't make it science, much less forensic science! If you are particularly interested in any of the topics addressed below, just let me know and I'll delve further in a future posting.

K-Lite codec package update

X-rays made from Scotch(R) tape (hat tip to A.A.)

Superconductivity Can Induce Magnetism

Deaf people feel their way to speech

Seeing Through The Skin: Optic-less Imaging Technology Could Beat Lens-based Imaging Devices

HOWTO read the secret forensic dots in your laser-printer output

Biometric identifcation by body language

Sound-card oscilloscope

Audio bone headphones

Scientists Watch As Listener's Brain Predicts Speaker's Words

Hidden airport scanner will pinpoint terrorists

Overpaid professions

Military camouflage

Police probe cell phones to catch criminals

How magicians control your mind

How forensic lab techniques work

Computers reassemble pieces of fractured archaeology

Review of Microsoft's Photosynth

Images of atmospheric optics

12 worst Photoshop mistakes ever

Darpa super-resolution vision technology R&D

How other senses adjust to blindness

Family name geographical profiler