DigitalPersona’s Personal Fingerprint Reader (And yes, it does glow with a cool blue light when you use it).

Alright, after that mouthful of a title, here’s the post. Recently, I had the chance to try out DigitalPersona’s Personal Fingerprint Reader, and in short, it’s pretty awesome. Personally, I think fingerprint reading tech is one of the coolest things out there, and this is no exception.

Instead of on some laptops, where there is a little strip that is a slide reader where you slide your finger, this is a full fledged finger print pad, and the difference is noticeable – throughout all my time testing, I never ran into one misread, which is impressive. Accuracy is also good – the reader was able to recognize my prints, but rejected my twin brother’s, which says a lot of how accurate it is. There are several features built into the software that it comes with, that all work pretty seamlessly with Windows (sorry, no Mac support)– logging into Windows, protecting folders, and Internet logins are some of the specific areas where the program works. Logging in is simple– you set up the password, and when the reader is plugged in, when you log in, it’ll give you the option to just scan a finger, and presto – it logs in. Websites work similarly– when you visit a site with a login box on it (like say your email or a site like Twitter or Facebook), a fingerprint icon will appear in the corner of the browser, asking you if you’d like to register an account. It all works simply and efficiently, just as you’d expect. File encryption also works in the same way– select a file, encrypt it, and it can only be accessed by your finger alone.

However, it is a little pricey – costing $90. A cheaper version of the software and reader is available, although I have not tested it, and is instead being a swipe style reader (similar to those found on laptops), and does not include the file encryption software.

Overall, the Personal Fingerprint reader is a cool, interesting way to use fingerprint technology on the web and on your PC. If it’s something you’ve just wanted to try, it might be a little expensive, but for those who like fingerprint security, this is an excellent implementation of it. We are going to give it a very good rating of 4 out of 5, losing points only for the somewhat high price.

We give the Personal Fingerprint Reader a Very Good 4 out of 5

You can order the Personal Fingerprint Reader from DigitalPersona’s site here.

I got my new computer on Thursday.  I am still trying to get used to it.  One of my biggest problems is the touchpad.  I seem to be hitting it with my hand every time I reach for the letter “T” as well as a few others and end up opening new tabs, browser histories, and a sundry of other things.  It is driving me batty!  Since I have to write an appeal and respond to another motion, I guess I will have plenty of opportunity to get used to the keyboard, unless I give up and hook up my regular Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

The two features I did not really want, but were required options on the configuration I purchased are the backlit keyboard and fingerprint reader.  While I thought the backlit keyboard would be cool, I wasn’t really willing to pay an extra $25 for it.  Well I was right.  It is uber cool!!!

As for the fingerprint reader, it is Dell’s own fault that I did not know what its purpose really was since it does not put an explanation of the features in the customization portion of the website.  I figured it was just an extra security feature to keep unwanted people from logging on to your computer.  It does do that, but it does so much more.  The handiest use I have encountered so far is that you can use it to enter passwords in websites and programs.  So not only does it fill in your username and password, just as the password feature in the browser does, but when you swipe your finger, it logs you in.  Instead of using your mouse to click “OK” or whatever, you simply swipe your finger.

I am still loading my software, and I have not even started to transfer my data, but I did email myself my Firefox bookmarks, which makes my life much, much, much easier now.  It should be a breeze to load my data since it will just require hooking up my external harddrive and copying files.

I have decided that I should probably get a USB port, and that I will need a separate laptop case.  While my laptop does fit into my new bag, it is so long that almost nothing else fits in there with it.  I did find a bag that fit will fit in at Dell that only costs $30, so I will definitely be doing more shopping.

I wrote the above on Friday,  but did not get a chance to edit or post it until now.  It is Wednesday now, and I have written an Appeal and another short brief on my laptop.  Since then, the fingerprint reader has had problems twice.  Apparently there is an issue between the software and the driver.  On Monday and then again tonight it tried to tell me I needed to install the driver, but if you go into the driver’s area, it says it is there and working.  The Dell support board seems to indicate it is the software.  It seems that you have to reinstall the software, going through some roundabout process where you have to rewrite a line or two of code that is written for a different brand of computer.  That seems to involves so I have just been restoring my computer to a previous restore point.  It seems easier, although it is a temporary fix.  But then again, I have been too busy in the last couple of days to mess with it so temporary – and quick – is good!

And other than this one problem, I am ecstactically happy with my new computer.

There are many fingerprint scanner based technology products available today. And one such popular product is NAC 3000. The NAC 3000 is the state of the art biometric system that offers excellent biometric security and user’s convineance. The NAC 3000 has a has very accurate and speedy fingerprint recognition rate thus making it a popular application for IBS building, bank and financial applications, factories, hotels, laboratories, computer centres, time and attendance applications.

Some key features of this popular product are :

• Suitable for diverse applications through high speed network (LAN)
• Suitable for Time & Attendance management by supporting functional keys (attendance, going out, return)
• Strengthening user’s setting (ID digits, voice information, sensor option, operation mode etc.)
• Improving user’s convenience by Auto-on, short ID, Group matching function
• Supports various security type by the combination of authentication methods (fingerprint, password, RF Card )

The Sony VAIO VGN-Z590 is making a tremendous impact again. Containing dual SSDs (up to 128 GB each/ 256 gigs total space), a Blu-ray drive (able to burn BDs too), and the capability of switching graphics,  features normally in 8-pound media center, this 3.2 pound ultraportable definitely packs it in.

Sony’s Z590 is 8.3 x 12.4 x 1.2 inches in dimension and weighs a light 3.2 pounds making well classified as an ultraportable. The casing is made out of carbon fiber making the LED screen very thin (like almost breakable thin). We might want to mention that the screen is widescreen format (16:9) at 1,600 x 900 resultion, fitting movies perfectly.

Extras: HDMI, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, mobile broadband via Sprint’s EV-DO Rev A, two USB ports, one FireWire, a 1.3-mega pixel Webcam, and a fingerprint reader.

The Z590 runs on a 2.53-GHz Core 2 Duo P9500 processor (the “P” is power saving Centrino 2 mobile version of processor). 4GB of memory. It has a the capability to switch which of the graphics chipset you want to use (either a nVidia or Intel integrated chipset) via a physical switch above the keyboard that lets you choose between “Speed” and “Stamina”. No reboot is required to switch graphic set anymore. At the nVidia “Speed” choice, it last a little over 5 hours, on the Intel “Stamina” position it lasts more than 6 hours. For the power you get, the battery life is excellent (compare those Netbooks that last 3-5 hours which much less processing power).

Overall, definitely a good buy and worth your purchase if you can afford the Sony brand.

增強人與人之間相互理解除了以行為心理作為觀察之外，我們經常希望跑進別人的腦袋中，渴望知道他人的真實思想，因為我們都清楚行為是可以偽裝，，但思維卻是來自先天。若能知道別人的先天思考模式，您也能擁有良好的人際關係，讓您成為溝通能手！ 

Dermatoglyphics testing with 香港著名歌手 鄧麗欣(Stephy)

課程結構

1. 知識新概念 (Concept in Learning )

2. 皮紋學發展史 (Dermatoglyphic History)

• “The Fingerprint” from Francis Galton 
• “Fingerprints & Palmar Dermatoglyphics” from Edward DeCampbel 
• 皮紋學之成立“Establishment of Dermatoglyphics” by Prof. Howard Cummins
• 應用皮紋學“Analytic Dermatoglyphic Characteristics Program” from Tai Wan

3. 皮紋學之科學背景 (Dermatoglyphic Scientific Background) 

• 皮紋學之醫學應用(Clinical Research related to Fingerprint and Palm) 
• 個案分析 (Cases Study)

4. 指紋特性與分類(Fingerprint Characteristic and Classification) 

• 斗紋 (Whorl) 
• 箕形紋 (Loop)
• 弧形紋 (Arch)
• 非主要紋形 (Accidentals)

5. 脊紋計算方法 (Fingerprint Ridge Count)

• 脊紋總數與大腦神經細胞分佈(Total Ridge Count and Neuron Distribution) 
• 學習障礙的神經細胞分佈特點(Learning Disabilities and Neuron Distribution) 
• 個案分析 (Cases Study)

6. 神經生理學(Neuro-physiology) 

• 大腦神經生理學(Fundamental Brain Physiology)

7. 皮紋學應用Dermatoglyphics Applications

• 幼兒發展(Child MIQ Development)
• 商業策略(Commercial Application)
• 關係管理(Relationship Management)

講者簡介

“美國應用心理學會” 香港証書課程的唯一認可教授，曾多次接授電視及電台訪問並包括日本朝日電視台、TVB、ATV、亙動電視、新城財經台等等。

課程時數: 12 小時 (每堂 3 小時，共 4 堂)

上課時間: 7:00pm – 10:00pm

上課日期: 2009 (To be announced)

入學資格: 中五程度或以上

考核證書: 美國應用心理學會皮紋分析師証書

你的收益: 可執業成為皮紋分析師

教學方式: 講授及互動形式

上課地點: Rm. 1901, 19/F, Two Grand Tower, 625 Nathan Road, Mongkok (TBC)

報名手續: 報名表格下戴  

查詢熱線: (852)3900-0518 / info@pilconcept.com

Zvetco Biometrics provides its customers in the corporate enterprise, financial services, healthcare, gaming and retail industries with cost-effective biometric tools that enhance security, increase accountability, and eliminate the cost and inconvenience of password-based access.

Our Verifi line of biometric products, including our fingerprint readers, incorporate precision fingerprint-sensing technology into ergonomic computer peripherals that deliver unparalleled performance, reliability and convenience.

HP Pavilion dv6 is powered by a 2.0 Ghz Intel’s® Centrino® Processor Technology (Intel® Core™2 Duo) with 4 GBs of memory (upgradeable to 8 GBs) running Windows Vista® Ultimate 64-bit with Service Pack 1.

HP Pavilion has an ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4650 with 1024MB stand-only memory with up to 2815MB total shared graphics memory easily running multiple demanding applications or games simultaneously.

Offering space for over 90 hours of HD video on its 500 GB Hard Drive, the Pavilion also offers a built-in HP Webcam with integrated digital microphone allows for easy video chatting or multimedia creation.

Along with an HP Mobile Remote Control, Pavilion offers 16.0″ Diagonal High Definition display along with built in Blu-Ray player with DVD±R/RW to watch Blu-Ray movies or burn DVDs and CDs. Offering both a HDMI and VGA for optional monitor use.

HP Pavilion offers 4 USB 2.0 ports or 1 Firewire (4-pin port) for direct connection to various devices to printers, MP3 players, or video cameras and 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader.

Weighing in at around 6 lbs, The Pavilion offers a full keyboard along with integrated numeric keypad and an integrated Fingerprint Reader along with a 6-Cell Lithium-Ion battery providing hours of usage.

Almost all of the hardware on the Asus M50Sv-A1 works out of the box after Ubuntu’s installation is complete. There are none the less a few tweaks that are needed to be performed and few drivers that are needed to be installed. The screens brightness can’t be increased, the Nvidia driver is not installed, the webcam driver is not installed, the fingerprint reader driver is not installed, the email LED is non-functional, the microphone is not enabled by default, the hard drive has a firmware glitch, and the speakers don’t mute when the headphones are plugged in. This short installation tutorial is intended to save you the time and grief associated with searching for each particular solution on the internet.

1. Screen Brightness

The ambient light sensor is the cause of the dim screen, we’ll have to turn it off. To fix this we will have to create a shell script that will be run on boot up that will turn of the ambient light sensor.

A) Open Terminal (Menu->Accessories), and type the following:
sudo nano brightness

B) Now paste the following in the Terminal window:
#!/bin/sh
echo 0 > /sys/devices/platform/asus-laptop/ls_switch

C) Hit Ctrl-O to save and then Ctrl-X to exit.

D) Now we will copy our new shell script to the appropriate directory, make it executable and add the following links by typing the following in Terminal:
sudo mv brightness /etc/init.d
and then
sudo chmod 755 /etc/init.d/brightness
and then
sudo update-rc.d brightness defaults 90

E) Reboot, and you will have regained control of your brightness level.

2. Nvidia Driver

Your screen resolution will be limited to 800×600 without the appropriate drivers. Thanks to Alberto Milone’s Envy the whole process is automated for you, with the only requirement being an internet connection.

A) First we’ll need to update Ubuntu’s repositories by typing the following in Terminal:
sudo apt-get update

B) Now we’ll need to install Envy by typing the following in Terminal:
sudo apt-get install envyng-gtk

C) Next we’ll need to execute Envy by typing the following in Terminal:
sudo envyng -g

D) Select Nvidia on the left side, now click on Install the Nvidia driver (Manual Selection of the Driver), select 169.12, and finally click Apply.

E) Once the installation is completed, reboot and you will once again have a crisp screen.

3. Webcam Driver

The webcam if attempted to be used will crash any application that is trying to access it by default. Thanks to the great tutorial by Bill Giannikos the process of installing your Asus uvc webcam driver is relatively easy.

A) First we’ll need to install the files needed to build the driver by typing the following in Terminal:
sudo apt-get install build-essential subversion linux-headers-`uname -r`

B) Now we will build the driver by typing the following commands in Terminal:
cd /usr/src
and then
sudo svn checkout svn://svn.berlios.de/linux-uvc/linux-uvc/trunk
and then
cd trunk
and then
sudo make
and then
sudo cp -a uvcvideo.ko /lib/modules/`uname -r`/ubuntu/media/usbvideo/

C) Reboot, and your webcam will now be working.

4. Fingerprint Reader Driver

The fingerprint reader is especially useful in Linux as you are asked for your password before completing any change within the operating system. None the less, I would still not recommend for you to install the fingerprint reader driver due to its’ unstable nature and poor quality. The guide provided by Karol Krizka solved the problem of installing this driver.

A) First we’ll need to add the driver source to our software repository by typing the following in Terminal to open the sources list:
sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

B) Now scroll to the end of the file and paste the following line there:
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/madman2k/ubuntu hardy main restricted universe multiverse

C) Hit Ctrl-O to save and then Ctrl-X to exit.

D) Update the source list by typing the following in Terminal:
sudo aptitude update

E) Install the fingerprint reader driver by typing the following in Terminal:
sudo aptitude install fprint-demo libpam-fprint libfprint

F) Enroll your fingerprint by typing the following in Terminal:
sudo fprint_demo

G) Click on Enroll and swipe your finger.

H) Now we will have to tell Ubuntu when to use your fingerprint by editing the fingerprint reader driver’s configuration file by typing the following in Terminal:
sudo nano /etc/pam.d/common-auth

I) Paste the following in the file at the end:
auth sufficient pam_fprint.so
auth required pam_unix.so nullok_secure

J) Hit Ctrl-O to save and then Ctrl-X to exit.

H) Reboot, and you will be now scanning your finger instead of typing your password each time.

5. Email LED

Having a LED notifying you of incoming emails is quite handy, especially if you are not constantly by your computer. In this step I will provide you with instructions, showing you how to enable the email LED to work with the best Gmail notifier available – CheckGmail, a function that even Windows cannot even provide.

A) Follow the instructions provided by me in this tutorial to install CheckGmail:
http://seethisnowreadthis.com/2008/05/20/checkgmail-linuxs-blackberry/

B) Open the CheckGmail preferences and paste the following in the Command to execute on new mail field:
echo 1 > /sys/class/leds/asus:mail/brightness

C) Now paste the following in the Command to execute for no mail field:
echo 0 > /sys/class/leds/asus:mail/brightness

D) Without giving the right permissions CheckGmail will not be able to turn on the LED. To do this we must type the following in Terminal:
gksudo nautilus

E) Navigate to the following folder by pasting the following in Location field in the newly open File Browser:
/sys/class/leds/asus:mail
Press Enter.

F) Right-click on the file brightness, and select Properties.

G) Select the Permissions tab.

H) Click on root in the drop-down menu besides Owner and select yourself.

I) Without rebooting you should have now have the email LED notifying you of incoming email.

6. Microphone

By default the microphone is not enabled in enabled in the Volume Control menu. This problem will require the least effort.

A) Righ-click on the speaker in the task bar and select Open Volume Control.

B) Select Edit from the menu, and then select Preferences.

C) Click on the boxes besides Capture and Capture 1.

D) Now your microphone should be working.

7. Hard drive

The Seagate Momentus 5400.4 250 Gb hard drive has a firmware bug that makes Ubuntu park it every minute or so; the same problem exists in Vista. This parking is considered a load cycle, of which your hard drive was designed to complete 600,000 of such cycles. Without this fix your hard drive can prematurely fail after only 8 months. Thanks to jakon on ubuntuforums.org, we now have a fix that fully works with the Asus M50Sv-A1.

A) First we’ll have to adjust the hard drive’s power management settings by typing the following in Terminal:
sudo nano /etc/hdparm.conf

B) And by pasting the following three lines in the file:
/dev/sda {
apm = 254
}

C) Hit Ctrl-O to save and then Ctrl-X to exit.

D) Next we’ll have to tell the notebook to reactivate these settings after resuming from suspend mode by typing the following in Terminal:
sudo nano 30hdparm

E) And by pasting the following lines inside the file:
#!/bin/bash

# Run hdparm like on boot to restore hdparm.conf settings -
# hds lose them when going to standby.

resume_hdparm()
{
for x in /sys/bus/ide/devices/*/block* /sys/bus/scsi/devices/*/block*
do
# This check is required – x can contain
# literal ‘/sys/bus/ide/devices/*/block*’
# when the glob did not match anything.
if [ -e $x ]
then
drive=$(basename $(readlink $x))
DEVNAME=/dev/$drive /lib/udev/hdparm
fi
done
}

case “$1″ in
thaw|resume)
resume_hdparm
;;
*)
;;
esac

exit $?

F) Hit Ctrl-O to save and then Ctrl-X to exit.

G) Finally we’ll have to install the file we just created by typing the following in Terminal:
sudo install 30hdparm /etc/pm/sleep.d/

H) Reboot and your hard drive should be working with Ubuntu as it should have from the start.

8. Speakers

With the thousands of different notebook sound configurations that are out there, it is no surprise to have yet another ALSA bug. Thanks to Petr Zemek (s3rvac), we now have the correct ALSA option switch that will cause the speakers to mute when the headphones are plugged in. Surprisingly after trying all the generic options, the same option that works for a Haier notebook works with the Asus M50.

A) First we’ll have to edit the ALSA configuration file via terminal:
sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base

B) Scroll down to the bottom and add this line:
options snd-hda-intel model=haier-w66

C) Hit Ctrl-O to save and then Ctrl-X to exit.

D) Reboot and your speakers will now automatically mute when you plug your headphones in.

This guide will now allow you to use your Asus M50Sv-A1 with the most secure and progressive operating system at the moment that thrives on the open source community which provides for a much more dynamic experience than anything else out there now. Due to the fact that the notebook is relatively new, not all of its’ features could be fully exploited. Really, only some non-essential hotkeys cannot be used, but these are features that most of us are willing to trade for the privilidge of being on the Linux platform. If you find any other tweaks that could enhance Ubuntu on the Asus M50Sv-A1, please post below.

Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company recently hosted its annual Building Technologies Excellence Awards, a first of its kind awards program for the industry, in New Delhi.BioEnable Technologies received award in category “Emerging Company of the Year” in the field of “Electronic Access Control Systems”.

This is very prestigious award for BioEnable because the nominee’s performance was measured against 50 different parameters covering various strategic business performance areas such as the firm’s strategic position in the industry, management experience, strategic partnerships, marketing programs, research and development programs, performance on revenue and financial metrics, product innovation, growth focus, competitive position, and such.

 The selection process involved detailed secondary research and in-depth discussions carried out by senior Frost & Sullivan analysts with the senior executives of the participating firms. Many leading national and multinational companies, small and medium firms nominated their candidates in one or more of the twelve business areas spanning Fire Safety, Security and Building Management Systems industry segments, covered in this program. In all, over 80 firms entered the pan India awards program launched.

Designed and produced using outstanding fingerprint recognition technology NAC2500 fingerprint recognition Access control system is capable of speedy and accurate authentication of fingerprint data.
With this product have we made it possible for you to build a more improved and efficient security system for a lower installation cost.
in addition, this product offers you enterprise level entry management and employees’ work hour management with its LAN communication-based network structure and enhanced server management program. 

Features :

·         Capable of supporting various communication protocols, it can be used in numerous application areas.  - TCP/IP : compatible with access manager(OPTION)
- RS-485: Functions with your company’s custom controller
- Wiegand
▷ In : Functions with card readers currently in use
▷ Out : Provides various portions of formats, User ID or Card ID output

·         Suitable for employees’ work hour management with the function keys provided  

- Provides four separate keys/ keys can be used in combination
(starting work and finishing work, going out, returning to work, etc)

·         Enhanced user configuration feature (ID digits, sensor option, operation mode, etc)

·         Enhanced User Convenience  

- Auto-on
- Provides Shortcut ID / Group Matching Feature
- LCD : 2 line graphic LCD (supports various languages)
- LED : Status LED 2 each, Authentication result LED 1 each
- Voice Guide : Voice Output

·         Supports various authentication media, making it possible to configure as required by different security methods.

- Fingerprint/Password/RF card (option: HID, MIFARE), combined use is possible 

access control, access-control- biometrics Electric-strikes, biometric-fingerprint-door-locks, biometric-fingerprint-india, Biometric-Security-Products, biometrics-fingerprints-access-control, biometrics-fingerprints-time-attendance, Electromagnetic-door-locks, EMlocks, Fingerprints-access-controller, time-attendance, time-recorder

I got a little carried away while waiting for the update to the crappy piece of software that operates the fingerprint reader on my laptop that only sometimes works, and ended up with this letter that I would send to their support if I was just a little bit meaner than I am….

RE: Wave Installer – Dell Embassy Trust Suite by Wave Systems

 Hello,

I have been upgrading my Dell Embassy Trust Suite to the latest version, and the installation has been taking so long that I got bored and decided to write a letter to you describing how the installer is taunting me.  Anyway, the installer has this progress bar, but it doesn’t work like a normal progress bar.  The green just bubbles up in some sort of sporadic pattern so it looks like it is actually tracking the progress of the installation- you know, with most installers, it might jump 10% immediately, then spend a few seconds grinding on the next 3%, then jump 25% more, and so forth.  BUT, with the Trust Suite installer, instead of it telling you that some great feat of computing excellence was accomplished once the bar is filled, the bar simply empties itself and starts its haphazard filling procedure again.

I just wanted to commend your programming staff on creating a progress bar that gives the illusion that it knows what’s going on in the process, even though it obviously has no clue what’s going on, because, if it did, it would fill itself just once, and once the filling was finished, it would tell you that the step was complete, and that it was moving on to bigger and better things.  I can’t tell you how many times I watched the bar under the belief that this time was the last time it would fill itself.  And the bar duped me every time!  I feel like a real nincompoop, being outwitted so many times by this charlatan that your company has passed off as a progress bar.

I guess I just have to wonder, why did your team go though the effort to create such a tricky progress bar?  It would seem much easier and far more accurate to just throw some text on there that says, “This is going to take a while, and we have no idea how long it’s going to take.  Don’t expect to use your computer the rest of the night; please consider reading a book.  I recommend Tolstoy.”

I’m a programmer, so I know how hard it is to gauge the progress of something so complicated.  Sometimes I guess and I’m just horribly off, sometimes I just throw on that little scrolling marquee that shows up on the Windows splash screen- the one that isn’t as much to show progress as it is there to simply reassure you that the computer hasn’t keeled over, sometimes I don’t even multi-thread the app and just let the program freeze while it queries whatever it is querying.  But, I’ve never thought to play with the users emotions in such a manner.  Quite innovative, I say.

Yeah, I guess it does end all of the sudden, totally killing the effect.  But I’ve really got to move on- I can’t just not update my BIOS, seriously.