WTF News

[classicman]

v - Didn't we do something like this already and get royally screwed?

[glatt]

So I read a little story about that California arsonist, Harry Burkhart, this morning. This is the guy who burned dozens of cars in California, and cursed out the USA in the courtroom during his mom's fraud trial. Your typical unhinged nut.

Apparently, the local cops sent security footage to the feds, and they were able to ID him from that footage. It's all anonymous sources, but did the the Feds just recognize him the way we recognize people, or is facial recognition technology advanced to the point now that he was identified by computer?

Burkhart was taken into custody after authorities received a tip from federal officials who recognized him in a security video that showed a pony-tailed man emerging from a garage where a car was set ablaze.

"When they saw the security footage, they recognized him and they contacted the arson task force," a State Department official told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigations are ongoing.

[Beest]

Originally Posted by glatt

or is facial recognition technology advanced to the point now that he was identified by computer?

I think this is pretty hot topic in security, I've seen TV shows where thay can follow an individual around town as they appear on different security cameras, the eye - eye - mouth triangle spacing is apparently quite distinctive, even from a blurry picture, could certainly be used to narrow a search to a reasonable number of people.

[Lamplighter]

Originally Posted by Beest

I think this is pretty hot topic in security, I've seen TV shows
where thay can follow an individual around town as they appear on different security cameras,
the eye - eye - mouth triangle spacing is apparently quite distinctive,
even from a blurry picture, could certainly be used to narrow a search to a reasonable number of people.

I suppose that part is possible and likely true.

But if the squirrel turns it's head and looks at the hunter out of the corner of it's eyes,
wouldn't the triangles have different ratios of sides and angles as it moves around the tree ?

Given the millions of faces and the limited number of pixels in a screen display,
this technology could be misused the same way "fiber analysis" and "tooth marks"
in flesh wounds have been in the past.

Computerized recognition might well be sufficient to point to
an individual from a relatively small group of known arsonists.
But it makes for good PR for the FBI and TV programming.

[BigV]

Originally Posted by Beest

I think this is pretty hot topic in security, I've seen TV shows where thay can follow an individual around town as they appear on different security cameras, the eye - eye - mouth triangle spacing is apparently quite distinctive, even from a blurry picture, could certainly be used to narrow a search to a reasonable number of people.

I saw that movie... wasn't Denzel Washington in it? He had to make a great show of staying under roofs/awnings etc. And there was a master tech geek located in a dance club/strip club etc that got him... some slack... what the hell movie was that??

[GunMaster357]

Originally Posted by BigV

I saw that movie... wasn't Denzel Washington in it? He had to make a great show of staying under roofs/awnings etc. And there was a master tech geek located in a dance club/strip club etc that got him... some slack... what the hell movie was that??

That would be "Enemy of the state" with Will Smith an Gene Hackman.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by GunMaster357

That would be "Enemy of the state" with Will Smith an Gene Hackman.

Damm. Are you sure. I thought it head lined Obama as the Enemy of the State.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by classicman

v - Didn't we do something like this already and get royally screwed?

Yes. The nuclear weapon does not go around the squirrel