Re: [Politech] Thumbprinting visitors at the Statue of Liberty (fwd from declan@well.com)

2005-04-29 Thread cypherpunk
> Matthew's snapshots: one
> (http://www.boingboing.net/images/Liberty-Locker-Thumbs-2.jpg), two
> (http://www.boingboing.net/images/Liberty-Locker-Thumbs1.jpg).

If this were really as much of a conspiracy as people are making it
out to be, wouldn't it make sense to ask for THUMB prints? that's what
the subject line says, and that's what the titles of the two jpeg
files are. But if you look at the pictures, they plainly ask for the
right index finger. Thumbprints are widely used, drivers' licenses and
banks often require them. If they wanted to be able to track average
users, they would ask for thumb prints. But they're not.

The really funny thing is how people see what they expect to see.
Isn't it strange to have these documents titled Thumbsx.jpg, when they
ask for index finger prints? People are so ruled by their
preconceptions that they actually blind themselves to what is directly
in front of them. I hope no one on this list is so foolish as to put
ideology ahead of reality.

CP



Re: [Politech] Thumbprinting visitors at the Statue of Liberty (fwd from declan@well.com)

2005-04-29 Thread Justin
On 2005-04-28T15:37:19-0700, cypherpunk wrote:
> > Matthew's snapshots: one
> > (http://www.boingboing.net/images/Liberty-Locker-Thumbs-2.jpg), two
> > (http://www.boingboing.net/images/Liberty-Locker-Thumbs1.jpg).
> 
> If this were really as much of a conspiracy as people are making it
> out to be, wouldn't it make sense to ask for THUMB prints? that's what
> the subject line says, and that's what the titles of the two jpeg
> files are. But if you look at the pictures, they plainly ask for the
> right index finger.

I doubt the machine cares which finger visitors use.  Since most people
in this country are functionally illiterate, the average visitor may
well present a thumb rather than an index finger.