Carnth - Slashdot User

Submission + - Shell gas station customers can pay by fingerprint 2

Submitted by Carnth on Thursday November 01, 2007 @11:19AM

Carnth writes: The biometric devices, made by a San Francisco-based company called Pay By Touch, are one part of a technological trifecta Shell is rolling out at its gas stations. Customers will be able to initially scan their fingerprints at a kiosk inside the gas station and can link payment information either at the store or online. In addition, gas station attendants are testing hand-held wireless devices that allow full-service customers to pay electronically at their car window. "I think it scares people," said Debbie Britton, a store manager. "They're more confused about the whole system. Some of them say, 'Well, now the FBI can find me.'" Shell said it will not share personal information of Pay By Touch customers with third parties, and it still offers traditional forms of payment for those uncomfortable with the system.

Submission + - Shell gas station customers can pay by fingerprint

Submitted by Carnth on Thursday November 01, 2007 @11:12AM

Carnth writes: The biometric devices, made by a San Francisco-based company called Pay By Touch, are one part of a technological trifecta Shell is rolling out at its gas stations. Customers will be able to initially scan their fingerprints at a kiosk inside the gas station and can link payment information either at the store or online. In addition, gas station attendants are testing hand-held wireless devices that allow full-service customers to pay electronically at their car window. "I think it scares people," said Debbie Britton, a store manager. "They're more confused about the whole system. Some of them say, 'Well, now the FBI can find me.'" Shell said it will not share personal information of Pay By Touch customers with third parties, and it still offers traditional forms of payment for those uncomfortable with the system.

Submission + - Drawing on Air (physorg.com)

Submitted by

eldavojohn

on Thursday September 20, 2007 @09:07AM

eldavojohn writes: "A recent IEEE publication contained an article on how to draw 3D models 'in air'. The system uses drawing guidelines, force feedback, and two-handed interaction to help artists draw complex 3D curves more precisely. Although this may be a breakthrough technology for graphical artists, it doesn't stop there. From the article, 'In a trial with 12 trained artists, results showed that Drawing on Air was easy to learn and provided sufficient control to illustrate complex 3D subjects with variety. For example, biologists studying bat flight find accurate 3D illustrations very valuable, since bats have a flexible wing membrane and curved bones that actually bend during flight. Artists in the trial successfully drew bats based on data from a bat flying in a wind tunnel, revealing the details of the animal's anatomy in motion, and simplifying the uninteresting parts of the body.' One of the researchers who ran the trials claimed that 'if we can boost the precision with which scientists can interact with their 3D data using a computer, then many more scientific uses for virtual reality technology may become possible.' You can find the original paper [PDF Warning] on Brown University's site."

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