'Dear America, I Saw You Naked'
Feb 10, 2014, 7:02 pm
#76
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Baltimore, MD USA
Programs: Southwest Rapid Rewards. Tha... that's about it.
Posts: 4,332
The path of least resistance is what was followed.
Original: Naked image created, sent to someone leering at image in little room. Anomalies highlighted for person leering in the little room.
Now: Naked image created. Software simply transposes image's anomalies to screen on exterior of nudeoscope. Image still exists.
I really cannot see a complete software re-engineering that does away with the naked image entirely as that is what the nudeoscope is built to do - take naked pictures of people.
Original: Naked image created, sent to someone leering at image in little room. Anomalies highlighted for person leering in the little room.
Now: Naked image created. Software simply transposes image's anomalies to screen on exterior of nudeoscope. Image still exists.
I really cannot see a complete software re-engineering that does away with the naked image entirely as that is what the nudeoscope is built to do - take naked pictures of people.
Instead of the raw scan return data being sent to a module that creates an image from them, they are sent to the ATR module, which searches them for values that dont match the values of a return from human skin.
Searching an image file is actually harder than searching the source material, which is the raw scan return data. That's why I dont belive that the machines still create the images since the ATR upgrade. There is no need.
But thos is a semantic argument, because the raw scan data can still be used to create the image, just as it was before the ATR upgrade.
Feb 10, 2014, 7:11 pm
#77
Moderator: Coupon Connection & S.P.A.M
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Louisville, KY
Programs: Destination Unknown, TSA Disparager Diamond (LTDD)
Posts: 57,952
Its not a re-engineering, its simply a plug in module.
Instead of the raw scan return data being sent to a module that creates an image from them, they are sent to the ATR module, which searches them for values that dont match the values of a return from human skin.
Searching an image file is actually harder than searching the source material, which is the raw scan return data. That's why I dont belive that the machines still create the images since the ATR upgrade. There is no need.
But thos is a semantic argument, because the raw scan data can still be used to create the image, just as it was before the ATR upgrade.
Instead of the raw scan return data being sent to a module that creates an image from them, they are sent to the ATR module, which searches them for values that dont match the values of a return from human skin.
Searching an image file is actually harder than searching the source material, which is the raw scan return data. That's why I dont belive that the machines still create the images since the ATR upgrade. There is no need.
But thos is a semantic argument, because the raw scan data can still be used to create the image, just as it was before the ATR upgrade.
Feb 11, 2014, 7:15 am
#78
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Baltimore, MD USA
Programs: Southwest Rapid Rewards. Tha... that's about it.
Posts: 4,332
The "anomalies" are deltas of what's expected to be on the victim and what isn't. That's why an item in a pocket that is away from the victim's body will not be detected by the nudeoscope. The image is still there, though it may also be available in a form that is easier to extrapolate a clean/"dirty" gumby. I don't believe for a second that the software's imaging capability was ever removed; it's merely been disconnected from the (obvious) (ab)user output: the public display screen in front of the drone.
There is no reason to waste compute cycles or RAM creating an image when the image is not needed and not stored or transmitted. All that's needed is the raw scan return data, which is passed to the ATR module instead of the imaging module.
That's not to say that the raw scan data can't be passed to the imaging module again, as it was before, but I don't believe it's done as part of the normal scan process.
Likewise, I also strongly suspect that the raw scan return data are stored. I believe them when they say the images are not stored, because the scan data that's used to create the images is stored, and they can create a new image based on that scan data at any time.
Feb 11, 2014, 8:03 am
#79
Moderator: Coupon Connection & S.P.A.M
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Louisville, KY
Programs: Destination Unknown, TSA Disparager Diamond (LTDD)
Posts: 57,952
I don't believe the imaging module was deleted, either; the ATR software was an add-on module that was installed as an upgrade to the original software, but the original imaging module is most likely still installed but inactive. Also, the hardware needed to view the images was removed - no more perv boxes - and instead all of the MMW units have the LCD panel on the machine itself.
There is no reason to waste compute cycles or RAM creating an image when the image is not needed and not stored or transmitted. All that's needed is the raw scan return data, which is passed to the ATR module instead of the imaging module.
That's not to say that the raw scan data can't be passed to the imaging module again, as it was before, but I don't believe it's done as part of the normal scan process.
Likewise, I also strongly suspect that the raw scan return data are stored. I believe them when they say the images are not stored, because the scan data that's used to create the images is stored, and they can create a new image based on that scan data at any time.
There is no reason to waste compute cycles or RAM creating an image when the image is not needed and not stored or transmitted. All that's needed is the raw scan return data, which is passed to the ATR module instead of the imaging module.
That's not to say that the raw scan data can't be passed to the imaging module again, as it was before, but I don't believe it's done as part of the normal scan process.
Likewise, I also strongly suspect that the raw scan return data are stored. I believe them when they say the images are not stored, because the scan data that's used to create the images is stored, and they can create a new image based on that scan data at any time.
And I give you Exhibit A - TSA - the biggest waste on the planet in the history of mankind.
I don't believe for a second that anything was ever changed in the imaging program. Software engineers added a small obscure procedure/function. The rest is all still there.
Feb 17, 2014, 5:08 pm
#80
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,657
An interview with the author was broadcast during a segment of NPR's On The Media this weekend:
http://www.onthemedia.org/story/taking-sense-away/
(The segment was mostly a recap of information we've already discussed here.)
http://www.onthemedia.org/story/taking-sense-away/
(The segment was mostly a recap of information we've already discussed here.)