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"Biometrics" is defined as the science of devices that measure some form of biological response to determine a person's identity. Examples of Biometrics are voice print analysis, where the sound of a person's speech is used to identify, face recognition and fingerprint scanning. Most of us have seen some sort of mechanical fingerprint identification depicted in the movies. It's usually some James Bond or science fiction thriller where a character places their palm on a really big scanner-type screen. As the fingerprint scan takes place, we see a light bar move up and down in much the same manner as a photocopying machine. But in the real world, most fingerprint devices scan invisibly and are a lot smaller than their theatrical counterparts. In fact, it could be as small as a computer mouse. And a new one from CompuLink Research actually IS a computer mouse.

The U-Match Biolink Mouse is a standard two button mouse that has a small built-in fingerprint scanner. Positioned on the side where your thumb naturally rests, the Biolink Mouse's manufacturer claims it provides a 100 percent positive verification of the user. The beauty of such a setup is that you never have to worry about memorizing passwords or PIN numbers anymore. Once everything is set up, you can have secure access to your computer as well as any and all programs. Verification can be established via a local area network or even over the Internet. This makes it ideal for online banking and e-commerce where secure transactions are a must.

Another nice feature is that the Biolink Mouse never actually captures your fingerprint. Instead, it creates a 500 byte secure template that can not be replicated into a user's fingerprint. This eliminates any threat to your personal privacy since an image of your fingerprint is never actually transmitted.

The Biolink Mouse connects to your computer via the serial or USB port and requires either Windows 95, 98 or NT. $120.

CompuLink Research, Inc.
(877) Umatch-2 or (954) 450-7061
www.biolinkusa.com

Crossing the platform translator

What's the difference between a Wizard and an Assistant? The Explorer and Finder? A "Properties" and "Get Info" command? FAT and HFS? The answer is: Nothing. Actually they're analogous to each other but one is found on the Windows platform and the other on the Macintosh. If you ever find yourself needing to know what a comparable command is on an alternative platform, then you might want to read "Crossing Platforms, A Macintosh/Windows Phrasebook" published by O'Reilly & Associates ($29.95). Written by Adam Engst and David Pogue, this 321 page two-way reference book is packed full of terminology and phrases the have counterparts in both platforms. Did you know that Windows batch language is comparable to AppleScript on the Mac?

The book's layout is structured in two parts, each alphabetical. The first half lists the Macintosh terms with the corresponding Windows terms underneath. The second half is Windows terms with the Macintosh analogies below. Following each term is at least a paragraph and up to a page defining the words in-depth. Many have screen shots depicting the functionality of the phrase. Anyone who is proficient on one platform and finds themselves needing to identify and learn the alternative operating system counterpart will love this book. It's well thought out and could prove to be indispensable.

O'Reilly & Associates
www.oreilly.com
ISBN 1-56592-539-4