Just to let you guys know, this evening I was talking with my brother-in-law, who works with the Texas Rangers. He was telling me of a new issue they are discovering in criminal investigations... SOme of the drug cartels are now using high-quality photos of members to create "realistic texture imprints" that are used to create real "fake" hand and thumb prints. These prints are then "bump-mapped" in the real world and applied to rubber pads/gloves that can be worn over the hand. These are then used in some crimes to leave finger/hand prints behind at crime scenes. These prints are usually from junior/expendable members of the group who are usually the ones who get arrested or killed. So these prints are being colelcted, compared to those on records, and tied to people who are dead/in jail, so it is impossible that they are the ones doing the crimes. Just thought you would like to know, those of you using hand/finger prints from family and friends. You never know where that information may come up.... - Ray

Interesting. Well, I'm sure there are all kinds of crimes that can be committed by the intelligent computer users.

Yeah, but I can already imagine some criminal using the prints obtained off of a high-quality Michael/Victoria texture, and then some poor, unsuspecting "source" gets a nice little visit from the Dept of Homeland Security, or what not. They will then have to shut down Renderosity as a terrorist site... as it is aiding and abetting... (rolls eyes... welcome to America 2003) - Ray

If you wanna become a really good criminal just watch the FBI files on The Discovery Channel, that way you learn what NOT TO DO!

Well, if you see any textures of fingers (prints) that detailed, wow!, let me know! ;0) I'm sure you've heard about "the list" that the FBI is using in concert with airlines to check on and prohibit those on it from flying. The fact that two female peace activists ended up on it is unsettling. The other unsettling thing is that the FBI will not disclose who is on the list nor are they expected to remove names from it. "Kan vee zee your papers, bitte, er, pleaze." The worst was some idiot on CNN trying to tell Paula Zahn or whomever that since 9/11 we must give up some of our most precious rights. BS!!! Next there'll be search and seizure without warrants, incarceration without review, lawyer, or trial, and tracking of our movements. Oh, wait, they're already doing this. Welcome to The Facist States of America. And any more insulting comments from certain members of Congress about homosexuals (who make up about 10-20 million residents of the FSA) and I'm moving somewhere safe like Zimbabwe. This place is getting to be a racist, bigotted, paranoid, theocratic nation. And the uppercrust of the business world forcing their employees to take a severe pay cut while they stock pile bonuses for that twentieth house in the Bahamas - this is one f#cked up place anymore. Time for some economic equality (which, by the way, would decimate much of the crime in this country). BYS PS: Sorry for the rant, but humanity sucks. What a bunch of self-serving idiots with blinders and delusions.

I have been searched so many times by airlines that it has become a joke to my friends...and I am a sweet lil old granny-type lady. I wasn't searched on my last flight and I felt slightly ignored. LOL Diane

Search and seizure without warrant? next? How about now. Ever hear of exigent circumstances, plain view doctrine, open fields doctrine, plane smell doctrine, auto exception, and curable defects? That just about covers every way of busting the 4th amendment. Oh, and what about miranda violations, no lawyer eh? Edwards Christian burial case? Inevitable discovery? "So its out for case in chief but comes in for impeachment"? Have fun with your motions to suppress. All it gets you is a pat on the back by the judge for thinking about the Constitution when he tosses it over his shoulder. Ok, back to fingerprints on textures. LOL, give me a face texture at half that quality and I'll make Judy sing for you! I think the technology to create a rubber finger print glove is not something that Poser is capable of doing and there's no fear of this site being used for that. But the technology is available in other programs and it requires hardware as well to make it work. It also requires skin oils with dna to make it work (although I think most forensic police work won't check dna off of fingerprint oil). Ok, best wishes to you. Just had to share a bit.

It seems like an awful lot of trouble and expense. I just don't think I can buy this. If you're going to have the foresight to wear gloves anyway, just wear plain ones and don't leave fingerprints.

Also one thing that is often forgotten when you talk about fingerprints... Say I high-res-scanned my pretty fat fingers and put that picture on the internet. Then some inventive guy uses those fingerprints and makes them into this magnificent glove and leave "my" fingerprints on a crimescene. Er.... As I've never had my fingerprints registrered anywhere, WHO would even KNOW they were mine in the first place. Fingerprints are great but only if you know of the person behind them. If the police has never got your fingerprints (in other words: You've never been in tough with the police in any matter that required fingerprints to be taken) then they simply haven't GOT them. It's not like it's a photo you could broadcast (worldwide, mind you, we're not ALL americans....) and wait for a neighbor to phone in and say "Hey I know that guy" That said I really don't think it's doable IRL. And as FyreSpiryt said: If you're smart enough to wear gloves, then wear PLAIN ones and don't leave fingerprints.

Bleh! "in tough" should be "in TOUCH" of course...

I don't necessarily disagree with any of your comments but always remember, "We" (the collective national "we" as well as the individual "we") make this country what it is - either by our action or (worse) inaction. For every great thing we can be proud. For every injustice we should be equally ashamed but we can't stand apart from any of it without taking a measure of responsibility. =Nancy.

Well I guess I won't be releasing my 50,000 by 50,000 super hi-rez full body texture of me!! The gov has my fingerprints, and pictures and DNA to boot!!

Interesting....and I'm blonde and blue-eyed and in my mid-50's, so I get searched everytime we fly anywhere, too--I'm the 'anti-profiling prototype' according to my family and friends. So they just stand around and snicker while my sneakers are confiscated and I'm 'wand-ed.' Gods forbid my fingerprints should ever get out there! Guess I'll just have to delay releasing my hi-res texture...so sad ;)

If you want to guarantee a stop at every security checkpoint in the airport, just purchase your ticket within 48 hours of your flight or purchase a one-way. It's a slam-dunk. I spent a year-and-a-half commuting from San Francisco to San Diego for a project and spent way too much of my life in airports. I noticed a couple of things about searches - woman with infants and a percentage of folks in the 'more mature' category are ALWAYS in the search line. Strange days and strange ways... -Nancy.

WaxTextures (cute name - won't ask!), I only take responsibility for my actions as I cannot take responsibility for everyone else's actions. That said, I am a member of the ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church & State, two organizations which understand and try to uphold/retain Constitutional laws and rights. Being an atheist and skeptic, which is almost as bad as being a gypsy in National Socialist Germany some time ago, I am also a member of CSICOP and JREF. I vote (and am not a member of any particular party) as often as possible, but it's hard to make rational decisions into law when you're in the super-minority. It seems that the only way to avoid these breaches of Constitutional law and rights is to bring in the lawyers. I'm still fuming over the "under god" ferver that engulfed the nation after the 9th Circuit Court CORRECTLY ruled that it was unconstitutional. It is - it violates the spirit (and precedence) of church/state separation. Even if "God" were not capitalized, it still excludes athiests, agnostics, and any religion or belief system not theologically structured. It was added in 1952 (circa) during the height of McCarthyism and the "red scare", not in the early history of our nation as some deluded religious-right idiots would have their sheep believe. With them in mind, the laws embodied within the Constitution were not based on the Decalogue (Ten commandments). Four deal only with religious matters (other gods, sabbath, name vain, graven images), three more are more advice and cannot, by precedence, be considered law (honor mum+dad, covet goods, covet wife - which are mind crimes, as it were). That leaves killing, stealing, lying, and adultery (which in some situations and in some religions is not a sin or against the law). Note that the total is 11 since even the bible can't decide on which 10. Constitutional law is based upon English law, Roman law, and a myriad other "enlightenment" sources. BYS

This isn't possible. "Rubber stamps" of fingerprints don't shed oil or dead skin particles, which is what fingerprints are composed of. Remember folks- just because you see it in a James Bond flick (ie, "Diamonds are Forever") doesn't mean it's real. Besides, if someone had technology good enough to make rubber stamps that detailed, they'd make much more money using it for legit purposes than stealing with it.

EsnRedshirt, That was the part I left out on purpose, since I was talking specifically about the print image. Prints ARE being left, as they are wiping across other body parts (face/neck) where they are picking up oils. Once they started seeing duplicate prints of individuals that are currently locked away, they compared analysis of the body oils and determined they were from separate sources. A formal paper on this is being worked on and will be published later this quarter in one of the police bulletins. I am sure some of the news outlets that deal with weird tech will be carrying the story around that time(slashdot.org, etc.) This is all statement of fact, not something hypothetical. - Ray

Beat your soul, interesting comments. Did you consider that separation of church and state is a communist manifesto deal and not a first amendment deal? There was a court ruling that suggested a wall high and impenatrable to be erected between church and state, but that was not the language of the amendment. Interesting enough, the free exercise clause prohibits gov't involvement with the church, but does not prohibit church involvement with the gov. (but that torqued your shorts). And the establishment clause prevents the gov't from favoring one church over another. Now here's a thought... attack what is unpopular even if it is constitutional, and you do the constitution a disservice. Some members of the ACLU recognize that and as such are willing to go to bat for the church when the church is constitutionally right. But make the church a bad guy, ban it, and then all you need to erode fundamental freedoms in the future is to make the next organization a bad guy and erode it. Just a thought.

BeatYourSoul, this is just a shout-out, since I'm on the same page on the subjects you mention. I'm not strictly speaking a member of those four fine organizations (I'm not much of a joiner) but I support them in their important work. So as someone who appreciates the efforts of folks like you, I salute you. :)