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As I see it the problem isn't so much that it's just another "picture", it's the fact that your fingerprint is high-value.

The huge level of implicit trust given to fingerprints by the government means that a fingerprint is considered absolute proof of identity. Show me a company that produces a foolproof fingerprint scanner and I'll show you a company who has only ever had themselves test their product. Anyone can invent security that they cannot crack, it takes a whole hell of a lot more work to create security that nobody else (or a reasonably high proportion of everybody else) can crack.

These things are not infallible, and when they fail, or are cracked/bypassed, well if it was your fingerprint - too bad, you've just been pwned for the rest of your life. You can't get another fingerprint.

I'm sorry to break this to you, but no biometric is reliable, either in the capture, or the matching to a database. The systems are vulnerable to attack and abuse. The privacy angle isn't always about what you are giving up today - it's about what you will be giving up tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. It's about the appalling level of trust given to so called high-tech products that claim to give everything but in reality give nothing of practical value.

anime-expo.org engadget.com anishshaikh.com schneier1 schneier2 schneier3 schneier4

Escaflowne online has a site about the editing/censoring that
The Cartoon Network has done on one of their shows Outlaw Star.

It's quite interesting the changes that were made. Some are simple digital edits that add clothing for nude characters, removal of blood, to whole scene cuts, and even in one case an episode cut.

Cartoon network has changed a lot of the series they show (DBZ's Mr. Satan to Hercule...even digitally changed on some of the signs the fans hold up). Some are for good reasons, some are probably them being over cautious.

Don't forget the REAL service that cartoon network is serving in exposing people to other forms of animation that they may end up liking. Some of the big anime conventions like Fanime and Anime Expo have gained a whole new fan base because anime has been shown on Cartoon Channel (and even Fox when it was showing Escaflowne).

Someone earlier slammed Robotech, and some of the earlier anime which was brought to the US by Harmony Gold, but without it, a number of us may have missed out on a whole genre that is quite appealing.

If Cartoon Network is going to censor stuff, let them. If you dont want to see their censored versions, go out and buy some of the multitudes of anime dvd's you can find for sale. And believe me there are many more great series out there that Cartoon Network won't be showing. Not because they don't want to, but there's just so much to choose from.

-Alex

You might consider paying a visit to Anime Expo 2000 in Southern California in a month or so. Sure, it's fulla otaku dorks, but if you're the founder of 'news for nerds,' you shouldn't mind too much. The reason for going isn't so much to buy anime and congregate with men in skirts (yup, even in Orange County) but to watch all the glorious fan subtitled anime which has become all the rage. This way, you get to watch anime you might never get to buy or experience any other way. I've seen a good deal of fansubs, but even then I've only gotten a small taste of what the community has to offer.

Fave fansubs (some have been released commercially)

Irresponsible Captain Tylor

Photon

Porco Rosso

Rurouni Kenshin TV/OAV

Saber Marionnette J

I second your opinion on the Vision of Escaflowne, I was looking to see if anyone else recommended it before I put my two cents in. I myself was disappointed with the ending, felt it was rushed. The producers knew they had the leeway of making a movie to tie up loose ends (in production now).

The producers decided not to go that route. ^^; Escaflowne the Movie will not be a followup to the series, but an entirely separate storyline. You can catch Escaflowne the Movie at its American premieres at Anime Expo and Otakon.

IFor more information, everybody, on anime and manga, the best English language online resource I've seen is EX.org , which might be the best online magazine I've seen, period.

I second that EX recommendation, although I'm somewhat biased. =)

Are there any Slashdot folks (besides myself) heading to Anime Expo this year? If so, would anyone be interested in doing some kind of get together? (lunch maybe?)

//Relayer

If you are looking for some Anime resources on line, here is a short list off the top of my head:

- EX
This is a review site that reviews a ton of Anime, Anime Music, Manga(comics where a lot of Anime comes from), and other stuff(games, books, etc that are Anime related). One of the oldest and longest running online Anime e-zines.

EX is one of the best magazines out there for anime in the US. The US print mags are sorta sub-standard IMHO.

- Hitoshi Doi's Seiyuu Database
Hitoshi's exploits as a Seiyuu(a voice actor/actress) are legendary and his database shows it. If there was a piece of animation made in Japan and there was a speaking role in it, it has been cataloged here. Great for crossref-ing your favorite actress!

Still the best resource out there, but is starting to show a lot of holes recently... there's only so much Hitoshi can keep up with, and he seems to be mostly interested in shoujo or otherwise cutesy series.

Conventions(there are a bunch...to list them all would kill me ^_^)
- Anime Expo
Southern California con. Quite possibly, the "high profile Anime con" where a lot of the domestics and some of the Japanese companies make announcements.

Going this year! Woohoo! Got my Zelgadis costume ready too...

Finally....
- Anipike
An ambitious attempt to catalog all of the Anime content out there on the web. Has an interesting "Last Exit" column that showcases the best(and the worse) of Anime Online. This site is great to find anything and everything Anime.

YMMV. I can't say I always agree with Ryan in his column, but he seems to have a very moderate viewpoint, between casual and hardcore fan.

I'm glad someone here brought this up. ^_^

If you are looking for some Anime resources on line, here is a short list off the top of my head:

- EX
This is a review site that reviews a ton of Anime, Anime Music, Manga(comics where a lot of Anime comes from), and other stuff(games, books, etc that are Anime related). One of the oldest and longest running online Anime e-zines.

- Hitoshi Doi's Seiyuu Database
Hitoshi's exploits as a Seiyuu(a voice actor/actress) are legendary and his database shows it. If there was a piece of animation made in Japan and there was a speaking role in it, it has been cataloged here. Great for crossref-ing your favorite actress!

Conventions(there are a bunch...to list them all would kill me ^_^)
- Anime Expo
Southern California con. Quite possibly, the "high profile Anime con" where a lot of the domestics and some of the Japanese companies make announcements.

- Anime Central
Chicago area con. Great con for those of us who live in the center of the country. ^_^;

Business...
- A.D. Films
Domestic distributor of stuff shows like Evangelion.
- Anime Village
Domestic distributor of stuff shows like Cowboy Bebop.
- Pioneer Anime
Domestic distributor of shows like Tenchi.

Finally....
- Anipike
An ambitious attempt to catalog all of the Anime content out there on the web. Has an interesting "Last Exit" column that showcases the best(and the worse) of Anime Online. This site is great to find anything and everything Anime.