(Credit:
Screenshot by Dong Ngo/CNET)
Captcha, or Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart, is a method used by many Web sites to fight against computer-generated input. As computers get smarter, Captchas hves become more of a nuisance because most of them are now tough for us humans to pass.
I recently blogged about a new and more humane way to create a Captcha by using 3D images and the implementation of that method at Yuniti.com. I've just run into a different approach, similar to the Asirra tool revealed by Microsoft in 2007, that seems even easier for humans to pass while remaining impossible for machines to figure out.
It's called Captcha the Dog from a Web site of the same name. Like the 3D-based Captcha, this method uses images instead of text for the challenge. However, the challenge is always the same: clock on the one different object on the screen, i. e., click on the photo of a dog among eight photos of cats.
With Captcha the Dog you are required to do this multiple times in a row. Each time, the position of the dog is changed and if you click on the wrong picture once, the process starts over from the beginning.
Once you have clicked on the right one enough times, all the photos will be those of cats. This is when you know you have passed the Captcha.
As it is currently impossible for a computer to distinguish between these photos, it's virtually impossible for a machine to randomly select the right image multiple times in a row.
This method of Captcha costs $25 per year with customized images. Beyond that, you can get its codes for free. The new method is said to be compatible with any browser (including that of the iPhone) and can be implemented within 15 minutes without the use of cookies.
This seems a simple yet effective alternative to the text-based Captcha that's so popular and so frustrating to use. However, like other image-based Captcha methods, Captcha the Dog doesn't currently offer a way to support people with disabilities. However, the site states that its new version will offer an audio component for vision-impaired people.
Try out the new Captcha method at Captchathedog.com and leave your thoughts in the comments.
An online social network for high school athletes launched Wednesday. Dubbed FirstString, the service connects athletes in the same conference and division, providing them with access to competitors' rosters, opponents, and schedules. According to the company, its network will allow users to post photos, videos, and awards, while providing them with tools to converse and stay up to date on player stats.
Each athlete profile is viewable by all teammates, approved friends, and opponents. It includes personal details, along with stats, team information, and a comment board. The site itself features a sportscasting function, which constantly updates users about game outcomes, as well as a highlight reel of photos and videos uploaded by teams or players. The network is live now and ready for teams and players to start using the service.
FetchDog.com, a site that sells dog gear and provides articles on man's best friend, announced Wednesday that it has closed a $4 million round of funding led by Borealis Capital Partners and Harbor Light Capital Partners. The company will use the funding to "develop new content, entertainment and philanthropic initiatives." It also plans to expand its executive team and announced that it has hired former Ziff-Davis Media executive Claude P. Sheer to help the company "rapidly increase its scaling efforts."
Pollsb, a company that provides polling tools to help you learn about yourself, announced Wednesday that it secured $1.3 million in a series A round of funding led by Tamir Fishman Ventures. The company's executives hope to use the funding to continue the site's evolution to one that "deals with the user and their identity."
InterCall, the world's largest conferencing provider, plans on giving all of its customers an account with social collaboration service Huddle, reports TechCrunch. According to the report, InterCall customers will be able to schedule meetings with Huddle and share dial-in information through the service. InterCall users should have Huddle accounts soon.
At a pre-CES event last night, I looked at two little GPS gizmos that are designed to attach to your dog's collar, so if Spot goes running off you can find him again. Both devices use GPS to locate themselves and cellular networks to transmit their location to a central service, allowing subscribers to view the locations on Web maps.
The Zoombak GPS unit is not quite as tiny as it appears here, since the guy who was holding this device has monster hands.
(Credit: Rafe Needleman / CNET)First up: the Zoombak Advanced GPS Dog Locator costs $199 plus $15 a month for service. It's got a five-day battery and lets you spot Spot on a full-sized Web map, should you need to find him. Of course, if your dog is missing and you locate him on the Web from your PC at home, he's not likely to still be where the Web said he was when you get there. So Zoombak also has a voice-based service that will direct you to the GPS receiver's location when you need it.
I posited that you could use Zoombak with people, too, but the exec I was talking to looked at me in horror, imagining, I think, me locking a location collar around my wife or child. Silly man. I was just thinking about putting the device in a kid's backpack or something.
Zoombak also makes a car version that taps into the car's power and can be hidden somewhere. You can use the Zoombak site to see where the car is at any time, or you can "geofence" the car, alerting you if it leaves town, for example. Or telling you when the child you've lent it to finally gets home. Or doesn't.
The sealed Pocketfinder unit, resting on its inductive charging cradle.
(Credit: Rafe Needleman / CNET)The Zoombak's big advantage is that it's shipping now, but an upcoming competitor looks like a better deal. The Pocketfinder is a touch smaller, charges by induction (is sealed and waterproof), and will cost less: $129 and "less than" $15 a month when it ships in March. The company claims a seven-day battery life.
The Pocketfinder spokespeople imagine the device being put on the keychains of kids and senior citizens, and maybe even in luggage. I love that last idea. There is no car version yet.
Pocketfinder will have a mobile Web site instead of a voice service for geolocating registered devices when you're on the run.
The monthly fees on these products need to come down, but the concept of a location tag that you can attach to your most precious assets is pretty cool. It's also terrifying from a privacy perspective. I don't need to spell out why.
View complete CES 2008 coverage from CNET.
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