Hey Everyone,

I'm not a software programmer, though I can come up with ideas.  Unfortunately I don't know where to contact someone about this.  If you can make the idea a reality, or know someone who can, that would be great.

Basically since Apple laptops anymore come with built-in iSights, and they can be used during the login process, why not have them act as a secure login device?  You could use facial recognition by itself or with a password.  Another idea is to have a random photo or special bar code that can be used which can be kept in your wallet.  To log in, you will need to use your password as well as the photo.  This would obviously slow down login time, though people couldn't exactly remote login without knowing or having that picture. 

If this exists and I'm ignorant, call me on it.  I'd download the software in a heartbeat.  If not, something like this should be made and for the cheap (or free) crowd.

thats a good idea whitlock.  It wouldn't really be used by alot of people, as they wouldn't have a need.  But, I could see some really using a feature like this.  My question is, how do you load an app with the login?  I would think you would have to modify the OS for that.  Then, what about updates and incompatibilities, etc...

How good is facial recognition this days? It'd be a pain if you couldn't log in because you shaved your beard off one morning...
The barcode idea isn't so bad. You could get one tattooed on the back of your wrist or something.

Maybe just use the mic for voice recognition instead. Even more Mac laptops (and iMacs) have mics than iSights, and the technology is probably more reliable.

As for loading at login, there is a startup items folder in your Library (there is on Tiger and Leopard anyway). There is probably other ways too. Just add a line to an appropriate startup script maybe. ARD is running when the login window comes up, and that isn't in startupitems.

thinking about this made me think of an iris scan instead... Mostly because I often grow and shave my beard!  A pic of your face or iris could appear on the screen and you could move around on camera, with a %50 alpha to line it up more or less... I think it could make it a little easier on the software to make a recognition.

I hear ya on the beards...I jump between phases.  I figure something more like a bar code or image that the iSight can easily recognize yet be complex enough for login purposes would be great. 

The breakdown is that the tool would could use the 'isightcapture' command (via http://www.intergalactic.de/hacks.html) with the program and have it active with the login. 

The authsight hack (http://www.zdziarski.com/authsight.tar.gz) , which takes a screenshot after an invalid login, works by tailing the /var/log/asl.log for invalid attempts.  Authsight would obviously not work for this purpose and could not be used. 

Maybe having a successful login attempt via password, then a check against an image prior to loading the rest of the OS would work.  It would login, though an application would prevent use until the image is verified. 

That way the app could use the same command ARD uses to lock screens.....

Ok, so far we know figured out:

    - Use a command to use the isight (isightcapture?)
    - How to incorporate it into the login (after password, before *Finder)

Though we still need to:
    - Have some sort of image recognition built into this application
    - Have it actively scan until the image is OK
    - Continue to the Finder

Man, I wish we had a programmer lurking on the board...

* Up for debate

OK, so if you use a barcode scanning solution that's currently available (http://bruji.com/cocoa/barcode.html), it will keep scanning until it reads a valid barcode.  Once completed, it will enter the barcode.  I suppose if there is a hidden field, which only the program can input the text, it would work.  The only downside I can think of is if someone were to find a way to enter the text in manually, bypassing it. 

I think a better way is to mount an isight to your ball sack and have it verify you that way 

iSight Barcode Scanner Script
    -  Modified to use a login hook after initial login via password (or not)
    -  Loads before the Finder can load
    -  Programmed to accept a predetermined number (same as barcode) and nothing else
    -  Once the correct number is entered, will tell OS X to load the Finder

Okay, so this sounds possible and completely free with the least knowledge of programming necessary.  Does this sound sane?  Am I missing something here? 

...and yes, I keep creating new posts because I want to keep records of this so others can add to it...