It is no wonder computer networks are vulnerable to attack. It took millions of years for human beings to evolve the abilities they use in ordinary encounters. Now, in a few years, we are attempting to emulate them for electronic encounters.

Take, for instance, this fact: The average person can accurately identify a friend, seen from a distance at an awkward angle and in a poor light. This is a remarkable ability, and is pretty reliable, despite the billions of people in the world. Seemingly effortless recognition of faces is a skill that has resulted from generation after generation of evolution. It is not understood in detail, and certainly involves some amazing information processing.

By Martin Brampton at Silicon.

[ Read more ]