<http://www.gsnmagazine.com/cms/features/news-analysis/909.html> http://www.gsnmagazine.com/cms/features/news-analysis/909.html ICE investigators plan to "read" typewriter ribbons By Jacob Goodwin, <http://www.gsnmagazine.com/cms/authors/1.html> Editor-in-Chief Published July 22nd, 2008 Ribbon-Web <http://www.gsnmagazine.com/cms/lib/1120.jpg> It may seem a bit archaic, but the Immigration and Customs (ICE) unit of DHS is planning to purchase a piece of forensic equipment, known as a Ribbon Analysis Workstation, which will enable its investigators to capture, download to a computer and print out the contents of single-strike carbon typewriter ribbon. This technology, which would sound more at home during the Cold War than in 2008, is supplied by a UK-based firm called Envisage Systems Limited <http://www.envisagesystems.co.uk/> . "The surprising continuing widespread use of single-strike carbon typewriter ribbons, from which typed text can be read directly, provides investigators with a potential source of evidence and information," explains the Envisage Web site. The resulting display contains everything on the original ribbon, including errors and blemishes. The workstation, known as RAW, reduces the necessity for a human to handle the tape itself (which could damage potentially important evidence) and reduces operator costs for what is a highly labor-intensive transcribing task. According to Envisage, the manual transcription of a three-row typewriter ribbon might require two or three weeks of operator effort, while its RAW device can handle the same task in one day (requiring only one to two hours of operator involvement.) Beyond explaining that the RAW workstation "is designed to enable specialists to transcribe and analyze any of the wide range of single-strike film typewriter ribbons," the solicitation issued by ICE on July 21 did not make clear how the agency plans to use the newly-purchased equipment. ICE indicated that the "place of performance" would be at its offices in McLean, VA. Established in 1990, Envisage in based in Berkhamsted, Herts, UK. It is a supplier of a variety of industrial vision inspection systems. The theory of operation of the RAW equipment can be split into two distinct tasks: Recording and Processing. First, the ribbon is transported at a controlled speed from one spool to another in front of a light unit that illuminates the ribbon for the camera, which records the data. <http://www.gsnmagazine.com/cms/lib/1121.jpg> "Before processing may commence," explains Envisage, "the system must be taught the basic layout of the text on the ribbon." The RAW is able to process and print out non-Roman characters, including Japanese and Cyrillic alphabets, together with mathematical and technical symbols. "This will be set out in a format which shows all the characters as they would have appeared on the original typed page with the absence of spaces, carriage returns and paragraphs," says the company. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtmlYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
