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US offers internet downloads of new $50 bill
- Thread starter Inkmonkey
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I wonder if this system has been secretly built into Mac OS X? It does say that Adobe uses the system, so it may be built into Photoshop CS for OS X. Anyone want to try scanning a new $20 or $50 bill?
PixelFactory said:
I'd be happy to test it if you send me the image. Or better yet, just send me the original $50 and I'll try scanning it as well...
Seriously, though, this is really quite interesting that our day-to-day production software is built to look for this stuff. It would be interesting to see if you can create an InDesign document with the image and print it, or if it disallows that as well.
Try this: Take a $20.....no wait, a $50, cut it in half, scan both halves separately, then use PS to bring the image back together. Anyone got a $50?
The Gov't also shows you all the new security features of the new $50's, which aren't any different than the current $20's. That combined with the low-res image that they post just screams for someone to try to make a legal-looking copy.
wdlove said:
I assume that means he actually tried to use the money, and that is how he got caught. Not that his computer somehow reported him to the Secret Service when it detected he was copying money.
I didn't quite understand why this is necessary? Do that many people really make art that features U.S. currency?
And if you really did have a project, wouldn't you just go to the bank and get a $50? Or do they assume artists would never see $50 in real life?
Kidding, of course
And if you really did have a project, wouldn't you just go to the bank and get a $50? Or do they assume artists would never see $50 in real life?
Kidding, of course
Thats gotta be some built in tech to not let you scan a dollar bill. I wonder if it works if you scan vertically or upside down.
jared_kipe said:
If the vending machine down the hall knows if I'm using real money, I would think it would be fairly simple to get a scanner to recognize it as well. You may be able to fool it by scanning at an odd angle - like 45° or as Abstract suggests, scanning it in parts.
Probably not what we need though - a discussion on how to effectively scan currency.
emw said:Now that would be scary indeed.
You better not load any of Adobe's professional programs onto your machine, then, if you think it's scary. Unless you disable the call-home part of their software or use it on a machine with no internet access, it phones home when you're online the next time.
There are steps you can take to disable the "feature," but I'll not point anyone towards them out of respect for Arn's dislike of cracks and hacks. It's theoretically possible the DMCA could be used to argue that anyone shutting it off only intends to defraud Adobe, since it's part of their serial number verification process.
A post by one Gunar Penikis, an Adobe employee, claims that they collect no personal information from the process and that you agree to the connection. This might be true, but is it really something you want to trust a company with in an era where Microsoft is trying to have the legality of click-acceptance of EULAs be the de facto standard?
thatwendigo said:
I was aware of some of the Adobe practices in regards to maintaining license compliance, and can't say that I disagree with them using it to verify compliance. But it's hard to say that they aren't collecting any other information, since they don't actually tell you what they are sending - it's all done in the background as if the assumption is that we are all pirates.
As for having information buried in EULAs, as much as I would like to say I read them, they are almost impossible for normal users to peruse and understand. Putting something in there that states you agree that they will send license information via the internet is almost sure to be overlooked.
Not sure this is any worse than Quark's license administrator, though. But at least they are out in the open with what they are doing.
meh, the picture feature thing is cool but LOOK AT THE BILL!! it's awesome--even better than the new 20. imho the use of the flag is the best
dotnina said:I didn't quite understand why this is necessary? Do that many people really make art that features U.S. currency?
And if you really did have a project, wouldn't you just go to the bank and get a $50? Or do they assume artists would never see $50 in real life?
Kidding, of course
i've needed to use the image of a bank note on more than one occasion, for advertising reasons...i did however make up these ads using photoshop 6 so i had no problems with these disabling features
wdlove said:
It's not an actual phone call, but there's a tiny program called the Adobe Online Module (or something like that) which connects to an Adobe server when you go online after putting in your registration information.
Like I said before, I won't point you in the right direction on this because of the copyright and legality issues. It could be considered a crack and I don't want to get Arn in trouble. However, search engines are your friend and this one shouldn't be too hard to dig up.
The gov't does not disclose all the security features of the new (or preceding) series of bills, or at least they say they don't. They do tell us a lot of details that are easy to verify but hard to duplicate, either technically (the same artist couldn't carve you an identical master) or because the result doesn't tell you enough about the process that creates it (the same company makes the paper to preserve the feel of an authentic note...but the recipe is a little vauge).
Mind you, the Secret Service has an interest in counterfeit notes being rejected without them having an agent present, and from that you can probably make a decent guess what percentage of the security features are disclosed.
Mind you, the Secret Service has an interest in counterfeit notes being rejected without them having an agent present, and from that you can probably make a decent guess what percentage of the security features are disclosed.
homerjward said:
It's definitely better than the old bills, but the Americans still have the most boring bank notes that I've ever seen - add some more color or cooler images and designs - try to make them more distinctive and unique like so many other nations do!