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Wednesday, 24 November 2010 13:00

Jargon Watch: Bacterial Fingerprints, Probability Chip, Hajj Mafia

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Illustration by: Iv Orlov

Illustration by: Iv Orlov

Bacterial fingerprints n. pl.
The mix of bacteria living on an individual’s fingertips. Believed to be unique to each person and constant over their lifetime, bacterial fingerprints left on keyboards have been swabbed and sequenced in criminal

investigations to identify computer users.

Probability chip n.
A microprocessor developed at MIT to calculate statistical likelihoods rather than binary certainties. Since the math is running on hardware instead of software, statistical computations—like the odds that an email is spam—are accelerated by as much as 1,000 percent.

Hajj mafia n.
Epithet for the Indonesian government officials who run packaged tours to Mecca, widely criticized for price-fixing and profiting off deposits from would-be pilgrims. A growing number of devout Muslims, unable to afford the $3,000 round-trip, are sneaking illegally into Mecca as “hajj backpackers.”

Cybercase v.
To scope out a joint using geotagged data written into digital photos posted online. By browsing images of luxury goods on sites like Flickr and craigslist, thieves can often glean the exact location of the loot and then plot a targeted break-in.

Jonathon Keats ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

Authors: Jonathon Keats

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