Retina on record and ready to see Saddam
It didn't hurt. It didn't sting. I didn't even see a flash of light. I expected more of my first retina scan, but in fact the moment passed with very little ado. An American wielding a small black device clicked his machine twice in front of each eye. The scan was over in seconds. My retina patterns are recorded for posterity.
For security reasons, a retina scan is required for anyone planning to attend Saddam Hussein's trial.
Fingerprinting is time-consuming, messy, and as it turns out, not the best means of authenticating identify. I am happy to report that I have a very special retina, but then, so do you. The retina consists of a layer of blood vessels with unique patterns, ten times more unique than fingerprints. No two are ever the same.
The technology is not complicated. The scanner directs low-intensity infrared light, measures 400 points of reference, and stores the information. The process is extremely efficient and accurate, but also quite expensive, and executing the scan can be tricky. The device can only read the retina if it is held within a half-inch of the eye, and the subject's head must remain perfectly still.
I had never even heard of retina scans except in the world of films. You may remember in the movie "Minority Report," that Tom Cruise managed to circumvent the retina scan system by replacing his eyeballs. I felt very much at the cutting-edge of technology.
Other than my colleagues here in Baghdad, I never met anyone else whose retina had been scanned. It seems, however, that my experience is not that extraordinary. Farmers in New Zealand are using retina scans on cows to identify their livestock.
At least my retina is on record, and I am ready along with other members of the press to be herded into the courtroom when Saddam's trial reconvenes at the end of the month.
Nerve center of Iraqi reconstruction
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