abstraction = compression

you know this software that turns photographs into pixel grids, using a
smart algorithm to decide which pixels in the grid would be black (there)
and which white (not there)? they use it on passports now. it's typical
police software, originating from the search for automated methods to
positively identify people's every characteristics like finger prints, iris
scans and now also photographs by abstracting these to so compact a data
unit as possible, allowing them to be stored on data carriers with
capacities that do not conflict with current reality.

well if you would extend the bit decisions of these algorithms (black or
white) into byte descisions, using ASCII character set SHAPES instead of
pixels (and the space for a blank), provided that the algorith would exist,
you could use a PC-XT to turn any digital photograph or picture into an
automated piece of ascii-art.

which could next be manually adapted to look genuine.

don't know of any algorithms to seperate the two.

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 __
 \  \     _ _
  \**\ ___\/ \
X*#####*+^^\_\
  o/\  \
     \__\

.------------.
|\\//\\//\\//|
|//\\//\\//\\|
|\\//\\//\\//|
|//\\//\\//\\|
'------------'

   _______
 /` _____ `\;,
/__(^===^)__\';,
  /  :::  \   ,;
 |   :::   | ,;'
 '._______.'`jgs

 _  _
(o)(o)--.
 \../ (  )hjw
 m\/m--m'`--.

  _  _
/` \/ `\_  _
\     /` \/ `\
 '.  .\      /
   \/  '.  .'
         \/jgs

 __ .  . __
(o.\ \/ /.o)
 \__\/\/__/
 /O /==\ O\
(;O/ \/ \O;)

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