Book excerpt: The nature of handwriting in our society has significantly altered over the ages due to the introduction of new technologies such as computers and the World Wide Web. With increases in the amount of signature verification needs, state of the art internet and paper-based automated recognition methods are necessary. Pattern Recognition Technologies and Applications: Recent Advances provides cutting-edge pattern recognition techniques and applications. Written by world-renowned experts in their field, this easy to understand book is a must have for those seeking explanation in topics such as on- and offline handwriting and speech recognition, signature verification, and gender classification.