*Haven't had any arphid news on BEYOND THE BEYOND in a while. Not because we lost interest in RFID, but because the technology itself looks snafu'd. As the technology ages, its original headlong tech impetus is unable to overcome its many poorly-designed deployments.
*Here's the Obama State Department shrugging about their RFID train wreck, and hoping nobody notices that the previous Administration installed zillions of terror-friendly radio beacons in the purses and pockets of the American civil population.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/11/AR2009071101929_pf.html
"...when the sleeves come off, "you're essentially saying to the world, 'Come and read what's in my wallet,'" says Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, D.C.
"By obliging Americans to use these sleeves, he says, the government has, in effect, shifted the burden of privacy protection to the citizen. (...)"
*Well, yeah; the State Department installed the arphids in there, and if you're worried about that, they don't mind if you now go buy and install your own tinfoil hat. Up to you. Pal, voter.
*Given their mournful fait accompli on the ground, they probably lack any rational alternative, except to INSIST that everybody go buy some tinfoil hat for their passport, in which case the Global War on Terror situation looks even more aggressively crazy than it was before. Not to mention the tremendous publicity boon for RFID hackers seeking employment with terrorist hotel-bomber types, who'd no doubt love to bug any doorway anywhere on earth, and automatically count the vulnerable foreigners walking through it.
*Also, according to the original genius plan, you were supposed to be using these safe-and-secure arphid beacons to merrily zip through airports, en-masse, subway-style, like with Oyster cards. Seen any of that jolly high-tech activity anywhere lately? Me neither. Instead we've created a huge, botched superpower effort that is paranoid, semi-secret, global in scale, leaky in security and at best semi-functional. "Gothic High-Tech."
(((Later: George Mokray write in:)))
"I've been making my own duct tape wallets (and notebook covers) for years. My most recent credit card came with an RFID chip so I decided to make my next wallet with an aluminized mylar substrate from a potato chip bag rather than the paper I used to use. My assumption is that the aluminized mylar will dampen the RFID signal. My passport was renewed just before RFID chips became standard issue, thanks to your head's up. The wallet is wearing well, better than the old paper and duct tape ones.
"Doing a Tuvan throat singing workshop at NE Conservatory the next couple of days with actual Tuvan artists, Allash. South African choral music all day Saturday. Ain't globalization grand.
"Solar IS Civil Defense,
George Mokray"
(((Great job with the duct tape potato chip bag Tuvan throat-singing solar arphid wallet, George. Always great hearing from you; you are our kind of people.)))
