May 25, 2007 by jesse.

Ars Technica reports that California’s senate has passed SB30, “that mandates privacy and security safeguards for government-issued identification cards that incorporate remotely readable radio frequency identity (RFID) tags.”

“In light of the serious privacy and security risks posed by RFID tags, it seems prudent to establish mandatory standards, but if SB 30 meets the same fate as its predecessor and fails to pass the governor’s desk, there are still some decidedly low-tech solutions that concerned citizens can use to protect their privacy.”

Posted in Comp690 | No Comments »

May 24, 2007 by jesse.

Here are my three annotated bibliographies from the proposal I submitted for Comp 690:

Zappone, Chris. “RFID Backlash Gains Momentum, From States Up - May. 21, 2007.” CNN Money. 21 May 2007. 22 May 2007.
State officials and security experts give good reasons for the potential risks of creating walking, unsecured beacons of personal information by including RFID in passports.

White, Dave. “Japan to Establish Wireless Island.” Mobile Magazine. 16 May 2007. 23 May 2007 .
Japan is planning to set up an “experimental landmass” where a several RFID sensors will “allow doctors to remotely monitor the health of the elderly.” The plan will allow instant communication between hospitals and an ill person, which has priceless benefits.

“Spanish Port City Enhances Building Security with IBM-Based RFID Solution.” IBM. 26 Aug. 2006. 23 May 2007 .
A Spanish city was the target of a failed terrorist attack and the topic of improving security propped up. IBM discusses the flaws in a magnetic strip access system and the benefits of an RFID badge system.

Posted in Comp690 | No Comments »

May 24, 2007 by jesse.

In class, we had to read an article about Walter Mossberg’s influence on the tech industry and come up with 2+ comments/questions/observations. The article starts off with Sprint and Samsung representatives going to Walt to show off the UpStage, a phone/MP3 player hybrid. Walt’s quick to point out it’s flaws and failures to keep up with the iPod Nano in terms of MP3 functionality, while complimenting them on the ingenious design.

The author goes on to compare Walt to bloggers who do similar product reviews, but because of the current trend in media will soon replace Mossberg.

Walt gets paid large (obscene) amounts of money to review products mostly because he’s respected and has an install base. In fact, the author calls Walt a ‘brand name’.

Here are my responses to the assignment:

1. Has Walt (or reviews in general) created the last word on technology? Will consumers look for a second opinion?

2. Hundreds of thousands of dollars seems excessive to get an honest reviewer.

3. Companies should encourage hones commentary in the product development life cycle so that Walt’s early critique isn’t needed.

Posted in Comp690 | No Comments »

May 18, 2007 by jesse.

My tentative topic is Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). There have been many advances in the use of RFID. Much of it, however, has been controversial. It’s uses stretch from security to medical use to product tracking to entertainment. It is a fairly broad term, but my focus will be on it’s practical use in enhancing everyday life plus the controversy it brings from opponents.

Posted in Comp690 | No Comments »