Is that an RFID in your pocket or …

Posted on March 26, 2008 · 3 Comments

Despite what some people may think, I am not all about government intrusion in our lives, but the government is supposed to be there to protect the people, especially from the likes of monolithic corporate giants that have nobody’s interest at heart but their own.

Why isn’t that the case any longer?  Why do special interest groups always get their way?  (Yes, I know it is all about the money and re-election funds… it was a rhetorical question.  Just follow… OK?)  An excellent example is the recent first in the country RFID laws passed in Washington State.

In case you haven’t been paying attention, RFID chips are being put into and used in “everything” now, or at least they will be very soon.  That “touch-less” Gas-N-Go card you have from the Station?  RFID,  Those new “intelligent” passports that are coming?  RFID, the new digital Drivers Licenses that are being rolled out?  RFID.  Even some of those frequent shoppers cards.  You have a lot of information that is now accessible, just by walking past an RFID reader set to grab that information.

Now rightly, there is cause for concern, and the laws they were pushing in Washington made sense.  There were basically two parts; the first is making it illegal for anybody to attempt to access your information for fraudulent purposes.  Rather obvious, and somewhat redundant, since fraud is already illegal, but I guess this would be another tacked on charge, or perhaps you can simply be arrested for “attempted” fraud.  Whatever, I don’t have a problem with that.  If somebody is “skimming” my information, then sure he should get in trouble for it without me having to be an actual fraud victim.  But then there is the second part of the law, or more correctly, the original bill… because it never made it into the law.

That part, required retailers and other businesses to only gather information about you on an opt-in basis.  As is always the case… it seems, the retailers and their lobbyist fought this part of the law, and eventually got it pulled out.  So, now skimming is only illegal for an individual; corporations that are skimming are free to gather information about you, how long you shopped in their stores, where in the store you went, how much time you spent in each section, just by strategically placing some RFID scanners, and you will be none the wiser as they gather this information.

But don’t worry, I am sure some company will come out with some sort of RFID blocking wallet, that will be ugly, cumbersome and expensive, but will “protect” you from the “snoops.”  Yup that is right, to have the privacy you should expect by default… you will have it.  As long as you pay for it.  (Maybe!)

Filed Under: Corporate sneaks, Geek Speak, Rantings

Is it time to run out and get a Blu-Ray player?

Posted on March 11, 2008 · 2 Comments

I had much grander plans in delving into the specifics of Blu-Ray this week, but I ran into some stumbling blocks.  Namely, it is not as clear cut as I had originally anticipated.

Yes, the war is over and and Blu-Ray has defeated HD DVD.  But does that mean that it is time to rush out and get a Blu-Ray player?  The best answer at this point is… maybe.

Prices have come down on Blu-Ray players a bit, but now that there is no longer any competition from Toshiba and HD DVD, I suspect prices will start dropping a bit slower as we move forward.  Also, be warned of a Blu-Ray trap.  Unlike HD DVD, Blu-Ray was fully “cooked” when it first came to market.  There are several models of Blu-Ray players on the market that appear (relatively) cheaper than most models.  Those are the version 1.0 machines.  Version 1.1 is already out and version 2.0 is due very soon.  (Version 2.0 players will have Ethernet connectivity, allowing future updates to be downloaded to the device, much like the PS3, but more on that in a moment).

Unlike when the “switchover” from VHS to DVD took place, where for a time the DVDs actually cost LESS to entice people to make the switch, at this point you will pay a premium for Blu-Ray discs.  I am not saying they are not worth a premium (but DVDs were certainly worth a premium over the quality of VHS as well, and that had no bearing on price).

Now please bear in mind, the point of this is for those sitting on the fence, for those that are trying to find the best balance of value for the money.  If you can afford to drop the cash on a Blu-Ray player, I am not saying you absolutely shouldn’t (well, with the exception of the 1.0 outdated players).

But at this point, I don’t yet see the real value, and would  tell most people to hold off for now.  The only exception being, if you are looking to go the Blu-Ray format by picking up a PlayStation 3.  Then it probably makes sense.  You get the added benefit of having the gaming console, plus it is already Network ready, so you can get updates for it when the Blu-Ray 2.0 specification is completed without obsoleting your unit.

On a side note, if you say, have a Flat Screen TV and would really like to see some benefit, here is a neat little trick you can consider while waiting for Blu-Ray players to come down in price.  Look for one of the now on sale and quite cheap HD DVD players that are on fire sale everywhere now.  For somewhere around $79 or maybe even less by now, you can buy the HD DVD play which will “upconvert” your DVDs  (in simple terms, upconverting takes your 480i DVD and plays it at 720p or 1080i). Will it be the same as getting Blu-Ray?  No, but you can use your existing DVDs and get a better experience, while waiting for Blu-Ray to come out with the 2.0 spec and the price of the players to drop (because you know sooner or later they will.)

At this point, my bet is that it will around Xmas time when the studios are going to want to see a profit and start leaning on the Sony and other hardware makers to start pushing down prices.  I’ll even bet that this year on Black Friday, it will be the Blu-Ray player and not that cheap PC that lures people to wait on line all night to rush in for a bargain.

The time to make the move to Blu-Ray may be coming, but it isn’t here… yet (except for PS3).

Filed Under: Geek Speak, TechParent Tuesday

Mommy Blogger dedidicated Search Engine?

Posted on March 5, 2008 · 3 Comments

OK, so technically not for “MommyBloggers” but for married woman, or more specifically married women from the south and Midwest (would that make it a BibleBeltMommyBlogger Search Engine?), search engine Ask.com has apparently decided it can’t make it any longer as a “general” search engine.  Thus they have decided to put themselves into a dedicated niche market.

I am curious, as to what will become of the other properties that  InterActiveCorp bought along with Ask back in 2005 (iWon, Excite and Bloglines among others).  But more importantly (I guess), I am quite curious.  Will the “married women” flock to Ask, now that focus on the market “consisting of married women looking for help managing their lives.”?

I don’t see this working out at all well for Ask.com, and I am not sure what they hope to gain by putting themselves into this kind of corner.  Do they think that they will get somebody to buy it out, like say a Disney to enhance their Family.com site?  (Just remember what a debacle it was last time Disney bought out a search engine.  Does anybody remember InfoSeek or Go.com?  Although it has been at least a day or two since Disney “refocused” Family.com again isn’t it?)  Do they think they can get more (or better paying advertisers) by claiming a specific demographic?  Are they going to shoot to be the next (or a competitor to iVillage?

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a site serving a niche demographic like this, but I don’t see this bringing them more eyeballs… just more specific ones as they cast off everybody else.  For those that like to play in Internet Death Pools, I am sure Ask.com will be rocketing up the list of “next to go” after this.

Filed Under: Geek Speak, Potpourri

Can you ear me now?

Posted on February 20, 2008 · 5 Comments

I consider myself a tech junkie, but even so the world of music somewhat eludes me.  Between myself and TheWife, we have gone through untold numbers of earbuds and such for her iPod.  For me, I have stuck with the earbuds that came with my Zune since I acquired it, and was satisfied with them.  However, our Basset Hound, which apparently thinks he is part goat, decided they were a midnight snack, and ate them.  Literally ate the buds right off of the wire.

So, now I am in search of new earbuds.  (Since I generally stuff this in my coat pocket, I would rather not go with full headphones.)  But am having a heck of a time deciding what to get.  I don’t want to go too cheap and get some lousy sounding, or poorly fitting buds.  But am not an audiophile enough to want (or even be able to discern the quality difference) to spend a hundred dollars (or more) on a new set.

So I am curious, for those of you that use third party or aftermarket earbuds… what do you use?  Are you happy with them?

Filed Under: Geek Speak, My So Called Life, WTF Moments

Eye in the Sky

Posted on February 19, 2008 · Leave a Comment

If you are out and about over the next couple of evenings, and if the skies are clear in your area, you just may want to look up and see what you are missing.  Over the next couple of days, the Spy Satellite that is in a decaying orbit, will make several passes over the U.S.  To see when and where you can see it where you live, go to Heavens-Above.com, enter your Lat. and Long.  (you can do it by selecting a map, but make sure you do it, it doesn’t quite make it clear that you need to follow this step.  But if you don’t, you will not get the correct views for your area).   Of course, the current plan is for the Satellite to be shot down on Wednesday, so your time may be limited.

Also, tomorrow (Feb 20th), will be the final Lunar Eclipse until December 21, 2010.  It should be fully visible according to Space.com for virtually all of the US (Alaska, Hawaii, and Western Oregon may miss various amounts of the beginning), and Western Europe (although western Europe would have to rise early Thursday morning to see it).  More details can be found at the Luna Eclipse information page on Space.com.

You don’t need a telescope or any special equipment to see these events.  As a matter of fact, since the satellite is in such low orbit, it will probably move across the horizon too fast to really enjoy (or get a good lock on) through the telescope (though it would certainly be fun with the Lunar Eclipse).

Filed Under: Geek Speak, Kids Stuff, Potpourri
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