John Cutler's Blog

RFIDs in passports

jkcutler — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 06:00:39 +0000

Look out here they come. New passports that can be used only for travel between Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean are intended to speed up the process at which we get through security.

Problem or not a Problem, you decide; RFID’s are being placed into these new passport cards and can be read up to 30 feet away. This is supposed to ease the burden of travel and speed up your security wait time. However, as you will see on the following link there is some draw backs as anyone can now track you. Would this present a problem? You decide.

http://i.gizmodo.com/5144548/scary-video-rfid-passports-secretly-copied-on-a-lovely-sunday-drive

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/010908-passport-card-with-chatty-rfid.html

What will they think of next?

jkcutler — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 05:44:51 +0000

I was surfing the web tonight looking a topic to discuss on new technologies and ran across the worlds first fully automatic baby crib. I thought it was pretty interesting so I’m posting it out here for all you to view. Its a bit expensive but the idea is solid.

Check it out:

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/02/02/the-suima-crib-is-the-worlds-first-fully-automatic-baby-bed/

Twitpic crashes

jkcutler — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 20:50:40 +0000

Just an interesting fact I saw today:

When US Airways Flight 1549 crashed in the Hudson River an onslaught of email pictures flooded the web resulting in the crash of Twitpic (the application that allows Twitter users to send photos with their Twitter updates or “tweets”).

More and more people are tuning into social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Flicker, and Twitter to get their news as it breaks.

I find it quite interesting that these multibillion dollar corporations such as CNN and Fox News are slowly losing ground to these up-start / half cost social networks that are providing the same type of information.

Yes, Twitter crashed and yes they need to increase their bandwidth or server space but oh how things are changing!

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/01/22/social.networking.news/index.html (Yes CNN online wrote about it)

Did Apple Lie About Steve Jobs’s Health?

jkcutler — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 23:37:57 +0000

View This Poll

What do you think?

http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2009/01/did_apple_lie_a.html

Technology

jkcutler — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 23:33:25 +0000

Just a bit of a rant I have. Today during a conference call we spent over 30 min explaining how to get reports out of a new system. Now this system is not anything out of the ordinary but it seems that some of my older colleagues do not understand how to “click and submit” a report. While I completely understand the need to have everyone up to speed I just don’t understand why some of the older generation do not get it. While that frustrates me it also scares me to know that this generation is on the brink of retirement and how much knowledge will be lost in the coming years. I am sure I will be frustrating the kids in school now sooner or later as I ask the dumb questions……

Clustermap – I see you

jkcutler — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:06:31 +0000

FMRI – The New Mind Reading

jkcutler — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:09:49 +0000

While flipping through the channels today I just happened to stop on CBS and watched a show about functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI’s). In short FMRI’s is the use of an MRI scanner plus the number crunching capabilities of a computer to read ones thoughts by looking at the individuals brain scan. This new technology would enable law enforcement to read the thoughts of a possible suspect being questioned in a crime. Of course the use of this would be a huge legal issue but I am sure that is to come soon enough.

Other possible uses:

1. Infidelity

2. National Security

3. Thousands of possibilities

What I found interesting is the possible use by retailers trying to determine your possible intention on buying a certain product or even if you were going to buy a product when you walked through their doors (neural marketing). Very interesting stuff. If you get a chance you can view a small portion of the show at the below link.

Could this be the end of private thoughts? Don’t sweat it yet experts say its not yet 100% proven, but its just around the corner.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4697682n

RFID’s what else could they be used for?

jkcutler — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 05:02:20 +0000

While listening to the Dennis and Blake and hearing about the RFID technology it got me thinking. How do the signs on the freeways we see each day know how long it takes to get from point A to point B? Is there a city worker taking these routes and calling them in each day? Obviously not so I looked around and sure enough the out that the sticker you bought to ride on the beltway not only gets you through the toll booth quickly but it also allows the state to track how long its taking vehicles to travel on the freeways. Well if they can do that what else could they do?? Could they be used in law enforcement? Speeding tickets?

In doing some research I found out that the state of Texas is looking to put RFID’s into all cars. This would render Toll Tags obsolete. It would also make it fairly easy to locate a stolen car, and might be an easy way to enforce speed limits on the open highway. So whats next BIG BROTHER???

Can you hear me now?

jkcutler — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:26:03 +0000

Some news I picked up while listening to the Blake and Dennis show tonight. Who would have known that there was a frequency that most adults can not hear but kids can. Shop owners in Europe have been known to use this tone called the mosquito tone where kids are known to congregate outside the business thus driving them away. Based off this new news to the kids they have turned this technology back on the adults by uploading the tone to their cell phone thus allowing them to hear the phone in class and not the teacher.

I searched the web and found the website below that has different frequencies based on age groups.

I had to see if this was true and if I could hear it thus seeing if I was “old”. Well luckily for me I can hear the tone for 30 and younger Check to see if what age group you can hear?

http://www.freemosquitoringtones.org/

Facebook – EMBA Class 31

jkcutler — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:02:52 +0000

I have been a member of Facebook for about 5 months now and I must say I am addicted. Recently added by professor Ives was EMBA Class 31 group on Facebook. I have been appointed the Big Kahuna so come on and add yourself to the group so we can keep in touch!