Note: This column represents the opinions
of the writer and as such, is not purported as fact
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It looks as if monarchy has had its day and the royal family is being
struck down by a bout of the duh!s.
Yes, Betty has lost her marbles and is about to knight Bill Gates for services
to technology.
Quite frankly I get very annoyed when I see honours being bestowed on people
whose areas of activity are primarily business or professional sports.
Such people get ample compensation for their efforts by way of the rather
impressive pay-packets they earn and their motivations are often far from selfless.
It would be much better to keep knighthoods and the like for the little people
who dedicate their lives to helping others without the expectation of financial
reward.
Still, it's no secret that such honours are the currency of buying favour
in the circles of the rich and famous -- which trivialises their significance
to the very few who truly earn them.
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That's clever!
I see that one enterprising manufacturer has spotted an opportunity that
was glaringly obvious yet overlooked.
Governments around the world are moving towards biometrics as a method of
identification and, we're told, it's pretty damned good.
Facial recognition, although a method of debatable effectiveness, has finally
been included in cellphone technology. Many new cellphones have cameras right --
so why not use this camera to perform facial recognition to control access?
Pretty damned clever idea if you ask me -- but whether it's going to work
reliably or not is another question.
Going off online banking?
It looks as if the endless wave of trojans, keyloggers and phishing
attacks are turning people away from online banking services -- at least
in the USA.
US figures indicate that 14 percent of US customers have shyed away from
using their computers to access bank accounts, citing security fears.
No such trends have yet been observed in Australia but I wonder if it's having
an effect on NZ online banking use.
Interestingly enough, the Oz banks say there's no need for them to shift
away from simple password authentication to systems such as two-factor
systems such as the SMS-based ones proposed for our own e-Government systems.
And speaking of our government's online initiatives -- if you haven't already
read this thread
from the Aardvark Forums, I suggest you do so now. What idiot is behind
this I wonder?
But good on the government for making Teleworking more attractive. Yes,
the addition of an extra $0.05 per litre on the price of petrol will
create even more incentive for workers to stay home and work at their
computer rather than brave the traffic (especially in Auckland).
Aardvark Forums
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www.aardvarkforums.co.nz/forums,
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