Congress just made “preemptive light-changing” hardware (an IR strobe) a felony, when sold to or used by unauthorized sources. Instead of doing that, why don’t we stop using expensive street-weighting and camera mechanisms at intersections and instead equip all cars with a basic IR device in the grill to let every intersection know when they’ve arrived? IR devices are about the cheapest things in the world, and the technology is already proven.
Skennedy Work: They’re already building streetlights that require “authentication” from police and fire sources, so why not just make them a tiny bit more complex? Then I won’t have to sit at an intersection at 4 am.
If the tags were of the generic “This is a Car” then I’d be okay with that.
I can forsee the RFID tags having a serialized number, linking to your information.. or even having that info stored on the tag (They’re thinking about doing something like that for plates). I’m opposed to that, in part because of how easy it is to replicate an RFID tag. You know those speed passes they use at Marathon? http://rfidanalysis.org/ Yeah, we’ve figured out howto break that.
At the very least, it would be trivial to create an RFID tag containing the same info, even if encrypted (you just need to have the encrypted data there.. you don’t even have to unencrypt it to use it.)
On a related note, I’m considering installing a Dog-Door for our dog, that will use an RFID scanner to activate Solenoids that keep the door locked. We are planning on having an RFID “chip” inplanted in the Dog’s shoulder (in case he’s ever caught my animal control, they can check for the chip, and look up our info, to call us to let us know they have our Doggie. I’m okay with this use). So, I’ll train the dog to sit next to the sensor, it’ll pickup and verify his chip, then pop the bolts on the doggie door for him to come through.
Istalling a regular doggie door for him would be bad, as one big enough for him, is also big enough for me to squeeze through.
As I said to, “Use something similar to the older generation tags for every new car made (and a device you can install in the grill of older cars). There is no need for it to be a unique tag, because it just tells the light that you are there. As with cameras now, the light can change early unless other people are already waiting.”
And that it’d be difficult to move that sort of law through congress without battling off people who’re looking to make them unique tags for tracking purposes.
The dog-door idea is pretty awesome, would you be building it from established plans, or starting from scratch?
I haven’t seen (or looked) for plans for the dog-door. So it’s in my head currently. I’ll buy the RFID scanner equiment wherever I can, and run it from my server in the basement.
Sorry, didn’t see your reply to her comment.
ain’t no thang :)
equip all cars with a basic IR device in the grill to let every intersection know when they’ve arrived
Like Minority Report with the eyes, eh? Big Brother is watching you…
Basic IR, basic. The previous generation of emergency light-changing IR devices had no sort of identification tag. The new generation does, but this is what I see – Use something similar to the older generation tags for every new car made (and a device you can install in the grill of older cars). There is no need for it to be a unique tag, because it just tells the light that you are there. As with cameras now, the light can change early unless other people are already waiting.
Of course, if we tried to implement this, congress would pass a law requiring specific ID’s associated with our driver’s licenses or something – they couldn’t possibly improve our society without getting their fingers in the pie.
There’s no need for a unique tag, no, but I can just see law enforcement lobbying for them!
and “in this age of uncertainty” *ahem*, they’re likely to get it.
Screw basic tracking! Here in Oregon we are goin for the full blown thang! None of this pansie pussyfooten around! Full on GPS tracking for you and AND the man will tax you for moven around too!
http://www.acfnewsource.org/science/road_watchers.html
Although Id still take this over sales tax.
Fuck! I find out about IR strobes AFTER they become illegal?
Yeah, well. They’ll never stop me from hanging back in the left turn lane to get a green arrow when I really shouldn’t.