Tag: RFID

Share When we hear "Rosetta Stone," we think of the language learning software or the ancient artifact that proved to be the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs. But if you turn that phrase into one word and give it a little Web 2.0 style camel-casing -- "RosettaStone" -- then you're actually talking about a futuristic gravestone accessory... and a lawsuit waiting to happen. ...

While it's hard to picture Frank Sinatra holding a martini in one hand and an electronic handheld device in the other, more and more, Las Vegas sports bettors are trying new ways to gamble. According to The New York Times, casinos like M Resort and the Venetian are supplying bettors with new handhelds, which resemble iPhones, to make bets in real-time throughout a game or event. Gamblers still ...

Radio frequency identification tags (RFID), which appear in items like credit cards and passports, have long been susceptible to hackers looking to steal personal information. Still, RFID tags are used in many ways -- from tracking a shipment of clothes to automatically opening a doggie door. But a breakthrough from a group of University of Arkansas scientists might just ease the minds of those ...

In what can only be called the next logical phase of the Twitter revolution, a man (who just happens to be a computer programmer) has rigged a cat door to tweet (post an update, in Twitter-speak) every time his cats enter or exit the house. The Tweeting Cat Door, as it's inventively called, was originally created by a guy who seems to be named Ioan and who, along with his partner, was tired ...

The problem with diagnosing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia is that by the time someone presents symptoms, it is generally rather late in the game. Looking for a way to detect the affliction earlier on, researchers at the University of South Florida have developed a wireless network for use by senior living centers. Utilizing a series of receivers placed strategically around the building ...

What can we say about RFIDs -- those radio chips embedded in highway toll readers and the like -- that hasn't already made you afraid? Your passport? Clonable. Your work ID and "secure" credit cards? Yeah, those too. Not scary enough? How about every adult New Yorker walking around with one in their back pocket? It's just a matter of time, as the Empire State's clearly enhanced driver licenses ...

Nearly every state in the Union has a toll highway somewhere, and most states have employed some sort of automatic, wireless tag system to speed commuters through the booths that stand between them and their destinations. Many have complained that these tags are just another tracking system the government uses to keep an eye on where they're going (and how fast they're traveling to get there), ...

This one's a bit morbid, but the technology behind it all is actually quite interesting. Japan's own Nichiryoku has evidently created a unique urn retrieval system that enables family members with deceased loved ones to return to a reverent storage facility, swipe an RFID card, and watch their late mother / father / etc. emerge from the underground for viewing. Aside from saving space and money, ...

Ah, Black Hat. How we adore you. Each year there's always one speaker who shows up and completely undermines something that most people assume is rock solid. This year, our pals at Hack-A-Day were in attendance to hear Nate Lawson expose California's FasTrak toll system for the security hole that it is. Essentially, toll transponders that are purchased and slapped onto vehicles offer up exactly ...

Frankly, we're disappointed. It's 2008, the veritable future, and you still don't have an RFID-based automatic sliding doggie door? For shame! The Plexidor Electronic Doggie Door allows for all that nice canine (and feline?) coming and going without letting in the neighborhood riff-raff. Your dog gets to wear an RFID chip on his collar, which lets the door know to automatically slide up when he ...

There is plenty of paranoia and weariness surrounding the potential for radio frequency identification tags (RFID) being used by shady governments and corporations to track your every move, or becoming yet another target for hackers with nefarious motives. But they have proven useful for tracking equipment, goods, and patients who may not be fully capable of caring for themselves. Though this ...

Coupons are a bit of a drag. Yes, they can save you a ton of money, but collecting and organizing them is a pain, and of course they only save you money if you actually remember to bring them with you. We're not sure if it's the perfect solution, but it sounds like McDonalds may be on the right track. The company is testing an interesting concept in Japan involving digital coupons customers who ...

We've seen countless attempts to re-invent the Post-It note, but no one's ever really managed to improve on the basic design -- which might be why MIT's "Quickies" concept doesn't even try. The electronic note system is instead based around a digital pen and special pad, which saves your notes as you jot them down on RFID-embedded Post-Its. Software on your PC then does some quick OCR and, ...

RFID clothing is far from revolutionary, but American Apparel is about to get everyone's attention by placing tags on a smorgasbord of garments. The firm is setting out to implement RFID at the item-level, meaning that tags will eventually hit each article of clothing it produces. For starters, the advanced inventory system will be rolled out across each of its 17 metro New York locations, ...

Radiation, in strong enough doses, is deadly. A short exposure can certainly kill, but controlled exposures can be useful, targeting cancer cells and helping patients to fight their disease and recover. However, the administration of radiation for cancer treatment has always been a bit of a black art, with doctors having to wait for days, weeks, or months after a treatment to check on whether a ...