Australia's Geekiest Man

An anonymous reader writes "Why have a key to open your front door when you can have an RFID tag implanted in your arm that will do the trick? Computerworld has a story up about the outgoing Linux Australia group president's hacked home, in which just about anything from watering the lawn, to opening his blinds, or checking the mail can be controlled through a software environment. Jonathan Oxer is an electronics and coding whiz who apparently has an RIFD tag implanted in his arm that opens his front door, and his front gate is hooked up with gigabit Ethernet — able to tell him when someone enters the property or send him a virtual email or sms to say he has real mail. Apparently the iPod Touch has just inspired him to begin linking all his little hardware hacks together into the one single, software controlled handheld touch device. I wonder if Steve Jobs ever thought the Touch would end up being used this way?"

My friend has developed similar system

[jsse]

and were planning to sell it to China.

The system contains everything you could imagine: in-house tracking system, motion detectors, remote messaging control and web-interface administration, integration with all electronic household appliances for whatever control you could think of doing, including but not limited to gardening and feeding your dogs.

He even got VC supports to build the actual products; but then, I asked him one question: "what about power outage, which happen so frequently in China?"

He thought briefly and said "We could include an fuel-powered, emergency backup power supply for my system."

"Well, when there's a power outage, those house appliances cease to function as well..."

He then thought more deeply and said "Then we must kick in a bigger fuel-powered, emergency backup power supply for the entire house!"

He's now selling household fuel-powered emergency backup power supplies and really good at it.

Jon Rocks

[laptop006]

But we have geekier people.

Like, say, Andrew Tridgall who at a recent event (linux.conf.au 2008), instead of socialising decided to reverse engineer the Sony eBook reader.

Although the blog post with photos of how he put the RFID in himself was one of the most distrubing things I've ever seen on the internet (I guess because I've worked with him).

Why the iPod touch?

[DingerX]

I mean a N800 [wikipedia.org] runs Linux out of the box and has most of the bits and pieces already available for the remote control uses he describes. And, being not only a Linux geek, but a Linux geek motivated enough to hobble together his own house, he should recognize that the Touch's strength is in doing the small number of factory-approved tasks, but doing them really well, while the N800 excels in doing whatever you want, provided you can figure out how to do it. I'm just saying, it's a better fit.
 
But when you look at home automation like that, do you ask yourself "how much time a day does he spend installing and maitaining his automatics?"

Why have a key to open your front door....?

[PipingSnail]

"Why have a key to open your front door when you can have an RFID tag implanted in your arm that will do the trick?

• Because I don't want the door to open just because I'm near it.
• Because I don't want the door to lock just because I'm not near it.
• Because I don't want to be locked in if there is a power failure.
• Because I don't want to be locked out if there is a power failure.
• Because I don't want cancer caused by the implant.
• Because its a damn stupid idea..
• Just because its a use of technology doesn't make it clever or cool.
• I'm sure some of you can think of other reasons I haven't enumerated here.

RFID tags and proximity cards (like on some cars) are not a good replacement for a key. They do not behave the same way.

We have a modern key-less system at the local swimming pool. Keys have been replaced with a wristband with a single button about the size of a UK 5pence piece (a dime in the US I think). Most of the time they work well. But when the conductance isn't quite right (usually the surfaces are too wet) they don't work. In a swimming pool and the changing rooms, the chances of things being too wet, is er, rather high. A different pool I go to uses real keys. I never, ever have a problem opening a locker at that pool. The key does what it is meant to do, that is, be a key, not a clever, technology over-engineered replacement for a key that requires operator intervention by the key creators to fix malfunctions.

We have a lecturer (professor?) here in the UK that does stupid stuff like this all the time. Gets him in the media. I'm sure he loves it. Really, really sad. Why don't people use their creativity a bit more usefully?

Re:Cancerous Police state much?

[7-Vodka]

You know something else that has a pretty short range, the toll pay transmitters you can use for toll roads.

But guess what I recently found out, plenty of states are installing these detectors on the quiet on all sorts of roads, unmarked.

The one official explanation I saw was that it was for traffic study...

Not only is it fairly useless for traffic shaping, but when they pick up your ID off those things, it's linked to your CC or bank account, name address etc. And they are keeping records of where you've been with it. Do a little search I'm sure you can find more info.

Re:Then again

[LordMidge]

I recently had the experience of using a car with a rfid key. It was the most annoying thing to use.
Basically when you left the car you couldn't test if the car was locked because you had the key that meant it would automatically unlock. Thus someone else had to test to see if you'd locked it.

If this is fitted to a house then you have the same problems.

Does everyone who uses the house have to have this e.g. the house lock is fully automated. What happens when you have guests and you want just to leave the door open for the kids that are running round your house.

Dutch guys with wired house

[Anonymous Coward]

If you thought Orwell or the tv program "Big Brother" was bad, check out these Dutch guys:
http://www.bwired.nl/ [bwired.nl] for a house that does have a video camera inside the mail slot.

They could kill you and use you as key

[Anonymous Coward]

> "Why have a key to open your front door when you can have an RFID tag implanted in your arm that will do the trick?"

They could kill you and use you as key! .. something where you still need your brain working (like a number-code or a password) to open the door would be way more secure -- in both ways :-)

cu,

jan

Re:Then again

[Damastus the WizLiz]

The worries you list are really just the result of a lack of education with guns. I grew up around guns, my father is an avid collector. I was taught at an early age what a gun was, how to use it and how to respect it. I dont like guns myself, I never felt the need for one. I do however think that gun safty should be a required course in schools. Guns are nothing more then tools, dangerous tools, but no more dangerous then a chain saw or a drill. As long as the person handling them is trained in their use and takes the proper precausions there is minimal chance of an accident.

Re:Then again

[SETIGuy]

Well then, they don't teach chain saw safety, or drill safety, in schools.

They did at my high school. They also taught arc welder safety, belt sander safety, and acetylene torch safety. Have schools changed that much in the last 25 years?