Thursday, October 19, 2006

A good news RFID story With a lot of RFID-bashing going on recently, it's good to see an implementation that actually protects the consumer. Aegate has announced the Belgian implementation of its patient safety systems for prescription pharmaceuticals. Aegate's solution allows the phamacist to verify the authenticity of a pharmaceutical package as it's prepared for the patient. The system can spot counterfeits, recalled items or incorrectly selected packages, and provides a powerful additional tool for the pharmacist. Most importantly, the system is privacy-friendly: tags simply contain a pseudo-random ID with no other identifier; only operate in very close proximity to the reader; and at no time is the system associated with personally identifiable information. This is in stark contrast to certain other systems that use EPC technologies to clearly identify the drug and can be traced back to the patient. I must confess a bias: Aegate's solution is based on the recommendations of the Enterprise Privacy Group Code of Conduct for RFID Technologies. But it is an excellent example of proportionate use of technology to protect the citizen without interfering with privacy. 1:27:33 PM    comment []

Off-topic post: The extortionate price of UK rail travel I'm a big fan of rail travel (but most definitely not a train-spotter). There's something about sitting in a first-class train seat that clears the mind, and I do my best work on the commute to/from London; the phone is off, nobody is hassling me, it's just me and the laptop and a chance to spot beasties out the window (it's normal to see deer, foxes and buzzards on my line, and I've even seen badgers). I also approve of the environmental implications of rail travel when compared with cars and planes. I can't recall the exact number, but as I understand it a train passenger leaves 1/10th the carbon footprint of an aircraft passenger. So as I booked up my travel for next week's RSA Europe Conference where I'm speaking on RFID on one of the panels, I thought I'd rig my travel to fulfill a long-standing ambition - a really big rail trip, which will give me a chance to think through my business strategy, catch up on my work for the BCS etc. Here's how the approximate prices stack up: Easyjet London-Nice return: £160 (but Luton airport is no use to me) BA London-Nice return: £170 economy Eurostar/TGV London-Nice return £330 economy, £460 business For the chance to sit in Business all the way from Nice to London, that seems like pretty good value to me. Particulary when you stack it against the equivalent business ticket from my home town to Newcastle, a journey of a mere 4.5hours - and that costs £350. I really want to do more train travel. The journey isn't an inconvenience, it's a chance to knuckle down to some productive work and enjoy the countryside. But while we continue to pay such insane prices for travel, this will have to be a one-off treat... 10:03:26 AM    comment []