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Capital Budgeting and RFID

awbriggs — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 04:57:38 +0000

In 1954, Joel Dean wrote Measuring the Productivity of Capital for the Harvard Business Review. Some of his remarks were quite prescient and may still be relevant to capital budgeting processes at present. Speaking about the relationship between corporate strategy and capital budgeting decisions, Dean suggests that while a "company's goal is profits," a bit of latitude can be taken to include other worthy organizational pursuits—ostensibly those espoused in an organization's overall strategy. This seems a far cry from today's corporate culture that puts profits above all else. With corporations ultimately responsible to their share owners for maximizing share owner equity, many firms may forgo capital investments which would support their corporate strategy and perhaps maximize a much longer-term profitability in lieu of shorter-term profit gains.

RFID implementation may certainly fit into this lateral component of capital budgeting. While short-term IRR and NPV may not appear to justify enterprise-wide implementation, a longer-term ancillary-benefit assesment may lead to a different conclusion. This is particulary true in light of the difficulty capturing accurate costs and cash flows with technology that is designed to reduce direct labor costs. That being said, Dean cautions quite aptly: "some projects are [considered] so pivotal for the long-run welfare of the enterprise that they possess high strategic value which overrides mere economic considerations and lifts their evaluation into a mystic realm beyond the ken of economic and financial analysis."

Throughout the capital budgeting process, I would suggest taking a bit of latitude—certainly within perspective of the current business climate—and considering those projects which may yield long-term fruition of organizational objectives.

Dennis Schneider- Senior Director of IT at Universal Studios

stephlee — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:11:32 +0000

[caption id="attachment_40" align="alignleft" width="168" caption="Universal Studios- Hollywood"][/caption]

On Friday, October 3rd, I had the pleasure of meeting Dennis Schneider, the Senior Director of IT at Universal Studios. He has a fascinating job, and is involved with many new IT initiatives. Dennis' team is fairly unique when comparing it to other IT departments at NBC Universal. He strictly focuses on only things that effect the park. This includes managing a dashboard system that shows daily forecasts for attendance, food, retail, and soon to be parking. His team and rolled all the way up to the president, are all about metrics. Every day is measured to the previous year and is plotted on a dashboard, so everyone from IT to leadership can understand what is going on.

An initiative in the works is implementing radio frequency identification (RFID) in employee uniform handling. Within the parks right now, every ride employee has their own unique uniform. Tracking the uniforms right now is a laborious, erroneous, manual process. This is where RFID steps in. Dennis is currently investigating how casinos deal with employee uniforms using RFID, and is making plans to go to a casino to see how such a thing can be managed easily by RFID.

The systems that Dennis' team supports include all of the point of sale (POS) registers throughout the park, stroller rental system (a future RFID project), and ticketing system. They are currently experimenting with do it yourself technology within Doc Brown's (from Back to the Future) food area, putting power in the hands of the consumer as I like to call it. Users are able to order food and pay by credit card, all via kiosk. This technology was put in place to see if users will adopt such form of payment in the future. If its successful, similar systems will be rolled out to help ease congestion in the food lines.

Another system that his team supports is ticketing/attendance. They have 6 ticketing booths staffed, in addition, 4 automated ticketing systems on site. The automated ticketing system is similar to the food ordering kiosk. Last summer they implemented a biometrics scanner to register guests that purchased an annual pass. Instead of employing folks to staff the booth to take the annual pass holders photo and create a badge, they simply scan their finger at the entry point to get access to the park. This saves the park a lot in labor and material expenses!

Many thanks to Dennis for sharing his time in showing me around the park and pointing out the systems his team supports.

De Hypotheekcrisis 004 – Het complot voor een Europa-bank!

worldthechanges — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:58:33 +0000

Balkenende’s VOC mentaliteit wordt in de praktijk getest!

Ik heb u in de vorige 3 afleveringen kennis laten maken met de hypotheek- kredietcrisis waar dat financieel kapitalistische stelsel momenteel in verkeert.

Ik heb u ook kennis laten maken met de geraffineerde wijze waarop diezelfde financiële instellingen geld uit lucht creëren door meer leningen en hypotheken te verstrekken dan zij aan ingelegd vermogen bezaten van hun klanten, waardoor de geldontwaarding (inflatie) als een sneeuwbal die van een helling afrolt, steeds verder toeneemt!

Deel 01: “Is dit de ondergang van het consumptief kapitalisme”.

Deel 02: “De rekening is voor de belastingbetaler”.

Deel 03: “De overheid schoot te kort”.

INFLATIE…

Door het continue bijdrukken van financiële middelen.

De reden waardoor uw en mijn geld steeds minder waard wordt.

De vraag is: “Slaat dit consumptief gerichte kapitalistische monetaire stelsel te pletter?”

Ik denk zelf van niet.

Ik durf zelfs te stellen dat deze crisis waarschijnlijk expres is uitgelokt!

Terwijl iedereen zich door deze “financiële crisis” ongerust maakte over haar/zijn banktegoeden, spelen de overheden de reddende engel met belastinggeld van de bevolking om het door private banken opgerichte kapitalistische monetaire systeem overeind te houden, dat nu op de rand van de afgrond terecht is gekomen door het wanbeleid dat al die decennia is gevoerd door de “sloofjes” (bankdirecteuren) van dit kapitalistische monster!

03 oktober 2008 – Staat neemt Fortis Nederland volledig over!

Kosten 16,8 miljard euro (inclusief de Fortis onderdelen van AbnAmro)!

06-10-2008 - De rest van Fortis gaat naar voor 75% naar het Franse BNP Paribas, terwijl de overige 25% in handen is van de Belgische Staat (die daarbij een “blokkeringsminderheid” heeft en bovendien 11,7% van BNP Paribas zelf in handen krijgt).

Een investering van de Belgische Staat in Fortis van 11,9 Miljard euro!

05-10-2008 - Eenzelfde constructie zien we in Duitsland bij de “Hypo Real Estate”, waarin de Duitse overheid, samen met de Centrale Bank en branchegenoten 50 Miljard euro steken, waarvan de Duitse overheid garant staat voor een krediet van 35 Miljard euro.

De vraag die men zich zou moeten stellen is WAAROM is deze “crisis” dan uitgelokt?!?

Het antwoord ligt echter voor de hand.

Deze hypotheek- kredietcrisis geeft het kapitalisme name(n)lijk de kans om hun doelstelling (het invoeren van een Europa-bank naar Wereldbankconcept) versneld door te voeren.

Door banken door de overheden op te laten kopen worden wij als burger als het ware mede-eigenaar (uiteraard hebben wij over dit alles niets te zeggen, het speelt zich immers allemaal af in de hogere regionen van onze dictatuur waaronder politieke kringen, die de beslissingen voor de burger menen te mogen nemen (ondanks dat de kloof tussen burger en politiek steeds verder toeneemt, en het vertrouwen zienderogen wegebt)).

Bovendien claimt de politiek dat dit “bankproject van de overheid” voor alle burgers voordeel zou opleveren in de vorm van staatsgarantie op hun spaartegoeden.

Garanties waar de bevolking overigens zelf grof geld voor betaald, doch daarover later meer.

30-09-2008 – Ierland geeft volledige garantie op spaartegoeden!

03-10-2008 – Hogere garantie Britse spaartegoeden!

De Britse Staat staat garant voor een spaartegoed van 50.000 pond (63.800 euro (was 30.000 pond)).

04-10-2008 – Groot-Brittannië en België verhogen garantie spaartegoeden!

Europese minimumnorm 20.000 euro, Nederland tot 38.000 euro, België verhoogt naar 60.000 euro, Italie 103.000 euro, Frankrijk 70.000 euro en Denemarken 40.300 euro!

06-10-2008 – Berlijn verrast met volledige garantie op spaartegoeden!

Merkel en Steinbrück verhoogden de Staatsgarantie op spaartegoeden van 20.000 euro naar een volledige 100% vergoeding!

Ondertussen is Balkenende bezig te slijmen bij de huidige Europese voorzitter Frankrijk om een Europees model voor zijn kapitalistische financiele vangnet op te richten!

02-10-2008 – Europees vangnet voor spaarders en banken in de maak!

Een vangnet waarbij de bevolking waarschijnlijk haar spaartegoed voor 100% krijgt gegarandeerd en wel op Europees niveau, dit om te voorkomen dat Nederlandse spaarders hun spaargeld op buitenlandse banken gaan zetten omdat een aantal van deze banken wel een volledige 100% garantie geven op hun spaartegoeden!

Een Europees vangnet naar Amerikaans model met een fonds van 700 miljard euro!!!

1. Bedenk wel dat de belastingbetaler hiervoor op moet draaien!

Het fonds van 700 miljard euro wordt zeer waarschijnlijk gevuld met belastinginkomsten.

Als dit fonds eenmaal gevuld is kunnen de klanten van de bank die failliet mocht gaan hun gespaarde vermogen terugkrijgen uit dit fonds.

Wat weinigen zich schijnen te beseffen, dat de bankklant in de vorm van belastingbetaler eigenlijk zelf een extra vermogen betaald voor de garantie dat hij zijn eigen spaartegoed terug zal krijgen bij een faillissement van zijn bank.

2. Ook schijnen weinigen te beseffen, dat wanneer dit fonds eenmaal is opgericht, een bank eigenlijk NOOIT failliet kan gaan, omdat vanuit dit miljardenfonds de benodigde bedragen direct kunnen worden doorgesluisd naar de bank die in financiële moeilijkheden is gekomen, zonder dat iemand er ooit achter komt dat de bank in een “crisis” terecht kwam.

Een belangrijke vraag rijst hierbij op: “WIE wordt hierbij de onafhankelijke toezichthouder?”

In ieder geval betekend dit voor de burgerbevolking een extra belastingverhoging totdat dat fonds van 700 miljard is gevuld.

Ondertussen denkt Wouter Bos nog na of hij al dan niet 100% aan spaartegoed garanties durft te bieden, zoals de andere landen hem reeds één voor één voorgegaan zijn.

05-10-2008 – Bos sluit verhoging garantie op spaargeld niet uit!

Even terugkomen op 2 eerdere projecten van “onze volksvertegenwoordigers”!

Wat waren we “blij” met al die cameratoezicht in de strijdt tegen criminaliteit en “terrorisme” die (deze zelfde overheid overigens (zeer waarschijnlijk met opzet) zelf heeft uitgelokt), de privacy drastisch inperkt en de criminaliteit alleen verplaatste buiten het beeld van de camera’s!

Behalve dat deze camera’s een vermogen kosten aan belastinggeld, blijkt steeds weer dat deze camera’s alleen effect hebben op de aantasting van de privacy van de burger, hun “nuttigheid” qua preventie van criminaliteit staats steeds weer ter discussie.

23-01-2007 Connexion onderzoekt mismanagement in Arnhem!

Hierbij werden de camera’s in de bus ge(mis)bruikt tegen de buschauffeurs zelf.

02-10-2008 Cameratoezicht voor psychiatrische patiënten

06-05-2008 CCTV boom has failed to slash crime, says police!

07-05-2008 Kritiek op registratie kentekens omgeving Zwolle!

28-05-2008 Cameratoezicht in treinen!

15-09-2008 Ambulancebroeders niet enthousiast over cameratoezicht (video)!

16-09-2008 Camera’s op bussen leiden niet tot minder geweld!

02-10-2008 Cameratoezicht in isoleercel!

Kritisch op cameratoezicht - Brief De Graaff over cameratoezicht.doc

Een vernietigend stuk over kosten en efficiëntie van camera’s en de twijfel aan de noodzaak van plaatsing!

Een rapport betreffende 4 metingen (2003, 2004, 2005 en 2006) over cameraplaatsing in Amsterdam claimt dat niet te bewijzen valt of cameratoezicht effect heeft (2.3), ook voelt nog steeds 75%-80% van de bewoners in een gebied met cameratoezicht zich nog steeds onveilig (3.1).

Terwijl 32% claimt wel eens slachtoffer te zijn geweest van criminaliteit of overlast, ligt dit percentage bij een gebied met cameratoezicht op 40% (5.4).

Net zo “blij” zijn wij met dat biometrisch pasport en de plannen voor de opslag van alle banktransacties, biometrische kenmerken, internetverkeer (e-mails, surfgewoontes), sofinummers, telefoonverkeer (gsm, sms, mms) en vliegverkeer van alle Europese burgers in één centrale databank!

Biometrisch paspoort!

01-07-2005 Biometrische paspoorten binnen 10 jaar gekraakt!

14-09-2005 Ongeloof over problemen met biometrisch paspoort

10-01-2006 Biometrisch paspoort krijgt kritiek te verduren!

28-08-2006 Biometrisch paspoort officieel ingevoerd!

28-08-2006 Biometrisch paspoort gevaar voor privacy!

06-03-2007 Biometrisch paspoort eenvoudig te kraken!

Onnodig te zeggen dat we deze kapitalen aan belastinggeld verspillende (ook nog eens onveilige) biometrische onding aan het CDA te danken (website CDA standpunten) hebben!

Eigen artikel: “Nederland een politiestaat 02 – Het biometrisch paspoort!”

Terug naar de banken en een kijkje in de toekomst!

Nu we iets over de hypotheekcrisis hebben geleerd, gaan we verder met de meest waarschijnlijke volgende zet van deze kapitalisten.

Een goocheltruc deze keer.

Het omvormingsproces van CASHgeld naar VIRTUEEL geld.

We kennen allemaal de armoede in de 3^e wereldlanden, velen van u halen die aan om aan te duiden dat we het hier in vergelijking met daar “goed” hebben, hoewel sommigen die zich in Nederland al in een benarde situatie bevinden dit (overigens volkomen terecht) zullen bestrijden!

Mijn verwachting is dat met de huidige miljarden verspillingen van de overheden om het op instorten staande kapitalisme overeind te houden, de armoede in onze zogenaamde “welvarende” landen verder zal toenemen.

Zeker als we toelaten dat “onze volksvertegenwoordigers” ons als 3^erangs burgers blijven behandelen en onze kinderen aan drugs en criminele elementen ten onder laten gaan.

Cascade International – Drugsverslaving steeds meer geaccepteerd!

Drugsbeleid in Nederland!

Justitie over Cannabis – Regels omschreven in Opiumwet!

Postbus 51 – Ben ik strafbaar als ik drugs bezit, gebruik, produceer of verhandel?

21-03-2001 Ministerie van VWS (Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport) – Groeiende drugsverslaving onder jongeren!

2003 Drugsgebruik leerlingen!

05-03-2008 Dealers op en rond scholen aanpakken!

07-03-2008 Drugs maken politici blind voor de feiten!

25-08-2008 Wiettaxi bracht bestelde drugs naar scholieren!

10-09-2008 Nederland blijft belangrijkste producent van xtc!

Wij…

De wat oudere generatie kunnen ons nog goed voor de geest halen hoe het 20-30 jaar geleden was…

De wereld was een stuk vriendelijker, de deuren stonden gewoon open en de buren kwamen sociaal op de koffie voor een praatje, maar daar zijn nu alleen nog herinneringen van over.

De politiek heeft de samenleving kapot gemaakt.

Individualisme.

Toenemende prestatiedwang.

Opgedrongen efficiëntie verbetering.

Eenzaamheid.

Asociaal gedrag en intolerantie.

Vervagende “Normen en Waarden” en het teloor gaan van respect.

De maatschappij blijkt intussen bikkelhard te zijn geworden!

Afijn…

Ik ben wat afgedwaald…

Terug naar de verdwijntruc van het CASH geld!

Men zal claimen dat het drukken en persen van CASH teveel geld kost.

Men zal ook de oplopende kosten aanhalen verbonden aan de beveiliging van geldtransporten die steeds vaker zullen worden overvallen.

Om van de almaar toenemende valsemunterij maar niet te spreken.

Er is eigenlijk al veel verandert in het bankwezen tov vroeger.

De gratis bankpasjes zijn vervangen door betaalpasjes, wat ronduit schandalig is omdat je hebt zo’n ding nodig hebt als je aan je eigen geld wilt komen!

Het aantal gratis girobetaalkaarten is uitgedund en je moet er tegenwoordig voor betalen.

De klantvriendelijk en service van deze financiële “dienstverleners” is al een tijdje in het geding doordat filialen in dorpen zijn afgestoten en men er steeds meer op aandringt via het internet te bankieren.

Als gevolg van deze “reorganisaties” is veel bankpersoneel ontslagen.

De balies in de banken zijn onpersoonlijk geworden, alles moet tegenwoordig staand gebeuren, alsof men je snel weer de deur uit wil werken, een enkele bank (en dan spreek ik van buitenlandse banken) biedt je tegenwoordig nog een stoel aan en een kopje koffie om de vriendschappelijke relatie tussen bank en klant (van vroeger) nog eens te benadrukken.

De bereikbaarheid van de banken is teruggebracht naar wat hoofdfilialen in de grote steden, een website die regelmatig plat ligt en een duur 0900 “servicenummer” van 1,45 euro!

Met ouderen wordt ook steeds minder rekening gehouden.

Rente krijg je ook al haast niet meer op je spaartegoed (voor zover je die nog hebt).

Nog even en men laat je betalen voor het op laten slaan van je “vermogen” op de bank!

Ook wil ik nog even op de Rfid- Verichip terugkomen.

Deze chips zullen waarschijnlijk nog eens versneld ingevoerd worden, waarbij men zal claimen dat het de veiligste manier is om te betalen, als zijnde de veiligste manier van identificatie (het herkennen van de eigenaar van de rekening)!

Men zal daarbij claimen dat u geen zwaar CASHgeld meer bij u hoeft te sjouwen.

Men zal hierbij ook claimen dat u veiliger over straat kunt lopen omdat, doordat u geen CASH geld meer bij u draagt, en u dus geen slachtoffer meer wordt van overvallers omdat er bij u niets te halen zou zijn.

Dit virtuele geld zal de kapitalist super vermogend maken, in geval deze het nog niet mocht zijn.

De (Staats)banken kunnen nu immers net zoveel virtueel geld creëren als zij denken nodig te hebben, zonder bang te hoeven zijn dat iemand haar/zijn vermogen zou incasseren, omdat er tegen die tijd geen CASH geld meer bestaat.

Niemand zal het opmerken als de komma bij bepaalde transacties een plaatsje is opgeschoven, en mocht het toch opvallen dan beroept men zich op een menselijke of computerfout.

Ik zou zeggen: “Geef uw ogen en oren goed de kost, want er staat nog iets te gebeuren!”

17-01-2008 Europeaan krijgt bankrekening met 18 tekens door invoering van het Europese betaalsysteem SEPA (Single European Payments Area) een open Europese markt voor bankproducten!

IBAN staat voor "International Bank Account Number"
Het IBAN bestaat uit 18 tekens:
De eerste 2 letters geven de landcode aan: NL voor Nederland;
De volgende 2 cijfers vormen een controlegetal;
Dan volgen 4 letters ter aanduiding van uw bank, bijv. ABNA;
Tot slot volgen 10 cijfers: uw 'oude' nummer met 1 of meer nullen.
BIC staat voor “Bank Identifier Code”
Deze code is naast het IBAN nummer nodig om de andere bank te identificeren (De BIC wordt ook wel S.W.I.F.T.adres genoemd).

De BIC van de banken in Nederland bestaat uit 8 tekens:
Eerst een bankcode: 4 letters
Dan een landcode: 2 letters, bijv. NL
Als laatste een plaatscode: 1 cijfer en 1 letter

De bankpassen worden voorzien van een EMV chip.

Ingangsdatum vervanging bankpassen gepland op 2010!

Conférence Ministérielle "Internet du Futur" : l'Europe citoyenne s'interroge sur la technologie RFID

europen — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:32:31 +0000

Aujourd'hui les ministres européens en charge de l’économie numérique, invités par Éric Besson, Secrétaire d’État français auprès du Premier Ministre, en charge du Développement de l’économie numérique, se sont retrouvés à Nice à la première réunion ministérielle européenne sur les enjeux de l’internet du futur.

Au programme, des questions autour du déploiement de réseaux de très haut débit, de la création de nouveaux services, de la confiance, de la sécurité et de la gouvernance de l’internet du Futur. Cette rencontre permet en outre à la présidence française du Conseil de l'Union européenne de mieux préparer les conclusions qu'elles soumettra sur ces thèmes lors du Conseil Telecom le 27 novembre 2008.

Parmi les premiers retours médiatiques de la réunion, les technologies RFID. Ces technologies, plus connues sous le nom de puces RFID (étiquettes à radiofréquences), devront pouvoir être "déconnectées", estime Eric Besson. Ces puces remplaceront bientôt les code-barres sur tous les produits de la vie courante. Aussi, elles suscitent des inquiétudes en matière de protection de la vie privée. A l’occasion de la réunion des ministres européens sur "l’Internet du futur" qui se tient aujourd’hui et demain à Nice, le secrétaire d’Etat à l’Economie numérique Eric Besson a plaidé pour un "droit au silence des puces" rapporte Radio France Info :

Les consommateurs devront donc pouvoir "tuer" (momentanément ou définitivement) les puces dans le cas où celles-ci constitueraient une menace pour leur vie privée. Eric Besson estime que L’Europe doit "construire un Internet du futur qui soit le reflet des valeurs des citoyens".

Autres éléments de présentation donnés par Marc Fossier, Chief Technology Officer, France Télécom (in english)

[dailymotion id=k2wxcwvgsNB0bvKNbL&related=1]

La conférence se poursuit demain, avec notamment l'intervention de Lawrence Lessig dans une session qui s'intéresse aux enjeux de la coopération internationale, ce sera l'occasion de revenir sur ce thème de première importance dans un prochain billet. Les autres sessions porterons principalement sur l'internet des objets sous diverses problématiques. La première concernera sa gouvernance, les suivantes évoqueront les aspects technologiques et architecturaux.

Enfin, si vous désirez en savoir plus sur la technologie RFID, vous pouvez suivre ce fil ACTU RFID très intéressant proposé par le site officiel de la Conférence.

Teknoturisteille nähtävää, innovaatio-showroomeja, living labeja

smedsp123 — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:56:09 +0000

Inventory Management Internal Policies

Usman Sheikh — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:07:06 +0000

“Policies are many, Principles are few, Policies will change, Principles never do.” John C. Maxwell

A common answer I get when I ask individuals why they chose to become entrepreneurs is, "We did not want to get buried in bureaucracy and policies which stop us from performing optimally." I completely understand where they are coming from. It is true that in some larger organizations policies and controls become so complex that it leads to much frustration. However, I do not advocate running a business without any control measures. Policies and controls need to be selected carefully. Their main objective should be to facilitate bottom line growth for the business. These objectives act as guiding principles, and policies are intended to facilitate reaching those goals. Proper inventory management can impact bottom line figures and results for the business substantially, and is an area where entrepreneurs need control measures to ensure that things move smoothly. Listed below are a few policies which may be helpful:

1. Ordering: If your business depends on manufacturers to produce your product, it is best you have documented your specifications in detail. It is also advisable to get quotes from a number of manufacturers before deciding to go with a particular vendor. This not only helps gather market information, it enables you to get the best price as well.

2. Inventory Review: I recommend setting up a policy to review inventory stock levels periodically. This helps determine current worth, idle stock alternative strategies to be offloaded can be discussed, and it provides management with a holistic view of the level of risk they are currently exposed to. For a service based business, this can identify customers not paying on time, and adjust their credit lines accordingly.

3. Collections: This is an area where entrepreneurs face a lot of challenges. If you have outstanding payments for products sold through retailers or for services rendered, it is essential that a mechanism is in place to receive this payments as soon as possible. I would recommend setting up periodic reminders through, email, phone calls and personal visits to speed up this process. Depending on your business model, having a collection policy which is adhered to closely, can increase short term liquidity substantially.

Inventory management is definitely not the most exciting aspects of business. It is however, a critical function which needs to be given a lot more focus. Through appropriate policies and control measures, we can achieve optimal inventory velocity and increase the likelihood of turning in even greater profit.

Inventory Management Technologies

Usman Sheikh — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:34:39 +0000

“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” Bill Gates

Technology has played a massive role in optimizing inventory management. Examples of companies which stand out are, Walmart and Dell, they have used technology to make the most of their inventories and maximize velocity. Both these companies have used technologies such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), web based systems and software automation. Take Walmart for example, they track inventory levels throughout their stores continuously, and are able to transfer inventory from one geographical location to another, based on demand changes or how they use RFID to streamline pick-ups and deliveries from their warehouses. These represent massive infrastructure costs, which eventually lead to cost savings and efficiency. Most start-up companies will not be able to afford such systems. However, they do need to think of creative ways to use available technologies to optimize their own inventories.

Some ways to incorporate simple technologies into your business are:

1. Bar Coding: With specialty printers and software available quite reasonably, I recommend tagging your stock to keep track of movements. We implemented this in one of the companies I was consulting at, and it gave management a holistic view about stock levels and usage patterns. Using this information, they were able to make better inventory based decisions.

2. Inventory Software: These programs help keep track of key metrics regarding the usage of your inventory. They have the capability to provide future trends based on past usage, and can identify areas where the business is taking unnecessary exposure by ordering too much or too little. The fact that your stock inventory can be viewed holistically is a great benefit in itself.

3. Billing Management: For service based businesses, I strongly recommend using an invoicing and billing management software. These are critical to ensure that invoices are issued in time, and payments made accordingly. One can easily find metrics such as, how long your billing cycles are, and which customers need to be given stricter terms. Some tools have inbuilt email reminders, a very handy feature, to remind customers on a periodic basis. I find a lot of younger business owners take this function too lightly which can severely damage cash flows.

A constant aim should remain to increase inventory velocity. Technology provides us with a multitude of tools to help reach this goal. Some technology tools available, can unnecessarily complicate processes which can backfire. It is important to always keep simplicity and some specific goals in mind when integrating technology tools.

Strokesaver

carat18 — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:19:04 +0000

Every golfer had this experience; great drive from the tee; ball never to be found again. It is one of the frustations of golf (among others). Now there is a solution; RadarGolf brings you a real strokesaver. A RFID-tagged golfball (Radio Frequency Identification). It's saving strokes and saving time (remember the R&A rule on time; you have 5 minutes to find your ball). The gadget comes with a price, but maybe the device is common use in a couple of years. Have a look at the commercial!

Mark of the Beast- Part 2- RFID Chip

justinlessard — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 06:30:35 +0000

Wht is the RFID chip? Its a tiny microchip, the size of a grain of rice (and getting smaller). They cast less than 50¢ apiece, as low as 30¢, depending on who's reporting. Many stores are already requiring them in product's shipments. Why is that a big deal? Sounds useful, right? It may be useful for tracking shipments, but there are other applications. This chip is being implanted in pets, snd in some people. There are thousands of imprisoned felons who are tracked with this method. Soon, all people will be required to have one. Without it, you cannot buy or sell, open an account, etc. All aspects of life may soon be controlled by your chip, which will be assigned YOUR own number, based on barcode technology. If you are unfamiliar, please read "Mark of the Beast- Part 1" first, then this. Following is an article by Scott Granneman, about the basic fundamentals surrounding the use and implications of the RFID chip.

From RFID Chips Are Here by Scott Granneman, 2003-06-26, http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/169

RFID 101

Invented in 1969 and patented in 1973, but only now becoming commercially and technologically viable, RFID tags are essentially microchips, the tinier the better. Some are only 1/3 of a millimeter across. These chips act as transponders (transmitters/responders), always listening for a radio signal sent by transceivers, or RFID readers. When a transponder receives a certain radio query, it responds by transmitting its unique ID code, perhaps a 128-bit number, back to the transceiver. Most RFID tags don't have batteries (How could they? They're 1/3 of a millimeter!). Instead, they are powered by the radio signal that wakes them up and requests an answer.

Most of these "broadcasts" are designed to be read between a few inches and several feet away, depending on the size of the antenna and the power driving the RFID tags (some are in fact powered by batteries, but due to the increased size and cost, they are not as common as the passive, non-battery-powered models). However, it is possible to increase that distance if you build a more sensitive RFID receiver.

RFID chips cost up to 50 cents, but prices are dropping. Once they get to 5 cents each, it will be cost-efficient to put RFID tags in almost anything that costs more than a dollar.

Who's using RFID?

RFID is already in use all around us. Ever chipped your pet dog or cat with an ID tag? Or used an EZPass through a toll booth? Or paid for gas using ExxonMobil’s SpeedPass? Then you've used RFID.

Some uses, especially those related to security, seem like a great idea. For instance, Delta is testing RFID on some flights, tagging 40,000 customer bags in order to reduce baggage loss and make it easier to route bags if customers change their flight plans.

Three seaport operators - who account for 70% of the world's port operations - agreed to deploy RFID tags to track the 17,000 containers that arrive each day at US ports. Currently, less than 2% are inspected. RFID tags will be used to track the containers and the employees handling them.

The United States Department of Defense is moving into RFID in order to trace military supply shipments. During the first Gulf War, the DOD made mistakes in its supply allocation. To streamline operations, the U.S. military has placed RFID tags on 270,000 cargo containers and tracks those shipments throughout 40 countries.

On a smaller level, but one that will instantly resonate with security pros, Star City Casino in Sydney, Australia placed RFID tags in 80,000 employee uniforms in order to put a stop to theft. The same idea would work well in corporate PCs, networking equipment, and handhelds.

In all of these cases, RFID use seems reasonable. It is non-intrusive, and it seems to balance security and privacy. Other uses for RFID, however, may be troublesome.

Visa is combining smart cards and RFID chips so people can conduct transactions without having to use cash or coins. These smart cards can also be incorporated into cell phones and other devices. Thus, you could pay for parking, buy a newspaper, or grab a soda from a vending machine without opening your wallet. This is wonderfully convenient, but the specter of targeted personal ads popping up as I walk through the mall, a la Minority Report, does not thrill me.

Michelin, which manufactures 800,000 tires a day, is going to insert RFID tags into its tires. The tag will store a unique number for each tire, a number that will be associated with the car's VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). Good for Michelin, and car manufacturers, and fighting crime. Potentially bad for you. Who will assure your privacy? Do you really want your car's tires broadcasting your every move?

The European Central Bank may embed RFID chips in the euro note. Ostensibly to combat counterfeiters and money-launderers, it would also enable banks to count large amounts of cash in seconds. Unfortunately, such a move would also makes it possible for governments to track the passage of cash from individual to individual. Cash is the last truly anonymous way to buy and sell. With RFID tags, that anonymity would be gone. In addition, banks would not be the only ones who could in an instant divine how much cash you were carrying; criminals can also obtain power transceivers.

Several major manufacturers and retailers expect RFID tags to aid in managing the supply chain, from manufacturing to shipping to stocking store shelves, including Gillette (which purchased 500 million RFID tags for its razors), Home Depot, The Gap, Proctor & Gamble, Prada, Target, Tesco (a United Kingdom chain), and Wal-Mart. Especially Wal-Mart.

The retail giant, the largest employer in America, is working with Gillette to create "smart shelves" that can alert managers and stockboys to replenish the supply of razors. More significantly, Wal-Mart intends for its top 100 suppliers to fully support RFID for inventory tracking by 2005. Wal-Mart would love to be able to point an RFID reader at any of the 1 billion sealed boxes of widgets it receives every year and instantly know exactly how many widgets it has. No unpacking, no unnecessary handling, no barcode scanners required.

RFID Issues

Right now, you can buy a hammer, a pair of jeans, or a razor blade with anonymity. With RFID tags, that may be a thing of the past. Some manufacturers are planning to tag just the packaging, but others will also tag their products. There is no law requiring a label indicating that an RFID chip is in a product. Once you buy your RFID-tagged jeans at The Gap with RFID-tagged money, walk out of the store wearing RFID-tagged shoes, and get into your car with its RFID-tagged tires, you could be tracked anywhere you travel. Bar codes are usually scanned at the store, but not after purchase. But RFID transponders are, in many cases, forever part of the product, and designed to respond when they receive a signal. Imagine everything you own is "numbered, identified, catalogued, and tracked." Anonymity and privacy? Gone in a hailstorm of invisible communication, betrayed by your very property.

But let's not stop there. Others are talking about placing RFID tags into all sensitive or important documents: "it will be practical to put them not only in paper money, but in drivers' licenses, passports, stock certificates, manuscripts, university diplomas, medical degrees and licenses, birth certificates, and any other sort of document you can think of where authenticity is paramount." In other words, those documents you're required to have, that you can't live without, will be forever tagged.

Consider the human body as well. Applied Digital Solutions has designed an RFID tag - called the VeriChip - for people. Only 11 mm long, it is designed to go under the skin, where it can be read from four feet away. They sell it as a great way to keep track of children, Alzheimer's patients in danger of wandering, and anyone else with a medical disability, but it gives me the creeps. The possibilities are scary. In May, delegates to the Chinese Communist Party Congress were required to wear an RFID-equipped badge at all times so their movements could be tracked and recorded. Is there any doubt that, in a few years, those badges will be replaced by VeriChip-like devices?

Surveillance is getting easier, cheaper, smaller, and ubiquitous. Sure, it's possible to destroy an RFID tag. You can crush it, puncture it, or microwave it (but be careful of fires!). You can't drown it, however, and you can't demagnetize it. And washing RFID-tagged clothes won't remove the chips, since they're specifically designed to withstand years of wearing, washing, and drying. You could remove the chip from your jeans, but you'd have to find it first.

That's why Congress should require that consumers be notified about products with embedded RFID tags. We should know when we're being tagged. We should also be able to disable the chips in our own property. If it's the property of the company we work for, that's a different matter. But if it's ours, we should be able to control whether tracking is enabled.

Security professionals need to realize that RFID tags are dumb devices. They listen, and they respond. Currently, they don't care who sends the signal. Anything your companies' transceiver can detect, the bad guy's transceiver can detect. So don't be lulled into a false sense of security.

With RFID about to arrive in full force, don't be lulled at all. Major changes are coming, and not all of them will be positive. The law of unintended consequences is about to encounter surveillance devices smaller than the period at the end of this sentence.

The size of a grain of rice, these take only a couple minutes to implant. Its just like getting a regular shot, except they leave this chip in for life.

Please visit:

http://www.oilempire.us/rfid.html & http://www.spychips.com/

In short, Each RFID Chip is associated with a barcode number. That would be YOUR barcode, if you were to get a chip. Barcodes are broken into sets. Between these sets is a "101" code, at the beginning and at the end are also "101" codes. These are the lines that stick out a little further at the bottom of the barcode. There are 2 sets of numbers, 0-9, called "Left Side (Odd Parity) Codes" and "Right Side (Even Parity) Codes". Out of these 20 codes, only the "Right Side" 6 has this 101 combo. Therefore, those three sets of lines that stick out on a barcode can be read as 666.

The RFID chip, using a barcode, will allow you to buy, sell, get into the places you want, be monitored by whomever, control your car, computer, etc. Now read this, from the book of Revelation:

Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.

11And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name. –Revelation 13:14-18; 14:11

Check out this YouTube Video:

RFID System Thwarted by Hackers...That didn't take long.

donttreadonmike — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:12:22 +0000

[ARTICLE]

This is why the REAL ID Act is bad. The cards aren't even out yet and hackers already know how to access the information and even created fake cards with whatever fake info they want. National ID cards are every identity thief's dream.

11.5 Ways to protect your privacy

ianfleming007 — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:49:09 +0000

Remove mail from your mailbox as soon after delivery as possible.
Deposit outgoing mail in street mailboxes or at your local post office instead of your home.
Never give personal information over the telephone.
Shred any documents with personal information such as pre-approved credit applications, credit card receipts, bills and other financial information.
Obtain a copy of your credit report once a year to check for unusual activity.
Check your financial statements in a timely manner, and immediately report any charges you don’t recognize to your financial institution.
Report all lost or stolen credit cards, checks or driver’s licenses.
Memorize your Social Security number, and never carry the card in your wallet.
Beware of mail or telephone promotions offering instant prizes of awards. (If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.)
Protect your RFID enabled Credit Cards with a RFID Blockr Wallet
Protect your RFID Passport with a RFID Blockr Passport Case

11.5 Use common sense.

Hackers Clone Elvis' Passport

nolimit974 — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:42:39 +0000

"Hackers have released source code that allows the 'backup' of RFID-protected passports, although the tool can potentially be used to create fake or cloned documents. The Hacker's Choice, a non-commercial group of computer security experts, has released a video showing a cloned passport being approved by a security scanner at a Dutch airport. When the reader scans the passport, it is revealed to belong to one Elvis Aaron Presley, complete with picture. Reports of the hackers serenading security staff with 'Are You Clonesome Tonight' are unconfirmed."

Le passeport électronique, à la poubelle !

Noeil — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:13:59 +0000

Comme vous le savez, le passeport électronique arrive. Honnêtement, je suis un peu perdu entre le passeport traditionnel, le passeport biométrique et le passeport électronique. Toujours est-il que le passeport électronique serait (relativement) facilement falsifiable. Dites moi pas que c'est pas vrai ? Une puce RFID, ça se falsifie ? Oui, comme tout. ^^

Cet article explique comment un simple programme permet de fabriquer la puce RFID avec les infos que l'on souhaite dessus. Ça fait un peu peur...
Et si on en restait aux passeports traditionnels ?

Ça m'eviterait de changer le mien, qui est ancienne génération. Je l'aime bien, je m'y suis fait. Disons que c'est sentimental. :) Alors, le changer pour un passeport plus technologique mais autant falsifiable, je me pose la question : est-ce bien nécessaire ?

[Article rédigé par Noeil]

Information, information, information...

procurementtechnology — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:44:23 +0000

The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care recently put up a Patient Safety Indicator (http://www.health.gov.on.ca/patient_safety/public/cdad/cdad_pub.html#) on its Website. The current indicator only shows Clostridium difficile rates. But more are to come, such as the Hospital Standardized Mortality Ratio and the Hand Hygiene Compliance (I have no clue how they are going to measure that, but could we get the same for the Restaurant industry, please?).

While all this might lead some to intense paranoia, it is at least showing an effort to measure current problems, and evaluate solutions put forward on a province-wide scale. Ross Memorial Hospital (http://www.rmh.org/content/view/695/402/) has even decided to jump in as well, publishing its own C. difficile rates, along with average length of stay and wait times.

And if this is not showing you how important information is to a health care center, Medicare (the U.S. public health insurance system), starting today, will not pay for a list of preventable medical errors anymore (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/us/01mistakes.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss). Preventable errors include the dreaded various objects forgotten inside a patient after surgery.

How is this related to procurement?

A five cents sponge might not look like it is worth spending fifteen cents to identify it with an RFID tag. But then a second surgery to remove it because it was left behind might be a lot more expensive than all the individual tags and sponges used up until then. Traceability, from the moment a care unit requests a product to the day an item is used, destroyed, applied, or sold, has a lot to do with procurement. Computerizing the Supply Chain allows for an adequate flow of the information to the users and patients, and an equally important return in data.

Think how far you can prevent massive infections when you know the last manufacturer, last maintenance, last sterilization, last instrument, last location, last user, last procedure and last patient that were used in any event along the care process.

The benefits for your procurement team are also interesting. By tracking their pumps usage with RFID over a period of time, Wayne Memorial Hospital's (http://www.radarfind.com/pdf/Case_Study.pdf) procurement team was able to avoid buying 53 additional pumps over 2007 and 2008, a quick saving of over a quarter million dollars. And this is only the direct financial benefit. Nurses' time to search for pumps has also decreased. Pumps in need of cleaning are automatically detected by the Biomed team. Patient care, overall, is faster and safer.

Technologies in procurement can help us generate much needed data to be used throughout our organizations. If that information can become critical for healthcare, for example, can we really overlook any brilliant application of modern tools such as Wayne Memorial Hospital's?

Cloning and modifying E-Passports

Caleb Kraft — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:30:41 +0000

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3185369830560352967&hl=de]

[THC/vonJeek] have released an application that allow you to backup and modify E-Passport data. Check out the video of Elvis checking in at the airport. Apparently there is no way for the machine to know if the passport has been tampered with.

[via Schneier]

BizTalk RFID

mdbeckner — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:24:12 +0000

I've got a new book coming out in March 2009 on BizTalk RFID. An early link to the book as at http://www.amazon.com/Pro-RFID-BizTalk-Server-2006/dp/1430218371/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222812317&sr=1-3.

I am co-authoring this book with Mark Simms and Venkatesh Ram, both incredible experts in RFID technology and its application.

The final book title will be Pro RFID in BizTalk Server 2009.