(If you thought biometrics was a new science, think again. Newsdesk reported on an identification system ...)
"The breakthrough invention, Vein Check, was thought up by Joseph Rice, who has reached the semi-finals in a Confederation of British Industry competition. Vein Check produces an infra-red image which scans the number, size and position of subcutaneous blood vessels in the wrist or back of the hand. This forms a unique wave pattern which can be referred to a file and,once matched, will confirm the identity. It can be used for credit cards or signature verification points in stores, cash dispensers and for access control to premises and computers. It is said to be as accurate as fingerprinting but more user-friendly."
Ignorance is no defence in law
(Syd Robins of Select Business Forms warned installers about the pitfalls of copyright. His advice had a sting in the tail ...)
"We come across many cases of the law being broken by installers because they apparently have no knowledge of the implications of such an offence. Installers send us copy for reproduction which they have obviously 'borrowed' from another company – usually the major installer they were employed by before they struck out on their own.
"Infringement of copyright can cost the person making the copies up to £5,000. Have you a photocopy of British Standards in your office? If so, you could be the next to have to find that £5,000.
"Don't you be the one to present us with a free holiday in some exotic location because you were tempted to photocopy our business forms."
Benefits of cellular telephony
(Susan Furnell looked at the role of cellular communications, describing the technology and outlining the choices confronting the user ...)
"Cellular communications is one of several forms of wireless telephony. Wireless telephony implies flexibility of a personal number that can always be reached regardless of the number of the nearest fixed phone, flexibility of being able to make a call from anywhere at any time, and flexibility in controlling resources.
"Companies that could benefit from cellular telephony should invest in it as soon as possible, rather than waiting for the launch of new digital services. It will be some time before these new services are competitive in terms of cost, value added service and size of handset. The real cost of a phone is not in the hardware but in the call charges. The main choice facing the customers is which service provider they should use".
Access is more complex than alarms
(That was the verdict of a Security Installer round-up of the electronic access technologies available ...)
"Cards, codes, keys, tags and tokens. Take your pick. Today's access control systems provide a bevy of alternatives and levels of complexity to suit every requirement.
"Specifying an access control system is perhaps more complex than designing an alarm. Not only must the possibilities and configurations be as flexible as the comings and goings of the personnel using it, but most systems will need to offer several levels of security.
"These may be as simple as a code for staff and a code for visitors, or as complex as individual units within the system being coded and timed separately for different groups of authorised users.
"Some may need manual over-ride where a high security lock cylinder is incorporated, others may require the facility to be re-programmed in situ rather than linked to a computerised administration system at a central point."
Source
Security Installer
