the ring

[sergebroom]

What do you think this is?



A key ring?
Yes.
But it's also more than that.

It's the 21st Century.

Besides the keys that traditionally show up on a key ring(*), one can find little plastic cards with bar codes used by various stores to give you rebates on purchases made in the flesh. There is a code generator to use along with a password when making purchases thru the internet. There is a memory stick with a capacity of 2gb for my own personal use. There is a 4gb memory stick for my work. And the photo was taken by a digital camera.

In the background, Harry Truman looks on approvingly.

----------

(*) Well, there is a reason why it's called a key ring.

Comments

[miltonthales.livejournal.com]

I'm interested in that code generator. Please explain.

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's just something that displays a 6-digit number when you press a button. Next, when you enter you password to get into that site, you append the number to the password.

[miltonthales.livejournal.com]

But isn't that kinda like a one-time pad? Or does it remember what number was assigned to that site for use next time you go there?

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

Each number can indeed be used only once. So, next time I use that PayPal account, I push the button, append that new number to the password's fixed section, then I'm allowed in.

My employer has a similar setup for whem we access its computer system without a LAN connection - always from home, in my case, which means I don't have to add that card to my key ring. Good thing too otherwise the combined weight of my 21st Century key ring would rip a hole thru my pant pocket.