RFID-Based Security System

[Frank Bemelman]

be populated by adult-minded people with a scientific outlook. I'm sure

there are plenty like that out there, but my impression is that I just
walked into a kindergarten.

A change of attitude might be your ticket to reduce the number
of enemies you have to protect yourself from.

And Plonk! (for top posting)

Good riddance.

 

[Android]

A change of attitude might be your ticket to reduce the number
of enemies you have to protect yourself from.

Of course! That's it. Why didn't I think of that before? Next time
someone parks their motorbike in my grounds I'll keep a special eye on
my wife to make sure she doesn't say anything to them about it.

And I'll be extra sure to make sure all the local streetlights are in
good repair too.

Don't you get it? There are crazy people in this world. I am a
foreigner living in a relatively big house and it sometimes attracts
the wrong sort of attention. Do me a favour and don't assume it has
anything to do with my attitude without checking a few facts first, ok?

Also, if you read my original post, I don't think you'll see anything
wrong with my attitude. Of course I'm now letting off a little steam,
but I think that's to be expected in the circumstances, don't you?
Notice that I'm not critical of the group in general, only of those
posters who were so narrow-minded and childish.

 

[John Woodgate]

So when someone posts in good clear English, describing a violent and
uncivilized situation, we naturally assume you are in the USA.

MEEEEE--YOWWW!

 

[Android]

It's not an entirely unreasonable assumption to guess that you are
posting from the USA.

That's true, when you post in a civilized, adult manner. If, on the
other hand, you're going to attack someone with a barrage of childish
abuse, don't you think it may be worth spending a little effort
checking your assumptions first? All it would need is a simple question
like "where do you live?". It makes me wonder how many of the abusive
posters have ever been outside their own country.

You failed to give essential information,

What essential information? I outlined the problem and specified what
sort of parameters I am dealing with. Of course I was ready to provide
any further information that might be required. All anyone had to do
was ask. Instead, they assumed I was some sort of paranoid survivalist
nutcase living in a bunker.

you are asking for something close to impossible, you clearly don't have the knowledge, ability and finances to do what you ask for

You know nothing about me, my knowledge, abilities and finances so,
once again, you are making assumptions. As for it being "close to
impossible", I've received an idea (from Tom) that suggests how to go
about it, so is he crazy too? It's true, I'm exploring an area that I'm
not too familiar with, but so what? Who are you to curtail my
interests?

you are suggesting things that many
here feel are ethically or morally wrong (never mind illegal in most of
the world), and you are almost certainly going about things the wrong
way (at least under the assumption that you are in the USA).

Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy to discuss the moral and legal
issues - in a calm and adult manner. If someone felt that I had missed
a moral point or legal issue, all they had to do was tell me. Are you
seriously contending that I am entirely to blame for the abusive
posters? Would you abdocate them of responsibility for all for the
words they typed?

What sort
of answers did you expect? If you had asked how to set up a phone tap
on your neighbour - something that several in this newsgroup probably
know how to do - do think they would tell you?

I don't know. Call me crazy if you like (oh that's already been done
several times), but I naively threw out some thoughts to see what other
people made of them. I am not married to my ideas and am perfectly
happy to have any impracticalities pointed out to me. That approach has
worked well for me in my professional life as a database designer as
well as in my recent occupation as a villa-builder. Of course my
proposals would be illegal in the US, but that doesn't make them
illegal everywhere. I could have pointed out I was in a different
country, but are you seriously proposing that I deserved the treatment
I got just because I ommitted that fact?

Well, I have received death-threats. What should I do? One option is to
assume they are just empty words and to carry on as normal. Another is
to turn tail and run - just sell up and flee the country (or stay and
live in a bunker). Sorry, but neither option does it for me. I'm
looking for a happy medium. Although the threats may never amount to
anything, I feel it's prudent to take steps to protect myself and my
property. I have some security in place, but it's not over the top.
What would make it a lot more effective would be some sort of *early*
warning system. Is that such an unreasonable thought to have? It's
true, I don't know how to build such a thing, but that's why I posted
to this group. Isn't that my right? Or has a new law been passed that I
didn't know about?

As for bugging these people making me as bad as them: I don't think so.
Is the US government as bad as Al-Qaeda because they listen in on
telephone conversations as a matter of routine? Cue accusations of
survivalist paranoia... They justify it on the grounds that it is a
necessary evil in the name of protecting their country from terrorists.
I am not proposing to listen to conversations, and I am not proposing
tracking the movements of anyone. What I am proposing (or was looking
for advice about) was some way to get a warning should one of these
people decide to pay me a visit. Is that such an infringement upon
their civil liberties? Bear in mind that they have threatened me and ,
in one case, my wife.

Add to that, many view this particular newsgroup as entertainment as
well as for serious professional discussions. The same people will give
solid expert electronics advice on one thread, and engage in
kindergarten name-calling in another. I think some people assumed this
was a non-serious off-topic thread.

As I mentioned before, I am guilty of making an assumption myself -
that my simple query (as unrealistic as it may be) wouldn't result in a
torrent of kindergaten name-calling. Suffice to say that I've learned
my lesson and will be a lot more careful in future.

I've wasted enough time on this already. It's not my job to educate
people. If they want to carry on in a juvenile, narow-minded, way
that's up to them. From now on, I'm only going to respond to posts that
are relevant and courteous (like yours, by the way).

 

[Frithiof Andreas Jensen]

Dear posters,

You all seem to assume that I live in a "civilised" country, like the
US, where restraining orders, etc. have meaning. That is not the case.
I live in Indonesia.

Well, go to the local mob outfit and pay your protection money like
everyone else does.

 

[Frithiof Andreas Jensen]

What essential information? I outlined the problem and specified what
sort of parameters I am dealing with. Of course I was ready to provide
any further information that might be required. All anyone had to do
was ask. Instead, they assumed I was some sort of paranoid survivalist
nutcase living in a bunker.

What else would one assume??

If your security is really that important you would *not* resort to
some half-baked, unreliable, do-it-entirely-by-yourself plan that
(incidentially) involves bravely venturing out and tampering with
dangerous peoples wehicles.

That is egg-saktly what a nut would do!

In real life one would hire some help, at the very least getting a
real security system designed by professional people installed -
or/and even pay "other people" to get the scum off your back.

 

[David Brown]

That's true, when you post in a civilized, adult manner. If, on the
other hand, you're going to attack someone with a barrage of childish
abuse, don't you think it may be worth spending a little effort
checking your assumptions first? All it would need is a simple question
like "where do you live?". It makes me wonder how many of the abusive
posters have ever been outside their own country.

Are you honestly suggesting that people should make extra effort to
check their assumptions before being childish? It's not a very
realistic hope.

What essential information? I outlined the problem and specified what
sort of parameters I am dealing with. Of course I was ready to provide
any further information that might be required. All anyone had to do
was ask. Instead, they assumed I was some sort of paranoid survivalist
nutcase living in a bunker.

Essential information such as the country you live in? And from your
first post, it is difficult to judge whether you fear a mafia hit squad,
a governmental agency (maybe you are a wanted criminal?), or a pack of
Jehovah's Witnesses who won't take no for an answer.

You know nothing about me, my knowledge, abilities and finances so,
once again, you are making assumptions. As for it being "close to

I know as much about your knowledge, abilities and finances as I need to
- you made it perfectly clear in your first couple of posts that you are
not an electronics expert, you don't know much about RFID, and you are
looking for a low-cost solution. While you missed some important
information, you did the right thing in giving that information so we
know what we are dealing with.

impossible", I've received an idea (from Tom) that suggests how to go
about it, so is he crazy too? It's true, I'm exploring an area that I'm
not too familiar with, but so what? Who are you to curtail my
interests?

Feel free to do as you please as far as I am concerned.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy to discuss the moral and legal
issues - in a calm and adult manner. If someone felt that I had missed
a moral point or legal issue, all they had to do was tell me. Are you
seriously contending that I am entirely to blame for the abusive
posters? Would you abdocate them of responsibility for all for the
words they typed?

If you really think people were being abusive and rude, then I can only
assume you are new to Usenet and should avoid it until you've grown a
thicker skin. Think about how your original post would read to people
in this group (you did read through other threads here before posting,
so that you knew it was the right group, didn't you?) - it sounds more
than a little bit crazy, and like a wildly optimistic attempt at a
technological solution to a sociological problem. So most of your
answers are bound to be either nonsensical or non-technical.

And yes, I think you have very serious moral and legal issues to think
through. People here will probably discuss them (nothing is really
off-topic in this newsgroup), but I couldn't guarantee that it would be
in a calm and adult manner!

I don't know. Call me crazy if you like (oh that's already been done
several times), but I naively threw out some thoughts to see what other
people made of them. I am not married to my ideas and am perfectly
happy to have any impracticalities pointed out to me. That approach has
worked well for me in my professional life as a database designer as
well as in my recent occupation as a villa-builder. Of course my
proposals would be illegal in the US, but that doesn't make them
illegal everywhere. I could have pointed out I was in a different
country, but are you seriously proposing that I deserved the treatment
I got just because I ommitted that fact?

I've been looking through this thread again, and I really can't see any
post that seems to warrant the bleeding heart complaints. You claim to
be dealing with death-threats, yet a few posts suggesting your ideas are
nuts, or that you should get a dog, have reduced you to whining? If
someone makes a Usenet post that you think is insulting, you have three
choices - you can argue that they are wrong (seldom successful), you can
flame back (also seldom helpful, but sometimes fun), or you can ignore
them. Complaining about how nasty we all are and demanding apologies is
not going to get you anywhere, and it's not going to get you helpful
results.

Well, I have received death-threats. What should I do? One option is to
assume they are just empty words and to carry on as normal. Another is
to turn tail and run - just sell up and flee the country (or stay and
live in a bunker). Sorry, but neither option does it for me. I'm
looking for a happy medium. Although the threats may never amount to
anything, I feel it's prudent to take steps to protect myself and my
property. I have some security in place, but it's not over the top.
What would make it a lot more effective would be some sort of *early*
warning system. Is that such an unreasonable thought to have? It's
true, I don't know how to build such a thing, but that's why I posted
to this group. Isn't that my right? Or has a new law been passed that I
didn't know about?

I have no idea what would be a sensible solution for you - but I do know
that some sort of tagging system is not the right way to go. How about
trying to find appropriate people to ask (maybe your local embassy?),
rather than an electronics newsgroup? Of course it is your right to
post here, but it's also the right of others in this group to reply as
they feel appropriate.

As for bugging these people making me as bad as them: I don't think so.

Obviously not.

Is the US government as bad as Al-Qaeda because they listen in on
telephone conversations as a matter of routine? Cue accusations of

Many would argue yes (although not just because of the bugging).

survivalist paranoia... They justify it on the grounds that it is a
necessary evil in the name of protecting their country from terrorists.

They can "justify" it on any grounds they like - it is still evil, and
it doesn't protect anyone from anything. But this is a topic for
another thread.

I am not proposing to listen to conversations, and I am not proposing
tracking the movements of anyone. What I am proposing (or was looking
for advice about) was some way to get a warning should one of these
people decide to pay me a visit. Is that such an infringement upon
their civil liberties? Bear in mind that they have threatened me and ,
in one case, my wife.

Yes, it is an infringement of their civil liberties - especially if it
involves tagging them or their cars. Regardless of the ethical
considerations, it's unlikely that a technical solution in itself is
appropriate.

As I mentioned before, I am guilty of making an assumption myself -
that my simple query (as unrealistic as it may be) wouldn't result in a
torrent of kindergaten name-calling. Suffice to say that I've learned
my lesson and will be a lot more careful in future.

I've wasted enough time on this already. It's not my job to educate
people. If they want to carry on in a juvenile, narow-minded, way
that's up to them. From now on, I'm only going to respond to posts that
are relevant and courteous (like yours, by the way).

Remember, this is "our" group - if you want to join in, that's fine, but
you play by "our" rules. Look at other threads here - when asking
serious technical questions, you can expect serious technical answers.
When asking bizarre questions, you can expect bizarre answers. This
group is dominated by a few people with plenty of ideas and opinions -
sometimes very useful, sometimes completely irrational*, and no amount
of complaining or attempted "education" will change that.

( *irrational is, of course, defined as disagreeing with me.)

 

[[email protected]]

US, where restraining orders, etc. have meaning. That is not the case.
I live in Indonesia. Most of your comments become invalid when you take

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I think the correct solution for
your geographic reason is to arm yourself and/or hire a bodyguard.

Regardless of whether you live in Indonesia or the US, you still sound
like a paranoid nutcase. And what you want to do is still technically
impossible.

 

[[email protected]]

Please tell me you didn't actually take the time to sit there and
physically type those words. Tell me you cut and pasted them from

I guess sarcasm is wasted on the brain-dead. If you ask a stupid
question, you have to expect a stupid answer. Go into sci.physics and
ask how to make a cold fusion reactor for under $10, because you need
it to power an emergency escape teleport system. You'll get the same
sorts of replies (if any), for the same reason.

Barrett happens to make the best-known .50 sniper rifle, btw.

 

[Rich Grise]

You still don't get it, do you?

First of all you *assumed* I was being paranoid about "the boogeyman
behind that tree".

Well, that's essentially what you've presented.

Now, you *assume* I am at fault by "pissing everybody off.".

Well, why else would they be out to get you?

Why do you keep making assumptions?

Becuase you have provided us with insufficient information.

Good Luck!
Rich

 

[Rich Grise]

That's right, they *assumed* I was in the USA - but they didn't merely
comment about the right way to solve my problem in that country, they
took the opportunity to turn on me like a bunch of playground bullies.
I think that reflects rather badly on them and I'm not surprised to see
that no-one has said anything to admit they were wrong or to apologise.
On the contrary, they are now seeking to blame me for "pissing everyone
off" and, pathetically, for "top-posting". How sad is that?

Pretty sad.

Good-Bye.
Rich

 

[Rich Grise]

Of course! That's it. Why didn't I think of that before? Next time
someone parks their motorbike in my grounds I'll keep a special eye on
my wife to make sure she doesn't say anything to them about it.

No, you idiot!

If someone parks their motorbike in your grounds, without permission, and
leaves it there, it's your motorbike to do with as you wish.

That'd be the time to get out the sledgehammer. Or maybe just paint it.

But you definitely need a spine.

Good Luck!
Rich

 

[Rich Grise]

That's true, when you post in a civilized, adult manner. If, on the
other hand, you're going to attack someone with a barrage of childish
abuse, don't you think it may be worth spending a little effort
checking your assumptions first? All it would need is a simple question
like "where do you live?". It makes me wonder how many of the abusive
posters have ever been outside their own country.

Now, you're just being a dork.

Good-Bye.
Rich

 

[Homer J Simpson]

Don't you get it? There are crazy people in this world. I am a
foreigner living in a relatively big house and it sometimes attracts
the wrong sort of attention. Do me a favour and don't assume it has
anything to do with my attitude without checking a few facts first, ok?

OK, but insufficient information leads to wrong conclusions and assumptions.

 

[Android]

No, you idiot!

If someone parks their motorbike in your grounds, without permission, and
leaves it there, it's your motorbike to do with as you wish.

That'd be the time to get out the sledgehammer. Or maybe just paint it.

But you definitely need a spine.

I'll rise above your abuse and insults and concentrate on the facts.

Whilst your approach may be appropriate in most Western countries, it
would be disastrous here. I live in a tight-knit community. Rumours and
gossip spread like wild-fire and people have a tendency to believe what
they hear without checking out facts for themselves. That's not my
imagination, nor is it something I necessarily agree with. It's just
the way it is.

I am already viewed as being in a different, privileged, class to the
locals. It doesn't take much to imagine how your suggested action could
be twisted into the actions of a rich foreigner depriving a poor local
man of his livelihood.

At the moment, with a few rare exceptions, I get on well with my
neighbours and am well integrated into this community. This is because
I take the time and trouble to honour and respect their way of life and
don't resort to testosterone-fuelled acts of violence against people or
property. This is probably helped by the fact that I don't feel the
need to put other people down in order to compensate for my
inadequacies.

I absolutely guarantee that, if I did something to damage someone's
property, no matter what my "rights" may be, I would be judged to be in
the wrong and a reasonably manageable problem would blow up out of all
proportion.

I intend to live here in Indonesia for a long time - maybe for the rest
of my life. Therefore, I have to think long-term. Of course it would be
very satisfying to take a hammer to this guy's motorbike, just as it
would be very satisfying to beat the living crap out of the guy who
threatened my wife - but I am restrained by caution. I know you're not
suggesting violence against a person, but let me tell you how it
goes...

A foreigner beats up a local (or smashes his motorbike). The local
responds in one of two ways. 1) He goes to the police. 2) He rounds up
a posse to take revenge. In either case, he can use his wounds (or
damaged bike) as "proof" that he has been seriously wronged. Whatever
the outcome in the short term (let's assume I survive without going to
jail for too long and without being hacked to death by a
machete-wielding mob), my action would not be forgotten for a long long
time. If someone loses face here, they are capable of harbouring the
grudge for 20 years. Add to that the way that gossip spreads and maybe
you get some idea as to why I think before I act.

 

[John Woodgate]

I'll rise above your abuse and insults and concentrate on the facts.

How terribly dull. Are you posting to the wrong newsgroup? (;-)