Author: Jaf

Law, libraries, books, crafts, and general geekery.

Big Brother is watching you….flying on internal flights

C’mon British Airways, what good are these measures really going to do, other than create feelings of huge paranoia and fear in your passengers?

Why will you need to scan faces twice? Do you think people are coming through with Mission Impossible style rubber face masks and false fingerprints, escaping detection by eagle eyed security staff (who’re otherwise occupied trying to figure out if over 100ml of baby milk is allowable, and confiscating highly dangerous nail clippers in case they’re used on the flight to threaten anyone with a nasty nip), then ripping them off as soon as they think they’re clear of security?

Will it really be a case of “your face doesn’t fit here mate”?

And would it not have been far simpler to just keep international and domestic lounges separate?

Or would that mean you’d have no good excuse for introducing yet more invasive tracking of individuals in the name of ‘security’?

Link via RFIDNews

Are we WEEEing properly yet?

So, the WEEE (the prime contender for the title of “Most Ridiculously Named Regulations EVER”…seriously, have you been able to read about “separating different types of WEEE”, and types of containers for different types of WEEE without sniggering?) Regulations came into force on the 1st of July 2007.

So, that should mean that when you buy a new appliance, the very least the provider must do would be to advise you about how and where to dispose of the appliance you’re probably replacing. They should be a member of the Distributor Take-back Scheme, or allow in-store take-back. At least, that’s what this document from the Environment Agency tells me.

So, why is it that, after buying a TV from Dixons online, we’ve received precisely NO information on the WEEE Regulations, our duty of responsible disposal, or where / how to do it?

Our old TV is now being rehomed by Freecycle, but what if I didn’t know about this, and if I didn’t know that I had new duties under WEEE? (sniggering at that phrase!!)

Dixons really haven’t come out of this with flying colours…wonder who’s going to be the first retailer officially spanked for failure to comply?

Oh no, wait…

Links to some documents from 2007 and 2006 on the old DTI site still work, so at least we can still access them (for now).

Links to some pages from 2006 and 2007 actually have a redirect…which is an advance.

Apart from the fact that the redirect takes me to a page that I’m ‘not authorised to view’

1. You are not authorized to view this page

You might not have permission to view this directory or page using the credentials you supplied.

If you believe you should be able to view this directory or page, please try to contact the Web site by using any e-mail address or phone number that may be listed on the Homepage(); www.dti.gov.uk home page.

You can click Search to look for information on the Internet.

2. HTTP Error 403 – Forbidden
Internet Explorer

I think it’s an advance, but I’m not altogether sure….although the fact that a redirect from a DTI page to a BERR page actually sends me to a DTI screen and advised me to go to http://www.dti.gov.uk, not http://www.berr.gov.uk makes my poor brain hurt.