RFID: Another Consumer Privacy Backlash Looming?

Seana wrote a column on Monday about RFID and its implications for marketers. I wrote a counterpoint on Tuesday, showcasing RFID as the next big sacrifice of consumer privacy.

Not surprisingly, there are plenty of marketers chiming in on the Spin Board about how there's nothing to worry about. They cite Catalina's couponing technology, credit card based consumer profiles and all sorts of other stuff as evidence that RFID is nothing new from a marketing perspective. Sorry, but as a consumer, I don't want every purchase I make broadcasting its existence to anyone with a scanner, even if it is over a short distance. I'm picturing the day when someone with a handheld scanner walks into my apartment building, walks by my apartment door and instantly knows the titles of the DVDs in my collection, what shampoo I have in my bathroom and when I'm likely to need a refill on my dishwashing detergent.

I have a supporter or two on the Spin Board, but most are dismissing my concerns as paranoid. I guess we'll see.

Cha-Ching! Halliburton Cashes In Some More

Looks like the Army, which has been getting flagrantly ripped off by Halliburton, is granting the company a reprieve from withholding payment of its invoices in full. Normally, companies supplying the government can't receive more than 85 percent of their invoiced amounts until they fully account for their costs. But not Halliburton, our oh-so-special exception to the rule. They get (another) temporary reprieve.

I heard on CBS 880 AM this morning that Halliburton was charging $100 per 15-pound load of laundry. By way of comparison, I pay 99 cents a pound in pricey New York City. If I have 15 pounds of laundry, a guy will come by my apartment, pick it up, wash and dry and fold it and deliver it back to me in a tight, plastic-wrapped bundle for $15 plus tip.

Flagrant overcharging, missing millions, offshore subsidiaries doing business with Iran - what else is it going to take to convince our government that Halliburton shouldn't be getting government contracts at all?

Somebody Please Clone Me

This morning, I had two appointments on my calendar. It was supposed to be a relatively light day, and I made arrangements to leave early so that I could kill two birds with one stone - meet with our contractor out in Wading River and simultaneously transport the carnivorous fishies to their new home in the tank I set up in the garage in Wading River.

When I got to the office this morning, the calls started rolling in. We landed a new client (Yay!), then two existing clients wanted to have conference calls, then a partner company wanted to discuss a product development idea I came up with. Now, the rest of my day looks like this...

2:30 PM - Rep meeting
3:00 PM - Client conference call
4:00 PM - Leave the office, go to Petland Discounts and get something to transport my fish in
4:30 PM - Update new client with progress on their media research request
5:00 PM - Product development conference call
6:00 PM - Leave for Wading River with fish
8:00 PM - Arrive in Wading River, acclimate fish, meet with the contractor
10:00 PM - Leave Wading River
12 midnight - Get back to my apartment, tie up any loose ends from today, sleep

How would someone get all of this done without the use of mobile technology? (Or cloning?)

Moving...Slowly But Surely

Mom came in today to help me move some stuff that I don't want the movers to touch. I already moved most of my guitars and my main keyboard, but there are some other things that are best handled by me.

We emptied the smaller fish tank and carried it downstairs. Mom is still surprisingly strong at age 61 - she helped me carry the tank down three flights of stairs and get it into the car. We put some more stuff in and sent her on her way back to Wading River.

I'm leaving shortly in my own car to take some other stuff. I have three boxes of wine and booze that need to come with me. It's funny - you go out to the North Fork to visit the wineries, your friends give you bottles of liquor when they come to visit - next thing you know you have this huge collection of booze. I'm not one to sit around and drink when I get home from work (there's a case of beer that's been in my fridge for over a year), so the only time this stuff ever gets drank is when I have to take a bottle over to a friend's house or when Sara comes over and is in the mood for wine.

When I get home later, it's time to take apart the home network. I'll still be blogging a bit, though, since there are 9 (count 'em - nine) unprotected wireless networks in this building, most of which I can easily glom onto.