Interesting Items...

Not exactly an interesting item I can link to or quote from, but I was in the building society yesterday and their keypad for controlled access to the restricted area looked a bit different. As far as I could see, it assigns digits to the keypad layout randomly, so an onlooker can't eavesdrop the entry code by watching which keys are pressed unless they can also see the legend on each key.
 
Sounds a clever idea BH. I had a quick Google around and couldn't find anything, just the usual fixed number pad type ones.
 
Good idea. Also avoids the 'regular' buttons getting dirty/clean/polished/worn and narrowing the possible keys comprising the code.
 
Headlines from the local paper - ' Black hole in building society balance sheet after alien spotted casing the entry system'
 
Sticker seen in a novelty shop:

TEENAGERS:
Tired of being
harassed by
your stupid
parents?
ACT NOW!
Move out, get
a job and pay
your own bills
while you still
know everything.​
 
antipodean said:
I believe this principle of scrambling the digits on the keypad is the subject of a patent.
I first came across a keypad that did this around 20 years ago.
Click to expand...
In which case the patent has probably expired recently and they'll become cheaper and more common.
 
I note that the PIN entry screen on my Android phone has a button to scramble the layout if you think you're being observed.

That of course relies on your having really remembered the PIN, and not just the muscle memory of entering it; I found it surprisingly hard once I'd scrambled the layout. :)
 
Chatsworth farm shop are selling smoker bags next to their fishmonger stall. I haven't had the courage to slip one over a smoker's head yet.
 
For reference, Aldi are currently selling a mains plug WiFi b/g/n extender/client/access point device for £20.
 
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