Saturday, August 18, 2012

The Mark of the Stupid

I find it odd that superstition and ignorance still rule our lives. Take the case of Moss Bluff Elementary school which is trying to implement a biometric palm reader to manage it school lunch program. Local Christians are protesting. They think it is the biblical Mark of the Beast.

Nutball Mamie Sonnier

Concerned mom Mamie Sonnier, I proclaim you an official nutball! Welcome to the club.

Sonnier says she's against the palm vein scanner because of her beliefs.

"As a Christian, I've read the Bible, you know go to church and stuff," said Sonnier. "I know where it's going to end up coming to, the mark of the beast. I'm not going to let my kids have that."

He says the system isn't on campus yet, so students' palms won't be scanned any time soon. But Sonnier says if the program comes to campus, her children aren't participating and won't be around it either.

"I'd probably pull them out of the school, and transfer them to another school," said Sonnier.

So here is the thing… biometric hand scanning devices are an effective why of linking people to an event. The most common use is in time clocks. Let’s call it a ubiquitous option which has been available for years. It requires no extra hardware, no badges, and does not even touch the participant. You simply establish a baseline image, and then scan against it. It’s very much like the lunch lady remembering your face when you pass her in line, only the device does not make mistakes.

Come on people. There is no Mark of the Beast in this story, there is the Mark of the Stupid instead.

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