When A Computer Isn't A PC

So, this week I visited the Embedded Systems Conference in Boston. One of the best speeches I've heard in a while was given by Kevin Ashton, an executive for a company called ThingMagic , which does work on RFID technology and wireless sensors. The thesis of Ashton's remarks was thus: If you think security is a problem now, think again.

As Internet communications increasingly include traffic from devices not necessarily under direct human control, the potential for eavesdropping will increase. The good news is that solution provides (especially those in the systems integration world) could play a hand in protection.

Speaking of weird gadgets, can you imagine how a mechanical lobster would sound if you tried to dump it into a pot of boiling water? This article from the New York Times Circuits section explains why mechanical animals like RoboLobster can do things that we creatures of flesh and blood cannot. (Like search for mines on the bottom of the ocean floor, as is the case with this particular example.)