Most biometrics do stop working when you die. Retinal prints change if there's no blood flow - the 'eyeball-on-a-pencil' just doesn't work. Other methods ... well, generally you can detect a pulse, and the change in pattern from the blood pressure is more secure anyway. (Even before you decide you don't want to let zombies^Wresidual human resources in.)

We're used to using SSL from client to server. But it works both ways around. You can use client side SSL certificates to authenticate. Client side SSL certificates that you can lock down with a decent passphrase, SSLVerifyClient

Not as hard to implement as some of the pipe dreams out there. Of course, it does require a degree of tech savvy on the part of users - and more importantly, enforcing it's use, to avoid laziness bypassing.

Then your challenge becomes certificate transport - you'll need a way to carry around your cert, or somehow get hold of it when you need it, which is easier said than done. The real advantage of passwords is their portability. Biometrics have a similar advantage, but as already noted - are a bit harder to revoke/change.

Secure sites will get upset if you drive a car through them. Cats they're much less likely to make a fuss about...

I have wondered, give that drones are getting quite cheap - how much would a true 'peer to peer' network node cost? One that forms a mesh across a city, and finds 'downlinks' in the form of open access Wi-Fi to create a ... well, routed, self healing network. True routing protocol discovery and all.

I've never had this response. Most employers like the concept of an employee who can do the work of several.

So do it in Perl - it'll be good enough to make your life easy, and inscrutable enough that anyone trying to 'automate you' will recoil in horror.

I've espoused the doctrine of proactive laziness since I started sysadminnning. I figure I'm doing my very best work when there's nothing that I need to be doing, and I can be spending my time fiddling with the next thing.
That means applying appropriate automation and scripting. (Don't overdo it - not all scripts need to be gold plated).
Decent documentation. (Which is easier: explaining or fixing a problem, or saying 'RTFM' and waving a hand dismissively - if TFM is up to scratch, they won't come back and bother you)
Tackle tasks that'll become a pain, before they're a pain.
The combination of these means I've had a fairly easy and productive live in 'systems admin', because I've never had a need to diddle with spreadsheets to look like I'm working.

Lots of people 'play spreadsheets' all day, which is working really inefficiently. Some companies prefer this, because they operate on billable hours in the first place. You being efficient costs them money. Some companies know better, and will value your skills. You should go and work for those. Getting laid off sucks a bit, but it's far from the worst thing that'll ever happen to you.

If you pull out the all the stops occasionally, you're a hero. If you do it routinely, you're taken for granted. It's hard enough to measure 'productivity' in IT anyway. Far better to automate your job, and 'pay yourself' to support it on an ongoing basis.

Scripts are generally more accessible, but that's about it when it comes to comparison with other languages. That means you get some pretty bad scripts, but ... well, there's no real reason to not use decent coding practice. The core one being 'get everyone involved a working knowledge of the language'.

Not that you'll care, if you're the person who's already moved on :).

There are plenty of things that persist despite not being scientifically valid. Like homeopathy, for example.

See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T...

Solar panel by day, wind trap by night!

One boeing aircraft may look much like another at 10km distance. And boeing make military aircraft as well as civilian. *shrug*. It _could_ all just be a horrific accident.