Re: Decoder ring

[Nathan Loofbourrow <loofbour@cis.ohio-state.edu>]

dmandl@panix.com writes:
 >      High-Tech Company Goes Back to the Future with Decoder Rings
 > The Stuff of Cereal Box-Tops Becomes Real Repository of Data and Computer ID

There's a press release at the DalSemi site that describes the
technology in more detail. They embed Touch Memory chips in other
items too, as you'll see if you follow the links.

http://www.dalsemi.com/News_Center/Press_Releases/1995/ring.html

The various chips they supply are as interesting as the carriers:
simple serial numbers in ROM, or the 64k NVRAM mentioned in the
article, or write-once PROMs, or versions that require passwords
(using unspecified decryption), or versions that block access after a
certain date, time, or number of accesses have been achieved.

Fascinating bit of technology. It even has crypto relevance!

nathan