Oh no!
Now they’ll build in anti-fryware in the spyware.

Suki, there’s very few integrated circuits which could survive the abuses I’ve described. I might stress that the card should be allowed to cool between each 5 second trashing in the microwave.

I like the running 12v through it backwards trick the best, though. Assured destruction, plus the internal wiring of the ‘smart card’ will act like a fuse which ought to prevent it bursting into flames. 😀

Great!
The Feds and the Firebrigade.
I wouldn’t want to live in your street.

May have to reconsider the microwave method. It took six 5 second bursts in a 1000 watt microwave to kill an old phone SIM card. However, the plastic surface on the SIM card warped, failing the ‘no physical damage’ test.

Mal Brough and others are flogging the mysterious, invisible ‘welfare fraud’ warhorse again. The repetitive downward envy trip coming out of the Libs is getting very, very old.

I’ve got a pair of scissors. Will they work?

Scissors will definitely work- but Herr Howard is claiming that some services won’t be accessible without the card. Trash the chip and keep the card intact- you beat Big Bother and still have the card per the specification.

For the record I think it is a bad idea, I for one do not trust any government enough to responsibly use the power that a national id system would give them.

I’m in your boat, another who will have no choice in the matter, compulsury id for the poor.

Most micro-chips are very brittle.

Has anybody tried using a hammer, to disable the Big Brother? I say a good old whack should do the trick.

Gynnaren, the ID cards haven’t been issued yet and I’m fresh out of old SIM cards to test your (quite plausible) theory. I’m fairly confident that the resistance from within King John HoWARd’s own party has quite a lot to do with that- they obviously don’t give a shit about resistance from people who will be affected by the card but would have no choice but to have one, should such a scheme be implemented.

Since I published this bit, HoWARd has acquired a use-by date. The Labor Party looks set to win the upcoming election but their position on the ID card isn’t known at this juncture.

You said, in the first paragraph, “some services will be unavailable without the electronic card.” I read in a black book once, called the Bible, that this kind of thing was going to happen. Nobody believed it 20 years ago. Well, here we are. Christine

Dear Christine, First, I’m amazed that a bible thumping nutjob like you can actually read. Second, the xian bible is the most widely published fictional novel in the world. Could you kindly point out, chapter and verse, of where in the babble jesus mentions electronics? If you believe any of the babble literally, I have a very nice Opera House for sale. Fifty bucks.