апреля 21, 2005
Fame!
I'm now on the Inter Nets! The Russian Inter Nets!
Right Here
Ahh. You know you've made it when a part of the world that doesn't even speak your language can read about your exploits...
Right Here
Ahh. You know you've made it when a part of the world that doesn't even speak your language can read about your exploits...
апреля 13, 2005
Onward!
The letter o' Invite for my second year's Russian visa has come and been turned back to the fine folks at Zierer along with my passport. They say it'll be back in plenty of time for my 5/9 departure.
Regarding passports, A has started the proces of getting hers. Granted, it won't be broken in until next year, but it seemed a good idea to get it sooner rather than waiting. As of this summer, US passports will be coming equipped with an imbedded RFID chip. While not necessarily sinister, the fact remains that we intend that A will not be getting such a passport. The concern comes from the 'R' -- that's 'Radio', as in, 'your passport will broadcast a signal when queried identifying (among other things) your nationality.' Maybe it's just me, but being able to be identified as an American in a crowd in a foreign land seems a bit less than safe. If you don't have a passport now, but think you might want one in the next ten years, it might not be a bad idea to get moving on it.
With luck, by the time my passport comes up for renewal (2013), they'll have either realized how dumb the whole embedded-chip thing is, or the instructions for disabling the chips will be widely available on the Internet. In a pinch, I have some ideas for how it might be done, but why make A be the guinea pig?
Regarding passports, A has started the proces of getting hers. Granted, it won't be broken in until next year, but it seemed a good idea to get it sooner rather than waiting. As of this summer, US passports will be coming equipped with an imbedded RFID chip. While not necessarily sinister, the fact remains that we intend that A will not be getting such a passport. The concern comes from the 'R' -- that's 'Radio', as in, 'your passport will broadcast a signal when queried identifying (among other things) your nationality.' Maybe it's just me, but being able to be identified as an American in a crowd in a foreign land seems a bit less than safe. If you don't have a passport now, but think you might want one in the next ten years, it might not be a bad idea to get moving on it.
With luck, by the time my passport comes up for renewal (2013), they'll have either realized how dumb the whole embedded-chip thing is, or the instructions for disabling the chips will be widely available on the Internet. In a pinch, I have some ideas for how it might be done, but why make A be the guinea pig?
