Business Cards....How do you handle them?

[aramis]

Exactly the point I was alluding to: business cards are a cultural throw back that survive the march of progress. Except while the Solomani evolved the small rectanglular piece of card other cultures might evolve different form factors.

The small rectangular card form is exceedingly likely to parallel; it's efficient.

The specific sizes, however, might not. A8 or B8 are viable replacement sizes in present use.

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

I'll start this idea the next time I get to run a game...

Starships have transponders, right? These devices automatically exchange information with other transponders in the area. Essentially, the conversation goes something like:

"ATTENTION. I AM RISING WIND. CLASS S. REGISTRY RHYLANNOR 2A32A-155F7-9C237. OWNER KEKLAS REKOBAH ... WHO ARE YOU?"

A personal "Business card" transponder would work similarly, but only when triggered or queried.

"Keklas Rekobah. Humaniti. Imperial 787-979-B839B0D0FC4-YORBUND. Male. 2.86m x 100kg. Black hair. Brown eyes."

Transmitting more detail would require a manual trigger. Details like credit rating, bank balance, marital status, medical record, education, and work experience.

Details that could be queried without the owner's knowledge would be things like criminal record, medical record, passport data, military background and security clearances. These data strings could only be triggered the relevant agency. Well, they should, at least ...

 

[Spinward Scout]

A personal "Business card" transponder would work similarly, but only when triggered or queried.

I could see a interesting problem if someone accidentally left theirs 'on' and walked through a crowd. You get back to your TAS Hotel room and you've got 3,000 digital business cards. Of course, someone would figure out how to make advertisement business cards and activate your transponder when you walk past their store. And then there's the SPAM, and business card viruses.

A Referee could have fun with that...

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

I could see a interesting problem if someone accidentally left theirs 'on' and walked through a crowd. You get back to your TAS Hotel room and you've got 3,000 digital business cards. Of course, someone would figure out how to make advertisement business cards and activate your transponder when you walk past their store. And then there's the SPAM, and business card viruses.

A Referee could have fun with that...

REF: "... you get into the hovercab..." <RATTLERATTLEROLL> "... and Pol notices that the 'Message' indicator on his personal transponder is blinking."

POL: "I key the message window."

REF: "There is only one message, but it takes up all available memory."

POL: "I'll check it back at the hotel room."

REF: <RATTLERATTLEROLL> "Staci, make an INT roll."

STACI: "Seven under eleven. What's going on?"

REF: "Glancing out the back window, you notice a black speeder matching your course."

STACI: "There was one at the club. Is it the same?"

REF: <SMILING> "You're not sure ... maybe ..."

 

[Icosahedron]

T4 had a 'business ring', which I use IMTU. Essentially, the device exchanges simple contact information during a handshake. The user programs as much or as little information as he wants to share. Passer-by spam could be avoided by requiring the inductive proximity of another ring to activate the exchange.

I use a similar system as access to low security door locks - if you're wearing the right ring, the door unlocks as you grab the handle.

However, I avoid the 'one device does all' approach, as it's just too inconvenient if that one device is lost, damaged, confiscated, stolen, etc, so I have a range of smart cards to cover requirements such as passports, banking, purchasing, access, etc.

 

[Commander Truestar]

T4 had a 'business ring', which I use IMTU. Essentially, the device exchanges simple contact information during a handshake. The user programs as much or as little information as he wants to share. Passer-by spam could be avoided by requiring the inductive proximity of another ring to activate the exchange.

I use a similar system as access to low security door locks - if you're wearing the right ring, the door unlocks as you grab the handle.

However, I avoid the 'one device does all' approach, as it's just too inconvenient if that one device is lost, damaged, confiscated, stolen, etc, so I have a range of smart cards to cover requirements such as passports, banking, purchasing, access, etc.

Hmm, Imagine the possabilities... Lock Hacking rings, spam blasters that outwit proximity limits.... Combine tham all and...

One Ring to find them,
One Ring to hack them,
One ring to spam them and to blindness rob them...

Marc

 

[dean]

Exactly the point I was alluding to: business cards are a cultural throw back that survive the march of progress. Except while the Solomani evolved the small rectanglular piece of card other cultures might evolve different form factors.

Hivers have a business origami. They have a signature folded paper that includes a small data chip with their relevant data. Color and texture play an important role that humaniti and other races may miss...

 

[Commander Truestar]

Hivers have a business origami. They have a signature folded paper that includes a small data chip with their relevant data. Color and texture play an important role that humaniti and other races may miss...

This is an intersting bit of "Victoriana revisited".
During the heyday of calling cards, there was entire lexicon of "folds" which one would apply to a card when it was left which, I was amazed to learn, would give a huge amount of information. a sales person would call at a house and leave a card bent in such a way that it would tell the homeowner when that man would be available, or even roughly what he wanted. Similar info could be left on a social caller's card.

It was really interesting what the well to do of that age came up with in the way of invention.

Marc

 

[whartung]

The transponder is a bad idea. I think nowadays folks are getting uncomfortable showing their faces, much less broadcasting anything else nowadays, especially with all of the monitoring going around.

A modern cell phone is effectively a transponder, we just don't realize it as such, plus the information is publicly available to where stores et al are able to track your visits just walking through the door.

Then there was that movie (name escapes me) where the lasers were scanning eyes and reading retinas and giving directed advertising as you walked through the mall. I'm a fuddy duddy, but no thanks.

I like the idea of a piece of jewelry, like the ring, because it uses a social contact as a form of formal contact.

I'm more comfortable with bumping handhelds. Touch your phone to my phone, perhaps with a quick gesture. Sure there's some concept of incompatibility among devices, but consider today. We have ubiquity of communication (just about everything and anything is transferred over HTTP nowadays, "the Web"), but a disparate range of formats. However with tagged data formats, especially for something as simple as demographics, systems can readily "intuit" much of the information implicitly. Modern cell phones do very well with info in emails and web pages, and that information is not marked up. When it IS marked up, there "intuition" has an even better chance of being successful.

But even if "pulling out the first name" is not 100% accurate each time, the information is STILL captured completely. Then it's a simple task of the user clarifying the machines choices. "No, that's not the first name, this is". From there the machine can readily "learn" from this correction, and next time it sees the same format, it will be able to parse it properly.

Even if the information is captured in just raw text, there's still value.

The real benefit over the high tech solution of a classic business card is simply that it's disposable, and readily left behind. "Oh, Mr. Smith isn't in. Please give him my card and have him contact me at his leisure." Hard to do with a handheld or any other "have to be there" piece of jewelry or equipment.

And, again, with a modern handheld, much can be achieved by simply pointed the camera and scanning the card, even without some formal data format like a 2D Matrix barcode.

The exchange needs to be simple and casual. At the moment, frankly, I think it's awkward having two people staring at their handhelds keying in information. It's not personable as you're staring at the device, and not the contact. A business card or a handheld bump is quick, and casual, and both effect information transfer while not distracting from the actual person to person contact.

This is why you want your cards or handheld as handy as possible, rather than digging through your wallet. You have to take your eyes away from the client, and it breaks the mood. A casual dip in to a pocket to pull out a card, and there is no disruption.

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

A simple hand-shake (no, hiver ... not that kind) where the "I.D. Rings" would be in close proximity would suffice for the exchange of information that one would normally find on an ordinary business card.

Item: I.D. Ring
TL: 8+
Cost: Cr100 per TL above 7
Manufacturer: Rekobah Industries, LLC
Function: A commercial adaptation of basic starship transponder technology. When in close proximity to another I.D. Ring, will receive and transmit up to 128 characters of alphanumeric text per message. This capacity doubles with each increment of TL. Rotating bezel selects character string to be sent -- 7 messages, plus OFF mode. Each ring comes with a charger-interface module that allows the owner to read and modify the messages within the ring.

Module and ring are keyed to each other, using a rotating cypher, to provide security for the ring's contents. This feature can be exploited to limit access and use to buildings, rooms, lockers, containers, vehicles and weapons. Custom-programmed modules for this purpose can be obtained from the manufacturer in packages of three for Cr50 per package.

Appearance of the rings can be customized to the owner's specifications (variable cost), or from a selection of attractive ready-made designs (+10% of cost). Sizes are humaniti-standard. Bracelets and brooches are also available for the same prices in many fashionable styles and colors.

 

[Icosahedron]

The real benefit over the high tech solution of a classic business card is simply that it's disposable, and readily left behind. "Oh, Mr. Smith isn't in. Please give him my card and have him contact me at his leisure." Hard to do with a handheld or any other "have to be there" piece of jewelry or equipment.

You could always shake hands with Mr Smith's secretary, or touch your ring to his doorbell/receiver.

The exchange needs to be simple and casual. At the moment, frankly, I think it's awkward having two people staring at their handhelds keying in information. It's not personable as you're staring at the device, and not the contact. A business card or a handheld bump is quick, and casual, and both effect information transfer while not distracting from the actual person to person contact.

Good point.