[Deep Jabba Laugh]
“Ha ha ha… You are my kind of scum.”
JAG “Who’s Your Jedi?” MAN
A’ight.
Beats havin’ my ugly mug on it…
When I arrived at DMS today, Sunday 6/14 at 2:05 PM, the front door was propped open using the rubber mat just outside the door. I asked the first 3 people I saw inside DMS if they had the door propped open for a reason, but none of them knew why the door was left open.
I removed the rubber mat from the door and closed it. Nobody admitted to propping the door open. I know about the timer dial that unlocks the front door for a set amount of time. The dial is on the wall next to the interactive classroom, but I don’t think very many members are aware of the dial.
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I am surprised there is just a KEYPAD on the doors…everyone using their own code that they put into the system…No having to buy or carry cards or fobs.
And super-easy to abuse–witness gated communities.
Nothing’s perfect, but I like the anonymous RFID card as we have now.
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I was gonna suggest a keypad next to the RFID scanner. scan your card/fob, or key in the number from the card/fob…
or… what if, when you forget/lose your card/fob, you could just verify your membership online or via some app, and get a use-once-only code generated that you can enter on a keypad and get in that way?
I think we should all have subcutaneous implants
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ahem, @william_petefish might know about that, but I will pass for now.
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I mean…it’s not outside the realm of possibilities if someone just really has a hard time remembering their fob.
Is there any potential for biometric rather than rfid? Hand print or thumb print scanners? I’m not sure how weather proof, durable, and reliable the modern sensors are.
-Robert
(Crap, I forgot my thumb again. I hate it when I leave it at home)
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Most of the classes say “Open to the public”. What does that mean exactly? And if it means everyone, then there are lots of reasons for non members to be here. I joined several years ago after “sneaking” into a class.
I believe it means exactly what you would expect, unless the class specifically says it is limited to Makerspace members, then anyone may attend the class. So, yes the space is ‘open’ to the public so that they may attend those classes. Outside of any use during the class, the public is not supposed to be using the tools.
I wonder if we may need, at some point, to go to using the RFID cards/tags to actually turn the tooling on. It would prevent unauthorized use, allow for enforcement of the training requirements (if any), and allow for the identification of folks who ‘break’ tooling without reporting it. The not reporting it is the actual problem, not the breaking of tooling.
But it seems somewhat ‘Orwellian’.
The problem with something generic (with photo ID or not) is that then that gives some incentive to create fake IDs.
If that becomes a problem, we’d also have to have some procedure to know with some certainty one is fake or not.
We have something good with the key fobs. Lets remember don’t need anything more secure than the fobs (otherwise, why aren’t we using this more secure method?) and we only need to develop some habits, culture, etc so that we can politely handle entry with more security than we’re doing now.
I’m actually against the idea of IDs for some of the reasons I mentioned. However… if we gave each person something unique to the individual that any person can’t easily fake for themselves, then we might have something.
I don’t really have any good ideas for specifics. The first thing that came to mind was QR codes, but nobody is going to look at them. And really what you want is something that you can immediately tell is a fake, not something that would work after they’ve already done damage. Kinda like a tattoo you can quickly find, but less permanent. 
Why not make the RFIDS wearable?
Heck, we have that rubbery 3d printing filament. Maybe we should print out some wrist bands which would allow us to place the keyfobs in them.
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Jay,
Why not make the RFIDS wearable? Heck, we have that rubbery 3d printing filament. Maybe we should print out some wrist bands which would allow us to place the keyfobs in
them.
NOW you are talking!
That addresses my biggest annoyance with the RFID doors and so forth. VERY often I walk into the DMS while I am schlepping in something that is bulky and heavy that requires both hands and CANNOT fish out the fob on my car keys, let alone hold it up to the reader which has a really limited range of 5 microns.
So then to paraphrase A Street Named Desire, I often have to depend on the kindness of strangers to hold open the door as I drag my hernia inducing load into the building.
I have been tempted to put the fob on a retractable belt hook, (still requires another hand) on a necklace (danger of getting caught in machinery) or on my crotch. (but some readers are at different heights and people with filthy minds might get the wrong idea as I attempt to hump the readers with my pelvic thrusts just to get in)
A wristband would be perfect - I want mine with a Hello Kitty logo.
I’m not kidding.
JAG “Biometric Crotch Identification for Big Brother” MAN
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Wristband would be cool. In the mean time, if you have a watch, I’ve found that you can often, and comfortably, loop the RFID fob through the metal part that goes through the holes in the strap of the watch so that the keyring portion is between the base end of the metal doohickey and the leather strap. You can then tuck the fob under the strap itself and it’s comfortable to wear like that and out of sight for the most part. Did this daily for about a year and had no issues with wear and tear of the watch or fob itself.
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Check with Mitch C. He had some RFID Wristbands for sale at one point. Here is an ebay source (one of many, just the first with that search term.)
Any compatible RFID device can be substituted for your current key fob or key card.
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Would be neat for DMS to order some of these with the logo being some important phone numbers, web links, other important info printed directly on the card.
FWIW, we’ve avoided branding or labeling RFID tags so that if someone randomly loses one on the street without realizing it, a random stranger doesn’t suddenly know what door it opens.
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Too expensive, and also what Kent said. Our current badges are about a quarter each, and we don’t need to raise that for there to be no benefit 
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