Crystal Balls and Real Estate

Here's a family that wishes they had consulted a crystal ball when buying a home:
A Crystal Ball Would Have Been Nice - New York Times

What should have been the first home? Decisions, decisions, decisions--juggling factors and the family budget -- Questions: one bedroom or two bedroom co-op? Two bedroom? How about three? Hey, now should it be a co-op or a house?

The family would later find out that a house doesn't come with a superintendent to help solve problems of rattling pipes and problem plumbing...

Lou Minatti doesn't usually advocate the use of astrology, tarot, or crystal balls to assist decision making but I wonder what he'd say in this case? Would a crystal ball be a wise investment in a case like the one in the New York Times article above?

Groovy readings from Swami Crystal Ball

Be awed by the eerie lightning as the Swami offers advice.
The motions of this wise man's mouth and eyes are synchronized to his speech.

• This crystal ball stands 18" tall x 14" wide.
• Requires 4 - "AA" batteries (not included).
• Has up to 6 phrases.
• Intended for indoor or covered porch use.
• Sound activated.
• UL Listed adapter included.

Spirit Ball - Swami

Accessory Changes

"Security crystal ball gazing from McAfee"

My RFID-embedded car numberplate has a virus

"Spyware - malicious programs that covertly track surfing habits or steal confidential data - are likely to migrate onto new platforms, including mobile phones and RFID chips.

The scenario is sketched out in the second issue of McAfee's twice annual Global Threat Report."[source]

So, what's in the crystal ball? What awaits everyone now that RFID chips are used to such a great extent?

"The growing, almost ubiquitous, use of RFID technology creates a platform for malware. Research first presented in March 2006 shows how vulnerabilities in RFID technology might be used to spread viruses, worms, and spyware. Dutch researchers showed how RFID tags could be virally infected through SQL injection attacks, exploiting links between an RFID tag and a vulnerable database."[source]

In Tarot the Seven of Cups is symbolic of illusionary success and the promises of RFID chips will become another deception in your life. Why that declaration? RFID chips have made wonderful conveniences such as EZ PASS possible [yeah, if you like to broadcast your whereabouts].

Here are some wonderful possibilities ahead:

• RFID "tattoos" -- use your imagination
• RFID-embedded license plates -- get caught running that red light ;-)
  
• Your cell phone could turn into the perfect spy
• Better brush up on Bluetooth security to avoid:
  

"Bluebugging, where an attacker manipulates a phone to dial numbers, [or] Bluestabbing, where an attacker tries to crash vulnerable devices."[source]

www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/11/

Read McAfee's report and check out the crystal ball on the cover!