Replies to post #3604 on Marketgems Earnings Trader- Trading Strong or Weak (MKTGEMS)

[John NY]

I had a small browser font earlier and saw "card" instead of "cart," anyway, here's a bit more from xilinx

from: http://www.xilinx.com/esp/bluetooth/applications/pc_peripherals/smart_card.htm
Why is the smart card replacing the magnetic strip card?

The main reason is that the smart card can hold up to a 100 times more information than a traditional magnetic strip card. The smart card is classed as an integrated circuit (IC) card. There are actually two types of IC cards:memory cards and smart cards. Memory cards contain a memory device that allows the card to store various types of data. However, they do not have the ability to manipulate this data. A typical application for memory type cards is a prepaid telephone card. These cards hold typically between 1 Kb and 4 KB of data. A memory card becomes a smart card with the addition of a microprocessor. The key advantage of smart cards is that they are easy to use, convenient and can be used in several applications. They provide benefits to both consumers and merchants in many different industries by making data portable, secure, and convenient to access.

[lee kramer]

Hi John. Good post. I think everything you say about those damn Smart Cards is right. 'Course I'm so low tech I don't understand more than 17% of what you say, but I think the warnings you offer and the negatives you suggest are PRECISELY the reason that larger US firms will want this handy/sneaky bit of technology.