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bank account number of the builder I was able to (unintentionally) invade his
privacy and see his bank balance. If I want to check his balance again in the
future I can just deposit $1 at the drive up window! Maybe the brick, mortar, and
paper world isn’t so secure after all. It could have been much more secure and
private if I could have wired the money to the builder using the Internet.
Digital ID’s are now legal in America and other parts of the world. They provide
authentication, authorization, confidentiality, integrity, and non-repudiation. In fact
they are far more durable and powerful than signatures with ink. Digital ID’s will
empower us and simplify our lives. Much more about what they are and how they
work coming up later.
Attitude problem: Commerce in most of the world has been based on paper and
ink. Nothing much has changed for hundreds of years.
Net Attitude: The technology exists to make Internet-based digital signatures not
only work but make them more secure than paper and ink.
Yes, there are many uses and instances of paper that are just not needed --
because they add no value. But paper is not going to go away and it shouldn’t.
Just like in all introductions of new media types, the electronic media is a
supplement to paper not a wholesale replacement. Sometimes the uses change
though. Newspapers actually serve many purposes. Some people use them to
keep the rain off of their head, others swat flies with them, and some wrap fish in
them. And then there is just plain old writing paper. When you put a fountain pen
to it magical things happen. You have this special feeling when using a fountain
pen. And if your heart is in the right place you can inspire or uplift the hearts of
others with the words you write. Nothing digital has quite the same impact.
Peanuts and Potato chips
Increasingly people expect to have their providers of goods and services think
about customer satisfaction from an end-to-end point of view. Click here to buy is
one small piece of this. The end-to-end concept starts from the moment we
perceive that we have a need or a want for a good or service up to and including
after the sale service and support. There are many aspects to this. Long before a
person is ready to buy something they may want to learn about what is available
and gain assistance in determining exactly what they need. Carpenter
Technology Corporation a leading manufacturer and distributor of specialty alloys
has a web site called carpenterdirect.com where industrial buyers can purchase
stainless steel, aluminum, brass and many other kinds of alloys. The web site
has an online e-commerce catalog but, more important to their business
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