Arthur C. Clarke once said; "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Indeed, to the uninitiated, whose understanding of science many times ranks just below abysmal, almost all technology seems like magic.
This has consequences. Consequences that appear in the strangest places. For example, Wired has an article about the theft of autos that can't be stolen. Or, at least autos that car and insurance companies say can't be stolen.
The problem goes something like this. Some car manufacturers use so called smart ignition keys. That is, keys that include various types of electronic chips that are intended to make it impossible for anyone without the key to start your car. Of course, anyone who knows anything about electronics knows that any system devised by man can be worked around. Sometimes the work arounds are so complicated that most people won't bother with it. But sometimes there are ways that turn out to be very simple. In either case the system can fail.
But to the insurance industry, if they are told the system is foolproof, even if there is concrete evidence to the contrary, then if an auto is "stolen", it is because the owner is perpetuating a fraud. To the insurance people, there is no other explanation because, they believe, the technology is foolproof.
However, as the article clearly illustrates, the key itself is only one part of a larger system. This system includes not only the electronic hardware in the key and the receiver in the auto, but also the service department at the dealership, the locksmith down the road, and human nature itself.
The bottom line is, there is no magic to this. If any part of the system fails, the entire system fails. No system is perfect. Hence, all systems will fail. Sometimes in ways not anticipated.
Aloha!
