Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Now there's a challenge!

Apparently the Government wants to introduce YADB (geek name Yet Another Database) that will track every child through school and to retirement with all the details of how you scored on tests and whether you got expelled etc etc. The most hilarious thing is that they say it will mean you have a 'tamper proof CV'. If they even manage to get such a project off the ground I give it less than a year of go-live before someone has made themselves a straight-A student.

It never ceases to amaze me how Government ministers are complete idiots when it comes to technology. Rule number one. If a human being writes a system, a human being can crack it. The Germans thought Enigma was uncrackable too, look where that got them.

7 comments:

Perry Neeham said...

It's yet another example - if one was needed - that the government are interfering bastards. Did anyone ask for this academic database? No. So fuck off and don't spend our money and your time on yet more unwanted and unworkable bollox.

Old BE said...

I'm guessing that the children of celebrities and MPs will be witheld from this system? Will MPs get an especially secure version?

Hedley Lamarr said...

Bit like this whole ISP thing that's surfaced in the last couple of days. You just know someone in the record industry has had a quiet word over lunch with some dim Minister who then decides that he's going to force ISP's to 'police' content and 'ban' offenders. Unworkable and total bollocks.

Anonymous said...

Why don't they tattoo barcodes on the kid's foreheads?

Anonymous said...

I bet this is kite flying to see if they can stick this data onto the ID card database.

So what makes the Government think that employees should trust employers their full educational history? Who in their right mind wants someone to have full access to all their failings as well as achievements at a job interview?

Then there is the question of the rest of the EU and immigrants from outside. Why should the native be at a disadvantage to the outsider?

It is a sure sign that this government is running out of steam, if they can only dream up daft ideas like this. Not forgetting yesterdays kite of getting the ISPs to monitor all their customers' internet visits.

And while I am on the subject of DAFT ideas. Home information packs!! What is their point of making people pay good money to get the thickness of the loft insulation and doubleglazing measured?

Anonymous said...

"If they even manage to get such a project off the ground I give it less than a year of go-live before someone has made themselves a straight-A student".

It won't be necessary. The ultimate dumbing-down exercise will award all students an A* for all subjects. The system could do it automatically as soon as a new ULN (or whatever they are) is created. That way nobody feels 'excluded'.

Anonymous said...

It assumes students can write a CV in the first place. Without using the Word template. And without the teacher saying "why don't you rephrase 'feral youth' as 'community activist'"