In message , at 14:40:21 on Fri, 19 Mar
2010, d remarked:

At any of the London Airports IME it is now very rare to queue for less than
20 minutes at immigration, though they are introducing machines which let
you avoid this queue if you have a "chip"" passport.

Ah yes , arn't they wonderful? All your details stored on it
unencrypted which
can be read from a few metres away with the right machine.

All your details - please list them. Unencrypted - according to who. A

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biometric_passport

"The passport's critical information is both printed on the data page
of the passport and stored in the chip."

So nothing "extra". The data concerned is required at check-in by
numerous foreign hotels, so is in effect public information.

"Note that in some early biometric passports BAC wasn't used at all,
allowing attacker to read the chip's content without providing a key"

"Some early..." (Belgian ones issued before 2006, if you follow up the
reference).

So it looks like now they use encryption but according to the rest of the
document its still hardly secure. Look at the number of attacks listed.

few metres - only with massive aerials.

BS. RFID can be read from a few metres away as long as you can direct
enough power at the chip to power it up.

Which needs a large (directional) aerial.

--
Roland Perry

On Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:02:08 +0000
Roland Perry wrote:
"The passport's critical information is both printed on the data page
of the passport and stored in the chip."

So nothing "extra". The data concerned is required at check-in by
numerous foreign hotels, so is in effect public information.

I never said it was anything extra. But you don't normally leave your
passport open on the details page and let strangers photocopy it which
is the equivalent of what the RFID allows.

BS. RFID can be read from a few metres away as long as you can direct
enough power at the chip to power it up.

Which needs a large (directional) aerial.

Not necessarily. The point is it doesn't have to be in contact which the
reader. Someone could brush past you even with a low powered reader and
still grab the info. Its been done with Oyster cards so it could be done
with passports.

B2003

On Mar 19, 1:30*pm, Theo Markettos
wrote:

Peter Campbell Smith wrote:

That's 70 mins with a lot of possible variability (mainly in the upwards
direction).

Thanks. *I now discover that flightstats.com says my flight has an
'on-time performance' of 0.1 out of 5. *Nice. *Which means 27% of flights
are on time, with an average delay of 39 mins and a standard deviation of 36
mins.

From the advertised time, I have 2h30 to make the last bus at Victoria Coach
Station. *There don't appear to be any sensibly-timed buses from Heathrow to
VCS, so that probably means taking the Picc+District and a walk (which I've
done before with luggage, takes about 15 mins) unless there's a niftier way
involving tube+bus.

The 15 minutes to walk from the Tube station to VCS seems a bit on the
high side, even with luggage.

Must say I'm surprised at the apparent dearth of NatEx coach services
from LHR to VCS in the late evening.


I'm guessing this is too tight to be feasible? *I should add that there is a
backup plan should the connection not work out.

Tight connections always add a bit of spice to a journey!

Though if you're heading to Cambridge, perhaps the train from KX is
the way to go. But that would/could be the backup if the coach at VCS
is missed.

In message , at 15:24:57 on Fri, 19 Mar
2010, d remarked:
On Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:02:08 +0000
Roland Perry wrote:
"The passport's critical information is both printed on the data page
of the passport and stored in the chip."

So nothing "extra". The data concerned is required at check-in by
numerous foreign hotels, so is in effect public information.

I never said it was anything extra. But you don't normally leave your
passport open on the details page and let strangers photocopy it which
is the equivalent of what the RFID allows.

Happens all the time at foreign hotel desks. The information isn't
secret - if you are relying this, please be advised that "security by
obscurity" is a very bad policy.

BS. RFID can be read from a few metres away as long as you can direct
enough power at the chip to power it up.

Which needs a large (directional) aerial.

Not necessarily. The point is it doesn't have to be in contact which the
reader. Someone could brush past you

Goalposts "few metres" zooom "brush past"

even with a low powered reader and still grab the info. Its been done
with Oyster cards so it could be done with passports.

Breaking the encryption?
--
Roland Perry

In message
, at
09:00:11 on Fri, 19 Mar 2010, Mizter T remarked:
The 15 minutes to walk from the Tube station to VCS seems a bit on the
high side, even with luggage.

Must say I'm surprised at the apparent dearth of NatEx coach services
from LHR to VCS in the late evening.

A better strategy might be something like LHR-Milton Keynes-wherever

Though if you're heading to Cambridge, perhaps the train from KX is
the way to go.

The Stansted Express is a coach at night, I think. Then pick up a
Stansted-wherever coach.

Heathrow and Victoria bus station are both places to avoid at all costs.
Planning both of them in one trip is simply masochism.
--
Roland Perry

wrote in message
...
On Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:33:29 -0000
"tim...." wrote:
At any of the London Airports IME it is now very rare to queue for less
than
20 minutes at immigration, though they are introducing machines which let
you avoid this queue if you have a "chip"" passport.

Ah yes , arn't they wonderful? All your details stored on it unencrypted
which
can be read from a few metres away with the right machine.

As they are the same details that can be read with a set of eyes, why is
this a problem?

tim

wrote in message
...
On Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:02:08 +0000
Roland Perry wrote:
"The passport's critical information is both printed on the data page
of the passport and stored in the chip."

So nothing "extra". The data concerned is required at check-in by
numerous foreign hotels, so is in effect public information.

I never said it was anything extra. But you don't normally leave your
passport open on the details page and let strangers photocopy it which
is the equivalent of what the RFID allows.

You've obviously never stayed in a hotel outside the EU (or even in a hotel
in one of several EU countries)

tim

In message
,
Mizter T writes

Though if you're heading to Cambridge, perhaps the train from KX is
the way to go. But that would/could be the backup if the coach at VCS
is missed.

I'm not sure where Cambridge came into the plan, but if that is the
final destination I'd take the direct coach service from Heathrow to
Cambridge (I think it's National Express 727). It would be more
convenient and probably quicker than going into the centre of London.
Services are once an hour until after 2300, and then once every two
hours after that.
--
Paul Terry

"Theo Markettos" wrote in message
...
Peter Campbell Smith wrote:
That's 70 mins with a lot of possible variability (mainly in the upwards
direction).

Thanks. I now discover that flightstats.com says my flight has an
'on-time performance' of 0.1 out of 5. Nice. Which means 27% of flights
are on time, with an average delay of 39 mins and a standard deviation of
36
mins.

From the advertised time, I have 2h30 to make the last bus at Victoria
Coach
Station. There don't appear to be any sensibly-timed buses from Heathrow
to
VCS, so that probably means taking the Picc+District and a walk (which
I've
done before with luggage, takes about 15 mins) unless there's a niftier
way
involving tube+bus.

I guess if you're running late you just have to eat the cost and use the
Express plus the (not) circle line from Paddington.

tim

On Mar 19, 5:01*pm, Roland Perry wrote:
[snip]
Heathrow and Victoria bus station are both places to avoid at all costs.
Planning both of them in one trip is simply masochism.

Why do you say that?

By the way, Victoria bus station is the thing in the forecourt outside
Victoria railway station with all the red London buses, whilst
Victoria Coach Station (VCS) is down the road.