Life During Wartime

[pmcray]

Got as far as getting on a train at Gunnersbury this morning. It remained there for about 5 minutes, before the driver said they had the amber signal, which, apparently, indicates a major security alert. Announcements indicated that the whole of the tube system was closed down. Got off the train and got the bus back to Brentford (buses still seem to be running this far out even now). So, I'm home.

Whatever happened today, I have a feeling that this one is going to run and run.

ID cards when? Two years?

Comments

ID cards

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

... are absolutely no protection against people leaving bombs on buses and tubes and detonating them by timer or mobile phone.

It may help identify the bodies afterwards though ...

Re: ID cards

[pmcray.livejournal.com]

Well, a combined ID/Oyster card system could be used to track everyone's movement on the public transport system (a season ticket-type Oyster card can already do this, but it's probably easier to tie it into a central database with ID cards).

I hasten to add that I don't necessarily think this is a good (or bad) idea. But it's the kind of thing that may well be proposed in coming days.

Re: ID cards

[brixtonbrood.livejournal.com]

Cash (non season ticket) Oysters also do this, as I discovered to my surprise when topping up at a tube station to find that every journey I'd made was accessible on the same screen.
I can see this being very useful to the police (especially since most people don't know about it) but you would have trouble making it compulsory for tourists (or people pretending to be tourists). Ken is clearly going for mass Oysterisation of the entire London population - whether for sinister reasons or mere technical convenience, I don't know, and if they do start to be used as Mini-Switch cards as well, then there is scope for considerable paranoia.

[t--m--i.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear you're in one piece (not that the alternative was likely).

Heigh ho.

[pmcray.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's a very Kurt Vonnegut day today.

I just hope that we don't see a repeat of the Central Line fiasco when one broken wheel on one train stopped the line for months.