Credit Cards: Smart Chip

June 19th, Monday:
I thought Malaysia was advanced technologically (at least...), but it seems that Hong Kong has beaten us to it. I was showing the Malaysian credit cards I have to my mates on Sunday during Yum Cha...

Justin: Eh, how come these cards have a 'smart card chip" on it?
YK: wah...you people all so backwards alreadi lor..
Justin: our Credit card only have the magnetic strips.
YK: I remember just before I came (here to Toowoomba), the banks were just only implementing the changes to smart card chips on our credit cards.
Me: Yeah, and to think, I thought the banks were being so troublesome.....

*yup...it gave me heaps of trouble. I wrote a letter in to complain (to one of my issuing banks) cause the card readers couldn't read my normal magnetic strip debit card to make purchases at petrol kiosks after that!*

Much later....to Henna & Grace..

Me: Hei Grace, can I have a look at your credit card? *Hers is from New Zealand*
Grace: What about it?
Me: Would just like to have a look at the features....

*After much persuasion and hee-haw*...

Grace: Here you are...
Me: Hmmm....it doesn't have the smart card chip either?

Henna (the Hongkie) then piped in.
Henna: Haiyah.....smart card chip 'old fashioned already".
Me: What? How can that be?
Henna: Smart card chip is "not safe". People can spoil the smart card chip.
Me: Oh really? How is that?
Henna: In Hong Kong, our cards are like yours...but the smart card chip is 'between' the card (inside the plastic). The chip cannot be seen. It looks like ordinary credit card..
Me: Oh....something like what the library books use, or the concept thereof.

June 16th, Friday:
Today, (how many of you people actually watch the news, or read it on campus?) this came up on the Toowoomba 6 o'clock news. It was talking about how the ATM magnetic card strip crimes were rising in Australia was rising, and the reporters were explaining why Australia is becoming a soft target for all these International CrimeGangs. One of the news reporters said that Malaysia had switched to the utilization of Smart Cards about 2 years ago, and the crime rate has decreased by about 95% due to that.

(although we did complain about it, and made a hoo-haa over the whole thing, remember??)

The thing is, these kinds of things as Malaysians put it, we already knew about it a long time ago. It is only JUST happening and starting in Australia? *Hmmm*

As YK puts it, Australians pump before paying. We can't, and we don't do that in Malaysia, because it is not wise to do that. On the other hand, Australians (or as the case is still happening in our part of Australia), people pump-then-pay. It is not a wonder that people from countries like Malaysia, Singapore, or China would take advantage of this "trust" factor. Not everyone is trusting like that. Especially non-Australians. That is not a wise thing to do in any part of Asia for that matter.....

However, my hsemate, Tony begs to differ (or some of the others anyway)...saying that, a lot of these petrol kiosks are equipped with security cameras, and these people who try to escape off without paying will get caught.

Well, I can't really tell you if that is true for sure, as I don't know anyone who has done that yet, or would do that yet for that matter....

Anyway, just some more *news flash*.

Please. Please. PRAY for it to RAIN in Toowoomba. There is a drought here, and the water levels in the reservoirs are falling. The residents (including international students and aliens) have to make a vote of getting re-cycled water for drinking. or Not.

YUCK. (which basically means, water from sewage treatments. MORE YUCK). I hope. hope. hope. we don't have to do that.....and I for a million years, do not want to drink any re-cycled water (as healthy as the politicians seem to try to sell it to us).

So. Please. Please. Please....PRAY for it to RAIN in Toowoomba. It might get foggier due to the rain in this time of winter. But we need it to RAIN here!

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