Smart Stamp
A little while ago we hosted the Tag Slaps Design Contest. The winner of the contest was Elliot Klein and for his idea was the design of the Smart Stamp. After the contest Elliot mentioned that he wanted to pursue the winning idea and hopefully create a business with it. Eliot just had the chance to follow up with us and I think you will be entertained to see what he has been up to.
The “Smart Stamp” idea came to me when I voted in a recent New York election. I opened this old plaid curtain and then pushed manual metal levers and handles. I felt like I was in a railway trolley car from the 1950s. As a technologist and independent inventor, I knew there had to be a better way. I read about Microsoft Tag at CES and watched the results on American Idol, where close to 80 million voters cast their ballots—mostly by mobile phone. Of course, many of the 80 million people voted twice and there were all kinds of debates about “reliability of the voting.” Why? Simple: American Idol voting is not independently monitored or secure.
A few days after the Microsoft Tag team announced Smart Stamp as the competition winner, I was invited to present the idea to the U.S. Election Commission that is now considering a grant program to bring the Microsoft Tag with my RFID encryption technologies onto election mail … a new concept to move forward to market testing. I am confident that this new method will help those with disabilities to conveniently cast votes using their mobile phones. I’m passionate about contributing a solution towards helping everyone in America count and am anxious to apply for a grant to get the concept started. The goal: a de facto standard for secure and trustworthy voting by mobile phone.
In addition Eliot has been invited to present the Smart Stamp to the U.S. Postal Service and Envelope Manufactures Association along with merchant card companies for secured payment processes and two firms that concentrate in mobile voting. Eliot is also looking to the Microsoft Tag community (twitter & Facebook) to build partnerships for his new business adventure. So if you have ideas on this topic reach out and contact him.
This is a great example of an individual taking full advantage of a contest like the Tag Slaps Design Contest. Eliot we wish you the best of luck on your new adventures.