Old detective films offer a glimpse of this handy device in action. You’ll often see the lead sleuth swipe a phone number from a Rolodex while their sidekick keeps the secretary distracted. Proof enough that, yes, it was a data leak waiting to happen.
Until recently, you could just grab this Rolodex off the shelf at the Observant office. But don’t worry – the information is so out of date that no one’s privacy is at risk. That is, unless the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) still receives faxes on a daily basis. For those under 30: faxes were basically paper emails sent electronically through large, noisy machines. It’s just as unlikely that Cinema Palace on Wycker Brugstraat is still taking calls, seeing as it closed its doors back in 2005.
Some of the cards are so cryptic that even the best detective couldn’t make sense of them now. What does “Mc Master” mean, scribbled next to what looks like a Canadian phone number? A quick Google search turns up nothing, but checking with real flesh-and-blood people does work. It turns out to be the university in Hamilton, Canada, which served as the model when the medical faculty in Maastricht was founded.
Still, to be safe, we’ll be removing the old cards before giving the Rolodex away – as we’ll do with every item featured in this series. So, if you’re interested, you will have to fill it up yourself.