Theft and security measures - analogies with the past

I like this post for this is where I start my seminar on theft in cyberspace: the analogy with the security measures of the past. "Gartner: Authentication systems are 'fatally flawed' "http://resources.zdnet.co.uk/articles/0,1000001991,39486978,00.htm?r=1 (12 september 2008)
By the way, the clarity with which Gartner describes the system of authentication is chilling and I still can't understand why it's there and has not been replaced by something better.