To me a simple 'device proximity' check described in the article would not work if an adversary forced you to remain near the computer.
A 'vigilance control' device would work as intended in these cases - a message is issued to the user (possibly via covert means), and failure to respond locks the device:
What makes you think the vast majority of people looking for "java" are looking for the programming language? How many people in the world are programmers and are you biased by your own particular situation?
The rest of the non-programming world is probably full of people wanting to know where to buy Java coffee, or wanting to know something about Indonesian islands.
A 'vigilance control' device would work as intended in these cases - a message is issued to the user (possibly via covert means), and failure to respond locks the device:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_man%27s_switch#Vigilance_c...