Lieutenant General Raymond Odierno tells USA Today that the military has linked to guns and rockets to Iran using - among other things - serial numbers.

NPR: U.S., Iran Find a Proxy Battleground in Iraq

Manufacturers suggest always buying from authorized distributors and when in doubt, asking for individual club serial numbers before buying, which the real things have.

FORBES: Golfers Beware: Counterfeit Clubs Proliferate Online

He knew music, classical to serial, and the history of mathematics, and a hundred other things.

NEWYORKER: Midnight in Dostoevsky

An Epson ink-jet printer's connector fit, but 3Com's marketers don't mention that Bluetooth behaves like a serial port rather than a parallel one, making installation difficult and keeping many printers from reporting things like the status of ink cartridges or paper jams.

FORBES: Magazine Article