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"...in fifty years, do you believe that people will be recognizably human?"
- Greg Bear
 |
| Portable Ident-Plate | ||
| A small, thin device that will capture biometric data from a person's finger. |
I think this is a pretty good prediction of an item that is commonplace today.
| He took out his wallet and aimed its lens first at Spivey and then at the man's glowing credential. Quickly he dialed the private security service he used for such things and pressed his thumb to the ident-plate. In three seconds the tiny screen flashed a terse confirmation. |
| Technovelgy from Earth,
by David Brin. Published by Bantam in 1990 Additional resources -
|
These are now available on a variety of laptop computers and even small, pocket-sized PDAs.
Take a look at this tiny USB key with a fingerprint reader; the CR-FP2 and CR-FP3 USB keys have a sensor with a with what is described as 1/10000000 precision. The CR-FP3 has 512MB of memory and weights 11g.
(Elecom USB with fingerprint reader)
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'Our study of your race has convinced us that you are not fitted to leave your planet in the present state of your civilization.'
'...the spreading beam of the deranging ray struck them, and Then one toppled and fell. Then another.'
'Within seconds the material was spread out over fifty yards, in a matter of hours it might occupy several cubic miles of space...'
'The men are dead, but their acquired wisdom lives on and I am the beneficiary.'
'Young people found the driverless car admirable for petting.'
'After twenty generations of shillyshallying...'
