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"My father was a master mechanic; I grew up with a screwdriver in one hand and a pair of pliers in the other."
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Injectable or implantable transmitters have a variety of uses; a recent radio frequency identification (RFID) product called VeriChip is now being used in a controversial pilot program in Mexico to help identify missing children. There is increasing interest in RFID technology in business and industry; many practical applications are being developed.
However, Stephenson has his own take on this kind of technology in 1995. It's clear that people who love to shop just don't think about the implications of a device like this for privacy. However, I don't think I would want to broadcast my Visa card number everywhere I went.
Of course, you could probably get the same effect today if you swallowed a SpeedPass (a small cylinder you can attach to your keyring). Speedpass transactions use a unique radio frequency identification code. An electronic system located in the Speedpass reader "talks" with a transponder in your Speedpass.
The VeriChip was introduced by Applied Digital Solutions in May of 2002; it is a rice-sized tracker with a frightening tagline - "Get Chipped!" The VeriChip puts out a 125-kHz RF signal that transmits a person's unique ID number to a scanner, which then accesses a database containing a file on that person.
Be sure to see the news story Veripay Credit-Card Implant (from 11/27/2003).
See the two-way version: take a look at implanted transceiver - hands-free phone from The Godmakers by Frank Herbert.
Find out more about RFID:
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Science Fiction
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DARPA Wants 'Large Bio-Mechanical Space Structures'
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