Have you ever imaged what life would be like without technology? Perhaps that is what Freeman Dyson had in mind when he described technology as a gift from God; the greatest of God’s gifts after the gift of life.
Technology never runs out of surprises. Whilst keyboard is fast losing its superiority as an interface device to touch screens, other technologies are already being developed to supplement touch technology.
Andeas Sjostrom, vice president for digital practice at Sogeti multinational consulting company demonstrated one such technology lately. Without going through the airport boarding gate tedious paperwork, Andeas was let through using a chip implanted in his arm.
A commercially available NFC (near field communication) implant was injected into Sjostrom’s arm by a medical professional using a syringe. Topical anesthetic was used to make the procedure totally painless. It was so efficiently done that Andeas did not notice the implant after a week.
That done, Scandinavian Airlines embedded encrypted digital data into the implant that could be accessed by their airport boarding gate system. Andeas was able to pass through the airport security check point in Stockholm Sweden and then found his way through the airline lounge entrance and the boarding gate without hassles. The implant had digital keys for all those check-points.
This is not the first time that a chip was implanted into a human being. It is however the first time that some NFC chip has been used to board an airline.
Scandinavia Airlines has no immediate plan to introduce NFC implants to its passengers. The reason this was done was to enable Andreas explore new ways an implanted chip might be used in real-life situations.
With the success of this experiment, possibilities are limitless. Instead of carrying plastic money on your phone, you will be able to carry it in a chip planted into your body.
NFC readers in banks will load money into the chips and shops will debit your account on the chip whenever you make a purchase.
Some may be asking whether such implants will not have effects on our bodies. The truth of the matter is that it depends; women have used birth control implants for a very long time now. It works very well on some yet gives problems to others.
I may be asking for the moon if I requested you to try out some NFC transplant; let me suggest that you do a very simple experiment.
Ask your internet provider the speed of their internet offering. Once you get the figure, visit www.pcmag.com and use the Ookla’s internet speed tester software. If the difference is enormous, your ISP is stealing from you.
As Arthur Clarke once said, any sufficiently advanced technology should be indistinguishable from magic, it is within your right to audit your internet service provider.
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