I can remember back when RFID chips were first being developed. My wife and I were discussing just how seductive the technology would be to the masses. First, by putting the chip in the hand one could just stand near a point-of-sale device to be identified (no hassle with wallets or purses.) Next, for those that don't have natural limbs, you could put the chip in the head and get the same effect. Finally, by having this as a positive proof of ID, one could just link in as if it were a credit card scanner, dial out, and do an update straight to the bank. The only thing was the fear that someone could chop off a hand (or head) and use the body part on it's own. So, we figured you would need to derive a signal from something like a pulse or nerve firing to verify the person was still valid. But, if these things were accomplished, you could use the chip for everything from smart soft drink machines to a personal key for cell phones to unlocking and starting cars to turning off the safety on a person's gun. Anybody that didn't see the possible tie-in to the MotB would jump at something that easy to use.
I still get as sick to my stomach thinging about it today as I did way back then.
People will flock to this nightmare tech. I doubt that they will even pay the smallest bit of heed to us "crazy Christians."
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Due to things like the ease of someone reading what's on the chip and me not liking to be followed without me knowing it (think public surveillance cameras but then disguised readers) I'm not getting this. I haven't even registered my mobile phone because people I don't know don't need to know that it is mine.
Call me paranoid but I'm trying to preserve the little bits of privacy I've got.
Oh yeah, people are signing up to have a RFID chips implanted in droves. The last time I checked, pets were the largest recipient of these devices. Most folks refuse to even consider getting sliced and diced for this. So I'd say you're WRONG!!!
I'm a closet Luddite myself. I don't need my refrigerator or washing machine talking to the world...but in the worst-case scenario, when the smart house decides to play g0d or something, just put a penny in the light socket to blow the breaker.
...says the man, on a computer, over the internet.
Don't cherry pick your technologies, man.
I don't like RFID, but you know what's scarier than this "nightmare tech?" The fact that the couple in this quote would likely accept any other sort of government control or loss of privacy that Bush puts upon them, so long as it doesn't set off their "mark-of-the-beast-meter."
"So, we figured you would need to derive a signal from something like a pulse or nerve firing to verify the person was still valid."
Are you suggesting we power this thing by directly connecting it to our nerves? That would require a complicated surgical procedure.
"WE ARE THE ATHIEST. YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE"
I'll never have that shit implanted in me, no government or corporation can be trusted.
I'm sorry, but WHAT THE FUCK does RFID Technology have to do with Christianity? What in the slightest?
I'd think fundies would be in support of RFIDs. They could implant them in themselves identifying themselves as believers of a particular religion, that way if someone who isn't a believer shows up, they know to immediately shun them for no good reason.
I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I kind of agree with this guy... The whole idea sounds a little bit too much like big brother-type stuff to me. I don't like the idea of something being inserted under my skin. Some that could theoretically [I hope I don't get posted on CTSTDT.com for this] be used to track me anywhere I am at any time.
You know, if you took all the crazy things that the average Fundie says regarding technology and took out some of the crazy, one could get a pretty decent character for a Sci-Fi flick. You know, the crazy conspiracy theorist who gets proven right mid-story?
But as it stands, it's pretty WTF-worthy.
The really ironic thing to me is that in the Bible, the mark of the Beast was identical on all of the people who had it. It was described as being more like a brand than a unique identifier.
Way to read your own holy book, dude.
@Rhys - Actually, that kind of tracking has already been demonstrated. With the right equipment, you can read these things from about 60 feet away, so just put a reader in every parking meter or light post. It would be even more of a surveillance society than the U.K. has now with its cameras everywhere.
The interesting thing is that after a certain point, the data is only useful for auditing purposes. The cameras can't really be used to prevent crime, but they're good for tracing a robber's car back to his home via the route he took to get to his target, for instance. Unless you are already under suspicion for something, the government/corporations/whoever wouldn't have nearly enough manpower to care about you.
I work in information security, and it's basically standard procedure in my line of work to log everything, no matter how small. Filtering after-the-fact is easy, and mass storage is cheap, so there is no excuse not to. Thing is, nobody ever looks at the logs unless there's a problem. There's just too much information for any of us to care under normal circumstances. Surveillance societies operate in much the same way. Record everything, archive it, and only care about it when something happens.
Well, then prepare to be "left behind".
Should we call you The Amish II, or do you want to make up a different name?
Dear Just a Crack Pot, sure we're going to all be cyborgs in the future, you're absolutely right. Here,let me help you slip into your tinfoil hat and your cloak of invulnerability so the Beast can't get you
Yes, but when are we getting the REAL cybernetics?
I want my Shadowrun-style augmentations, damnit!
Me too. Hell, I want a Gunnm (Battle Angel Alita in the US)-style fully cybernetic body!
In the field of library sciences, RFID chips offer interesting possibilities. In humans, OTOH...
Interesting site. Not my normal cup of tea, but I can appreciate a site that is open to discussion and opinion.
But, some things to address. No, not using nerves to power the chip (that is done inductively). Nerve power detection as security check that chip and body are still in one piece (people have been known to remove parts during kidnapping, etc.) No, no fear--fully expect to be gone before things get this bad. No, not worried about other types of technology--all current tech can be spoofed, isolated, etc. So, no permanent method of tracking involved. As to flocking to the tech, um...cellphones? TVs? New tech that fills a purpose has, over recent history, invited large groups to partake. After all, does anyone NEED MySpace? Not really, but, it is still popular.
Again, I appreciate you all and your opinions, and offer my sincere respect to each of you for presenting them. Also, I apologize for not being clearer on some points. What little I get right at any given time, I can only accredit to the Lord Jesus, because I certainly don't give Him the best material to work with. :)
Thanks!
While I wouldn't personally consider an RFID implant for basic functions (ie. ID, money, keys, etc.), they have been used more and more at vacation resorts to eliminate the need for their patrons (in wet bathing suits most of the time) to carry physical money and IDs. Is this the stuff of Revelations? Hardly.
But go back further than RFID technology for evidence to the mark of the beast. What about your social security number? While it's not physically imprinted or embedded on one's person, it is assigned by the government so in a sense one does "carry" it throughout their lifetime. Or your driver's license number. Same deal. Why no outcry for these "marks" that have been around much longer than RFID?
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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