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Watching Your Every Move - A Cautionary Tale
Watching Your Every Move - A Cautionary Tale An Excerpt from the Report “Larger than a dust mote (but not by much); inexpensive to manufacture and distribute and deploy; millions, and later billions and trillions of them -- virtually everywhere. They will be sowed as if by the four winds, lodging into clothing, tennis balls, tools, passports, car keys, car VIN plates, books, banknotes, pamphlets, and letters. They will become pervasive. And wherever one is, someone will know. (Or at least will have the potential to know.) This is not a futuristic discussion of nanobots or other bleeding-edge technologies; this is instead the likely results for the lineage of already commercially deployed ‘Radio Frequency Identification Tags’ (RFID Tags) which seem poised to replace today's retail ‘UPC Bar Codes.’ …… …some privacy tradeoffs may be worthwhile; others may not. But ‘change’ is certain. It's only by educating ourselves, and by thinking things through in advance, that we will be in a position to rationally control the results. We do have the opportunity to realize many of technologies' benefits while keeping their dark sides at bay. It behooves each of us to determine the acceptable results earlier, rather than latter. Let's make sure that we create a world that each of us, quite literally, is willing to live in. Because we will. And our kids will...” The above provides a summary of a provocative, but thoughtful and well-researched, report by Jeff Harrow, formerly chief technologist for the corporate strategy groups of Compaq Computer and Digital Equipment, and expert on technology and its impact on our lives. His full report can be read at http://www.futurebrief.com/jeffharrow.asp. About Jeff Harrow Holder of many patents in IT, Jeff is the co-author of a book, "The Disappearance of Telecommunications," and his commentaries on technology have been carried in numerous electronic and traditional media around the globe including Discover Magazine, United Press International, NanoNews-Now, and many others. He has also been interviewed on technology futures for TV programs, such as the History Channel's "Modern Marvels," and is an ongoing judge for Discover Magazine’s "Innovation Awards." A more complete biography can be found at http://www.futurebrief.com/commentary.asp. About Future Brief You’re busy, so are we. You have limited time, so do we. You want to keep on top of events, not be buried under a mountain of information, so do we. Future Brief is not meant to be an exhaustive review of information. We offer visitors brief summaries of selected articles each work day at our home page that demonstrate an aspect of global convergence with links to the full text for those interested. We offer Daily Brief to subscribers, a summary of the articles featured that day, to further ease the time burden for our regular visitors. We offer original articles by acknowledged experts, such as Jeff Harrow, on "leading edge" topics in our Commentary section. We provide a resources section with additional sources of information and an events page where relevant conferences, seminars and other meetings are listed. All our services are provided at no cost. Future Brief’s website can be found at http://www.futurebrief.com. Its
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