Former Bush official Tommy Thompson to get RFID chipped
Okay, we know the whole RFID implant
thang is old news now, with folks opting to implant the little buggers for
medical reasons, for
identification purposes, or
just because — but this is the first time we've heard of
someone doing it out of sheer desire to promote the wonders of RFID. It's also the first quasi-celebrity we know of
opting to get chipped (yeah, we're sure
Paris is right behind). Tommy
Thompson, the former Governor of Wisconsin and Health and Human Services Secretary during Bush's first term, is now on
the board of directors of Applied Digital, the company that owns
VeriChip — makers of subcutaneous RFID tags for
fun and profit humans and pets. Merely by way of promoting the concepts behind RFID, Thompson himself
is gonna go and get chipped. So how long before someone hacks up a way to track him via Google maps?
Filed under: Wireless
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nate MC @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
So why the picture of Amal's hand?
Why not a picture of Tommy with little devil horns, would've been much cooler.
It's amazing how some christians are freaking out about this stuff, like they don't eat meat on sundays anyway.
Mark Jacobs @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Let's hope his RFID doesn't "blue-screen" or "GPF"!
Ruegen @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Tagged like a cow... moo
Jerry @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I've been thinking of trying an rfid capsule in my hand. They are really small now and you can buy developer kits pretty cheap.
First off I'd make door locks that are always unlocked when I go to open them.
If computers had an rfid sensor:
- proximity sensor: when I'm close enough it unlocks, walk away it locks down (bluetooth seems like overkill). Like Salling Clicker it could trigger other things based on proximity: chat status, email check, doomsday countdown...
- maybe using the rfid tag as a password isn't advisable, but it could certainly be used to authorize unlocking the OS X keychain
- when I use someone else's computer the keyboard shortcuts/mapping should magically switch to "my" settings
- key the buttons, straps, and hooks in my wife's clothing to the tag: one wave of a hand and "woosh!"
Snyper64 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
In reply to #1: I think your getting Christians and the Jews(I think its the Jews that do this but it may be those crazy Jahovas witnesses) mixed up, I'm Christian and I eat meat anytime I want. I have never heard of any rules in the Bible about not eating meat on Sundays. And if you are wondering why we are freaking out about these implants its because the bible does talk about these implants being a mark of evil and I will certainly fight whoever tries to put one of those in my arm tooth and nail. Also if you need any Bible verses about this I will be happy to give a couple.
lupinstel @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Thats alright, we don't need any bible verses.
furtim @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Actually, Catholicism used to be rather strict about not eating meat on certain days, but most Catholics don't really care about those rules anymore. ;P Orthodox Christianity, as far as I know, still does have fairly strict rules about not eating meat for several days before receiving communion.
And everybody knows about the verses in Rev. Which is, I should point out, only *barely* canonical. The church fathers who compiled the original canon didn't particularly like it, but they eventually included it anyway. The reason they didn't like it? Too open to misinterpretation and abuse by nutso radical elements. ;P
Now, I don't want an RFID implant, but not because I think they're a sign of the End Times. No, I just think they're excessive. You can get the same convenience without sticking things under your skin, I would think.
ezKiel @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Wouldnt it be easier to put it in a ring on your finger or something?
Nothing is getting implanted in me. Am I the only one who think its bad that this was predicted at least 1800- but probably around 2100 years ago.
David @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
One chip isn't going to be enough for me. I'd like to be able to track each organ separately--just in case the terrorists get their hands on them. That way, the government will know where my severed head is. This just may be the way we can finally beat commuterrorism and Osama Hussein and finally feel safe!
pikiki.com @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
RFID implants are excessive, but no more than to go to a Star Trek convention.
You could also wear a dated RFID stick in your arm. So you could change it and update your ID from an keypool everyweek.
It is not good for security but great for identification.
David @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Why is entering passwords so difficult? Are we lazier than The Jetsons?
MarkF @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Okay, someone straighten me out here, why does the discussion of RFID always turn to tracking? As far as I know RFID has no connection to GPS and cannot be used for position location. RFID can be used for proximity detection and identification with an appropriate sensor, but that has been around for many years. I've had security badges for 15 years with RFID type capabilities. Am I out of date, if so I'd chip my keys so I never loose them.
eliot.hackaday @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I guess I'll just have to bring one of these if I meet him: http://www.hackaday.com/entry/1234000080041978/
The Jeremy @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
The only techno device that's getting implanted in my body is a Babel Fish. At least you can take it out easily.
furtim @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
#11, you might not be able to track someone remotely through an RFID, but you would be able to track if they passed through RFID-equipped doors and such. Sort of like that scene in Minority Report the film where Tom Cruise is being recognised by all the retinal scanners on billboards, except minus the retinal scans.
mr.karmalicious @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
"One chip isn't going to be enough for me. I'd like to be able to track each organ separately--just in case the terrorists get their hands on them. That way, the government will know where my severed head is. This just may be the way we can finally beat commuterrorism and Osama Hussein and finally feel safe!"
Bahahaha, my thoughts exactly.
mr.karmalicious @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
"One chip isn't going to be enough for me. I'd like to be able to track each organ separately--just in case the terrorists get their hands on them. That way, the government will know where my severed head is. This just may be the way we can finally beat commuterrorism and Osama Hussein and finally feel safe!"
Bahahaha, my thoughts exactly.
BadMonkey @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
You must be kidding...CHAINS are sooooo much cheaper and OH SO FASHIONABLE!
If we could all...just live in chains....the world...would be SO MUCH NICER!
deadmonkey @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
What precisely is the point of this? So that if I get wheeled into a hospital naked and unconscious with no other form of ID they can look up my insurance and see if I qualify for the GOOD stuff? Or if I'm in an explosion and they find the piece of my charred flesh that has the RFID tag in it they can get an automated condolence email off to my next of kin in real time? No thanks.
BadMonkey @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Hey....can I get mine to read 665??? I would like to be the runner up if the Anti-Christ can not fulfill his or her duties!
I tell you now...I might not be able to pull off the talent portion of this contest....BUT...I will WALK AWAY with the Swimsuit and Evening gown portions!
"Here he is....Mr. alomst Anit-Christ.....Aint he cool....his gens true zeitgeist!!!"
Hey MOM...can I reprogram Sarahs Chip to read as being mine for the finals?? She is SOOOO MUCH better at MATH THAN I AM!
Wait till some HACKER...living in his mommies basement reprograms ALL the chips..to say we are a black woman THE SAME 65 Yr old Black woman...!!!! THIS COULD BE COOL FELLOW MONKEYS!
evilsushi @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Ok christians, first this in no way could be the so called mark of the beast, because the bible says the mark cant be removed. RFID can be easily removed. Second it is not implanted in your hand or forehead like the bible says. RFID is usually implanted in your upper arm, abdomen, or back of your neck. But i guess you could put it the fold between your thumb and index finger. If anything the mark would be some kind of biometric form of ID that can not be removed or changed.
BadMonkey @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Can I get one in my johnson...so that when I am drunk it wont let me take ugly girls home??
R @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Have a lookie at http://tagged.kaos.gen.nz. imma gonna get one done once I can sort out a time and the money.
Vinnk @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I went to Tommy Thompsons birthday party in 1998. No lie.
Snyper64 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
"8. Posted Jul 19, 2005, 10:11 AM ET by ezKiel
Wouldnt it be easier to put it in a ring on your finger or something?
Nothing is getting implanted in me. Am I the only one who think its bad that this was predicted at least 1800- but probably around 2100 years ago."
Well atleast someone here agrees with me.
"21. Posted Jul 19, 2005, 2:43 PM ET by evilsushi
Ok christians, first this in no way could be the so called mark of the beast, because the bible says the mark cant be removed. RFID can be easily removed. Second it is not implanted in your hand or forehead like the bible says. RFID is usually implanted in your upper arm, abdomen, or back of your neck. But i guess you could put it the fold between your thumb and index finger. If anything the mark would be some kind of biometric form of ID that can not be removed or changed."
The fact that it could be implanted in your hand or forehead is reason enough to not have it done. Just like the Bible says about the devil being a trickster and fooling you into thinking somethings good when it is actually sin. Just because it is not in your hand or your forehead doesn't mean it is not there to mark you differently(and unaturally) than the guy next to you.
juls @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I'm a Christian, a Catholic. If a chip could help me locate my daughters if they were ever kidnapped, then I'm all for it. If (like my cousin) I had a medical condition where I may need special emergency treatment, I think that's great too. Of course it can be abused, but so can most things. The meat issue - most Christians just eat meat all the time. During Lent (the time between Mardi Gras and Easter) Catholics give up meat on Fridays in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice but they use to give it up for all of Lent. (I know a great story about capabaras which IS related!)If people want to get really paranoid, I once heard that all social security cards are 'secretly' programmed with the numbers 666 as the opening sequence, so we are already 'marked', if you choose to believe that.
sliu @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
track him with google maps? pheh, that's such yesterday's news. Now we'll track with google earth and know exactly which floor to send that bomb to ;)
Debbie @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
The Christian religious may balk but this is not a 'mark' in the scriptural sense.
With a government official being the first openly tagged in this way I can easily envision all military chipped as a condition of enlistment for the sound logistics of tracking in the event they are missing or dead.
Anyone care to guess as to how long before the USA is the first with a 'chipped' and largely trackable military?
John Paul II @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I can't believe this nonsense, this is ridiculous. How can they come up with something like this. This goes against all moral values, and religion. I'll rather die than have this chip put inside of me. I am a human being not a computer that can be upgraded with the latest technology. This is an outrage, whether biblical or not. Imagine someone somewhere knows exactly where you are. Imaging laying in bed with someone other than your wife, and someone somewhere knows, and they give your wife a call 4:00 am in the morning telling her that your husband is on wallaby streat with your next door neighbors 18 year old daughter. What a joke. I was born from sexual intercourse, I was not built and assembled like a machine.
Ant @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Are you kidding? Of course this is a precursor to the Mark of the Beast (666). At the moment it's in the arm, but how convenient would it be to have it in your right hand to swipe the train fare, open your door, activate your mouse et al. It's obvious that the right hand is gonna be where it ends up, Just like the Bible says. Also, nowhere in the Bible does it say that you can't remove the Mark. (Post 21 by Evilushi, nice name). Who are you trying to fool? All the Bible says is that you won't be able to buy or sell without it & those who don't accept it will be put to death. Just wait a few years for that, particularly after the coming Mid East War. You would have all been scoffing at RFID implants a few years ago. How you keep changing your story. Just wake up. It's 666. It's obvious. After the coming Peace treaty in Israel, you've got three & a half years before all hell breaks loose & the antiChrist will kill all who do not take it. What will your story be then. Probably some justification about 'Christian fundamentalist terrorism'. Anything to justify the slaughter. By the way, I'm not a Cristian, just observant.
Kenyon @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
The fact is that the US and Israel have worked out that their bar codes will have three sets of double thin lines, check them out on any product sold in the supermarket etc. They call this the "perfect number". It is not mathematically necessary, someone is putting it there for a reason, like someone sent ham packets to Moslems in Iraq...or did evil things to prisoners in the same country, and for that matter, lots of other countries. This is like pork to a Moslem, and in fact, cannot be accepted by Orthodox (if that is the right word) Moslems, Jews or any Christians. Moses forbade marking the body, and Islam, quite sensibly, urges responsibility, forbidding its adherents from polluting their bodies - especially with drugs. Thus, the 'people of the book', as these three groups are called, have a code that prohibits letting morons mark you, chip you, rape you, or poison you. The Christian has this injunction in Revelation 13, which, contrary to some previous postings, is not a 'fringe' book, it is in fact read out as a blessing! It containt Christ's evaluations of the 7 churches, each one representing a type of church today, from friendly and alert to filled with evil...today we have this spectrum, and it would be a good idea to listen to it, whether as an act of faith or merely as a study of history.
The 666 also represents twisted character, and Revelation speaks about not only the physical insertion of this (being quite specific and using the Greek 'charagma', a verb meaning inserting, and noting it will be 'in' one's hand, again, using a specific Greek preposition denoting 'inside of' rather than just on), but about the fact that some people will have the character of the Beast, they will be shallow, hypocritical, etc., and with this type of character they will have access to trade. Ever notice that in some places now the honest and intuitive are not allowed? This is the spiritual side of having a Beast on you hands.
Next you get a mark on your hands...like Cain, the murderer, who snuck up on his brother (did not even go mano-a-mano, there was no man-to-man, just a cowardly jealous sibling) and killed him in his rage. Note how so many of the angry people in the US are not in the service, but are willing to send other Americans to die for them? They, like Cain, who had to wear a mark on his hand, are marked, but perhaps in an even worse way. Violence is an abomination the Bible says.
BTW, there is a financial side to this, the root of such evil is the love of money. Applied Digital Solutions will make money, and, by repalcing all money with this garbage, they will effectively have all the money in the workld. Recently the US asked the UK to standardise all microchips and hand over a database of all UK citizens...at the same time, they are asking for extradition of UK citizens who are not even charged with a crime, so as to set a stupid precendent. Giles Darby, David Bermingham and Gary Mulgrew, against whom there is no charge and who do not have criminal records, are under threat of this madness. As well as Gary McKinnon, who is, however, a computer hacker, but whose acts were committed on UK soil - he is in fact in Bow Street Magistrates' Court today to face an extradition hearing.
The US wants to do a lot of un-Biblical things, and they are using the church to get evil things done, in fact, 11,000 US priests have been in jail for child abuse, so this is no surprise...ever wonder which of the 7 churches in found in the US?
Another precedent the US wants to set is forcing the microchip...It was predicted, and it is happening. The US may well be the Beast in Revelation, as it sends down fire from heaven, has a false prophet (Pat Robertson), a great whore (the US church) and accuses the brethren. There are some real Christians in the US, and if these kind of comments sting you, then good, take the slap of a friend and wake up. You are already using a 666 in your markets and supporting paedophile priests.