By Greg Richburg
Netricks, Inc.

Jean Cocteau once said, "we only serve as a model for the portrait of our fame." Tell that one to Dorian Grey. It parallels the old "Chicken or the Egg" deal. Which came first? Like the preconceived elements of the computer and tech world, microchips, holographic interactive school teachers, global positioning systems, retna scanners, microwave popcorn, wireless remote controls, hover crafts, laser guns, and invisibility rings.

Fantasy or "remember when..."?

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George Orwell wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four in 1949, a dystopian novel setting forth the fears of an intrusively bureaucratized state of the future. "Big Brother is watching you!" And now I can find my lost dog with a GPS microchip implant. I heard that some top secret organizations use the VeriChip implant in human hands in order to maintain security. Scan in and scan out, how freaky or cool is that?

Truth be told, almost every technological advancement of our modern age has been foreseen in a fantasy or sci-fi novel, painting or movie of some kind. Lucky guesses? Or, does science really copy the fantastic developments of the artistic pioneers, painters, and writers?

Where is this going?

Well, I am not too sure at this point, but I can tell you one thing, technological advancement can sure make life easier. It can be said that we fantasize for pure pleasure and invent for production. We are a society of development and consumption. We push forward every day in order to make life more beautiful, or at least that is the goal.

The idea of an embedded microchip (VeriChip) that contains all our medical records, connections with our financial systems and is trackable could sure make life safe and easy. Yet it seems to potentially open a whole new realm of corruption and ethical argumentation. There are already loads of websites spouting disagreements with the useage of the "VeriChip" implant in humans.

In essence, a VeriChip is a small radio transmitter about the size of a grain of rice that is injected under a person's skin. It transmits a unique ID number whenever it is within a few feet of a special receiver unit. The system was designed to replace ID systems such as company ID cards and medical emergency ID tags. It is speculated that such a chip could also be used to replace driver licenses, passports, and credit cards.

Embrace or Run Away?

Well, as far as crime is concerned, we could practically say good-bye to kidnapping and robbery. But along with that, there goes privacy and the whole innocent until proven guilty ideal. No need to concern yourself with where your spouse really was last night, or where your child is at the moment.

Now what about the Book of Revelations and all that about the "Mark of the Beast"? Since the FDA approoved the use of the implant for medical records last October, there have been websites popping up all over telling tales of disdain in the Christian eye.

Truth be told, there are numerous examples of these chips being used today in everyday life. Millions of animals around the world have been chipped for medical purposes. In Mexico, city officials have been chipped for security reasons and to prevent kidnapping. And recently at the Baja Beach Resort in Barcelona, Spain, patrons can get a microchip with their financial information implanted so they can pay for their cocktails with a swipe of the arm. Is that VIP or what?

What is the bottom line?

Well, I'm not here to espouse one extreme or another. I am neither the zealot with disdain for the system nor the futurist with the tech mind pressing forth. I am a mere network engineer that runs a web design and tech support company and seems to think that future and science-fiction are getting pretty well acquainted.

From Big Brother to the Mark of the Beast, from safe, efficient living to streamilining the medical and financial world, we are on the verge of advancements so great, that Artists are painting reality right before our eyes. We are living in sci-fi and witnessing what our ancestors only dreamed of.

All past articles written by Greg Richburg are available at Tech Articles and News by Netricks. Please address article suggestions to: info@netricks.com.