OK, here I go being literal minded again: FWIW, since this idea has, in fact, appeared in science fiction before--Escape From New York, Demolition Man, and a thing with Gregory Peck I can't remember the title of, involving Red China--I don't think he qualifies for a patent anyway. (As in, the US Patent Office says Robert Heinlein "invented" the water bed, even if he didn't patent it. N0 patents issued...)
RFID implants for humans have been a reality for years.
My response to any type of forced implant for government convenience is that I'll accept their implants after they accept mine. Mine will be traveling at about Mach 2.5 have a mass of about 190 grains.
GPS and/or poison implants? I won't bother to make the offer. It will be time for me to go varmint hunting.
D.W, RAH described the water bed well enough than anyone with the requisite skills would have been able to build one; this is not the case of any of the kill-you-dead implants I've encountered in SF, not even the ones with radios added, for instance in Dean Ing's Single Combat and Wild Country (part of a series that begins with Systemic Shock, btw).
I believe that in order to preclude a patent, the item described must be covered in enough detail that someone "skilled in the art" could build it. OTOH, we are talkin' law rather then technology here and I am so very Not A Lawyer. Especially not patent law.
Roberta: I'd forgotten the implants were included in Ing's Systemic Shock, etc., stories. And I knew that's why no one was issued a patent for a water bed; whether anyone has described a "dead man switch" implant that well... I don't know. A patent office rep might well decide that such a description does not require circuit diagrams, etc.
Certainly if one can RFID a pet, Big Brother can RFID a human being. I can imagine a short list of people that Big Brother would start with, to get initial buy-in: convicted sex offenders and illegal aliens, for example.
And Ben's Car Audio is a high-end automotive audio shop locally that will re-wire your wheels to only open and start with the RFID chip they will implant (or have implanted) in your hand.
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Anyone suggesting implanting one in you is threatening you with a lethal weapon. Govern yourselves accordingly.
ReplyDeleteJim
OK, here I go being literal minded again: FWIW, since this idea has, in fact, appeared in science fiction before--Escape From New York, Demolition Man, and a thing with Gregory Peck I can't remember the title of, involving Red China--I don't think he qualifies for a patent anyway. (As in, the US Patent Office says Robert Heinlein "invented" the water bed, even if he didn't patent it. N0 patents issued...)
ReplyDeleteRFID implants for humans have been a reality for years.
ReplyDeleteMy response to any type of forced implant for government convenience is that I'll accept their implants after they accept mine. Mine will be traveling at about Mach 2.5 have a mass of about 190 grains.
GPS and/or poison implants? I won't bother to make the offer. It will be time for me to go varmint hunting.
What -- subcutaneous lead implants in various calibers applied remotely weren't working so well?
ReplyDeleteD.W, RAH described the water bed well enough than anyone with the requisite skills would have been able to build one; this is not the case of any of the kill-you-dead implants I've encountered in SF, not even the ones with radios added, for instance in Dean Ing's Single Combat and Wild Country (part of a series that begins with Systemic Shock, btw).
ReplyDeleteI believe that in order to preclude a patent, the item described must be covered in enough detail that someone "skilled in the art" could build it. OTOH, we are talkin' law rather then technology here and I am so very Not A Lawyer. Especially not patent law.
Now, if they just included your debit card and/or Exxon SpeedPass in the implant, you would be all set.
ReplyDeleteForehead or right hand??
Roberta: I'd forgotten the implants were included in Ing's Systemic Shock, etc., stories. And I knew that's why no one was issued a patent for a water bed; whether anyone has described a "dead man switch" implant that well... I don't know. A patent office rep might well decide that such a description does not require circuit diagrams, etc.
ReplyDeleteCertainly if one can RFID a pet, Big Brother can RFID a human being. I can imagine a short list of people that Big Brother would start with, to get initial buy-in: convicted sex offenders and illegal aliens, for example.
And Ben's Car Audio is a high-end automotive audio shop locally that will re-wire your wheels to only open and start with the RFID chip they will implant (or have implanted) in your hand.