Gonzo
The Living Force
One would expect an incremental approach would be required to get all humans embedded with a chip. Certainly, starting with our pets is a good way to get us accustomed to the idea. We also are seeing the increased use of RFID tags on livestock. The fact that a disco would chip their customers and that some would even agree, should tell us a lot about the growing acceptance among younger generations, where being hip and desiring convenience form gateways to the technological adoption.
Back in 2002, the Jacobs family decided to become the first family to have chips implanted in their bodies. Their son, Derek, who seemed to think it was the way of the future and wanted to be an early adopter, was killed in a motorcycle accident a few years later (lots of room for conspiracy thoughts here: e.g. did the chip form a tumor, so they took him out before it was made public?). He was a bit of a tech prodigy (obituary at: _http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/palmbeachpost/obituary.aspx?n=derek-jacobs&pid=19409933) and convinced his family to get chipped.
A recent survey of Canadians has shown an alarming increase in accepting a cashless society. The survey was commissioned by PayPal Canada.
See: Canadians prepared to go “cashless” _http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/blogs/insight/canadians-prepared-cashless-184408387.html
All the right buttons have been pushed to create to optimal environment for mass acceptance. Between the health, security and financial aspects, I don't think it will take much to get a critical mass on board. All that would be required then would be to withdraw non chip-based methods, either through regulation or through no longer supporting older methods. Whatever barriers to adoption might exist, be it confusing interfaces for older people or concerns over security, I imagine they have been solidly researched and solutions are underway. I can see it now, "Don't worry any more about not being able to understand how to use online banking or the ATM grandpa, all you need to do is walk up to your computer, cashier or ATM, scan your arm and say out loud what you want and the machine will understand you needs and process everything for you."
I was talking with my father-in-law a few weeks ago. He and his wife wanted to buy new cell phones. They didn't want any of the modern features, they just wanted a plain cell phone. They couldn't get one. They were told to just not use the other features. So, the day is coming where senior citizens will be forced to use certain technologies whether they want to or not, as it will be the only way to accomplish whatever task they need to do.
Gonzo
Back in 2002, the Jacobs family decided to become the first family to have chips implanted in their bodies. Their son, Derek, who seemed to think it was the way of the future and wanted to be an early adopter, was killed in a motorcycle accident a few years later (lots of room for conspiracy thoughts here: e.g. did the chip form a tumor, so they took him out before it was made public?). He was a bit of a tech prodigy (obituary at: _http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/palmbeachpost/obituary.aspx?n=derek-jacobs&pid=19409933) and convinced his family to get chipped.
A recent survey of Canadians has shown an alarming increase in accepting a cashless society. The survey was commissioned by PayPal Canada.
See: Canadians prepared to go “cashless” _http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/blogs/insight/canadians-prepared-cashless-184408387.html
- emphasis mineThe survey, conducted on behalf of PayPal Canada by Leger Marketing in Toronto, shows that 71 per cent of Canadians are comfortable with never having to handle cash to make a purchase, up 27 per cent from 2011. In fact, many Canadians are already embracing this shift as a full quarter (25 per cent) of survey respondents go more than a week without using cash.
All the right buttons have been pushed to create to optimal environment for mass acceptance. Between the health, security and financial aspects, I don't think it will take much to get a critical mass on board. All that would be required then would be to withdraw non chip-based methods, either through regulation or through no longer supporting older methods. Whatever barriers to adoption might exist, be it confusing interfaces for older people or concerns over security, I imagine they have been solidly researched and solutions are underway. I can see it now, "Don't worry any more about not being able to understand how to use online banking or the ATM grandpa, all you need to do is walk up to your computer, cashier or ATM, scan your arm and say out loud what you want and the machine will understand you needs and process everything for you."
I was talking with my father-in-law a few weeks ago. He and his wife wanted to buy new cell phones. They didn't want any of the modern features, they just wanted a plain cell phone. They couldn't get one. They were told to just not use the other features. So, the day is coming where senior citizens will be forced to use certain technologies whether they want to or not, as it will be the only way to accomplish whatever task they need to do.
Gonzo