In
the summer of 1997 I spent a few months in America on the USIT work/travel
scheme. It was during that stay that one day in New York I was handed
a leaflet with the heading “Never receive 666 the mark of the beast.
If you receive it on your right hand or forehead you will go to
hell!”… The writer(s) of the leaflet spoke of the age of implanted
microchips as the fulfilling of biblical prophesies, citing the
usage of the digits 666 in all bar-codes as the "Mark of the Beast"
from the Book of Revelations. Past writing having an effect on future
technology. I'm not saying the Bible is science fiction but I wonder
did the creator of the barcode place those three digits into its
design as a comment the barcodes possible social consequences.
The writer(s) of the leaflet spoke of the age of implanted microchips
as the fulfilling of biblical prophesies, citing the usage of the
digits 666 in all bar-codes as the "Mark of the Beast"
from the Book of Revelations. A
year later I read a newspaper article about Professor Stephen Warwick,
who on 25 August, 1998, Professor Kevin Warwick announced to a press
conference that he had become the first person in the world to have
a computer chip surgically grafted into his body. Comparing the
diagrams and description of the microchip from the aforementioned
leaflet and the photographs of Stephen Warwicks microchip theres
no mistaking the similarity.Whilst electronic tagging may have advantages
as a new sort of medic alert bracelet to me the idea of marking
people like commodities is abhorrant. Architects tried to package
people in the high rise flats of the last century but it was unsucessful
for because people are a bit more unpredictable than your average
consumer good. Its not in our nature to be cooped up like battery
hens.If abused electronic tagging could be used as a sort of mental
handcuffs, a constant reminder that 'big brother is watching' .
