Computer chips get under skin of enthusiasts

By Jamie McGeever
Fri Jan 6, 9:41 AM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Forgetting computer passwords is an everyday
source of frustration, but a solution may literally be at hand -- in the form
of computer chip implants.

With a wave of his hand, Amal Graafstra, a 29-year-old entrepreneur
based in Vancouver, Canada, opens his front door. With another, he logs
onto his computer.

Tiny radio frequency identification (RFID) computer chips inserted into
Graafstra's hands make it all possible.

"I just don't want to be without access to the things that I need to get
access to. In the worst case scenario, if I'm in the alley naked, I want to
still be able to get in (my house)," Graafstra said in an interview in New
York, where he is promoting the technology. "RFID is for me."

The computer chips, which cost about $2, interact with a device installed
in computers and other electronics. The chips are activated when they
come within 3 inches of a so-called reader, which scans the data on the
chips. The "reader" devices are available for as little as $50.

Information about where to buy the chips and readers is available online
at the "tagged" forum, (http://tagged.kaos.gen.nz/) where enthusiasts of
the technology chat and share information.

Graafstra said at least 20 of his tech-savvy pals have RFID implants.

"I can't feel it at all. It doesn't impede me. It doesn't hurt at all. I almost
can't tell it's there," agreed Jennifer Tomblin, a 23-year-old marketing
student and Graafstra's girlfriend.

'ABRACADABRA'

Mikey Sklar, a 28-year-old Brooklyn resident, said, "It does give you
some sort of power of 'Abracadabra,' of making doors open and passwords
enter just by a wave of your hand."

The RFID chip in Sklar's hand, which is smaller than a grain of rice and
can last up to 100 years, was injected by a surgeon in Los Angeles.

Tattoo artists and veterinarians also could insert the chips into people,
he said. For years, veterinarians have been injecting similar chips into
pets so the animals can be returned to their owners if they are lost.

Graafstra was drawn to RFID tagging to make life easier in this
technological age, but Sklar said he was more intrigued by the
technology's potential in a broader sense.

In the future, technological advances will allow people to store,
transmit and access encrypted personal information in an increasing
number of wireless ways, Sklar said.

Wary of privacy issues, Sklar said he is developing a fabric "shield" to
protect such chips from being read by strangers seeking to steal
personal information or identities.

One advantage of the RFID chip, Graafstra said, is that it cannot get
lost or stolen. And the chip can always be removed from a person's
body.

"It's kind of a gadget thing, and it's not so impressive to have it on your
key chain as it is to have it in you," Sklar said. "But it's not for everyone."

Sklar's girlfriend, Wendy Tremayne, has yet to be convinced. She said
she probably would not inject the computer chip into her body unless
she thought it was a "necessity."

"If it becomes more convenient, I may," said the 38-year-old artist and
yoga teacher. "(But) I'd rather have an organic life."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060106/tc_nm/technology_implants_dc