There already is, in effect, a hands registry. Imperfect as it is. All persons are registered with the government. Starting with birth certificates, ending with death certificates. Most of those persons have hands.
And those registries (of births and deaths) are not considered a threat to freedom by most people.
I'm pretty sure my hands are not registered. My eyeballs are. I whiz through Pearson, present my eyeballs to the machine and they spit out a Get Into the USA card. If l leave one of my eyeballs lying around somewhere, it's good to know the gov't can track it down and return it to its rightful owner. Meanwhile, I would be keeping an eye out for them (rimshot).
Seriously? They (the powers that be) have retina scans (or something like that)? That's... Star Trek material. I've seen Captain Kirk have to do a retina scan in one of the Star Trek Movies.
To be honest, I'm not against newer "biometric" forms of identification. As long as participation is voluntary.
Your driver's license or passport is "biometric identification". It is a card (or booklet) you carry that includes something that connects the card (or booklet) to the owner's biology. In the case of your driver's license or passport, that's your photo, your face.
And it's much easier to imitate someone's appearance than it is to imitate their retina, or their finger print.
I do admit though that the whole idea of biometric identification is pretty creepy.
heh if only. Star Wars never pretended to be a utopia. Star Trek has always had a progressive tilt. Just look at the Federation banner.
My comment is part of an ongoing discussion I had with 1152. Its not a dig at Star Trek but at the progressive who try to build a Star Trek utopia but we only end up with 1984.
I don't think that taking action to mitigate climate change is "utopian".
We've taken collective action before to deal with acid rain and the ozone layer without creating a 1984 scenario. We can do it again with the global climate.
Mind tricks don't work on me ;) ... or mind melds.
Anyway if you note the content of this thread, we were talking about all the ways Big Brother keeps tabs on us. I think its safe to say we have arrived at 1984 instead of Starfleet.
Don't be surprised, 1984 was always the more probable outcome.
Good luck with your Man Made Climate Change fix. I'm 100% certain it will work. Its already working in fact, so hurry up and invent it before nobody cares.
My big fear when talking about a retinal scan is that I'll say rectal scan instead. Seriously. I always have to stop myself and make sure I'm saying it right.
If they ever set up a Rectum Registry, I'm outta here! If they showed up at my door, I'd give them the bum's rush!
New Year's resolution to self: try to keep comments on a more uplifting, higher plane.
Speaking of planes, I'm leaving today for Johannesburg S/A.
Thank you. I'm at Pearson enjoying the free wi-fi. Guess I'm a socialist after all -- free wi-fi in a public setting like this, I'm all for it!
I'm in a lounge -- turns out with my Amex Card, it's "free". Of course, you wouldn't believe what I paid for the Amex card. Got 50,000 Aeroplan points with it.
I do volunteer teaching each year in Africa. See next post for the explan.
This fall --
Singapore - business Phoenix - fun Toronto - family Zambia - volunteer teaching then back to Toronto then back down to Phoenix -- that's the way the Ball bounces!
16 comments:
There already is, in effect, a hands registry. Imperfect as it is. All persons are registered with the government. Starting with birth certificates, ending with death certificates. Most of those persons have hands.
And those registries (of births and deaths) are not considered a threat to freedom by most people.
I'm pretty sure my hands are not registered. My eyeballs are. I whiz through Pearson, present my eyeballs to the machine and they spit out a Get Into the USA card. If l leave one of my eyeballs lying around somewhere, it's good to know the gov't can track it down and return it to its rightful owner. Meanwhile, I would be keeping an eye out for them (rimshot).
Seriously? They (the powers that be) have retina scans (or something like that)? That's... Star Trek material. I've seen Captain Kirk have to do a retina scan in one of the Star Trek Movies.
To be honest, I'm not against newer "biometric" forms of identification. As long as participation is voluntary.
Your driver's license or passport is "biometric identification". It is a card (or booklet) you carry that includes something that connects the card (or booklet) to the owner's biology. In the case of your driver's license or passport, that's your photo, your face.
And it's much easier to imitate someone's appearance than it is to imitate their retina, or their finger print.
I do admit though that the whole idea of biometric identification is pretty creepy.
Actually, now that I think of it, I was fingerprinted too, so I guess in that sense my hands are registered, along with my eyeballs.
If all else fails, I can be identified by the serial numbers of my breast implants... JUST KIDDING!!! -- although this kind of thing does happen now.
Its a Star Trek Utopia life. :/
Spoken by what, a Jedi?!
heh if only. Star Wars never pretended to be a utopia. Star Trek has always had a progressive tilt. Just look at the Federation banner.
My comment is part of an ongoing discussion I had with 1152. Its not a dig at Star Trek but at the progressive who try to build a Star Trek utopia but we only end up with 1984.
http://spinassassin.blogspot.ca/2012/12/another-green-debate-oil-dangerous.html
I think you missed my point there, Jedi.
I don't think that taking action to mitigate climate change is "utopian".
We've taken collective action before to deal with acid rain and the ozone layer without creating a 1984 scenario. We can do it again with the global climate.
Mind tricks don't work on me ;)
... or mind melds.
Anyway if you note the content of this thread, we were talking about all the ways Big Brother keeps tabs on us. I think its safe to say we have arrived at 1984 instead of Starfleet.
Don't be surprised, 1984 was always the more probable outcome.
Good luck with your Man Made Climate Change fix. I'm 100% certain it will work. Its already working in fact, so hurry up and invent it before nobody cares.
May the Force be with You!
Let's not forget the 1984-esque elements of the Enterprise.
Just yelling out "Computer, locate ensign Crusher" would lead to an immediate answer.
The government can't locate RkBall that easily.
My big fear when talking about a retinal scan is that I'll say rectal scan instead. Seriously. I always have to stop myself and make sure I'm saying it right.
If they ever set up a Rectum Registry, I'm outta here! If they showed up at my door, I'd give them the bum's rush!
New Year's resolution to self: try to keep comments on a more uplifting, higher plane.
Speaking of planes, I'm leaving today for Johannesburg S/A.
"Its not a dig at Star Trek but at the progressive who try to 'build a Star Trek utopia but we only end up with 1984."
That's a very useful, intriguing analogy. Congrats on it.
Have a safe trip!
Thank you. I'm at Pearson enjoying the free wi-fi. Guess I'm a socialist after all -- free wi-fi in a public setting like this, I'm all for it!
I'm in a lounge -- turns out with my Amex Card, it's "free". Of course, you wouldn't believe what I paid for the Amex card. Got 50,000 Aeroplan points with it.
You seem to travel a lot.
What brings you (or sends you) to South Africa?
I do volunteer teaching each year in Africa. See next post for the explan.
This fall --
Singapore - business
Phoenix - fun
Toronto - family
Zambia - volunteer teaching
then back to Toronto then back down to Phoenix -- that's the way the Ball bounces!
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