Radio Frequency Identification, better known as RFID, is used in everything from livestock to shipping containers. But what about humans?
This week on the GeekWire radio show and podcast, we talk with Amal Graafstra, who has had the distinction of walking around for years with an RFID tag implanted in each of his hands. And yes, he did it voluntarily.
Graafstra, the author of the book RFID Toys, explains how all of this happened, how he uses the tags, how he responds to critics, and where he thinks RFID is headed long term.
We first connected with Graafstra when he won a ticket to ToorCamp through our Name that Tech Tune contest, and he ended up sending us dispatches from the camp. We were intrigued by his RFID lifestyle, and his “Implantation Station” at the camp, so we invited him on the show to hear more.
That conversation starts around 12:00 in the audio above, after our weekly news roundup. Topics this week include Bill Gates’ bid to reinvent the toilet; a Seattle startup’s work on an online multiplayer Settlers of Catan board game; and Cloak, a service that protects Macs, iPhones and iPads from snooping when on a public WiFi network.
App of the Week: PITFALL! reimagined for iPad and iPhone.
Name that Tech Tune: The answer to last week’s challenge was “Dark Angel” starring Jessica Alba.
Listen to the show above or directly via this MP3 file.
