"ever had an ipod or camera stolen? the time is ripe for microscopic tags that can be permanently implanted into inanimate objects, so they can be tracked to whichever house/pawn shop/precinct they end up in. prepare for greater peace of mind: with a megatracking system in place, people will think twice before walking off with your umbrella, and airlines will always know exactly where your luggage has landed. technology is almost up to the task. radio-frequency identification (rfid) readers can detect button-size tags from 30 ft.—even through walls. there is a compromise, of course: your privacy. if you can track all of your possessions, chances are good that corpo­rations, governments and tech-savvy criminals can, too. is it worth it? maybe not. but it’d be pretty great to go swimming"
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