Identity chips

by Chilli-head 30th January 2015, 12:20 pm

Just read this story: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] on the BBC.

I mention it here not because it is particularly relevant to HML, but because I think it represents almost the antithesis ! Has science fiction not provided enough visions of a dystopian future to slow us down in our charge in that direction ? I am no technophobe, but implanted chips are a form of branding - for pets, possesions and slaves. They can chip my dead body, but even then without my consent.

Besides which, who wants to work for a company where, having got past the security doors, you still have to prove your identity to use the photocopier ?

by freebird 30th January 2015, 5:38 pm

I read that too. Scary.

I love the internet for all the things I can find out, but that's as far as it goes for me. I do not want to 'be connected' every minute of the day. I know that's not what the article was about, but I reckon it's all part of the same package.

At the end of the day, take the power source away, and nothing works - no implanted chips, no internet, nothing. What works is what we can do and make from the things we have around us, and we forget that at our peril.

I guess that's why us HMLifers are here.

by Dandelion 30th January 2015, 10:13 pm

Well said, FB!

At school, the aim of those who run the place is that we should be a 'paperless' workplace. Which would stand more chance of working if the technology was up to it. The day the computer system crashed, and it was discovered that we had no paper back-up timetable or register was interesting.It was impossible to check that every class had a teacher as although they knew who was absent, no-one had a clue which rooms they should be in. We had to physically chck every room. So now we have a paper back up for everything. So we're NOT paperless because we can't make it work!

by Chilli-head 30th January 2015, 10:43 pm

When the power went off at work, no computers, so I scratched my head an decided to do a bit of metalwork. Guillotine ok. Folding ok. I got to the stage of putting a drill bit in the pillar drill before I realised it wasn't going to work !

This is also why we have a wood burner. Or at least how I justify it. The electricity fails - and most of the gas appliances won't light either. But I can still be warm and make toast Very Happy

by Ploshkin 31st January 2015, 10:52 am

We too have a wood burner, the builders thought I was a bit odd but I wanted an independent heat source. About 25 years ago, living on my own in a very rural area, I was without power for 7 days after a huge storm. I had a big woodburner & I cooked on & in it & it kept the house warm & I really didn't find it an issue.
I definitely won't be in the queue for an implanted chip - the more someone tries to control what I do, buy & think the more I back away. I like to be able to choose when to use technology to help me and when I'm better off, or will have a better experience without it. As per Dandelion's example, sometimes manual is better. I'm sure though that they will appeal to people who need an app to get out of bed in the morning.

by freebird 31st January 2015, 11:12 am

We too have a wood/multi fuel burner, for the same reason as Ploshkin. Despite living in the suburbs, I would never get rid of the open fireplaces, and would never contemplate buying a house without them. Our woodburner has a back boiler, so it will partially heat the rest of the house via the CH system. However, in the event of a power failure, a valve that is normally kept closed when the power is on, opens, and the heat lost safely up in the attic. A power failure wouldn't stop us using the woodburner, although it would only heat the room that it is in.

by Dandelion 31st January 2015, 2:19 pm

We too have a woodburner for the same reasons. We have lived in houses twice which just had electricity, and experienced the limitations of this in both houses. (In the second house, an oast house which we rented while our house sale here was going through, we were without power for 48 hours while some family friends were visiting, so there were 11 of us in February in an unheated house with no means of cooking, which was interesting. We are still friends! We did discover that you can boil a kettle over 12 tealights in an hour!) So we think we would always like to live in a house with a log burner now.

by freebird 31st January 2015, 4:54 pm

Actually, the downside of our wood burner + back boiler is that the water jacket surrounding the wood burner keeps it sufficiently cool that cooking on it would be impossible.

The man is a keen fisherman and has no end of gadgets for making hot drinks and cooking food. And we have camping gear with gas bottles, so cooking, for a while at least, wouldn't present any problems. And as a former Queen's Guide, I could happily manage cooking on an open wood fire.

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