I was sitting there earlier this evening,  starting to browse the current
issue of Nuts 'n' Volts,  and ran into their "news" column, 
called "TechKnowledgey 2003".  First item in there is under the
heading "Advanced Technologies",  subheading "Wireless
Sensor Chip Measures Only Five Square Millimeters",  and it reads as
follows:

[Picture of the point of a pen near one of these chips.  Caption reads
"UC Berkeley's "smart dust" chip combines RF communications
and sensor processing in a 2x2.5mm package"]

Engineers at the University of California, Berkeley (www.berkeley.edu) have
successfully tested a wireless sensor chip,  named "Spec," that
integrates sensor and transmitters on a platform that measures only five
square millimeters.  The device was developed as an element of the Smart
Dust and TinyOS projects,  which are part of UC Berkeley's Center for
Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS).

The projects seek to create low-powered, low-cost wireless sensor devices,
or "motes,"  roughly the size of a grain of sand.  Large numbers
of these millimeter-scaled motes -- known as "smart dust" --
could be used in self-organizing wireless sensor networks for such
applications as monitoring seabird nests in remote habitats,  pinpointing
structural weaknesses in a building after an earthquake,  and warning of
the presence of biochemical toxins.  The fundamental goal is to enable
wireless sensor motes to talk to other nearby wireless sensor motes rather
than pumping up the power of a single mote so that it can transmit through
hundreds of feet of building space.

Spec combines a radio,  an analog-to-digital converter,  a temperature
sensor, and the TinyOS operating system onto a 2x2.5mm piece of silicon. 
Researchers who tested the new chip reported that it can transmit radio
signals at 902 MHz over a distance of 40 feet (12.2 meters) at a rate of
19,200 kbps.

In its commercial form, Spec will be hundreds of times smaller than its
predecessor,  Mica -- a mote that is available commercially through San
Jose-based Crossbow Technology,  Inc. (www.xbow.com).  In addition to the
chip,  SPec requires an inductor,  an antenna,  a 32 KHz watch crystal, 
and a power source.  These components are expected to add little to the
size of the mote.

(RJT: Here's where it gets even more scary...)

In addition to its potential for academic and consumer use,  smart dust has
generated interest from the military for its potential uses on the
battlefield and to monitor troop movements.  Two years ago,  dozens of
motes were dropped alongside a road as a test.  The matchbox-sized modules
tracked the speed and direction based on vibrations in the ground. 
According to a UC Berkeley representative,  the product could be available
commerciallly within the next year.  The finished product,  which will
include the battery and casing,  will likely be about the size of an
aspiring.

(End of article)

Wanna bet that they'll set these things up to record/retransmit voice
before much longer?   :-(

Then on the opposite side of the page we have another article,  haded
"GPS Personal Locator Finds Children":

For people who (1) are prone to losing their children and (2) can afford
another expensive wireless service,  Whereify Wireless, Inc.
(www.wherify.com) has a new gadget.  The Wherify Personal Locator for
Children is a miniaturized watch-like device that you strap onto a child's
wrist, enabling you to track and locate him any time of the day or night.

The operational concept is somewhat complex,  although it is said to take
less than 60 seconds to perform.  To locate the missing loved one,  you
telephone the Location Service Center or log onto the corresponding web
site.  The Service Center contacts the childborne device via a nationwide
PCS network and requests a location.  The Locator finds the best GPS
satellites,  computes coordinates,  and determines the wearer's location. 
This information is then sent back to the Location Service Center and
passed on to you.  Drawbacks include the relatively subtstantial weight of
the Locator (3.9 ounces, 110 grams) and the $399.00 price tag.  Plus the
service costs from $25.00 to $35.00 per month.  Battery life is only 48
hours in standby mode,  which could be a limitation in some cases.

(RJT:  BUT!  Combine this with the above...)

Whereify suggests that the device might also be used for Alzheimer and
memory loss supervision,  animal identification,  property asset tracking, 
and other applications.

It is not immediately clear how one can keep a resourceful child from
transferring the device to a friend,  the family dog,  or a passing wino, 
but perhaps the next-generation Locator will be small enough to be embedded
directly in your child's skull,  thus relieving you of even more parental
responsibility.

(End article)

As with the "embedded" chips that were being touted a couple of
years ago for both pets and livestock applications,  the stink that was
raised back then is only a foretaste of what we need to raise with regard
to this stuff.  The initial applications to people will no doubt be toward
those suggested above,  and then at some point extended to convicted
criminals,  parolees,  convicted felons who've served their time,  gun
owners,  and all sorts of other folks.

In addition to the military applications mentioned above,  it strikes me
that there _will_ no doubt be those who are also considering such devices
for domestic law enforcement applications,  no doubt about that.

Shall we talk about how one might jam such devices?  Or disable them
completely?  I guess the latter depends on how deeply they implant them. 
Maybe it's time for me to subscribe to "Suture Self:  The Magazine of
Home Surgery"...    :-(

---