Hello Patrick, 
 
PS> Yes I was referring to implants. I don't think they can convince 
PS> anyone that having a chip implant is a good thing.  I really  
PS> don't see this happening in the near future. 
 
Well, you may be correct that chip implants won't be as common as  
cell phones anytime in the near future.  But   
people are already getting chip implants.  There are 
reports that they're being used by certain agencies to control 
employee access to areas where sensitive information  
is stored.  The chips have also been used in a nightclub 
to allow people to purchase food and drinks without having to  
tote around a wallet, purse, cash or credit cards.  There's a  
list of agencies throught the United States where you can go to  
have a chip implanted in you.  I've been thinking about calling to 
inquire about the number of people who've had the procedure done 
at one of the sites.  I think most people find it less objectionable 
when you talk about implants linked to heart operations, or  
limb replacements, or the restoration of abilities through 
the use of technology.  As you may have noticed, there was an  
article or two in this forum about a man who had a chip implant on 
his brain which is allowing him to control an artificial hand and  
to interface with a computer.  This is all the more remarkable because  
he is paralyzed and could do neither without the chip implant. 
Were we to make an attempt at writing science fiction based on  
these developments, we might contemplate a scenario where the  
artificial hand he controls is at some remote distance from him,  
say, attached to a robot sent to disarm a bomb, or attached to  
a rover sent to explore the landscape of Mars.  Imagine if this 
technology advanced to the point where this paralyzed man was able 
to interface with a computer and he could fly around in something 
like a flight simulator.  Looking further ahead in time, we might 
see a paralyzed man actually flying a plane, by virtue of the  
chip implanted in his brain which enabled him to do things he would 
only have been able to otherwise dream about.  How absolutely  
incredible!   
 
Later, 
 
Marnie 
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5