Horse 1136 - Tap N Pay

http://www.paypass.com/

MasterCard PayPass is a new “contactless” way to pay. It is like having exact change wherever you go. A simple tap of your card, key fob, or mobile phone is all it takes to pay at checkout.
It’s ideal when speed is esential, like at participating quick-service restaurants, gas stations, pharmacies, movie theaters, and more.

What a top idea.

We live in increasingly impatient times. Supermarket queues are annoying, and because the chances of being robbed and the incidence of violent crime are also on the increase, carrying cash becomes ever more precarious.

As the PayPass blurb says, it is a “contactless” way to pay for things. All it requires to operate is a simple wave of your MasterCard or the equivalent Visa payWave card near the reader and the exact amount of money instantly transfers between accounts. It couldn't be simpler.

Security however does appear to be an issue though. If someone else were to get hold of your card either through accident or because they stole your wallet or something, then they could just as easily use it to buy things on your account. I believe however that I have an adequate solution to this problem though:


http://www.blacktown.nsw.gov.au/residents/animal-services/animal-registrations.cfm

When an animal is microchipped its identification details are entered onto the NSW Companion Animals Register. A certificate is issued to the owner receipting the entry of their animal's details.

Microchips are about the same size as a large grain of rice. They are very safe. Your pet will feel little pain as the chip is inserted quickly and safely under the skin between the shoulders.

You'd never need worry about losing your wallet or your credit cards again. If we could institute a system where people could be microchipped then just as easily as operating the PayPass system, thye could simply swipe their hand near the checkout. A microchip about the size of a large grain of rice wouldn't hurt to have implanted and if we employed very low voltage lithium battery technology, then it could run quite effortlessly for years.

Mind you, it could be said that someone did have this idea long before I did:

All people were forced to put a mark on their right hand or forehead. Whether they were powerful or weak, rich or poor, free people or slaves, they all had to have this mark, or else they could not buy or sell anything.

- Revelation 13:16-17

I don't think that people would be coersively forced to have a chip installed but with the slow phasing out of cash, it might become increasingly difficult for people to buy or sell anything without it.

Of course you might dismiss me as being totally paranoid about "the mark of the beast" and the end of the world but as with any new technology I bet that some people would be willing of their own accord to be implated. In fact some already have been fitted with something similar:


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3697940.stm

The idea of having my very own microchip implanted in my body appealed. I have always been an early adopter, so why not. Last week I headed for the bright lights of the Catalan city of Barcelona to enter the exclusive VIP Baja Beach Club.

The night club offers its VIP clients the opportunity to have a syringe-injected microchip implanted in their upper arms that not only gives them special access to VIP lounges, but also acts as a debit account from which they can pay for drinks.

This sort of thing is handy for a beach club where bikinis and board shorts are the uniform and carrying a wallet or purse is really not practical.

Take a note of the date here: 29 September, 2004. This was six years ago.

I could of course be talking complete rubbish this point, but the company which supplies the RFID tages for MasterCard PayPass, Visa payWave and microchips for animals are also touting thr benefits of tracking criminals in gaol, and even babies:

http://www.secureidnews.com/2005/04/01/verichip-acquires-exi-wireless

HALO is the leading system for infant hospital security, helping healthcare facilities prevent infant abductions, accidental baby switching, and medical equipment theft and loss while providing a safe work environment for facility staff.

Still, you have to admit that MasterCard PayPass and Visa payWave is a pretty cool way to pay for things. I on the other hand, walked out of Bunnings the other day with a spark plug and air filter for the lawnmower using a trusted method that has been in use since c.750BC... cash.