Monday, July 12, 2010

Who Runs the World?

In practically every store in our country, everything has a barcode label for easy scanning and pricing. How many of us ever stop and wonder where those tags come from? None of us, because who even knows what those things are anyway? Those little RFID tags are made specially for each individual product that they represent--not by the company who makes the product. Of course any retail employee can print more labels off if they need to–but another company actually creates all of the little labels. weird.

Most of us don't even know how these barcodes work, let alone where they all come from. Seriously, a laser shoots out of a gun, shines a red light on the barcode, and then knows... everything? No way. Word on the street is that you even need a specialized barcode printer to make them. That’s strange considering that people have the craziest laser printers in their homes now.

The point of this blog is not to discuss the ins and outs of the RFID barcode market, but rather it is to point out how little we understand about everyday life. If you buy something in person, then you will have to deal with that little barcode and the machine that scans it. I’m not saying we should fear what we don’t understand, but I am saying that when the machines decide to take over this is the one that will know all of our secrets–in just one scan.

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