It's time for

another installment in my occasional series on advancing technology and

personal responsibility (unfortunately, the former usually moves way too

fast for the latter to keep up).

Applied Digital

Solutions is ready to unleash the VeriChip onto the open market. If the

federal government gives its approval, anyone can have the chip implanted

and be exposed to a brave new world of technology (which can be very good

or very bad, depending upon your point of view).

The benefits

of this device, about the size of a grain of rice, are easy to spot. Just

to name a few examples:

Your medical

history can be kept on file. If you are in an accident and unconscious,

an EMT with a scanner can find out what you are allergic to or what other

special conditions you might have.

Anyone who

goes missing, from a kidnapped child to a wandering family member with

Alzheimer's, can be tracked by a global positioning satellite system,

and weeks and months of waiting are reduced to hours.

Soldiers in

harm's way can also be tracked. If a plane goes down behind enemy lines,

who wouldn't want his or her superiors to know the exact position of their

personnel at all times?

Those are just

a few of the most obvious examples. The next list m ay go into a few gray

areas where civil liberties are concerned, but the technological possibilities

cannot be denied. Here goes:

Airline boarding

could be expedited if the chip were used as an identifying feature. People

who agree to have the relevant background information imbedded in their

chips would save hours of waiting in line at the airport.

Convicted

felons could be tracked once they are released from prison. This would

be especially helpful for those on parole or probation, many of whom go

right