For the first time ever in the history of technology, a human being has been infected with a virus intended for a computer. Of course this seems impossible, as computer viruses are completely information based entities, and humans are based in biology with completely incompatible information systems. At least this used to be true. When we began implanting chips beneath our skin, however, this rift was partially closed. Now Dr. Mark Gasson has a computer related disease thanks to a chip in his hand that cannot be removed.
The scientist from the University of Redding actually purposefully infected himself to demonstrate how such a system would work at some point in the future if chips became more prolific. Of course Dr. Gasson was always interested in technology as a child, and quickly adopted the philosophy of chipping so that he could gain access more exclusively to secure features around the laboratory and his personal home life. His phone, for example, would not work for anyone other than him as a system within it detects the presence of his specific chip, which some claim cannot be mimicked. Of course this isn't necessarily true if his chip system contracts a bug.
Chip implants of today are far different from those we may have heard of in the past. A chip today works more like a miniature computer, processing data, recording information, and then interfacing with computers and even making changes to data stored on it. In this way, the chip can actually accidentally contract a line of code which self propogates and can be transmitted from one chip to another by the interfacing either with a chipped person to a computer or eventually one chipped person interfacing with another chipped person. In other words, when RFID chips are able to transfer information from one individual to another, there will be a very real possibility of information being unintentionally (or intentionally) passed from one to another with malicious or potentially harmful results.
What could someone do if they were to "hack" into your chip? At the moment, very little. Since chips are not widely used, there would be little reason to create a virus specifically for them aside from making a point. But in the future, chips will be used largely as a security measure. And if code can be changed on the chip itself, information could be gathered, making their effectiveness essentially useless as a security measure once they can be replicated by others. In fact, they would be more susceptible to hacking than a traditional key on a keyring as they are transmitted from one person to another and read from a distance.
And there's the potential for exploitation once the computer brain barrier is effectively crossed. When people begin interfacing with internal computer implants that can effect their own brains, it seems the potential problems are limitless. Of course the human mind is an incredible thing, so there is much of an opportunity for the "wetware" to rebel or work around the chipping system on a mass scale, but there is still quite a bit of potential for problems among the majority who may fall victim to a new type of disease that will come from the fusion of minds and metal.
In the year 2000 there weren't many options for observing traffic. Either a system was intended to look at the flow of traffic by examining the progress in real time from a helicopter or high vantage point and report to radio and television stations and make mathematical projections, or systems were left that sensed the speed and frequency of moving traffic. But since that time, the systems have gotten more advanced. And not IBM is announcing a computer system that will not only track the progress of traffic, but even predict the future.
With busy schedules, places to be, and longer commutes to get into the city, many in the suburbs are effected intensely by the sudden crowding on the highways during rush hours. And to make matters worse, there are always accidents, breakdowns, and other road blocks that threaten to grind the roadways down to a halt altogether. If there's one feeling of desperation many people feel they can relate to when it comes to traffic it's being in a complete gridlock and knowing they were supposed to be somewhere fifteen minutes ago. But now IBM is announcing a project they have undertaken with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority that will make roadways run smoother and more efficiently. The so called Smart Transportation initiative promises to use technology to solve this problem. The program actually predicts traffic patterns long before the cars are anywhere near the area, with incredible success at predicting road congestion up to an hour before it even takes place. This is long before many commuters are even on the road.
The system promises to make announcements to commuters, forecasting through traditional means such as radio and television, but can also be used in GPS navigation systems. Even when few cars are visible on the road, the system is said to predict the patterns of vehicles by taking a collection of information from GPS systems (which are present in many phones and vehicles), events taking place nearby, weather patterns, and other systems. This information is fed through a complex program and the results are eerily accurate. This "psychic" prediction is not part of a massive supercomputer either. Though it may seem only a computer capable of eventually becoming self aware and declaring war on the human race would be capable of such complex calculations, IBM announces that its system will be able to run on a standard computer system. Of course the closer it comes to "crunch time" the more accurate the system will be. Within 20 minutes a fair estimation becomes a prediction and within 10 minutes it is even more accurate.
The secret, according to programmers, is that the new system will be more elastic and nimble than traditional projection software. In time perhaps this will be translated over to other concepts that can make predictions about the weather or even the stock market with a fair amount of accuracy. The system is expected to start changing highway efficiency in some areas later this year, but if it works well it could possibly be used nationwide.
