[01:09.76]Annette:Hi Mark! Are you going to that lecture on microchip Implant technology? I don't think I'll go.
[01:16.88]It's not that it's not a relevant field of study, it's just that it isn't personally relevant to me. If it were a Computer Science lecture, though, I wouldn't miss It for anything!
[01:27.76]Mark:I know! Still I think the concept of microchip Implants is rather intriguing.
[01:32.88]Whether you like the idea or not, such a technology opens up so many possibilities. Almost everyone stands to benefit from it.
[01:41.30]Annette:It just sounds so futuristic and like something out of a sci-fi novel to me.
[01:47.46]Mark:Funnily enough, microchip technology was first predicted in a sci-fi novel over half a century ago. More amazingly still, the prediction didn't fall far short of reality, either!
[01:59.49]Annette:But what sort of person would implant a microchip in their body?
[02:04.53]Mark:Oh I don't know... gadget and techie enthusiasts for one.
[02:09.63]Whilst we may not have the technology available at the moment to use their full potential they will have uses in many fields in the future, I'm sure.
[02:18.07]Annette:But doesn't the Implantation of the chip hurt at all? I'd imagine it was quite painful!
[02:24.61]Mark:Actually, from what I've heard it's relatively painless. All you feel is a slight prick on your skin as a needle with the chip is inserted under your skin.
[02:33.41]Annette:Just the thought of it makes my stomach turn! But isn't it quite unsightly?Doesn't the chip show up as a bump on the skin's surface?
[02:43.62]Mark:No, not at all. It's really minute, you see.
[02:46.90]It's so small it fits into the size of a thumbnail.
[02:50.74]Annette:Well, it's certainly not my thing, for sure.
[02:54.46]Mark:I think you ought to come to the lecture though. You might change your mind.
[02:58.70]Annette:No, you go. If you find out anything interesting, then you can tell me. I'll be around on campus for at least the rest of the afternoon.
[03:08.86]Mark:OK! You're on.
[03:10.82]Annette::Great! Well meet after the lecture then. See you!
[03:15.18]Mark:Bye!
[03:52.47]Annette:Hi Mark! So how was the lecture?
[03:55.51]Mark:You really missed out!
[03:57.87]Annette:Really?
[03:58.87]Mark:Yes. I learned so much. You wouldn't believe how microchip implants will improve our lives in the future.
[04:05.71]Annette:Oh? Tell me more.
[04:08.23]Mark:Well, from the simple action of allowing us to switch on a light or mechanical device with a wave of the hand to accessing our medical records, microchips will prove indispensable to us in the future!
[04:20.98]Annette:Hm... Indispensable wouldn't be the word I'd use for encouraging people to be so lazy that they can't switch on an electric appliance unaided.
[04:32.14] I thought remote controls were bad enough! I take your point though about using microchips to access medical records.
[04:40.92]Mark:Also, using microchip implant technology can help secure buildings. Access of buildings in the future will be restricted to individuals with a specific code on their microchip implant.
[04:53.73]But at the moment, though, there are some problems with the technology.
[04:57.89]Annette:Like what, exactly?
[05:00.29]Mark:Well, the microchip ID numbers of employees can theoretically be obtained and cloned by any individual standing close enough with a hand-held device.
[05:10.49]Annette:I can't say that I was really in favour of the idea when you first mentioned it... but now you've persuaded me.
[05:17.97]If it's so easy to breach security then you're really defeating the whole point of the object aren't you, by using microchips to secure a building.
[05:28.17]Mark:Guess so... but there's another brilliant use for microchips that I haven't told you about yet...
[05:33.89]Annette:Go on...
[05:35.29]Mark:GPS-enabled chips!
[05:38.57]Annette:Which are?
[05:39.65]Mark:Well, microchips that tell you the position of an individual.
[05:44.53]Like a GPS that tells you the direction when you're in a car but these tell you where someone is when they're lost and say if they're injured or In danger, they can be found easily.
[05:55.37]Annette:So It's a bit like the microchips that are already used on pets?
[05:59.97]Mark:Exactly!
[06:01.53]Annette:Much as I can understand pet owners wanting to microchip their pets I don't think the case for microchipping humans is as clear-cut. I mean is it wise for an individual's movements to be known to everyone?
[06:14.79]That could place some individuals such as political activists and those escaping persecution under threat.
[06:21.39]Mark:Doesn't seem like you're a great fan of microchip implants, then.
[06:25.31]Annette:Their uses do at best seem rather limited. Well, you won't catch me having a microchip implant in the near future, that's for sure!
