Thanks to a post by an RFID Toys forum member, I found out today I made #5 on the RFID Gazette’s Top 25 Influencers in the RFID Industry list (pdf).
I thought it was kind of interesting, and I have to say… thinking back to March 2005 when I put those first grainy cell phone pictures up on flickr so a few friends could see them, I never thought this would explode the way it has. The whole experience of writing the RFID Toys book, as well as being able to interact with people and answer questions on the reader forum has been really amazing as well. I very much appreciate being one of the people at the forefront as this very old technology now becomes mainstream, and I for one can’t wait to see what the future has in store for RFID and for our society.
There are two sides to every issue, and RFID is not immune. There are people and corporations intent on the proliferation of RFID in global society. They want to integrate this technology into every aspect of our lives so every object everywhere is locatable in real-time (spime [pdf]). They press the technology to its technical and social limits, with almost no regard for security or privacy issues. On the other hand, there are watchdogs and over-righteous zealots who cry foul of RFID and hail it as the mark of the beast, the tool of big brother, and the end of personal identity, security, and privacy all together. The truth is, we need both types of people on every issue if it is to have a safe and sane growth and integration into our society. Without the pushers the technology would go nowhere, and without the watchdogs it would be abused. Just like guns, nuclear missles, or even computers (pdf), technology is always a double edged sword. The technology is never to blame, it’s always the people wielding it that determine how it will be used… and RFID is no different.
It’s going to be an interesting tomorrow…
