New bitcoin gift cards could take cryptocurrency mainstream
UPI reports: "Edmonton, Canada-based Bitcoin Solutions has developed what it hopes is a new solution -- by allowing people to buy bitcoin gift cards online, which can be loaded into digital wallets and spent anywhere bitcoin is accepted. Or investors can hold on to the bitcoin as an investment. [...] Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, ethereum and others use a decentralized blockchain rather than a bank. The same blockchain can be used for micro payments, smart contracts and a host of other services that could disrupt traditional ways of doing business."

Comment: I should start with my usual disclaimer: I'm not saying this is the Mark of the Beast, I'm just noting trends. In this case, distributed ledger technology can be used for many different kinds of applications, including identity management, and I think it's a technology worth keeping a watchful eye on. 

Hertz, Clear partner to speed rentals with biometric scans
The AP reports: "Biometric screening is expanding to the rental car industry. Hertz said Tuesday it is teaming up with Clear, the maker of biometric screening kiosks found at many airports, in an effort to slash the time it takes to pick up a rental car. Clear hopes it will lead more travelers to its platform, which has 3 million members in the U.S. It’s the latest place consumers will find biometric technology, which has migrated over the last 50 years from secure government facilities and banks to airports, stadiums and even smartphones that unlock with the touch a fingerprint. Hertz is the first rental car company to use the technology."

Comment: I wonder if saving a small bit of time is worth giving up biometric data to a car rental company? Perhaps frequent flyers would say yet, but I'm betting the vast majority of travelers will balk at that. 

Biohacker Who Implanted Transit Chip in Hand Evades Fine – Futurism
Futurism.com reports: "In April 2017, Meow-Meow implanted a chip in his hand. The chip is from his Opal card, needed to ride public transportation in Sydney, and it essentially functions as a debit card — users add money to it, then whenever they use a bus, train, or other transportation service, they swipe their card to pay the fee. Thanks to his new implant, Meow-Meow no longer had to worry about losing his card. The biohacker could just place his hand near the Opal card reader and be on his way. All this was presumably working out OK for Meow-Meow until August 2017. That’s when the New South Wales transport authority, which issues the Opal cards, charged him with traveling without a ticket and failing to produce a ticket for transportation officials."

Comment: It doesn't surprise me that bureaucrats would be petty and not really grasp the concept. I think the real story here is the use of an implanted chip as a payment device and access device. As a proof of concept, that is very compelling. I think that early adopters like this guy have clearly demonstrated that an implanted chip is a practical means of combining identity verification, access control and mobile payments. It's possible. Whether the MOTB turns out to be a chip is still up for debate but for now, it's clear that this tech is here now.

Amazon considering opening up to 3,000 cashierless stores by 2021: Bbg
Reuters reports: "Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) is considering a plan to open as many as 3,000 new Amazon Go cashierless stores in the next few years, Bloomberg reported here on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. [...] The Amazon Go store, which has no cashiers and allows shoppers to buy things with the help of a smartphone app, is widely seen as a concept that can alter brick-and-mortar retail."

Comment: Ok, let's get this out of the way first: I'm not saying this is the MOTB and I don't claim to know what the MOTB will be. That said, I think it is worthwhile to note trends and technologies that may become the MOTB.

I think this is a noteworthy development because it suggests a level of technology that allows people to shop without cash or traditional payment methods. They do, however, need to scan an app before entering the store. In other words, if you don't have the app, you can't buy anything. Commentators have been anticipating the rise of a cashless society for many years now and although we are not there yet, this development is bringing that day closer.  Let's keep an eye on this.

Bitcoin near $10K -- now seven times more valuable than gold - UPI.com
UPI reports: "The virtual currency bitcoin hit a new high of $9,700 on Monday -- making it worth seven times more than an ounce of gold. After starting the year with a value of just $1,000, the currency's value has skyrocketed 860 percent this year. Its value was listed at $8,000 just last week. The latest gains could be fueled by expectations of big investors, such as hedge funds and asset managers, pouring money into the currency."

Comment: I'm starting to follow Bitcoin news after being a bit late to the party. I looked into this a bit and it does appear that the underlying technology may be a potential platform to host a universal currency. The usual caveat applies:  I'm just following trends and don't know what the MOTB will turn out to be.

India's Supreme Court rules privacy is a fundamental right - AP
AP reports: "India’s top court ruled Thursday that privacy is a fundamental right of every citizen, in a landmark judgment that could affect the country’s mammoth identity card system. The verdict was in response to many petitions filed in courts questioning the validity of assigning a biometric identity card to every individual. The government has made the identity card mandatory for all citizens to receive welfare benefits, but human rights groups raised concerns about the risk of personal data being misused. [...] Rights activists hailed the verdict as a win for individual freedom."

Comment: This is a win for the people of India but also something of a disappointment. As a test-case for mark-tech India was making remarkable strides in combining biometric identity verification with a broad range of government services. I saw it as a laboratory for seeing what could be done in this area with off-the-shelf technology combined with sheer government coercion and the outcome was looking rather impressive. The currency system of an entire country was being changed almost overnight and millions of undocumented people were being brought into an online system and given digital identities to secure services and payments. It was an impressive accomplishment. All of that is in doubt now. It will be interesting to see how this turns out.

Wisconsin company hopes to offer microchip implants to employees - UPI.com
UPI reports: "A Wisconsin company wants to offer surgically implanted microchips for employees to make it easier to buy snacks in the break room. [...] the implanted microchip makes it easier for people to pay for items at work. Instead of looking for coins, cash or a credit card, they would only need to place their hand in front of a scanner and electronically pay for their item. The microchip would have other uses, as well, like serving as an electronic key to open doors and identify the user to login at a computer. [...] Approximately 50 Three Square Market employees have volunteered to have the microchip inserted. Westby said it is not mandatory."

Comment: This seems like a clever way to entice people with the novelty of it while desensitizing them to the extreme privacy threat posed by implanted chip tech. I love that line where the CEO says it's not mandatory and he left off the "yet" part, lol. I would like to think that Americans still retain enough of the independent spirit to ever go along with this kind of monitoring and control.

Japan convenience stores to cut out workers, scan entire baskets - UPI.com
UPI reports: "By 2025 the country's major retailers, including Seven-Eleven Japan and other chain operators, will allow customers to use self-checkout computer kiosks to scan an entire basket of items without requiring individual scans, The Nikkei reported Tuesday, local time. [...] Chips, or radio frequency identification tags, that can compute all items simultaneously are to be used at Seven-Eleven, FamilyMart and Ministop stores, where they will be in active use in major cities by 2018, according to the report."

Comment: I think the cost of upgrading hardware would be prohibitive in a large country like the U.S., still, it's an interesting development, it shows how advanced RFID tech has become. 

Swedish company Epicenter implants microchips in employees - UPI.com
UPI reports: "About 150 employees the Swedish technology firm Epicenter agreed to have a microchip inserted in their hands, the company said. The RFID, or radio frequency identification chip, is about the size of a grain of rice and will allow workers at the company to open doors automatically and use electronic devices more efficiently. The chip is implanted in an employee's hand."

Comment: The Mark of the Beast prophecy found in Rev 13:16-18 is one of the most specific prophecies in the Bible and also one of the most enigmatic.  I'm not dogmatic on the subject and enjoy speculating on what it could be, alternating between a high-tech solution like an implanted chip to something as basic as a tattoo. Lately it seems like the high-tech answer is gaining ground, with remarkable innovations coming in the fields of mobile commerce, identity verification and biometrics. I don't claim to have the answer, but I am dedicated to watching the trends. In this latest news, some Swedish workers are having chips implanted into their hands. It sounds like this is a small-scale experiment with a technology that has wider commercial applications. It will be interesting to see how it goes. If your company offered this service, would you get chipped? 

MIT created a temporary tattoo that can control your connected devices - TNW
The Next Web reports: "In the future, your tattoos could be as functional as they are expressive. MIT, in partnership with Microsoft, created a new touch interface, DuoSkin, that allows temporary tattoos to interact with smartphones or computers, display output based on body temperature changes and even transmit data using NFC."

Comment: It's been a while since I've come across an interesting Mark-related news report. This high tech tattoo looks like a way of combining the cool factor of tattoos (so popular these days) with the functionality of a tech interface. A word of caution, I'm not saying this is the MOTB, it's just some interesting tech to keep an eye on.  I always like to emphasize that because I'm aware that past generations went a bit nuts in tagging emerging tech as the MOTB. I think all we can really do is watch tech trends and see where things are going.

People are using chip implants to open doors, control phones - CNET
CNET reports: "Minnesota software engineer Tim Shank uses a chip implanted in his finger to unlock the smart lock to his home. He also has an NFC chip with contact information stored in it, which lets him easily tap and send the info to an Android phone. [...] Shank is just one of a growing movement of biohackers who are implanting devices and chips in their bodies to perform different technological tasks."

Comment: It's been a while since we had a good MOTB update and this is an interesting if unsurprising story about how the biohacking community is taking to chip implants.  I mean, you would kind of expect that, right? At any rate, I no longer envision implanted chips to be the MOTB (our technology has moved so far beyond mere hardware) it's fun to check in once in a while and see if there have been any new developments. I should also note that this news site will attempt to start playing a video, so very annoying when you don't even have you earbuds in.  

Novel e-skin may monitor health, vital signs - UPI.com
UPI reports: "In a bid to take high-performance wearable electronics to a new level, Japanese researchers have developed an 'e-skin' that may be a noninvasive way to monitor patients' health and vital signs. The ultra-thin, flexible film can light up and display numbers or images. It moves easily with the body and is resistant to air and water damage, according to the scientists who created the technology."

Comment: It will be interesting to see what future versions of the technology will look like. Presumably the tech will improve in terms of how thin it is, how long it can be applied to the skin, and the number of apps that it will work with. 

Cash aid for Jordan's refugees an iris scan away - Yahoo News

AFP reports: Syrian refugees in Jordan will get faster access to United Nations cash aid through an iris-scanning ATM network, removing the need for bank accounts and cards.  [...]  Under the project dubbed 'EyeCloud, the refugees receive cash in less than 30 seconds from machines equipped with biometric technology. Around 50 specially-adapted ATMs have been set up across Jordan, in cooperation with a local bank, to provide refugees quicker access to money."

My Way News - Paying your pals with digital options from Venmo to Facebook
My Way News reports: "Cash is passe, say digital mavens. If you really want to pay your friends back for that pizza party, use an app to shoot money to their mobile-phone number — or their Facebook account. Such technology-enabled peer-to-peer payments are growing quickly. Forrester Research predicts mobile peer-to-peer payments will hit $17 billion by 2019, growing an average of 26 percent annually. That compares with expectations of total U.S. mobile payments of $142 billion by that year."

CNN - MasterCard will approve purchases by scanning your face
CNN reports: "This fall, MasterCard will start experimenting with a new program: approving online purchases with a facial scan. At checkout, you'll be asked to hold up your phone and snap a photo. MasterCard's thinking? It's easier than remembering a password."

Comment: This is an interesting convergence of biometrics and purchase approval, it will be interesting to see if this catches on. 

The Telegraph - An office block in Sweden is micro-chipping its employees
The Telegraph reports: "Epicenter, a new hi-tech office block in Sweden, is ditching swipe cards and implanting chips in its employees. People working at Epicenter, a new hi-tech office block in Sweden, simply have to hold their hands against the front door to gain entry. They can also wave their hand to operate the photocopier, the BBC's Rory Cellan-Jones reports. In time, they will also be able to pay for coffee and sandwiches in the cafe with a touch of a hand. It's because some employees have a tiny RFID (radio-frequency identification) chip, about the size of a grain of rice, implanted. A handful of staff currently have the chip, but soon others among the 400 workers will be given the chance."

Comment: "The Borg? Sounds Swedish." But seriously, it's an interesting development that may or may not be MOTB related and although I can't see this becoming a trend, it's worth keeping an eye on. 

My Way News - South Korea identity thefts forces ID overhaul
My Way News reports: "After an avalanche of data breaches, South Korea's national identity card system has been raided so thoroughly by thieves that the government says it might have to issue new ID numbers to every citizen over 17 [...] ID numbers and personal details of an estimated 80 percent of South Korea's 50 million people have been stolen from banks and other targets since 2004, according to experts. Those numbers stay with South Koreans for life and, instead of being picked randomly, are based on their age, sex and other details. They are used to confirm identity, get a job or government services and even to buy cigarettes."

Comment: Not the Mark, but a good example of how mandatory identification systems can be imposed by governments...and how they can go awry.

My Way News - Google to show off smart home gadgets, wearables
My Way News reports: "Google is also likely to unveil some advances in wearable technology. In March, Google released "Android Wear," a version of its operating system tailored to computerized wristwatches and other wearable devices. Although there are already several smartwatches on the market, the devices are more popular with gadget geeks and fitness fanatics than regular consumers. But Google could help change that with Android Wear. Android, after all, is already the world's most popular smartphone operating system. Google may also have news about Glass, including when the company might launch a new and perhaps less expensive version of the $1,500 Internet-connected eyewear. Google will likely have to lower the price if it wants Glass to reach a broader audience. "

My Way News - Visa, MasterCard renew push for chip cards
My Way News reports: "Retailers have long balked at paying for new cash registers and back office systems to handle the new cards. There have been clashes between retailers, card issuers and processors over which processing networks will get access to the new system and whether to stick with a signature-based system or move to one that requires a personal identification number instead."

My Way News - Google redesigns Android to power smartwatches
My Way News reports: "Smartwatches and Google Glass are just two of the first examples of how computing devices increasingly are expected to become like appendages to the human body as technology advances and connecting to the Internet becomes as reflexive as breathing. Google executives have even openly talked about day when it might be possible to help people live longer and more enjoyable lives by planting chips in their heads or under their skin."