Editorial: Movie Technology Comes to Life
As 1999 comes to a close and the new millennium dawns, I would like to reflect on technologies in the movies, and technologies available today. As pursuers of entertainment, we as a people flock to movie theaters to see advances in special effects and digital computer technology. We glance into the future in movies such as “Gattacca” and “Demolition Man” and even that old trilogy of movies entitled “Back to the Future.” Growing up, I always wondered if humans would reach the heights in these movies, and as we move into the 21st century it is certainly beginning to happen.
In “Demolition Man” starring Wesley Snipes and Sylvester Stallone, we saw such technologies as cryogenic freezing and miniature compact disks that stored information and video at incredible quality and quantity. As I watched the movie I thought to myself “There’s no way that will ever happen, not at that quality.” And here we are today with mini-disc recorders from various manufacturers, and Digital Versatile Disks (DVD) which have unparalleled video quality. It’s hard to believe not too long ago devices like these were just a dream in someone’s head.
Something else appeared in that movie that was semi-disturbing. The criminal, played by Wesley Snipes, had a tiny transmitter implanted in his wrist that allowed law enforcement to track his movements and pinpoint his location. As I watched I began to question whether 1) we would ever be able to produce such a device and 2) whether or not such a device would be permitted in the world. According to an article recently appearing on cnn.com, it has been.
Created by Applied Digital Solutions, this new device named the Digital Angel is a tiny monitoring transmitter, which uses muscles surrounding it for power, that can be implanted in the human body and used to monitor health conditions. Upon further reading, it is discovered that the Digital Angel is connected to the Global Positioning System and can be used as a locator for whatever it is implanted in.
While ADS cites missing children as an example for this technology, one does not have to think hard to realize that this technology is a breach of privacy for all humans. The Digital Angel could be used in criminal cases and would be excellent for tracking criminals, but it also tracks law abiding citizens who do nothing wrong. As a law-abiding citizen I question the ethics of such a device. A well-known novel entitled 1984 by George Orwell describes such a society where “Big Brother” is always watching and somewhere, someone is monitoring everything you do. This new “Digital Angel” could quickly turn into the digital monkey on everyone’s back that inhibits freedoms we as a people now enjoy.
As a human race we should applaud ourselves on what we have accomplished in this century. Technology is leaping at an exponential rate since the late 1990’s with the advances in processor manufacturing and processor speeds. In 1999 alone, processing speeds have leapt from 500MHz to the now available Pentium III 800MHz chip. Next year consumers will be given the opportunity to own the 1GHz chip, a speed unimaginable until recently.
As people embrace this technology, and with a wealth of information in the world and the technology to gather it all, we will be connected in all facets of communication as the computer becomes the center of every home. The Internet will become more than a place for information, and the computer more necessary than ever. After reading this article, and reflecting on the way things have gone and the direction life is headed, what is your opinion on the impact of technology on life and the ethics of this new tracking device?
Read the special report and the press release on the Digital Angel from Applied Digital Solutions to learn more.
