With a wave of his hand, Amal Graafstra, a 29-year-old entrepreneur
based in Vancouver, Canada, opens his front door. With another, he logs
onto his computer.

Tiny radio frequency identification (RFID) computer chips inserted into Graafstra's hands make it all possible.

Graafstra gets his first RFID implant -- looks like fun, doesn't it?

"I
just don't want to be without access to the things that I need to get
access to. In the worst case scenario, if I'm in the alley naked, I
want to still be able to get in (my house)," Graafstra said in an
interview in New York, where he is promoting the technology. "RFID is
for me."

The
computer chips, which cost about $2, interact with a device installed
in computers and other electronics. The chips are activated when they
come within 3 inches of a so-called reader, which scans the data on the
chips. The "reader" devices are available for as little as $50 (29
pounds).

Information
about where to buy the chips and readers is available online at the
"tagged" forum, (http://tagged.kaos.gen.nz/) where enthusiasts of the
technology chat and share information.

Graafstra said at least 20 of his tech-savvy pals have RFID implants.

"I
can't feel it at all. It doesn't impede me. It doesn't hurt at all. I
almost can't tell it's there," agreed Jennifer Tomblin, a 23-year-old
marketing student and Graafstra's girlfriend.

'ABRACADABRA'

Following this article Graafstra's girlfriend was persuaded to get her own chip - so much for her organic lifestyle...

Mikey
Sklar, a 28-year-old Brooklyn resident, said, "It does give you some
sort of power of 'Abracadabra,' of making doors open and passwords
enter just by a wave of your hand."

The RFID chip in Sklar's hand, which is smaller than a grain of rice
and can last up to 100 years, was injected by a surgeon in Los Angeles.

Tattoo artists and veterinarians also could insert the chips into
people, he said. For years, veterinarians have been injecting similar
chips into pets so the animals can be returned to their owners if they
are lost.

Graafstra was
drawn to RFID tagging to make life easier in this technological age,
but Sklar said he was more intrigued by the technology's potential in a
broader sense.

In the
future, technological advances will allow people to store, transmit and
access encrypted personal information in an increasing number of
wireless ways, Sklar said.

After the implant procedure

Wary
of privacy issues, Sklar said he is developing a fabric "shield" to
protect such chips from being read by strangers seeking to steal
personal information or identities.

One advantage of the RFID chip, Graafstra said, is that it cannot get
lost or stolen. And the chip can always be removed from a person's body.

"It's
kind of a gadget thing, and it's not so impressive to have it on your
key chain as it is to have it in you," Sklar said. "But it's not for
everyone."

Sklar's
girlfriend, Wendy Tremayne, has yet to be convinced. She said she
probably would not inject the computer chip into her body unless she
thought it was a "necessity."

"If it becomes more convenient, I may," said the 38-year-old artist and yoga teacher. "(But) I'd rather have an organic life."