Philips Semi in singles-bar shocker

A throwaway line in yesterday’s magazine section of The Manchester Guardian has revealed that Philips' famous R&D unit has not ceased nor has it desisted from its wacky ideas. The newspaper reports that Philips has developed a chip which you can wear about your person, which can communicate with other people wearing similar semiconductors. According to the report, the technology will allow unattached people to find partners with similar interests without going through the usual tiresome rituals. Of course, we agree that this technology has potential. For example, it will also allow you to avoid people who you’re unlikely to get on with. These could include people wearing semiconductors in their earrings or other piercings. Nine years ago, boffins at Philips R&D centre in The Netherlands showed journalists a design they had for a computer built into a necktie. And three Comdex/Falls ago, IBM CEO Lou Gerstner said that technology built into your shoes would allow you to exchange essential information when you shook hands with someone. Recently, we reported that this particular technology only worked when the contact was more intimate than a hand-shake. ®