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GPS-tracked Clothing

Anil Kandangath writes "A Japanese firm has shown off new technology that enables GPS units to be embedded in clothing that will enable the wearer to be tracked continuously. The device is thin enough to be tacked on unobtrusively and is powered by a thin watch battery. It is also capable of taking biometric measurements and transmitting them PCs and handheld devices. Though marketed as a device to enable people to keep track of spouses, how long before such technology becomes intrusive in our lives?" Like tracking your spouse is ok?. What a world! Update: 05/29 18:00 GMT by Z : Not actually real. A Contagious Media project. Please do not try to monitor your SO's panties.

192 comments

  1. Better in your clothes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Than in your body.

  2. SWEET! by Vertdang · · Score: 0

    I can't WAIT to have my privacy rights exploited by the corporations and government!

    --
    Statesmen serve to better the country and help the people.
    Politicians serve to better themselves and help friends.
  3. When will the public revolt about issues like this by intnsred · · Score: 0

    When will the public revolt about issues like this and demand either:

    (A) Real privacy laws with shark's teeth to enforce them.

    or (B) A completely transparent society where everything is public -- including our corporate master's finance books and the data of the wealthy elites?

  4. Tracking my spouse... by CyricZ · · Score: 0

    Do they embed these into gloves yet?

    --
    Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
  5. got the hots? by meshmar · · Score: 1

    "These panties can give you her location, and even her temperature and heart rate"

    When you're hot, you're hot!

  6. April Fools by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    plus 58 days...

  7. Lovely by bladesjester · · Score: 0

    Another way to "fight terrorism".

    Just what we need...

    --
    Everything I need to know I learned by killing smart people and eating their brains.
  8. spoof by Hank+Chinaski · · Score: 5, Insightful

    this is obviously fake ... slashdot editors do your homework.

    --
    IAAL
    1. Re:spoof by NetFusion · · Score: 5, Informative

      The contagiousmedia.org is the giveaway. Slashdot covered this web page meme advertising contest earlier.

    2. Re:spoof by DrEldarion · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I lost a lot of faith when I saw that it wasn't under the "It's funny, laugh" category.

    3. Re:spoof by Zone-MR · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You mean the panties with hidden GPS sensor and wireless transmitter which transmits signals that can be received on "up to four devices" isn't enough of a giveaway already? ;)

    4. Re:spoof by A+beautiful+mind · · Score: 3, Interesting

      And Taco obviously attempted to do some perl scripting, with a revolutionary new way:

      Like tracking your spouse is ok?. What a world!

      I mean, most, less experienced or cunning perl coders would have done it this way:

      "$comment = $track_spouse ? 'What a world!':'';"

      If you look at the revolutionary concatisanation, the new way to use ? and . next to each other clearly indicate a brilliant new way to use the Conditional Operator and the "." Additive Operator.

      Some less experienced people on slashdot might wonder, that it was just a typo(sic!). They must be new here and do not grasp the subtle indications of the existence of a brilliant mind CmdrTaco must be possessing.

      --
      It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
      Be yourself no matter what they say
    5. Re:spoof by Psx29 · · Score: 1

      Does that mean these guys win the contest?

    6. Re:spoof by northcat · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It'd be better if taco edited the story and made it clear that it was a hoax.

  9. Very usable thing by michelcultivo · · Score: 1

    Now I can reach that panties that I forgot here on my bedroom.

    1. Re:Very usable thing by CyricZ · · Score: 0

      What are you talking about? Please try to write in clearer English so we know what you are saying. What is obstructing you from reaching "that panties" you forgot?

      --
      Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
  10. Nice! by Ghoser777 · · Score: 1

    It is also capable of taking biometric measurements and transmitting them PCs and handheld devices.

    My biometric information will love to have a PC transmitted to it! Can I get one as well?
    --
    James Tiberius Kirk: "Spock, the women on your planet are logical. No other planet in the galaxy can make that claim."
  11. Ridiculous by CypherXero · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Oh comeon, that's ridiculous. If you have to track your spouse, then you have a lot more issues than you might think. Good relationships are built on trust, and if you can't trust the person, then all hope is lost.

    1. Re:Ridiculous by ShieldW0lf · · Score: 4, Funny

      Spoken like someone who's never lost their spouse at the mall. I'd much rather track her RFID panties down with my Dick Tracy watch than have her show up at our meeting place an hour late with a thousand dollars worth of clothes that make her look fat in any mirror besides the one in the store...

      "Oh no, her heart rate spiked! I'd better get over there before she gets to the sales counter!"

      --
      -1 Uncomfortable Truth
    2. Re:Ridiculous by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Spoken like someone who's never lost their spouse at the mall. I'd much rather track her RFID panties down with my Dick

      The line break there meant it took me forever to actually comprehend this sentance rather than slip into a fantasy world...

  12. Why wait? by nurb432 · · Score: 1

    Just walk outside of your house..

    Go buy something...

    Go for a drive..

    Your privacy rights are already being exploited.

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
  13. fake by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's a fake site, just look at the URL. Christ.

  14. They work well by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I've already tried these. I caught my (now ex-)wife screwing her secretary. Ordinarily that would be depressing enough, but to bust in on her screwing her female secretary really burst my self-confidence bubble :(

  15. Re:When will the public revolt about issues like t by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Never.

  16. If your child was kidnapped... by CyricZ · · Score: 0

    Do you think you'd be against this technology if it helped you locate your kidnapped child? Remember, technology is only as "bad" as the person who is using it.

    --
    Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
    1. Re:If your child was kidnapped... by maxwell+demon · · Score: 1

      If kids were usually wearing such clothing, I guess the first thing the kidnappers would do when kidnapping a child would be to remove the clothing ...

      --
      The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
    2. Re:If your child was kidnapped... by neongrey · · Score: 1

      Well, at least I won't have to change anything in the way I normally kidnap small children.

    3. Re:If your child was kidnapped... by CyricZ · · Score: 0

      That's assuming their goal was to rape and molest the child immediately. But that may not be the case, of course.

      --
      Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
    4. Re:If your child was kidnapped... by maxwell+demon · · Score: 1

      No, that's assuming they don't want the child's position to be tracked any more. Which is, of course, a common desire for all kidnappers.

      --
      The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
    5. Re:If your child was kidnapped... by CyricZ · · Score: 0

      But how would they know if the child's clothes have been implanted with such a device? Indeed, it sould be difficult to tell considering the miniscule size of such devices (assuming they were real, and not a complete hoax and fabrication such as described in the linked-to blog). And to have a naked child in the car while driving around Orlando or Miami or some other Floridian city will raise questions, no doubt.

      --
      Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
    6. Re:If your child was kidnapped... by petermgreen · · Score: 1

      so they just need to take a spare set of clothes when they do the kidnapping?

      --
      note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
    7. Re:If your child was kidnapped... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nobody can look into your trunk.

    8. Re:If your child was kidnapped... by CyricZ · · Score: 0

      Is it? I don't know. Do you know?

      --
      Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
    9. Re:If your child was kidnapped... by CyricZ · · Score: 0

      Is that why people in Florida always drive trucks when committing crimes?

      --
      Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
    10. Re:If your child was kidnapped... by maxwell+demon · · Score: 1

      Read again: "If kids were usually wearing such clothing ..."
      The probability of the child wearing it would be much higher than the child not wearing it (that's what the "usually" part implies), so the kidnapper would do so just in case.

      One possible solution to the "naked child problem" was already given. Another would be to hide the child so that it cannot be seen from outside (e.g. use a mini transporter).

      --
      The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
    11. Re:If your child was kidnapped... by RobertLTux · · Score: 1

      Wouldn't that be SOP anyway? Think Folks, like the second set of data given is What X was wearing at the time. And since you are going to grab a kid OF A GIVEN SIZE (age) and Gender it would be simple to have some outfits stashed. Zone the kid out and drive away. there is no ??? in this sequence

      --
      Any person using FTFY or editing my postings agrees to a US$50.00 charge
  17. Japanese spouses by ElMiguel · · Score: 1

    Though marketed as a device to enable people to keep track of spouses [...]

    What exactly are spouses up to in Japan?

  18. Re:When will the public revolt about issues like t by nkh · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You don't need laws for this as:

    - this story smells like a hoax: basic drawings without an explaination and "no one can order due to overwhelming demand"
    - any women could sue the ass of her husband if someone was stupid enough to try it, no need for new laws.

  19. Isn't this a viral media competition entry? by Colin+Smith · · Score: 2, Informative

    To see how many hits you can generate?

    forgetmenotpanties.

    www.contagiousmedia.org

    --
    Deleted
  20. This surely looks like a joke to me... by LauraLolly · · Score: 1

    This looks like the ultimate high-tech joke to me. Do you know of any biometric sensors that can go through laundry after laundry?

    Have you ever had either a battery or a GPS sensor and antenna embedded in your shorts? There's not a good way to do this and make it "invisible" to the wearer, yet.

    Nice leg pull, though.

  21. I call hoax by iturbide · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Check the testimonials. PantyMap tracking software? Come on people, I don't buy it. Still, hoaxes are fun. |Anyone remember fufme.com?

    1. Re:I call hoax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank you! I'd been trying to remember what the url was for that site for ages...

  22. You may be right.... by MisanthropicProgram · · Score: 1

    I tested your comment by trying to order. The buttons are grayed out due to being "Sold out". A real biz would have just put your order on back order - like Amazon. I think you're right.

    1. Re:You may be right.... by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      Exactly. A real business will never refuse an order. Unless the product has been discontinued, and there is no chance that they will get any more in stock, there is no reason to stop someone from trying to buy a product from you.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
  23. IT'S A HOAX! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Come on Taco, how could you take this seriously? It's made by Contagious Media.

  24. a whole new market for tinfiol by PSVMOrnot · · Score: 2, Funny

    I can see a great new market for tinfoil hat manufacturers...

    1. Re:a whole new market for tinfiol by maxwell+demon · · Score: 2, Funny

      Tinfoil hats with integrated GPS-tracking devices?

      --
      The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
    2. Re:a whole new market for tinfiol by ultranova · · Score: 1

      I can see a great new market for tinfoil hat manufacturers...

      Shouldn't you use tinfoil pants to protect against this ?

      In Feudal Japan, panties flip out and track you and don't even think twice about it !

      --

      Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

    3. Re:a whole new market for tinfiol by geminidomino · · Score: 1
      I can see a great new market for tinfoil hat manufacturers...
      Shouldn't you use tinfoil pants to protect against this ?
      That depends entirely upon where your head is, now doesn't it?
  25. Tracking... by darkov · · Score: 4, Funny

    Really, what is the point of stalking them after you've married them?

    1. Re:Tracking... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Really, what is the point of stalking them after you've married them?

      To keep the terror alive in your relationship.

  26. Finally! by Leroy_Brown242 · · Score: 1

    An easy solution to the age old question,
    "Where are my pants?"

    1. Re:Finally! by fbjon · · Score: 1

      Heh, but has any company developed some simple "find wallet/dead cellphone" RFID technology? I'd get it in a second. Or is it easy to make it oneself..?

      --
      True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
  27. Sheep Never Revolt by nurb432 · · Score: 1

    Remember that most people are sheep and just do as they are told.

    So dont hold your breath on the revolt.. ( or the 2nd revolution here in this country )

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
    1. Re:Sheep Never Revolt by nurb432 · · Score: 1

      Are you always this full of useless information and bad manners?

      --
      ---- Booth was a patriot ----
  28. then, in a mugging by ChipMonk · · Score: 1

    Someone stole his wife's sweater, and the tracker on his PC showed she was out of state, as she was walking in the door.

    She was wearing a blouse under it, you Slashdot pervs!

  29. It would answer... by thewiz · · Score: 1

    the age-old question of where socks go when they disappear from the wash!

    --
    If "disco" means "I learn" in Latin, does "discothèque" mean "I learn technology"?
  30. This stuff should be mandatory... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...in all children's clothing sold in Florida, the "Sex-Offenders' State" (nee "Sunshine State").

  31. Spouses by tezbobobo · · Score: 1

    So with this thing I'll be able to tell when my next door neighbours husbands leaves for work? hmmm...

    1. Re:Spouses by ScrewMaster · · Score: 1

      So, how many husbands does she have, anyway?

      --
      The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
    2. Re:Spouses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, the ScrewMaster wants to know. ;)

  32. Chastity Rays by Doc+Ruby · · Score: 1

    Who wants a radio transmitter mounted that close to one's (or one's spouse's) genitals? The GPS itself might be a passive receiver (though its electronics make RF radiation), but sending the data to the tracking database requires transmission. Maybe if it also heats up and vibrates, the wearer might like it, but the longerm effects are too costly.

    --

    --
    make install -not war

  33. Tracking... by Francis85 · · Score: 1

    You mean you ain't tracking your spouse already??!

    O wait, this is slashdot..!

  34. This is a hoax. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Jesus christ, when will you lot start to actually READ the shit you link to?

    Fucking overgrown blog.

  35. If you need electronics to track your spouse by Xargle · · Score: 5, Funny

    you've made their chain too long.

  36. It's a joke, but still by broothal · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Ok - at first I didn't realize this was a joke, but just a quick look at the advertized product gives it away.

    But even though this is a joke, the technology to achieve this isn't that far away. I'm going to be a parent in about 6 months, and while my kid is young, I wouldn't mind attaching a GPS to the kid. Of course, once he/she reaches a certain age, I will have to trust him/her. But until then, I'd be using such a device in a jiffy. I think... it's my first, so I don't know what to expect from having kids ;)

    1. Re:It's a joke, but still by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 1
      As a parent of 4 (2 ex teens and two current teens):
      Nope. Not a chance I'd ever consider using something like this.

      Up until that 'certain age', they are either with you, at school, or at a friends. They are not generally out roaming by themselves.

      So, you trust yourself and the people they are with, or you don't. And if you don't, why are the kids with those people?

      Do kidnappings happen? Sure, rarely. But if these things become common, all the bad guy has to do is take the kids clothes off. Unless you implant it under the skin.

    2. Re:It's a joke, but still by sheck · · Score: 1

      I seem to remember seeing a TV newscast covering a similar device months to years ago. It was a pair of computerized underwear with heat sensors that could detect whether the underwear was being worn.

      IIRC, it would log all the remove/replace events. The idea was that a wife would get her husband to wear the underwear when he went away on a business trip. When he returned, if the logs showed that he had removed the underwear for more than 3 consecutive minutes, she would have reason to suspect him of fooling around.

    3. Re:It's a joke, but still by euske · · Score: 1

      Actually, I have seen a very similar thing recently at National Design Museum's exhibition called "extreme textile".
      http://ndm.si.edu/extexsitelet/index.htm
      In the "Smarter" section, they had a Nike's vest which is capable to communicate remotely. They also shown some militaly clothes which work as satelite antenna.
      The idea of monitering bio thing is also implemented in astronauts' suits already, although they are not small enough right now...

  37. Google Maps by sparkhead · · Score: 1

    Wow! I can't wait for the Google map add-on that lets me track these in my area! [/editors should check domains before posting articles]

  38. Best way to generate hits... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Post a YRO article on Slashdot

  39. Medical uses. If this were real. by MisanthropicProgram · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I could see medical uses for a product like this. Especially for people with dementia.
    Grandpa, senile, heart condition, and who's also a diabetic, gets lost while walking and has a heart attack. Now, you can find him and get him treatment. I can see it now, ADT and Brinks will start offering this service. It gives a new meaning to the add, "I've fallen and can't get up!"

    1. Re:Medical uses. If this were real. by CyricZ · · Score: 0

      Indeed. But then it will be used on the mentally retarded, and soon after that on criminals (even petty criminals, arrested for jaywalking). Soon enough it will be embedded within the clothing of every law-abiding person, lest they choose to unabide by the law! But of course the Senators and Congressmen will never have to wear such emblazened clothing, for they are of the comptroller class who force such shenanigans on liberty.

      --
      Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
    2. Re:Medical uses. If this were real. by hostguy2004 · · Score: 1

      A friend in the medical business, used to hold a staff position for DARPA. She has a teddybear with passive means of checking pulse & other stats on her high-dependency daugther, when the bear is held close. They also have a matchbox sized transponder for medical feedback, but it is not GPS-based (It uses bluetooth triagulation to get position info) You couldn't hide this in thongs, the wearer knows about it. Some of this gear were spin-off demonstrators of DARPA technology.

      --
      In Soviet Russia ^H^H^H America, The bank finances YOU!
  40. Re:When will the public revolt about issues like t by Gothmolly · · Score: 0

    Why troll? Why equate the power of the dollar with the power of the gun?

    --
    I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
  41. Re:When will the public revolt about issues like t by rainman_bc · · Score: 2, Insightful

    any women could sue the ass of her husband if someone was stupid enough to try it, no need for new laws.

    Hmmm... Where I'm at, a wife cannot sue her husband, at least not without a divorce. That's a silly idea - martial assets are shared. If a wife sues her husband she is essentially suing herself.

    If you suspect your spouse is cheating, your relationship has bigger problems.

    But yes, I too suspect this to be a hoax.

    --
    09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
  42. Quite hilarious by francisew · · Score: 1

    Although the idea is a combination of abhorrent and hilarious, this is quite probably just a joke. I read it this morning prior to slashdottedness.

    It would be cool if it was possible to embed electronics that seamlessly into clothing, but it isn't possible- at least not according to what I've seen, and I work a lot in designing portable electronic instrumentation.

    It would take some extreme perversion to have parents constantly monitoring the pubic temperature of their daughters. That's far more invasive than tracking one's location. I'm surprised that they didn't suggest putting in a humidity sensor: far more effective than temperature. I'm also surprised they didn't also include a remote shocker for dissuation.

    I think that using something like that would be equivalent to giving written permission to your wife to do bad things to your reproductive organs.

    1. Re:Quite hilarious by GWTPict · · Score: 1

      A woman's temperatures rises when she ovulates, it's part of the joke.

  43. Come on, editors, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    even fark got this one right.

  44. This is a Joke Right? by Kyle+Hamilton · · Score: 1

    This is a joke right I mean have you read what they say in there testimonials? "When my daughter hit puberty I nearly had a heart attack. She started looking like a woman and suddenly she was wearing revealing clothing and staying out late with her friends. Rather than become an over-protective parent , I decided to try forget-me-not panties(TM). They work wonderfully. My wife and I bought our Sarah several pairs so we can watch her around the clock, and if we see her temperature rising too high, we intervene by calling her cellphone or just picking her up wherever she is. My only comment is it would be great to have a video camera, maybe you can work that into V.2. Thanks forget-me-not panties(TM), now we have true peace of mind." ummm so yea this has to be a joke theres no way this is legit

    --
    Linux is like living in a teepee. No Windows, no Gates, Apache in house.
  45. Hello Sir by callqcmd · · Score: 0

    Hello, will the real Osama please stand up. He have a special turban for you.

    1. Re:Hello Sir by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fuck you, you don't know anything about turbans or what they signify.

  46. Re:When will the public revolt about issues like t by fbjon · · Score: 1

    Uh, if this is real, I expect there to be an 'off' switch somewhere :)

    --
    True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
  47. I call Bullshit by ip_freely_2000 · · Score: 1

    This whole website seems like crap. Plus I hardly doubt a watch battery can generate power enough for GPS tracking.

    1. Re:I call Bullshit by MidnightBrewer · · Score: 1

      Spoken like a true geek. ;) "It's a hoax, and that's not even counting the technological challenges."

      It also fails to take into consideration *where* the watch battery is supposed to go. And what happens if the girl doesn't like the design.

      --
      "Give a man fire, and he'll be warm for a day; set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life
  48. umm.... by sabernet · · Score: 1

    how is this intrusive?

    I would just rip the battery out if I didn't want anyone spying on me, and put it back in if I'm gone hiking.

    But then again, I ain't part of the tinfoil crowd.

  49. ok... by thenewcloo · · Score: 1

    this is so stupid, it was on fark the other day. gps requires line-of-sight to the skies in order to operate. plus, how the hell would one receieve data from these panties? this is probably one of the most ridiculous slashdot stories ive ever seen.

    1. Re:ok... by pixystix · · Score: 1

      http://showdown.contagiousmedia.org/ Seems to be part of a 'how many visitors/blogs can you get your fake site on in a month competition... The clue is probably in the URL...

    2. Re:ok... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The website didn't say anything about "not" having a line-on-sight. Probably you have to forget all about over pants in order for this to work.

  50. Absolute Hoax. by Beardo+the+Bearded · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'm an EE. I work with GPS. Right now (well okay, during the week) I'm working with the cutting edge Xemics GPS engine. It's about 3cm x 4cm x 0.5 cm. That's the engine plus the em shield.

    Now, let's add the following:

    Batteries. The engine requires a steady 3.0 - 3.6 V supply capable of sustained current of 50mA. You're looking at a 1/2 AA form factor minimum.

    Antenna. GPS antennas require a view of the sky. Beyond that, special antennas designed to fit against the skin are about as thick as a pencil and about 2 cm long.

    CPU and circuitry to decode the GPS signal. (Polling RS232) The size is up to you. The minimum is about the size of a quarter, so I'll grant this part if they use the internal oscillator.

    Let's assume the signal is to be broadcast. Then add:

    Transmitter. This will probably include a crystal.

    Antenna for the transmitter. If we're talking about a VHF transmitter at 150 MHz, the antenna is going to be about 24 INCHES long. (That's already 1/4 wave!)

    Now fit this into panties unobstrustively.

    No way. There is absolutely NO WAY a GPS tracker could be fit into a pair of panties. A jacket, maybe IF it was puffy.

    --

    ---
    ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
    1. Re:Absolute Hoax. by Aldric · · Score: 1
      Don't forget charging. That small a battery won't last long. Especially if you are talking close to real-time tracking.

      Clothes wouldn't be a problem... the antennae on my company's product goes under the dashboard of a vehicle. All you really have to worry about is being blocked by something solid.

      As for the transmitter, I'd imagine GPRS would be more reasonable. That's if this story wasn't a fake, obviously.

    2. Re:Absolute Hoax. by thegamerformelyknown · · Score: 0

      All you really have to worry about is being blocked by something solid

      Hehe, isn't this what the panties are trying to protect against? ;)

    3. Re:Absolute Hoax. by Dun+Malg · · Score: 3, Insightful
      I'm an EE. I work with GPS. Right now (well okay, during the week) I'm working with the cutting edge Xemics GPS engine. It's about 3cm x 4cm x 0.5 cm. That's the engine plus the em shield.

      Transmitter. This will probably include a crystal. Antenna for the transmitter. If we're talking about a VHF transmitter at 150 MHz, the antenna is going to be about 24 INCHES long. (That's already 1/4 wave!)

      This is a point which can't be repeated too often: GPS is a totally passive system at the user end. I look forward to a time when regular people understand GPS well enough to know that GPS doesn't track anything ! All a GPS device does is calculate its own location using radio and math. If I had a nickel for every time some jackass script writer has a TV/movie character say "we're tracking him via GPS satellites"...well...I'd have a lot of nickels. I fear eventually we'll get a society full of semi-educated dolts who think that GPS=Tracking Device and will demand that laws be passed mandating GPS devices be at least footstool sized so nobody can "plant one on them"; but they'll all walk around with cell phones, of course, which have no tracking capabilities at all, right?

      --
      If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
    4. Re:Absolute Hoax. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uh, a loaded antenna doesn't need to be the full length. It would be easy make make a 150 Mhz antenna that was relatively tiny. For example, my car remote is around that frequency and the antenna is less than an inch. Of course it doesn't have very good range either.

      Besides, I think 800+ Mhz would make more sense because most likely you would be using cell phone towers or WiFi access points. No other way to get decent range with such low power.

    5. Re:Absolute Hoax. by FidelCatsro · · Score: 1

      I Do declair that top hats may come back into fashion then .

      --
      The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
    6. Re:Absolute Hoax. by Derek+Pomery · · Score: 1

      Yes, an obvious hoax that somehow the /. editors got suckered into.
      But...
      Battery - how about thermoelectric instead? Then you don't have to worry about charging.
      Granted, might need an extra capacitor or battery for those transmission bursts.

      Antenna length - could simply use a different frequency. Or spread spectrum. Or a fractal antenna could help.
      But yeah, not exactly gonna fit in panties. Not without a convincing explanation for the thick bulgy layer. uh... padding!

      --
      -- perl -e'print pack"H*","6e656d6f406d38792e6f7267"' /. ate my old sig. Bastards.
    7. Re:Absolute Hoax. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      E911 enabled cell phones, i.e. all of them currently being manufactured, allow remote tracking over the cell network with GPS receivers embedded in phones.

    8. Re:Absolute Hoax. by elgatozorbas · · Score: 2, Funny
      Antenna for the transmitter. If we're talking about a VHF transmitter at 150 MHz, the antenna is going to be about 24 INCHES long. (That's already 1/4 wave!). Now fit this into panties unobstrustively.

      Is that a 24 inch antenna in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?..

    9. Re:Absolute Hoax. by ucdoughboy · · Score: 0

      You could make it into a maxi pad. It seems like the gps and circuitry are miniscule. The battery seems like a issue but there are lithium polymers that are thin, flexible and powerful. The issue does come down to antenna size. I've never seen a gps antenna small enought to be unobstrusive and plus the line of sight thing might be a problem since you won't get a signal indoors. However for the transiever, those are at 2.4 ghz which should be easily concealed. So think very tiny cell phone which is possible with today's tech. In fact they should just throw out gps, and use gprs and let the antenna towers give you an approximate lcoation. =D

    10. Re:Absolute Hoax. by smallduck · · Score: 1
      This is a point which can't be repeated too often: GPS is a totally passive system at the user end. I look forward to a time when regular people understand GPS well enough to know that GPS doesn't track anything ! All a GPS device does is calculate its own location using radio and math.
      This is because regular people do not understand the implications of words like "totally passive system". I like to explain it thusly:
      GPS can be used to find where you are, not where someone else is. The only way to use GPS to find anyone else is to have them find themselves then call you to tell you the result, or to have a device with them that does that.
      --
      no sig, no plan, no clue
    11. Re:Absolute Hoax. by HermanAB · · Score: 1

      Besides, there is no way that its gonna pick up any satellites once installed inside a stainless steel chastity belt...

      --
      Oh well, what the hell...
    12. Re:Absolute Hoax. by Cruciform · · Score: 1

      "The Wire" does it correctly. They plant a GPS unit with a hard drive on the target vehicle, and then retrieve the unit after a period of time and download the logs.

      I haven't seen another show approach it from that angle, except for The Shield and they didn't bother explaining it so the average watcher just gets the idea that they put something on the car.

    13. Re:Absolute Hoax. by Dun+Malg · · Score: 1
      E911 enabled cell phones, i.e. all of them currently being manufactured, allow remote tracking over the cell network with GPS receivers embedded in phones.

      The GPS performance on those E911 phones is a joke. It's a bone thown to panicky soccer moms and the FCC so they can take their time deploying the equipment necessary to track user locations based on signal triangulation from the cell towers. The GPS antenna is usually embedded in the upper part of the back of the phone. Do you keep the upper part of the back of your phone, out of its case, of course, facing the sky all the time? GPS lock is so slow on those things that they're not even worth worrying about. Furthermore, the GPS can usually be disbled via the setup menu. Trust me, they're not tracking you via your phone's GPS unless you specifically position the phone to make it possible.

      --
      If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
  51. It's time by jswalter9 · · Score: 1

    Though marketed as a device to enable people to keep track of spouses,

    It's time to become single again, I guess.

    --
    Retired from software... maybe. Sort of.
  52. Degauss by a_greer2005 · · Score: 2, Interesting
    This is a great reason to keep some degaussing tools around, hell, why nit just rig up a degausser in the dryer, problem solved.

    this is absurd. To throw the trackers off, I just leave peices of clothing at friends houses, in a locker at the bus station and the YMCA, all over the place, hell put a few garments in friends cars so ther are many moving targets..
    How would this work anyway, do you have to register your boxers with "big brother"? is it tied to a unique id embedded into the unit and documented on the tag?

    I see this being a navelty, like the Macarana or bell bottoms.

    1. Re:Degauss by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You cannot just leave the panties at a friends house. The biometric data would show you were dead and the paramedics would show up. Then you would have to explain why you left your panties at a friends house.

    2. Re:Degauss by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ITS BECAUSE I WAS DRUNk, OKAY?/

      im not yelling.

  53. Good or whack? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Tell me about GPS-tracked Clothing. Is it good or is it whack?

  54. Ok, We know it is a hoax by INeededALogin · · Score: 1

    It has been said several times.

    After looking at the site... I am honestly scared.

    First, this technology(GPS part), could easily be produced very soon. Just a battery with a GPS chip could easily be hidden in pairs of jeans, jackets, etc...

    Now, the panties thing is far-fetched because if I buy my girlfriend 8 pairs of panties one day... she might be a lil suspicious, especially if I keep saying, wear these today.

    1. Re:Ok, We know it is a hoax by thegamerformelyknown · · Score: 0

      All they have to do is make them look like a guy would REALLY enjoy them. Then, when you buy them, the girlfried/wife/whatever will think it's because you're a horny bastard, and will wear them. But only really when she sees YOU, not anyone else.

  55. Agreed. by StarKruzr · · Score: 1

    I think it's a hoax for technical reasons. There's no way in hell a watch battery can power a GPS receiver AND some kind of transceiver (cellular? come on.) to send GPS data back to a tracking device.

    --

    +++ATH0
    1. Re:Agreed. by wfberg · · Score: 1

      Also, have you seen how big the antenna on a GPS receiver needs to be? Not an ideal piece of electronics to cram into your girlfriend's thong.

      --
      SCO employee? Check out the bounty
    2. Re:Agreed. by GWTPict · · Score: 1

      Not a problem here, big girlfriend = big knickers.

  56. Re:When will the public revolt about issues like t by Dun+Malg · · Score: 1
    When will the public revolt about issues like this and demand either: (A) Real privacy laws with shark's teeth to enforce them. or (B) A completely transparent society where everything is public -- including our corporate master's finance books and the data of the wealthy elites?

    "Issues like this"? You mean jokes? There's no surreptitious way to add GPS tracking to clothing. At present, the smallest GPS tracking device is about the size of a deck of playing cards, requires a clear view of the sky, and has maybe a week of battery life, as it has to get the GPS information to the "watcher" wirelessly somehow (you do know that GPS is an entirely passive system, right?). You won't see public revolt until something like this is actually possible. Public revolt at this point would be mindless hysteria, resulting in stupid laws prohibitting non-existant devices.

    --
    If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
  57. A quick google search reveals by fohat · · Score: 5, Informative
    --
    Is there heaven? Is there Hell? Is that a Tuna Melt I smell?-Primus
    1. Re:A quick google search reveals by fohat · · Score: 1

      Here's a link directly to the contest. Some of these sites are amusing, while others may cause siezures. You have been warned! http://showdown.contagiousmedia.org/

      --
      Is there heaven? Is there Hell? Is that a Tuna Melt I smell?-Primus
  58. Burst your bubble? by StarKruzr · · Score: 1

    Dude, that would've burst my nads. Are you sure you're male and straight?

    You don't get depressed. You get down on your knees, thank God, and then join in.

    --

    +++ATH0
    1. Re:Burst your bubble? by Guru2Newbie · · Score: 1

      Oh Yeah! That's the spirit! Oh, and set up a webcam while you're at it, hmm?

  59. I think this sounds cool... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There's already a lot of discussion in this thread about privacy "rights", etc. I couldn't care less about those implications-- I just want a low power GPS receiver that I can unobtrusively carry around with me. That would rock.

    I'd totally go for being a gargoyle in a minute. If there were practical technologies to let me record audio, video, and position data during all my waking hours, I'd strap 'em on in a second. Instrumenting my body for transmission of vitals would also rock. I'd be very interested in running an MRTG-like report of my blood pressure, heart rate, brain activity... That'd be sweet.

    I was totally floored when I heard about the blood-powered fuel cells a few weeks ago. Gimmie some of those, some bluetooth-enabled sensors to poll my vitals, and a data logger that I can wear around on my belt w/ enough battery life and storage capacity to go a few days, and I'm set. Add in some GPS-enabled sneakers, and I'm thrilled.

  60. the link by westlake · · Score: 5, Informative
    Contagious Media Showdown

    Currently in second place, 175,000 visitors, 115 blog links. Geeks are so gullible when it comes to sex and tech.

  61. Fantastic by Now15 · · Score: 1

    This new technology should put any future pants/no pants issues to rest.

    --

    Computers are useless: they can only give you answers. -- Pablo Picasso
  62. Durablity by Antony-Kyre · · Score: 1

    I am kind of curious about the durability.

    Could it withstand being put into a washing machine with the hottest water possible. First you'll want to turn up your water heater.

    Try microwaving your clothes. That should definately get the electronics. (I don't recommend this, as it's probably very dangerous.)

    Or just wrap your body in tin foil. That might cause some interference.

    1. Re:Durablity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Could it withstand being put into a washing machine with the hottest water possible.

      Yes, tests have proven that imaginary items can survive even the hottest washes. If you want to remove the device then you'll have to wash the clothes in a solution of dragon's blood and medusa venom.

    2. Re:Durablity by GWTPict · · Score: 1
      a solution of dragon's blood and medusa venom

      Oy! You! Stay well away from my Mother with that knife!

  63. Find out if your husband really wears your clothes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Imagine your surprise when you find out your clothing has unexpected movement when you weren't wearing them.

  64. Wake up Taco by frovingslosh · · Score: 2, Informative

    Boy, what a stupid front page article. Not only is it an obvious fake article, but it doesn't make any sense. The device supposedly transmits to other devices, including laptops and cellphones, but how does the untrusting spouse get the data in real time? Are we to believe that the cell phone constantly transmits the data but the user isn't aware of it? Or maybe incoming calls go to the panties before they go to the phone owner? And it just makes no sense anyway. Maybe the biometrics in the panties, but why waste power and deal with a gps receiver and antenna, when the phone it has to be used with could just have the GPS components anyway? How could you believe this???

    --
    I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
    1. Re:Wake up Taco by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      could it possibly be that taco was being playful

  65. I thought the chastity belt market was dried up.. by t_allardyce · · Score: 1

    This technology is going to be abused so much by parents. Especially from more draconian cultures (*cough* Saudi Arabia *cough*). Even if laws give people the right not to be tracked it won't be enough to stop this. However its likely that many workarounds will be found, and once that happens the technology will become useless again. The evil part of me would have loved to set up a company producing this for the world-wide market (you only need to bother with the womens line), id have the added feature that the device would give an increasing electric shock the closer the wearer got to a police station. Wow exploitation is profitable!

    --
    This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
  66. Re:When will the public revolt about issues like t by buffer-overflowed · · Score: 1

    Oh, maybe when it's not a hoax by contagiousmedia.

    --
    The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."
  67. Re:I thought the chastity belt market was dried up by t_allardyce · · Score: 1

    damn, i knew it was too good to be true, thats what comes from not RTFA. but my point remains valid..

    --
    This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
  68. Tinfoil House by Adrilla · · Score: 1

    Maybe these folks aren't so crazy after all!

    --

    "Plans are for fools! Oglethorpe, the plutonian (Aqua Teen Hunger Force)
  69. Misattributed paternity by Colin+Smith · · Score: 1

    Depending on the country, area, demographic etc. It seems that up to 1 in 5 fathers are not actually the genetic parent of at least one of the children they think is theirs.

    e.g.
    http://tinyurl.com/2yl43

    So it isn't just in Japan. Still with DNA testing there's no reason to be deceived in that matter these days.

    --
    Deleted
  70. Silly editors by irc.goatse.cx+troll · · Score: 1

    I think I speak on behalf of everyone when I proudly figlet:

    |w henm y daugh t er hitp uber t yinea r lyhada|
    |he ar ta ttack . shest arte dlooking li ke awoma n andsud|
    |den lys hewas w earin grev ealingclo thi ngand s taying|
    |outl atew i thher friends.ra ther t hanbec|
    |omea nove r-pro t ectiv epar ent,idecid edto tryfo r get-me|
    |-not pant ies.. t heywo rkwo nderfully. mywi feand i bought|
    |ours arah sever a lpair ssowecanwa tchh eraro u |

    Also, late breaking news: Bonsai kitten may not be real! Apple vibrator? fake!

    Seriously. Where does all of the slashdot subscriber money go? I know this bad html4 layout costs dozens of gigs of bandwidth a month that could be saved with proper css, but even then, OSN needs to fire these 'editors' (Which are really just gatekeepers) and hire people who actually edit. JonKatz may have been annoying as hell, But at least he did his job.

    --
    Pain lasts, kid. Its how you know you're alive. Sometimes I think this growing up thing is just pain management-TheMaxx
    1. Re:Silly editors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      JonKatz may have been annoying as hell, But at least he did his job.
      Troll the Slashdot readership to generate more comments, and thus more page views? Amen!
    2. Re:Silly editors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      haha you have no life.

  71. It's not ok to track your spouse? by dfn5 · · Score: 1
    Like tracking your spouse is ok?. What a world!

    So the editors can't see a reason other than spying to track one's spouse? How about because you care about them and you want to make sure they're OK at all times. If you have to ask yourself if your spouse is cheating on you, then maybe you are not in a good relationship.

    --
    -- Thou hast strayed far from the path of the Avatar.
  72. Tracking spouses by SamMichaels · · Score: 1

    how long before such technology becomes intrusive in our lives?

    Story time, kids...gather 'round...

    While doing an initial consultation on this woman's PC, I found the usual spyware....and then I found a spyware program which logs EVERYTHING. Keyboard strokes, mouse movement, net traffic, windows open, it takes random screen shots, etc. When I told the woman she had this thing on there, she said "I hoped you wouldn't find that." She uses it to track her husband without him knowing.

    I wanted to offer this woman a $5,000 anti-EMF solution for her PC (aka wrapping it in tin foil) but I was in a good mood that day.

  73. adultery by oniboy · · Score: 0

    In a country that has a long continuing history of adultery that they all deny but seems to be the national past time here, this device ( if its real ) might just be what Japan needs althought I think this kind of tracking is already avaiable in current Japanese mobile phones. I just hope they have a boxer shorts version for the guys as both the men & women are equaly naughty here ;)

  74. Re:When will the public revolt about issues like t by orangesquid · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Uh... I'm thinking Disney World with two kids.

    Mom and Dad can each go with one kid to wherever that kid wants to go, be able to find each other later, no need for cell phones.

    --
    --TheOrangeSquid Is it any wonder things seem so awry? We swim in a sea of confusion and don't have to think to survive
  75. Re:When will the public revolt about issues like t by sleeper0 · · Score: 1

    entire slashdot community trolled, news at 11. it sure is easy to get you guys all upset

  76. Re:When will the public revolt about issues like t by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

    If you were tracking someone who's clothing you had access to, you could, get a device which stores datapoints on some small memory chip. When you recover the tracking device, that data could be downloaded and shown on a map. It wouldn't need to record everything, maybe just locations that they stayed at for more than 10 minutes. I'm sure this kind of technology is more possible than we think. If you put enough thought into it.

    --

    Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
  77. I'm confused... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why wouldn't this thing constantly just read "in the kitchen" for the wife version?

  78. Re:When will the public revolt about issues like t by BoomerSooner · · Score: 1

    If you could put this on your children and it monitored bio-metric info (thus showing if the clothing was taken off) it may help in identifying where your children are in the case of an abdution or any other mishap.

  79. No more lost socks! by sbaker · · Score: 1

    Sure - the downsides are obvious - but think of the benefits for a nerd-slob...

    * An application that'll scan one sock and automagically tell me where the other one is.

    * Something that'll automatically tell me which of a pile of quasi-dirty tee shirts were least recently worn.

    * Laundry that screams out to the automatic laundry-o-matic when it's been stuck down the back of the sofa for more than three months. ...the possibilities are endless.

    --
    www.sjbaker.org
  80. Cell-phone by Nicolas+MONNET · · Score: 1

    The proper way is to call her on her cell-phone and tell her to "move your ass right here, right now, bitch!"

    No need for fancy GPS units.

    Oh and the article linked to is obviously a hoax.

  81. Why is everyone thinking this is fake? by dustymugs · · Score: 1

    I'm wagering that this ain't fake. Why? Japan already has clothes with embedded GPS and/or RFID for student uniforms and backpacks as is. So this ain't that significant besides the tracking by panty idea.

    Will this thing even make it to the US? Maybe, probably at your neighborhood porn store.

    I do find the parent company's name funny though... Panchira Corp. Literally translated... Panties Showing Corp. HA!

  82. Re:When will the public revolt about issues like t by Dun+Malg · · Score: 1
    If you were tracking someone who's clothing you had access to, you could, get a device which stores datapoints on some small memory chip. When you recover the tracking device, that data could be downloaded and shown on a map. It wouldn't need to record everything, maybe just locations that they stayed at for more than 10 minutes. I'm sure this kind of technology is more possible than we think. If you put enough thought into it.

    Great! Then all you have to do is arrange for the person being tracked to wear the GPS patch antenna on top of their head and not go indoors or ride in any covered vehicle. You do know that GPS devices require an unobstructed view of a fairly good bit of sky, right? There are many things that make this device unworkable.

    --
    If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
  83. Only... by taskforce · · Score: 1

    ...on Slashdot would something like this work; Where everyone comments on the article before actually clicking the link.

    --
    My 3D Texturing Skinning work (under construction)
  84. No thongs?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    WHAT! No thong version?

  85. Alzheimer's by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My grandfather is currently suffering from this horrible condition. It would give me a lot of comfort if I could track him without him (or my grandmother, who would resist this kind of thing) knowing about it. Just give him a new belt, and there you go. If he wanders off, very easy to track him down.

    I can't wait until this is actually practical.

  86. Electronics and water don't mix... by MoeMoe · · Score: 1

    While I'm sure the idea of knowingly being watched 24/7 isn't too appealing to the wearer of such an article of clothing, the fact that clothes need to be washed brings up another strike against such an invention.

    The only options to overcome such an issue would be to completely waterproof the electronics in which case water-tight sealing would make that area of the clothing bulky and uncomfortable (especially considering the article posted was to a set of women's panties), or to make the electronic parts removable before washing, thereby eliminating the point of placing a GPS device on the wearer in the first place.

    Overall, a bad idea...

    --
    Business \Busi"ness\, n.;
    A scam in which all people involved perceive as beneficial...
  87. mobile harakiri assistant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    TOKYO - Fresh from Japan comes this portable harakiri assistant with 802.11g connectivity. It features a large LCD screen, various menu options, timer, and a voice recorder to record wishes and instructions. It is small enough to fit discretely into any purse and has an appealing design. This product is another example that Japan is always one step ahead when it comes to useful technological innovations.

  88. Why was this "story" submitted? by isolationism · · Score: 1
    It's a viral joke, people. Maybe you've never heard of "Black People Love Us"?

    Get a grip.

    1. Re:Why was this "story" submitted? by Various+Assortments · · Score: 1

      All your base are belong to hamster dance because I KISS YOU!

  89. Only In America by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    The Land Of The (Allegedly) Free Leads The Charge In Taking Away Individual Rights And Freedoms.

    At least other cultures don't hide behind freedom when their cultures restrict (according to American standards, not their own cultures) their citizens.

  90. life imitates art by moviepig.com · · Score: 1
    It is also capable of taking biometric measurements and transmitting them...

    Too bad it's fake. Would've been interesting to see the realization of The Climacticon, a '60s novel about a hand-held device that detects sexual interest from across the room. (Talk about speed-dating...)

    --
    Seeing bad movies only encourages them. Watch responsibly
  91. Around 1 in 5 of fathers, aren't. by Colin+Smith · · Score: 2, Interesting

    e.g.
    http://tinyurl.com/2yl43

    Up to nearly 1 in 3 in some areas. Sooo there appears to be fairly good statistical evolutionary reasons for males to be naturally distrustful.

    DNA tests are quick, cheap and easy these days.

    --
    Deleted
  92. What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A. It's a hoax.

    B. It's supposed to be from Japan.

  93. re: by albundyhere · · Score: 1

    Well, there are two outcomes of this device, 1 - The divorce rate will go up 2 - The murder rate will go up

  94. What a dork you are. by bigtallmofo · · Score: 1

    (B) A completely transparent society where everything is public -- including our corporate master's finance books and the data of the wealthy elites?

    I have a better idea. When are people such as yourself going to get the ability to see through transparent jokes? Then maybe your call for a transparent society will have some merit.

    If you didn't pick up on this, maybe you're wrong about all those goofy conspiracy theories you constantly banter about?

    --
    I'm a big tall mofo.
  95. Hello? Can no one see a good use for this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I bet any parent who has watched the news in the ten years can.
    Until I can completely trust everyone I'd love to be able to find my children quickly in a pinch! If you had kids, I bet you'd see value in this too. Privacy is double edged thing. It is not all black and white. Silly rabbits.

  96. Ha! Mod funny! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That'd require Taco actually reading the comments on this story. Like that'll ever happen!

  97. Theft Protection by 4volt · · Score: 1

    I know that I would love to have something small to stick to my laptops and cameras as theft protection.

    I can't think of better retribution then to steal back something that got stolen from you. Or just tell the cops.

    (I've had a couple 1000$ cameras stolen from me a few years ago)

  98. gps clothings plus embedded rfid by technoCon · · Score: 1

    Hey, let's add a circuit to the GPS-tracking clothing to check proximity to a subcutaneously implanted RFID chip.

    That way you'll know both where your spouse goes and when she takes her clothes off!

    Is this a great technology or what?

  99. Contagious Media Contest by pandymen · · Score: 1

    Whoever posted this article probably is trying to pump up the visitors number for this website in this contest http://www.contagiousmedia.org/ .

  100. Re:When will the public revolt about issues like t by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When will the public revolt about issues like this and demand either:

    (A) Real privacy laws with shark's teeth to enforce them.

    or (B) A completely transparent society where everything is public -- including our corporate master's finance books and the data of the wealthy elites?

    My question is when are people going to revolt against idiots like you? Seriously, this is a hoax, it isnt even real, yet you oh so typicaly fly off the handle blaming corporations and the so called wealthy elite (Does that inclode Soros?)

    Take a deep breath, relax, get a clue and stop the drugs.
  101. Re:When will the public revolt about issues like t by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 1
    I've done similar with the family, and it's just a matter of organization and familial compromise.

    "Meet us at X at 4:30."

    And if you have to carry some sort of receiver (phone, GPS, PDA) to show where the other party is, why not a cell phone or walkie talkie? Convey far more information than just knowing 'where'.

  102. Being a good engineer doesn't rule out lacking in by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the imagination department...

    "Batteries. The engine requires a steady 3.0 - 3.6 V supply capable of sustained current of 50mA. You're looking at a 1/2 AA form factor minimum."

    BULLSHIT! Specs HERE.
    Has 20ma mode and supports power on/off command. Can be brought up in well under half a minute.

    "Antenna. GPS antennas require a view of the sky."

    A R.F. view, not a human view. Besides, if you know someone is in a building, well you know they are in there.

    "CPU and circuitry to decode the GPS signal. (Polling RS232) The size is up to you."

    Outputs serial NEMA GPS data. The LOCATION of processing peripheral is also 'up to me'.

    Let's assume the signal is to be broadcast. Then add:

    "Transmitter. This will probably include a crystal."

    Yes, a big old pretty rose quartz crystal complete with it's own load of positive energy accumulating attributes. Why not a SAW oscillator. No crystal there? It's possible to build a radio receiver-transmitter (command and response) in a package the size of a watermellon seed.

    Antenna for the transmitter.

    "It's clothing for crying out loud. Wire thread is not a problem.

    "Now fit this into panties unobstrustively."

    A sew on patch featuring that oh so popular ripoff of Curious George's mug would not be considered a threat by even the most anorexic of females. Take a heifer of the sort available to most EE geeks and you could build the whole damn thing with vacuum tubes and she wouldn't notice the additional bulk.

    "No way. There is absolutely NO WAY a GPS tracker could be fit into a pair of panties."

    The xemics package is LARGE in comaprison to what one might assemble using the same dies in a custom die to die wired package...Expensive, but doable.

  103. The Empereror's New Clothes by jkj5301 · · Score: 1

    I'll just go nude. Then nobody will be tracking me.

  104. The technology is not new by vvizard · · Score: 1

    The military have used this technology for quite some time in vehicles, connecting a GPS to a military radio, which will transmit coordinates back to observers. Earlier this week my unit trained in a war-simulator, where the GPS-unit was sewn into the clothes, transmitting coordinates, ammunition-usage etc back to observers, who could then watch the operation in real-time in 2D-maps, aerial photos, or computer-generated 3D-landscapes.

    They showed us the observers-room, and replayed the whole game we played later. It was incredible awsome :) I guess(/know) other countries military forces have the same kind of technology and simulators.

  105. Re:Being a good engineer doesn't rule out lacking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Really, you don't need a separate transmiter. If one is going to the trouble of custome die packing, the RX and TX components can be extremely small relatve to the aforementioned watermelon seed.

  106. And the winner is... by nrlightfoot · · Score: 1

    Well, It looks like forgetmenot panties has figured out how to win the contagiousmedia contest, just post their page to Slashdot.

    --
    what sig?
  107. this may be fake, but I'll want it asap by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This may be a fake, but I definitely want something like this to track my daughter until she's a teenager. There are just too many "amber alerts" for any parent's comfort these days. For right now, I've found this GPS watch for kids, but I have no idea if it's any good.

  108. *Sigh* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hahaha. Funny how someone tries to pass this off by reading a website that gives almost no details. Saying they're "showing them off" when in fact the website has been up for at least a few months.

    respect = respect - 1;

  109. It seems they broke the rules: by zippthorne · · Score: 4, Funny

    7) No ads, no bots, no scams.
    You are permitted to promote your entry however you see fit, with three exceptions: You may not use paid advertisements, automated processes that fake traffic, or scams that produce traffic without people actually seeing your content. Most other stuff is fair game.

    emphasis mine.

    It seems that by posting to slashdot, they have violated the rules.

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    Can you be Even More Awesome?!
  110. Aliens 2 by vargasmas · · Score: 1

    In the movie Aliens 2, the LT uses similiar technology to track his military team as they enter the atmospheric conversion facility. Now if our military had the funding, this technology would totally rock as a military application. Even in the civilian world, clothes with this technology would beat the heck out of one of those "I've fallen and I can't get up" buttons for the elderly. Unfortunately, as with any technology, someone is going to figure out how to screw someone else over with it, before they bother to figure out how to help someone with it. What a world we live in....

  111. how to circumvent this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    put all clothes after purchasing them in the microwave for 5 seconds. Zaaaaap! No RFID device.
    All the RFID magic smoke gets let out.

  112. To boldly go where no man has gone before.... by northwind · · Score: 1

    Gives new meaning to the Star Trek.....

  113. Socks by tyman · · Score: 1

    Does this mean I can finally find that sock I lose when doing my laundry? I always get a fucking odd number after the dry cycle.

  114. It's not a spoof, you can get this in Japan by hqm · · Score: 1

    Since 2001, DoCoMo has had a GPS tracker that looks like a beeper you can give to your kids. The parent can track them on the Internet or get a map faxed to them.

    It is made specifically for keeping track of kids.

  115. Fake or not... by davidwr · · Score: 1

    I don't know if this article is fake right now or not, but you can expect to see this available sooner or later in countries that tolerate such invasions of privacy.

    Expect it to be used by:
    Parents of young children.
    Family members of people with dementia and other illnesses that make them candidates for wandering.
    People who sleepwalk outside their house.
    Law enforcement, to track parolees, probationers, people out on bond, and others deemed "eligible" for tracking.
    Pets, embedded in the collar.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  116. Slashdot has changed by NitsujTPU · · Score: 1

    Though marketed as a device to enable people to keep track of spouses, how long before such technology becomes intrusive in our lives?

    Even though this is fake, it's interesting that the submitter did not think that this product is "intrusive in our lives."

    I for one welcome our new girlfriend-stalking overlords.

  117. Now who borrowed.. by jlebrech · · Score: 1

    my red frilly top.

  118. Bwahaha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So let's see: you're trying to suggest that the Slashdot "Editors" should actually edit what they claim to be editors of ?

    That would mean stories would be checked for obvious nonsense; they would be correctly punctuated and spelt; there would be no duplicates and it would look all "professional". However, that would make the facts of the stories stand out and we would have to discuss them, rather than the childish mistakes in presentation.

    Where would the fun be in that ?

  119. Meh...... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why not keep track of your spouse the old fashioned way...with a locked collar and a very short leash?

  120. Practical Usage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It would be more practical to use such a device in the clothing of civilian contractors working in Iraq. Memory serves, that several Japanese were kidnapped and killed in Iraq.

    Certainly, I would feel much safer traveling to such an unstable place with embedded GPS trackers sewn into my clothing in such a way to make it almost undetectable.

    Would also be very cool to know that at any moment, the Navy Seals could come blasting through a wall and pump two rounds into the terrorists chest and one in the head. Along with a sniper, repeating the mantra, "one shot, one kill". Watching someone's head explode from a .50 caliber round must be quite intimidating.

    It would be ideal to catch the sons of bitches just prior to a beheading session.

  121. No panties by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My significant other doesn't wear panties, you insensitive clod!

  122. If This Tech Was Already Available by Soloact · · Score: 1

    I would've been able to track my wife and would have gotten divorced earlier.

  123. Imagination != Believing bullshit. by Beardo+the+Bearded · · Score: 1

    Responding to an AC. How low can I go?

    You've linked to the old engine. It's bigger than the one that I'm talking about. Like I said, I'm using the cuting edge engine that you probably haven't seen yet. It's smaller and it still won't fit into someone's panties with any subtlety.

    As for battery size, the units we make go out for years at a time. I'm very aware of exactly what the power requirements of a Xemics engine are. The sheet that you've pointed out is misleading. The low-power mode does not pick up GPS signals. It keeps the engine READY to accept GPS signals.

    There are even lower power modes on those engines only keeps the RTC working. One board that I'm working on has a standby current of 17 uA. It can't get GPS data in that mode.

    I'm not sure how you plan on getting the RS232 data without having a pic nearby. Yeah, it puts out a standard, easy-to-read signal. It doesn't just magically send that out to every computer in the area like on 24.

    To have a transmitter with any accuracy, you'll want a crystal. You can make a transmitter any way you want, but if you want frequency stability over a range of temperatures, you'll want the crystal. Panties go on, panties come off. (You'll have to trust me on this one. ;) ) Good crystals can be 2mm x 5mm x 5mm.

    You're right, a wire thread would work great as the antenna for the transmitter. I'll have to try that and see how it works. Of course, if it gets wet and shorts the range would be greatly reduced.

    Any way you build it, that engine is too big to put into panties stealthily. If there was a way to make it smaller, Xemics would do it. (And they are doing it, but it's still pretty big.)

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    ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.