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Wealthy Mexicans Getting Chipped in Case of Abduction
Because the number of abductions in Mexico has jumped almost 40% in the past 3 years, the wealthy are getting subcutaneous transmitters so they can be tracked when kidnapped. Xega, the Mexican security firm which makes the chips, has seen a sales jump of 13% this year. The company injects the crystal-encased chip, the size and shape of a grain of rice, into clients' bodies with a syringe. The chip then sends radio signals to a larger device carried by the client with a global positioning system in it. A satellite can then be used to find the location of the missing person. Things must be a lot worse in Mexico than I thought.
Oh.. the humanity...
Great. Now when you're kidnapped the first thing they'll do is cut off a chunk of your flesh. Or even just stick you in a metallic sack so that the radio signal can't escape.
The chip then sends radio signals to a larger device carried by the client with a global positioning system in it.
Call me crazy, but I think I found a flaw in their system.
Prof. Farnsworth - "Oh a lesson in not changing history from Mr I'm-My-Own-Grandpa!"
You're just too cynical.
In other news, I had a personal transportation chip injected into my feet. So long as I'm occupying a moving vehicle, it works perfectly at transporting me around.
Things must be a lot worse in Mexico than I thought.
Somebody hasn't been paying attention. Kidnapping is an entire industry in countries south of the Rio Grande, especially in Mexico and Brazil, and has been for at least a decade.
I support the Slashcott and will not be reading or commenting from 2/10/14 to 2/17/14. Beta is steaming pile of dog shit
Call me crazy, but I think I found a flaw in their system.
That would depend on where they're hiding it...
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
If you need to carry a "larger device" with you to send the signal, why do you need an implant?
Huh? What are these people smoking?
Also, why is it on Idle and not on, say, science?
a common thief finds a way to access the positions of all of these rich people. Seems to me an easy way to establish targets, not protect them.
This is why we should put more R&D in implanting Laser Eyes. Whos gonna kidnap you if you can shoot lasers out of your eyes.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
i hope buyers realize that all they are doing is changing kidnapping standard operating procedure
kidnappers will now locate the chip probably with nothing more than a $20 standard wall stud finder, then reach into the victim's skin with sharp nosed dirty pliers and toss the chip on the street. then probably send the victim's family a picture of the gaping wound for proof of untraceability and bonus horror factor
ewwww
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
I thought in mexico the police and "the organization" are one and the same.
I think you forgot ABDCT, MISNG, and WHRAMI. :-)
In a Brazilian movie called Manda Bala . Abductions are a thriving industry in São Paulo, Brazil, and the movie focuses on the common practice of cutting off all or part of a hostage's ear (or finger) in order to expedite a ransom payment.
It is a generally thought provoking movie, with several memorable interviews, and at least some discussion of root causes of the problem (corruption in government among them, although the government of Luiz "Lula" da Silva may be making progress against it, despite so far losing the battle to protect protected areas of Amazon wilderness - a problem also intimately connected with corruption).
However the movie is deeply marred by the inclusion of the anonymous São Paulo businessman, "Mr M" - a self-obsessed, vacuous nitwit, apparently American and perhaps a conveniently interviewable associate of the American filmmaker? whose ego was no doubt unduly boosted by his part in the film. Unfortunately, whatever this individual had to say about being "chipped" is unlikely to betray any insights: In a city known for violent carjackings, this guy's response was to bulletproof his ostentatious Porsche, instead of simply driving a less conspicuous car. I stopped caring about his fate very early into the film; one is tempted to say he need not worry about being kidnapped as nobody would miss him to pay a ransom.
you had me at #!
Maybe its because of my background in nursing, but, um, the lower finger in the picture didn't look like a finger to me on first glance...
I'd say what it did look like, but I don't know what the slashdot filters are like. Lets just say I had to remove a soup spoon handle from one once during a shift on casualty and leave it at that.
A learning experience is one of those things that say, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that.' - D. Adams
I had almost the exact same reaction - if the chip needs an external device, wth is the chip actually doing that couldn't just be in the external device.
Also, If I kidnap some rich kid, the first thing I'm doing is tossing his cell phone, mp3 player, gameboy, and any other electronics that might secretly be tracking me, into the nearest garbabe can, or hell, just dump it on the sidewalk or street.
No. It is the result of impunity and corrpution of the police.
These thugs are not humble, starving individuals trying to feed their families. They are well organized criminal bands, with links to corrupt current (or ex) cops, who know that given the inefficient and corrupt justice system that prevails, know they can and will get away with it.
Google for the Fernando Marti kidnapping and murder to get a glimpse of what's currently happening down here in Mexico.
This is on Idle (our offtopic humor/meme/viral video/pictures section) because:
- Once abducted, you have plenty of 'idle' time. (clever joke)
- Slashdot editors think abductions are funny when they happen to Mexicans. (Schadenfreude)
Friends ... I sell you a rich Mexican detector ... itsa wery nize ... you pointa da ding to Mexican ... if rice in blood ... itsa rich Mexican ... you kidnap ...
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
Good news everyone. It's a supository!
But that's not the point. The point is folks perceived a change. The thought that finally, there needs were being addressed.
After 70+ years of the same authoritarian, corrupt, one-party PRI government, we thought change and democracy had finally arrived when oposing party's Vicente Fox became president in 2000. The only change that we got was that the corrupt officials were now from PAN party instead of PRI. And the 2006 elections managed only to divide the population thinking the other side was the enemy, thanks to pseudo-left wing party PRD.
OUr government officials, wheter from PRI, PAN or PRD, are only interested in power for their party, not the people's good. Once they get the votes, they forget about their promises and spend their terms living off our taxes.
Why do we let it happen? The System is corrupt at its marrow. As you say, a true leader is needed. PRD's Andres Lopez deceived everyone into thinkink he was the one, yet after his loss, all his actions show that he was only interested in power for power's sake. Same for incumbent President Calderon. They are all the same.
and after I read your comment, you signature crossed my mind as "My inner cavity..."
Yeah, you're right. I'll wait for the "Hollywood" version of this technology where the constraints of physics, etc. are swiftly banished by handwavium, ignorefactium and the ever popular technologyisjustmagicium.
I think the real flaw is that I'm not a cat...
I think the story is wrong. This company, "Xega" (website, in Spanish) seems to be offering two different products. One is the "Verichip", which seems to be a subcutaneous RFID chip intended for identification. Like for (very paranoid) access control, or medical emergencies.
The other product is called "VIP" and seems to be a GPS + GPRS device. You press a button on that thing and it transmits your current position to some server.
I see no indication that both gadgets are related in any way. Well, the website is all fluff, so I can't really say, but I think the story is mixing them up.
Still, that "VIP" thing does strike me as rather useless, since the first thing a kidnapper does is point a gun at you and make sure you stay still, with your hands in view. And the second thing is emptying your pockets.
And yes, I live in Mexico, and I've been kidnapped... well, just a couple hours, while I was being mugged. See I got off from work around midnight, hailed a cab in the street and boarded it. The driver took off, I even chatted with that fucker. But once we were in a dark-ish, lonely street, he suddendly stopped the car, pointed a gun at me, and two men from another car that was following us quickly got into the cab. One of them pressed a knife against my stomach and ordered me to "act naturally". They took me for the "ATM ride" (cash withdrawals from different ATM machines all over town, until all the cards were dry). They also got the cash I was carrying on me, of course, as well as my laptop (powerbook 5300... shit, I miss that ugly brick). They gave me back my wallet with my IDs, and some papers from work I asked them to take out of the laptop case. They dropped me off at a Metro station.
This was back in '97 I think, in Mexico City. A month later I was living in Guadalajara, and haven't had any such experiences since.
It was predicted 10 years ago by the conspiracy nuts that these chips woudl make their way into humans. Shortly after, the chips being discussed started to be implanted in animals and now humans. Of course they are just mexicans so it hasn't made its way into real people in the first world yet but that is just around the corner. The mark of the beast has come. ;) First tracking (for YOUR safety), next they start encoding emergency health information on it. After all, who wouldn't want doctor house to know they are allergic to penicillin. Next they move the monetary system to the chip.
Wealthy Mexicans need to carry a device in addition to being chipped?
Okay this just doesn't make sense - there are wealthy Mexicans?!?
or else!
Heh, no, I was actually born here, and I love living in Mexico. Yeah, that tale about the mugging probably gives off a different impression, but considering it's pretty much the only time I've been mugged in almost 40 years, I think that's not a bad record. In fact, I think Guadalajara is a remarkably nice place to live, though I don't think I can explain the "attraction". I could hardly be objective about it anyway.
I've got American and British friends who live here (as you may know, there's a big expat community in Guadalajara, and in Ajijic near lake Chapala). I've never asked them about this, but I will now. What I can tell you now is, I don't think there's any particular objective advantage. I mean, neither luxury homes nor sex are cheap (I assume you meant good looking hookers there). Beer probably is, though, heh. Look, I'm not really up to date on the cost of living in the States. I guess Mexico may be a bit cheaper, but I'm sure it's not much cheaper.
I also don't think there are serious disadvantages: we've got all the utilities and public services you're used to in the US, from highways to sanitation to very decent health care. You'll find all the amenities too, say shops, restaurants, entertainment... in fact, most are the same chains and brands, only a bit cheaper perhaps. And of course we've got broadband everywhere, which is probably the most important thing for /. people.
So I guess it boils down to personal taste. Some people just like it. Maybe it's the locations, or the weather, or the slower pace. Perhaps healthier and tastier food? You know, we're famous for that shit. Or meeting friendly people with an interesting culture. Who knows?
Oh, and about that last item: there certainly are gringo haters. From your experience, it seems that's the kind of people you've been meeting here. I'm sorry 'bout that, fwiw. There's also gringo lovers, that goddamn malinchista pricks, I find them really annoying, haha. But I've got to say, I'm convinced that most of the population is just sensible people no worse or better than in the US or elsewhere, and you can probably make good friends if you give them (and yourself) a chance.
Say, if you ever find yourself stranded in Guadalajara, bored enough to overcome the natural distrust, drop me an email, I'll take you to a couple cantinas, and perhaps the lucha libre. And if you really behave yourself I may introduce you to some ladies. Maybe then you'll get the "vibe" or whatever it is. Or maybe you won't, but you'll probably have a laugh anyway. And no, I won't give you any shit about dumb gringo chumps, but I won't take any shit about smelly beaners either.
Cheers.
Ok. So now all I have to do is scan the crowd to see which rich bastard will give the best ROI on an abduction. A side effect of being wealthy is that they are often usually healthier than the masses and even if they can't provide a good ransom, they can give better prices when sold for parts.
Now that they are electronically tagged for my shopping convenience and cross-referenced with financial databases, there is a lot less shot-in-the-dark guessing.
Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.
No need to even decode communications from the RFID implant - holding up a crowd at gunpoint, would-be hijackers may just have to detect the carrier frequency emanating from a person (with a device that even high-school students could build), and "abduct only the chipped" for maximum ransom.
Moreover, their victims will be unfortunate enough to undergo removal procedures that are reported to be "one ugly mess" (didn't look up the original quote, IIRC it was by CASPIAN's Katherine Albrecht) even with the benefit of optimal surgical attention, which they are unlikely to receive - to the contrary, kidnappers on the run may consider it reasonable to quickly sacrifice "part of" their prey, making the "fear for life and limb" quite literal, with emphasis on the latter, while putting the abducted in a condition that will leave little time for negotiations.