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Ask HN: What do you actually use your biohack implants for?

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21–30 of 59 posts

Re: Ask HN: What do you actually use your biohack implants for?

#21
post #5

Can you not use it to pay for things? thats the whole reason I want to get one like an upgrade from apple pay

Unfortunately no, this is a passive tag that can only let you read data that's on the chip. The chip also had a unique ID.

Android or Apple Pay use your phone's NFC antenna to communicate. But they don't give out the same information every time.

Re: Ask HN: What do you actually use your biohack implants for?

#22
Maybe I am clueless but why not just stick a NFC chip on the back of your smartphone or just get one with NFC?

I can't imagine any situation where you need an NFC chip and don't carry along your smartphone. Ok, there's one: You are swimming in a swimming pool and need to open the locker afterwards.

Re: Ask HN: What do you actually use your biohack implants for?

#23
post #6

There are plenty of uses. Braces for teeth straightening. Cochlea implant for assisted hearing. Bionic eye to improve sight. Insulin pump to regulate blood glucose levels. Pace maker to supplement failing pacemaker cells. Never understood why people associated "biohack implants" with sticking a magnet or NFC chip in your finger.

All of these are valid biohacks. I didn't mean to imply that NFC chips are the only things in this category. Have you done something interesting with your cochlear implant?

Re: Ask HN: What do you actually use your biohack implants for?

#25
post #20
post #3

You could easily cut an Oyster Card chip out of the card, stick it in your hand and use it to travel in London.

This makes me wonder, could you make/3d print a simple ring for your finger and pop your oyster card (uk) / suica card (jp) / t money card (korea) / etc in it? It would essentially be just as seamless as an embedded chip in your hand, without the messiness.

A few people are doing similar things - I wanted a ring or something like that for a while. But now I just use Apple Pay.

http://metro.co.uk/2016/07/14/these-amazing-oyster-card-nail...

http://uk.complex.com/sports/2012/07/pay-for-the-london-metr...

Re: Ask HN: What do you actually use your biohack implants for?

#26

Maybe I am clueless but why not just stick a NFC chip on the back of your smartphone or just get one with NFC? I can't imagine any situation where you need an NFC chip and don't carry along your smartphone. Ok, there's one: You are swimming in a swimming pool and need to open the locker afterwards.

Use a four-digit pin that's by the users choosing. Works like a charm, totally water-proof and cannot otherwise inadvertently be retrieved. Also keeps brain-dead people out of the pool.

Re: Ask HN: What do you actually use your biohack implants for?

#27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Something like this has been done before, albeit in the form of objects like rings: http://www.ds72.com/projects/oyster-ring So while possible unfortunately tampering with Oyster cards is frowned upon by TfL. It might not technically be illegal but it'll certainly run you into problems when checked by traffic inspectors. The answer to this StackExchange question gives an in-depth explanation of the Oyster card's cryp…

I would suspect that your troubles go beyond "frowns". A ticket inspector wants to see a valid oyster card, not a party trick, and whether it scans or not, I don't think it's a high bar to argue that a tampered with card isn't valid, period. (Officially, at least. I've seen them happily scan the outsides of people's wallets.)

Not sure why you got downvoted. English rail laws are pretty clear about tickets.

http://content.tfl.gov.uk/tfl-conditions-of-carriage.pdf

> 5.1 All photocards and Oyster photocards remain our property and must not be intentionally damaged, altered or tampered with in any way. We may withdraw or cancel your photocard or Oyster photocard at any time

The railway bylaws say this:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachm...

> 20. Altering tickets and use of altered tickets

> (1) No person shall alter any ticket in any way with the intent that an Operator shall be defrauded or prejudiced.

> (2) No person shall knowingly use any ticket which has been altered in any way in breach of Byelaw 20(1).

Which makes it sound like this tampering would be okay, but they also say this:

> (1) In any area not designated as a compulsory ticket area, no person shall enter any train for the purpose of travelling on the railway unless he has with him a valid ticket entitling him to travel.

> (2) A person shall hand over his ticket for inspection and verification of validity when asked to do so by an authorised person.

...and it's likely TfL won't see these as valid tickets.

Re: Ask HN: What do you actually use your biohack implants for?

#28

Maybe I am clueless but why not just stick a NFC chip on the back of your smartphone or just get one with NFC? I can't imagine any situation where you need an NFC chip and don't carry along your smartphone. Ok, there's one: You are swimming in a swimming pool and need to open the locker afterwards.

I was going to get an NFC ring initially. But then I woke up one night and decided that if I ever own a gun, and need it in the middle of the night because a zombie broke into my house. I'd want a system where I can stick my hand under the bed and pull out a gun. But this system shouldn't work for anyone else.

That pushed me over the edge and I got an implant a few weeks later. True story.

I still have to get around to buying a gun, let alone create an NFC reading smart holster.

Re: Ask HN: What do you actually use your biohack implants for?

#30
post #3

You could easily cut an Oyster Card chip out of the card, stick it in your hand and use it to travel in London.

A long time ago I put my Snapper Card (NZ equivalent) in a cup of acetone to get the chip out. I then stuck the chip in the back of my Nokia bar phone.
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