Yikes. Good idea, but is it time yet?

When you start talking about administering drugs and drug dosage to patients in a hospital, based on their RFID bracelet, it sounds like just the right step. But is the technology ready yet? One misread, of which it sounds like there are still many according to people in the industry I've spoken with, can translate to incorrect drugs being administered. That's dangerous.

When it comes to taking care of patients, what is more important than their safety? Bangkok Hospital, one of the biggest hospitals in Thailand providing tertiary healthcare, has been studying a plan to implement RFID (radio frequency identification) technology to enhance the level of safety for its patients.

It is expected that an RFID-based wristband will be issued to patients. The band will carry basic information about the patient, such as name, sex, age, and probably information about drugs to be used and the correct dosages to be administered.

Is the technology ready for this? If so, great.

Here's the story, in The Nation.

RFID: Where will it not go?

An interesting article about all the possible uses for RFID that are forecast (RFID everywhere, or "ubiquitous RFID.") The supply industry will change drastically with the technology, but it's still a little "boring" to most people. Here are some interesting things coming, according to Physorg.com:

RFID pops up in Philips' Next Simplicity concepts in contexts you might never have dreamt of: the 'Herbarium', a miniature solar-powered greenhouse, for instance. You simply place biodegradable pads - holding soil, seeds and an RFID tag - under an arch that provides light, heating and irrigation. The tag plays two roles. It communicates with LEDs on the pot to display the plant's name, so even the most inexperienced plant grower will know which plant is which. It also ensures each plant receives the light, water and nutrients it needs, and informs the owner when it's harvesting time.

"Let's say a young boy is going for a CAT scan," says John Anastos, Chairman of Radiology at the Lutheran General Hospital. "First, he gets to preview various animation themes. He chooses his favorite and takes a holographic RFID badge with a Philips ICODE chip. When he goes into the examination room, he waves the badge at the scanning equipment, and the walls and ceiling come to life with animations, accompanied by music and other sounds. It keeps him relaxed and it's a great way to give him instructions. When it's time for him to hold his breath, he sees a cartoon character holding his own breath!"

Prices on I, Beast pieces in faculty show

The University of Arkansas gallery director just asked me what the price on my I, Beast pieces in the faculty show would be. The answer is that each of the three is $222 and you have to buy all three.

When you really want privacy...

If I were buying Viagra (and I don't... really!), I would be a little wary.

RFID Manufacturing Workshop at University of Arkansas

The RFID Manufacturing Workshop will be held January 25-26 at the University of Arkansas Center for Continuing Education on the downtown Fayetteville square. The purpose of this workshop is:

• To solicit input from interested organizations on the key issues and barriers to the manufacture of low-cost RFID tags with reliable performance


• To prioritize and begin to define the pre-competitive research programs to be supported by the Consortium to address these issues


• To solicit membership in the Consortium by interested organizations


• To begin to define the mechanisms of interaction between the Consortium and its membership

I, Beast piece in Faculty Exhibition

I, Beast
Originally uploaded by thapgood.

The first piece in my RFID series goes into the University of Arkansas faculty exhibition next week. It's entitled "I, Beast" and is a poster series triptych. For the opening, I'll replace the three completed posters with three incomplete posters and project some animated elements onto the posters. There's a little jpg representation of the posters here.