At the time of this writing (Janyary 2004), I work as a financial journalist, covering the information security, fraud, and banking compliance beats. My friend and colleague, Anthony, brought back this lovely specimen from a biometrics conference in Washington, D.C.

Friends, it is with sadness that I must inform you that, as we all saw in the dystopic movies of the 1980s, most or all human beings on the planet will soon have to carry biometric identity smartcards like this one at all times. Time to buy your shotguns and head to the hills.

This scan, by the way, looks a little different than the actual card does to the naked human eye. To the human eye, the flat orange and gray colors dominate, while the different holographic overlays are can be seen only if one repositions the card in the light at various angles.

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