NYT reports today on a patent for a system which samples the plume of dead skin flakes which rise from humans to identify carriers of bombs, weapons, contraband, dirty money, narcotics, chem-bio warfare ingredients, nuclear materials, and other hazardous material. The devices could be set up at airports or elsewhere to more speedily process all passengers rather than the few selected by lethal profile for examination by other systems. The Times notes that privacy protection is not covered in the patent, number 6,073,499. See <www.uspto.gov> or: http://www.patents.ibm.com/cgi-bin/viewpat.cmd/US06073499 The story says that the outer layer of human skin is completely shed and replaced every one or two days, and the flakes rise on warm air of the body in a plume that can be captured by the device for sampling. The flakes would carry evidence of whatever is on the body or has been on it recently. It is not clear if each human could be identified by its unique who-is flakes, of a particular algorithm, pattern, odor, hue, stench, malice, hopes, dreams, lies, coitus inanimus. Could flakes be faked, substituted, peddled, sealed against shed? How to beat the device when your mate says step over here sumbitch.
