Runners swallow RFID pills

A band of Dutch researchers from Radboud University have come up with a novel new idea that could help runners avoid the overheating and dehydrating that can lead to cardiac arrests, says Tech Radar.

The user swallows the RFID pill, which contains a thermometer, before a race, and it can be tracked through a wireless signal at regular intervals to give information on the runner's body heat.

If the runner gets too hot, a signal is sent to a device on the user's backpack, and he or she is reminded to drink.

Texas-based IMS Research reports that there will be more smart cards than people by the end of next year, says Secure ID News.

By the end of 2009 the IMS projects that smart cards will have passed 7 billion, a level the global population won't reach until 2011.

IMS predicts that 10 billion smart cards are less than five years away. Smart cards are also being used in different applications and more area of the world than ever before.

Students at St Christopher's primary school at Airport West in Melbourne are finally turning up on time after the school installed barcodes on students bags, says Cath News.

The Moonee Valley Leader reports students at the school scan a barcode on their school bag at the office and take a printout showing how late they are to their teacher.

Since the technology was introduced at the Airport West School one year ago, tardiness has dropped from about 180 children every day to an average of nine.