Public transport is a special beast. We begrudgingly put up with foul body odour and people coughing on us because traffic is the devil and who can afford parking fees in the city?
One Sydney man, however, has embraced the beast and had the chip from his Opal card implanted in his left hand.
In an attempt to save vital seconds spent rummaging through his wallet for the card, Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow (legal name), had the chip inserted underneath his skin so he can just wave his hand over the scanner.
“It gives me an ability that not everyone else has, so if someone stole my wallet I could still get home,” he told ABC.
Some might just put the card in their pockets, or catch an Uber home, but sure.
Mr Meow-Meow admitted its downside is needing to be just a centimetre from the reader – not that he had his skin cut open and a card chip placed inside his body.
Can’t remember the last time we had an Opal balance that high.
If for some unknown reason you’re considering copying him, Mr Meow-Meow has warned the procedure could result in bacterial infection.
His device was implanted by a piercing expert in a procedure that lasted about an hour.
“Most certainly don’t try this at home unless you know what you’re doing,” he said.
“Be aware of the risks involved and make a wise judgement based on that.”
The size of the chip in his hand.
This isn’t the bio-hackers first experience with implantation – he has two other near-field communication (NFC) chips implanted in his hand and arm, including one he stores documents on.
No-one tell him that travel cards are on their way out, with people soon allowed to use contactless credit and debit cards to pay for public transport.
