We're keeping our eyes on deadbolt technology these days, and here's one step beyond that Here's a mouse for the security-conscious (read: paranoid) from Qritek Japan Co., and this one uses iris recognition to differentiate you from the 6.7 billion other people on this planet. Every time you want to log in to your PC, you just hold this mouse up to your eye, and it compares your unique iris with its preregistered information. It sounds like some kind of science fiction movie.

And the price is in the realm of science fiction, too, because whoever heard of paying $315 for a mouse? But this iris recognition thing is an up-and-coming way to identify individuals, and perhaps someday it'll be used to ID you everywhere, so you won't have to carry credit cards, a driver's license, or any other identification as your life is completely monitored by Big Brother. Maybe a chip embedded in your arm would be better. – Charlie White

If you've had enough of removing much of your clothing in front of Homeland Security officers before stepping onto a flight, then the answer could lie in Flyclear. For $99.95 a year (plus a one-off TSA vetting fee of $28), you get a Clear card, a card with a biometric chip that will fast-track you through airport security.

For the first step of online registration you will need at least two types of official ID (your Pizza Hut loyalty card won't do) before going to a Clear enrollment center, where they will take your photo and biometric details from you. Although they say that permanent foreign residents can apply, a "US passport is strongly recommended."

The company claims that its customer service is "extraordinary" but, from my limited experience, so is that of Homeland Security. Other benefits are fewer missed flights and a "stress-free, predictable airport experience."

As yet, the system is up and running in just a few airports, including Orlando, San Jos̩ and JFK terminal 7, and it is not 24-7, but there are plans to expand this. РAd Dugdale

Think your phone's fancy just cause it has a touch-screen? If things go as planned, Sharp's future mobiles will have VGA touch-screens capable of reading your fingerprints. The new screens/readers (which were developed in Sharp's European labs) will each have embedded image sensors to give your mobile biometric security features. Sure, beats having to put your phone on lock all the time. – Louis Ramirez

Citibank has developed a system of payment that uses a person's fingerprint as the conduit of sale. Over in the high-tech wonderland of Singapore, Citibank is releasing the biometric scanners at places where people's time is "more valuable," like train stations, coffee shops, etc. Right now, the biometric scanner is tied into a specific type of credit card (the Clear Platinum, popular with tech-hungy kids), but the banking giant plans to make the system available for other cards as well.

This isn't the first time that Citibank has embraced new technology for its customers. A few months ago, they started to release True Me is a system for Internet-based authentication using fingerprints, and it's said to be the first on-demand authentication system to be released. It has a cool-looking fingerprint sensor that plugs into your PC, and eliminates the need for entering passwords, user names, or anything else. It's a service of Pay by Touch, which has already made a few inroads into fingerprint authentication schemes, with its biometric payment network currently in place at 2400 retail locations in 44 states.

We've been hearing a lot about Kids in Rome, Ga will be using their fingers in other ways than just picking their noses. The local schools will be installing a biometric fingerprint scanning system that allows students to pay for school lunches. Their previous system involved kids punching in their identification number—this system was slow and full of errors. City administrators are saying that the new system will speed up lunch lines.

Some of the conservative, paranoid parents are expressing concerns. Even though the finger-print scanning is optional for students, the alternative methods aren't being articulated to the children, accord