I cannot help but wonder if the fact that Sony has obtained a patent on "beam[ing] sensory perceptions, like sights, sounds, and smells, directly into the brain" means it isn't quite so theoretical as it is claimed to be. A number of articles deal with this, Ars links to several. This sort of thing really doesn't phase me anywhere near as much the prospect of cyborgs, RFID tags, or biometrics do. If it becomes realistic, economically feasible, and pervasive enough to cause an issue, someone will no doubt be smart enough to find a way to block it, and as ridiculous as tin foil caps may seem to us today, I am sure society will adjust. After all, fashions from, for example, the 1600s seem rather nonsensical today also. And along the same lines, no doubt many from the 1800s would consider us all slovenly.
