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BEYOND THE HORIZON In their discussion of science fiction’s historic role in anticipating innovations [The Last Word, February/March 2002], Bruce Sterling and David Brin are quite right. Even now, thinking about ideas and inventions and their social consequences is virtually unknown in mainstream literature. Science fiction thrashes through thoughtful speculations long before they hit the common culture. Alas, few journalists, commentators, or scientists mine this lode of imaginative experimentation. When Dolly the sheep made cloning a media event, few noted that science fiction had discussed the issue extensively decades before. Why? Because cloning pokes into the murky realms of our own identity. Scientists are often uncomfortable on this ground. Science best captures our abstract wisdom, telling us that we are primates following complex genetic instructions. Fiction brings us down to the realm of the heart. “You are the music, while the music lasts,” as T.S. Eliot put it. —Gregory Benford
TAGS, YOU’RE IT! Your article on radio frequency identification technology [“Tags, You’re It!” February/March 2002] did a good job of depicting how RFID tags can be used in retailing and marketing. But RFID tagging has environmental-management applications, as well. For instance, RFID tags could be attached to various products containing hazardous materials, including rechargeable batteries and fluorescent light bulbs. When a laptop-computer battery with an embedded RFID tag is returned for recycling, an electronic reader at the recycling plant could read the tag and record information about where that battery was sold, which company sold the battery, and how long the battery was in use, among other things. This information would provide valuable information to researchers studying the recycling patterns of products containing hazardous materials. Consumers will have incentive to recycle because an RFID reader could identify a product and its condition, then use the Internet to locate second-hand dealers, online markets, charities, or recycling programs that might purchase the product. Manufacturers also could encourage recycling by automatically crediting the consumer’s account with cash or a discount on future purchases when he returns a battery for recycling. Some products, such as rechargeable batteries, currently need to be sorted by hand before they can be recycled. RFID tags could allow for automatic sorting of some products, reducing costs. As is the case for many of the other applications for RFID tags, the cost of the tags will have to decrease before some of the environmental-management applications become feasible. Even so, the future of RFID tags looks very bright. —Steven Saar
HOW TO LEAD IN TOUGH TIMES Your interview of Sun Microsystems Inc. Chief Executive Scott McNealy ["When the Going Gets Tough..." February/March 2002] was the most exceptional article I have ever read. This is a CEO who is definitely on the mark, as far as leadership goes. While in the U.S. Army, I served for 10 years in Heidelberg, Germany, where I experienced many kinds of leadership and worked for a variety of bosses. Based on your interview, anyone should find it a privilege to work for Scott McNealy. —James E. Sangster
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