Shandy Pockets | An online travel magazine
  • Front
  • Features
    • Travel Features
    • Interviews
    • Photo Features
    • Travel Archives
  • Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Eat & Drink Reviews
    • Attraction Reviews
    • Product Reviews
  • About
    • Media Kit

The future is already gone

18/9/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
I arrived at Heathrow Airport T5 this morning in the middle of the usual hordes of newly-arrived passengers all trudging towards passport control. It's at this point, dear reader, that I usually feel two things: 1. A rare sense of smugness, having been one of the few people that signed up for what was unarguably A Good Idea - the Iris recognition system that allowed me to wander unfettered through Border UK as all and sundry looked on with barely-concealed envy. 2. The feeling that I was undeniably LIVING IN THE FUTURE. How much more space age do you need to feel than when a robot looks into your eye tissue and decides to let you into a country?

This morning, though, my double-sided balloon of self-satisfaction was burst with some aplomb as I arrived at the usual spot to find that not only was the IRIS system not in operation but that it had been SCRAPPED FOR EVER. How am I meant to feel superior to my fellow travellers NOW? I don't have any other way at my disposal. Signing up for that scheme was all I had.

I checked with the Border Agent and he confirmed that the days of IRIS were over and that the next big thing would be facial recognition, but that "could take decades".

I just looked up what happened to IRIS, and it seems that the systems were already out of date when they were implemented and that in most airports they were actually slowing things down a lot, which doesn't do anything for my need for shallow victories at immigration control but I guess you can, begrudgingly, give up the future if it's not really delivering any benefits.

The chip in my passport doesn't work, so I'm back to the analogue method. See you at the back of the queue.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2018
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013

    Categories

    All
    Air Travel
    Americas
    Asia
    Books
    Celebrities
    Cities
    Competitions
    Eco Travel
    Europe
    Food/Drink
    Gadgets
    Guides
    Hacks
    Hotel Guests
    Hotels
    Humour
    Infographic
    Interviews
    Luxury
    Magazine Content
    Maps
    New Orleans
    News
    Passengers
    Photos
    Podcast
    Products
    Restaurants
    Reviews
    Surveys
    Technology
    Trains
    Travel Writing
    Trivia
    UK
    USA
    Video
    Weird

    RSS Feed

Copyright © Shandypockets and the individual authors, 2013, 2014 and 2015. All rights reserved. Online travel magazine, travel features, travel reviews, travel interviews, travel funnies, hotel reviews, product reviews, travel photos


In the course of writing features, we will sometimes be hosted. Where appropriate, we will indicate this within the article. For all queries regarding Shandy Pockets, see the CONTACT page, above.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Ewan-M, Chrissy Olson, Powershift2012, Mr Thinktank, jennicatpink, nafra cendrers, eastmidtown, ST33VO, PYONKO, shaman2477, Upupa4me, Infrogmation, jikatu, Janitors, Robert S. Donovan, JD Hancock, beltz6, beggs, brownpau, sierragoddess, badgreeb RECORDS, mikedarnell1974, °Simo°, Daquella manera, Alex Schwab, ST33VO, MMartin Photography, Numinosity (Gary J Wood), Coco Mault, dying regime, DonkeyHotey, LoFish23, Aero Icarus, Bob Jagendorf, Matt @ PEK, travel.executive