Missed The Mark: Smartphones and Their Use In End Time Prophecy

Introduction:

Over 1900 years ago the prophet John received visions from god depicting a series of events that will happen before Christ’s return. These visions, which are written in the last book of the New Testament, describe a beast that rises from the earth having "two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon" (Revelation 13:11)  This beast will present himself as Christ with the intention of deceiving man by performing many miracles. Those who fall for this deception will receive a mark in their right hand or forehead. This mark is the reason for my writing this paper.

Many Christians have attempted to interpret the Mark of the Beast. The most commonly held interpretations are a tattoo printed on the hand or forehead, or a microchip placed under the skin. It is understandable that many who hold this view would take the description in the book of Revelation literally. Based on the current trajectory of technology, a tattoo on the hand or forehead or a microchip under the skin will not fulfill the prophecy foretold in Revelation 13:16. However we do have a technology, widely in use today that meets the Antichrist’s needs. This technology is the Smartphone.

What you take away from this paper will depend on whether you believe end time prophecy is many years away from being fulfilled or that Mankind is close to witnessing the return of Christ. Those who believe we are many years away will view the technological nature of this paper with skepticism. This paper has been written for those who believe fulfillment of end time prophecy is near. With this paper I present a possible scenario. If the fulfillment of end time prophecy is near what might the mark of the beast look like? The goal of this paper is to outline current and future Smartphone technology and how it may be used to fulfill prophecy written in the book of Revelations. In order to properly address this possible alternative I will use an ontological approach to the technology in question. Through an analytical study of these two verses, Revelation 13:16 and 13:17, I will also show how the previously held interpretations do not address current technological capabilities regarding commerce.

The Mark of the Beast

In Revelation 13:16 John describes the Mark of the Beast “And he causeth all both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads. “ (Blue Letter Bible, 1996-2011) John continues to describe the repercussions of not receiving this mark, “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Revelations 13:17” (Blue Letter Bible, 1996-2011)

In order to properly identify the Mark of the Beast we must first analyze the two scriptures in question. Revelation 13:16 describes the Mark as being “in their right hand, or in their foreheads. “ We must remember that John was describing visions, so it is easy to see how a simple tattoo on the hand would meet this criterion when associated with technology of years past. However the next time you are out in public watch the multitudes of people interacting with their Smartphone’s. To somebody seeing a vision over 1900 years ago, a Smartphone in the right hand would almost appear as part of the hand. John also stated the Mark could be on the forehead. The next time a friend or family member takes a picture of you using a Smartphone, pay close attention to how it appears from your vantage point. Once again this image presented to John 1,900 years ago would definitely appear to be on the forehead.

While many may write this off as mere coincidence, the English Language Concordance provides 2 definitions for “Mark” or “Charagma” (Strong’s G5480). The first definition, the one most often used by Christians defines the Mark as “A stamp, an imprinted mark, of the mark stamped on the forehead or the right hand as the badge of the followers of the Antichrist.” (Blue Letter Bible, 1996-2011) The second definition provided by the English Language Concordance is “Thing carved, sculpture, graven work, of idolatrous images”. It is the opinion of this writer that the second definition provides a more accurate definition of the Mark of the Beast based on today’s technological capabilities. It would be hard to argue that modern day Smartphone’s are not carved things or graven work of idolatrous images. Those who would disagree with my last statement should try and pry one from a 16 year olds hand.

A Quick History of Mobile Technology

Before we go any further we first need to briefly discuss how we got here. In 1876 the telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell.  Around the same time multiple inventors, Marconi and Tesla to name a couple, were experimenting with technology leading to the creation of the radio. (Wikipedia, Unknown) Seventy one years after the creation of the telephone, in 1947, the concept of cellular phone technology was designed by Bell Laboratories to address the limited bandwidth afforded to the first in car phones. Twenty six years later in 1973, the first cellular phone call was made. In 1983 the first commercially available cell phones were made available to consumers. (Marples, 2008) This system known as Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) was an analog only system which used full duplex radios using 2 frequencies, one for speaking and the other for hearing (one voice channel). With a system of 800 frequencies available for communications in the AMPS system or approximately 395 voice channels, the system split the channels allowing a cell tower to control 1/7 of the available frequencies/channels. After AMPS the second generation or 2G systems used a digital signal across the same frequencies. This allowed for limited digital transmission along with voice. Every generation of mobile phone systems since has increased the efficient use of the same frequencies available. An example 1G allowed 1 call on a voice channel, while 2G allows up to 10 calls on a single voice channel. (Brain, Tyson, and Layton, Unknown) While radio and telephone technologies were evolving, In 1936 Konrad Zuse had created the first freely programmable computer. Known as the Z1, the computer created by Zuse was an automatic calculator which contained “a control, a memory, and a calculator for the arithmetic. While the Z1 created by  Zuse was mechanical, the first electronic computer was created by John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry, just 6 years after the Z1. This computer used binary numbers, still in use today, instead of traditional base 10 numbers for counting. This computer also was the first to use vacuum tubes and capacitors. 5 years after the Atanasoff-Berry computer was created the transistor was created by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and Wiliam Shockley. Ten years after the invention of the transistor, in 1958 the first integrated circuit, also known as a microchip, was created by Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce. And finally 11 years after the creation of the microchip construction on ARPAnet “grandfather to the internet” began. ARPAnet was created to “protect the flow of information between military installations” This system was also linked to powerful research computers at several universities. Stanford and UCLA were credited with the first data exchange using this network. (Bellis, Date Unknown) The takeaway from this information is the Smartphone is not a new fad or technology flavor of the day, instead modern day Smartphone’s are the result of over a hundred years of technological evolution.

Tattoos and Biochips

Now let’s delve in to a deeper study of the two verses in question. Revelations describes the Mark of the Beast first by describing the demographics that will be required to receive the Mark.  Revelations 13:16 states “He causeth all both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond”. This statement proves the Antichrist will not discriminate regarding who will be required to accept the mark. Since there are approximately 6.5 billion inhabitants on the earth the commonly held belief of a microchip planted under the skin would require approximately 6.5 Billion bio chips to be developed to attempt to meet this demand. This would be no small feat.

To further illustrate the difficulty this approach would endure we should look at the current global semiconductor capabilities. According to presentation slides released by the European Electronics Component Manufacturers Association (EECA) and the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) world semiconductor market can be broken down in to 5 main categories. These categories and the percentage of the total semiconductor market are, computer (42%), communication (22%), consumer (19%), automotive (7%), and industrial (10%). (EECA, ESIA, and WSTS, 2010) When manufacturing microchips, semiconductor manufacturing companies first create silicon wafers. These wafers are what the microchips are printed on. Today the 200mm. or 8in. wafer is the most commonly produced. Each wafer can yield approximately 150 or more microchips, depending on the size of the chip minus the manufacturing defects. Global semiconductor wafer production for 2011 is expected to exceed 15 million, 8in. wafers produced per month. (Clarke, 2010) This will result in 27,000,000,000 billion microchips for the fiscal year 2011. 1 microchip per person would result in approximately ¼ of the world microchip production being repurposed to fulfill prophesy. This would create a severe shortage of available microchips in many of the above mentioned market segments, if prophecy were rapidly fulfilled. A repurpose of ¼ of the world semiconductor manufacturing would definitely raise many red flags. I should mention that in the future semiconductor manufacturing may be able to meet this demand due to near term advancements in semiconductor manufacturing capabilities. These advancements are the production of larger wafers, resulting in more microchips per wafer. However when the idea of a bio chip is analyzed with modern methods of commerce it is easy to see how biochips will not meet the minimum benchmark provided in Revelation, preventing all buying and selling.

Smartphone Market Penetration

While the repurpose of ¼ of the semiconductor manufacturing would definitely raise red flags, one technology which would not is the Smartphone. The question is “can Smartphone’s meet this demand”? According to Fotheringham and Sharma, wireless devices have been the fastest growing consumer product in a decade. (Fotheringham, Sharma, 2008) With over 3 billion mobile subscriptions by the end of 2007, virtually half of the world population has accepted the use of mobile devices. To be clear many of the 3 billion users of mobile devices as of 2007 were not Smartphone’s. As of 2007 the iPhone was a new phenomenon, Google Android was preparing to be released, and only a few handset manufacturers in Europe and Asia offered Smartphone’s such as the Nokia N95, this is due in part to European and Asian countries having had greater cellular phone penetration than the USA. Fotheringham and Sharma estimate by 2010 that 80% of all mobile handset sales will be the result of consumers replacing their existing mobile phones. Many consumers replace their existing handsets within 12 to 17 months. (Fotheringham, Sharma, 2008) What this means is the 3 billion mobile device users as of 2007 will replace their old phones with newer, faster handsets, most of which will eventually be Smartphone’s. To further illustrate the adoption rates of Smartphone’s it is estimated that by 2011 the number of mobile Broadband user’s “Worldwide” is projected to pass 1 billion globally. This milestone is projected to be reached only a few months after the previous milestone of ½ a billion. And by 2015 the number of people accessing the internet via mobile device worldwide is expected to reach 3.8 billion. (Johnson, 2011) In his article “Dumb Phones Still Dominate Smartphones….For Now” author Blake Snow predicts by the end of 2011 the number of Smartphone users in the US alone will be over 100 million. (Snow, 2011) To exacerbate this potential problem Snow posits that cell phone carriers may “abandon Dumbphones altogether”, phones which don’t allow instantaneous download of applications, in order to take advantage of the revenue generated from required Smartphone data plans. (Snow, 2011) To further illustrate the power of the Smartphones, Personal Computers are also losing ground.  Research firm Gartner expects by 2013 the estimated 1.78 billion desktop computers to be relegated to second place by the 1.82 billion Smartphones that are estimated to be in use at that time. (Quain, 2011) It is easy to see this happening since the Smartphone already provides most of the tools in which people previously looked to desktop and laptop computers for, such as office documentation, email, and entertainment, etc… And last but not least, as of 15 February 2010, from CBNews.com the number of cell Phones in use worldwide has reached 4.6 billion. (CBNews.com, 2010) From this data we can see how Smartphones are already being accepted with no questions asked. With the adoption rates described here it won’t be long before the only mobile phones available are Smartphones.

One of the major limiting factors for the adoption of Smartphone technology is the implementation of broadband 3G networks capable of supporting the larger amounts of data that would result from the increase in computing power provided by Smartphone’s. According to (Fotheringham, Sharma, 2008) 3G networks help drive content consumption due to the faster network speeds. To give you an idea of how fast a 3G connection really is, the theoretical speeds provided by 3G networks is “144Kbps (roughly three times faster than a 56K dial-up modem connection) to 2.4Mbps (close to cable-modem speed)”. (Patterson, 2008) 3.5G technologies such as HSDPA promise speeds of 14.4Mbps. (Patterson, 2008) While 3G networks have paved the way for the increased adoption of Smartphone’s, the future of mobile computing is 4G. According to Wireless Internet.org 4G theoretical speeds will eventually be between 100Mbps and 1Gbps. (Wireless Internet.org, Unknown) For the Smartphone to fulfill prophesy as the Mark of the Beast, the nearly instantaneous download and upload of data that 4G promises will be a requirement to control all buying and selling.

Buying or Selling?            

The next area of scripture we will look at is Revelations 13:17. This scripture states “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Revelations 13:17”. (Blue Letter Bible, 1996-2011) The great thing about this verse is it gives us a benchmark to use to analyze all currently held interpretations of the Mark against. The first thing to notice is the scripture does not state that buying or selling will be hampered without the mark, instead it states there will be no buying or selling, period! In order to properly analyze the popular notions of a biochip or tattoo, we should look at how things are currently bought and sold and how things in the future will be bought and sold.

The primary driver for commerce is marketing. By viewing commerce through the lens of marketing we can break commerce down in to 3 main categories, business to consumer (B2C), business to business (B2B), and consumer to consumer (C2C). We can further simplify these categories to two, face to face transactions such as point of sale and barter, and distance transactions where both parties do not see each other. Those who hold to the tattoo or biochip interpretation only take in to consideration face to face transactions.  A tattoo or biochip on the right hand or forehead could easily control buying and selling face to face as long as one party is willing to enforce the requirement for the mark. If one of the two parties engaging in the business transaction are not willing to enforce the Mark as a requirement then the integrity of the system is compromised. A surefire way to enforce the requirement for the mark in a face to face transaction is through the use of M-commerce.

Face to Face Transaction

What is M-commerce?  M-commerce is the buying and selling of products and services using a mobile device.  Currently M-commerce consists of point of sale, which has been limited to date, online purchasing, digital coupons’, and location based services. Many who engage in M-commerce use their Smartphones to research a product before purchasing, compare product prices, and acquire discounts through products and services such as Groupon. (Butcher, 2011) M-commerce is the newest and probably most rapidly growing area of marketing today. While M-commerce has only had limited success in point of sale transactions, future technology will ensure Smartphones are an absolute requirement for purchasing. This technology is known as “Near Field Communications” or NFC for short.

NFC is a Radio Frequency Identification or RFID technology that “combines the interface of a smartcard and a reader into a single device” (Wikipedia, 2011). By combining these two technologies the NFC chip will allow Smartphones to transmit and receive data short distances. Basic RFID only allows transmission of data over short distances from the RFID tag to a reader.  It is envisioned that NFC enabled phones will support buying and selling by allowing the transfer of credit card data at point of sale terminals for standard purchases, person to person financial transactions such as loaning money to a friend, and transmitting of data such as electronic medical records, to name a few planned uses.  According to the article “Alliance Heralds Era of Smartphone Wallets” the author estimates between 40 and 50 million NFC enabled Smartphones will be in circulation sometime in 2011. (Chapman, 2010) Market Researcher iSuppli expects the number of NFC available phones to reach 220.1 million by 2014. (Dow Jones Newswires, 2010) One thing of interest is that the push to integrate this technology in to SmartPhones is not a consumer driven push. According to an article published in NFC Times Visa, MasterCard and the telco-led joint venture Isis agree that consumers will “need to be convinced” to use this technology to pay for transactions. The article continues to quote Verizon wireless engineer Sarab Sokhey as stating that in order for the NFC system to persuade consumers to use it a typical NFC payment will need to be between 3 and 4 seconds or the technology won’t be used. (Zind, 2011) This reinforces the earlier statement that 4G network speeds will be required to support worldwide Smartphone transactions. Imagine how a person 1900 years ago might describe the act of paying for items at a store register using a phone you place against a reader for 3 or 4 seconds. While I have no doubt how this would have appeared to John 1900 years ago, NFC only answers how the Mark could be enforced during face to face transactions, not distance transactions.  

What About Cash Transactions?

Some might ask “What about cash” for face to face transactions. Cash in its current form will always offer a method to circumvent the Mark. This is why cash has to be eliminated or severely reduced in circulation. One might claim that cash can never be eliminated but a careful study of cash will prove how it is already being phased out. Currency in the US has 3 forms. These forms are M1 Cash Currency (cash and coins in circulation), M2 Deposit Currency (dollars deposited in banking system), and M3 is M2 plus all large Certificates of Deposit. It is M1 currency that we consider cash. M2 currency is what is used when you use your debit card or write a check. Additional M3 currency types consist of large denominations of dollars of 100K or more. (McMahon, 2006) I should note that in the past M1 money was considered to be the most liquid. Due to the reliance on debit and credit cards for typical transactions M2 is now considered to be the most liquid of the 3 types. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, as of 2008 there was approximately 829 Billion dollars in circulation. Much of the cash in circulation is held outside of the US. (NY FED, 2008)  As of 2010 there were over 1 billion credit / debit cards in circulation in the US alone. In 2010 the total Debit Purchase Volume in the US was over 1.3 Trillion. (Ben Woolsey. Matt Schultz, 2011) The amount of US consumer debt held by US citizens is over 2.4 trillion as of 2010. (Consumer Debt Statistics, 2006-2011)  As you can see the amount of consumer debt in the US is 3 times that of all US currency in circulation. The point of this data is to show that most Americans already rely heavily on non-cash transactions in their daily lives.

Another thing worth noting is world economies have been trending towards a cashless society for some time. Africa, UK, Asia and the US are but a few economies currently trending towards a cashless society. For example in an article “Experts Push For a Cashless Society” author Oluyasey Bangudu points out that Nigeria, the largest population of all of Africa, is working to issue a single debit card to their citizens to use for transactions both in and out of the country. This initiative is known as the “Financial Systems Strategy or FSS 2020. In the article the author points out how this debit card policy will align the country with the Central Bank’s stated goal to reduce cash by 2020. (Bangudu, 2011) In the UK citizens who currently receive welfare benefits will have their benefits delivered to them through debit cards. This will allow government agencies to monitor what is being purchased. (Hyland, 2011) In Asia, Japan is looking at the benefits of a cashless society through the prism of a worldwide recession. According to Matt Yglesias Japan is considering lowering interest rates in to negative territory to stimulate economic growth. According to Yglesias negative interest rates can only be possible in the absence of cash. “Without Physical cash, a central bank can set rates exactly where it likes”. (Yglesias, 2009) Here in the US there are multiple examples of cities and industries moving to cashless transactions for consumer services. One in particular is the city of Homestead Florida, which has ceased taking cash for city utility payments at its city office. (Sanchez, 2010) In his article “The New Cashless Economy” author Keith Regan points to the push to a cashless society and the new technology that will help see it come to fruition. Regan points to the RFID chips in contactless cards as setting the groundwork for NFC enabled Smartphones being used instead of cash for transactions. “The wheels are in motion to create an economy free of paper money and coins. The first steps of that quiet revolution have long been in place for years and touch tens of millions of consumers every day.” Regan points to the use of RFID toll tags and SpeedPass RFID devices to pay for fuel at service stations as setting the cultural foundation required for consumers to move to NFC. (Regan, 2011) The last thing I would like to leave with you regarding a cashless society is that most of the countries pushing cashless transactions are using the argument “It will help reduce crime” to strengthen their justification for the move to cashless society. Elimination of anonymity during transactions will affect everybody, not just criminals. Those who value privacy may want to consider the ramification of such a move. Next I will discuss how this mark might be enforced during distance transactions.

Distance Transactions

We previously discussed how current technological trends will enable enforcement of the Mark during face to face transactions. We will now discuss how the Mark will affect distance transactions. The two primary methods of distance transactions are Catalog and Internet transactions. Both of these methods of transactions allow goods or services to be purchased without either party seeing the other. Previous interpretations of the Mark of the Beast don’t take in to account distance transactions. To effectively control all buying and selling this area cannot be overlooked.

Catalog Marketing

Catalog marketing, besides word of mouth is one of the oldest methods of marketing still in use today. Catalog marketing, also known as Mail Order, is a branch of Direct Marketing which has been in use since before the formation of the United States. The uses of Catalog Marketing during the colonial period consisted of seed and garden catalogs. Even Ben Franklin is known to have offered a catalog of books in 1774. (Jane A. Malonis. Gale Cengage, 2000) While it would be an almost impossible task to identify every catalog currently in circulation the National Mail Order Association has published the National Directory of Catalogs 18^th Edition, which has identified 12,330 catalogs currently in circulation. With so many catalogs in circulation it is easy to see how this transaction method could circumvent the Mark and allow buying and selling without the Mark as a requirement. However the current trend for Catalog Marketing is to utilize a multichannel strategy where the printed catalog is used to drive online sales. According to the “Multi-Channel Catalog Study” released by comScore Networks, 15% catalog recipients make an online purchase after receiving the catalog. (National Mail Order Association, 2008) As of 2010 a Direct Marketing Study released by PRIMIR concluded as online analytics tools increase in capabilities and print costs increase along with postage costs that online catalogs will overtake printed catalogs. The greatest areas for growth in Direct Marketing were the “non-print areas of Direct Marketing such as web-direct, e-mail, mobile, and social networks which have increased in importance and share”. (American Printer, 2011) The impact of the emergence of Online Catalogs and Multi-channel Marketing has been a major disruption to some of the most iconic catalog companies in the US. As of 2011 J.C. Penny will eliminate 25 of their niche catalogs. This followed the decision a year earlier to cease distribution of their “800-page, semi-annual Big Book”.  According to J.C. Penny CEO Myron Ullman, J.C. Penny does not plan to do away with print entirely, instead J.C. Penny plans to use future print material to drive web and store traffic. (Brohan, 2010) I should also note of the 12,330 catalogs listed earlier by the National Mail Order Association 8,675 appear in print and online. (National Mail Order Association, 2008) While Catalog Marketing currently plays an important part in distance transactions it is easy to see how companies who use Catalog Marketing are changing their approach to Multi-Channel Marketing to drive online sales. Expect this trend to continue, further weakening this transaction method.

Internet Transactions

Internet shopping has been around since the first secured retail transaction took place in 1994. For the last 17 years people have been purchasing gifts online, booking hotel and airline reservations, or purchasing or selling goods through online auctions. According to the United States Department of Commerce, US consumers spent more than 165 billion dollars through internet sales in 2010. This represented 4.2 percent of a 3.92 trillion total retail sales and a growth of over 15 percent from 2009. (ecommercejunkie.com, 2011) While this is a small percentage of the total retail transactions for the US alone, internet commerce continues to grow every year. Just in case you were wondering “how can the Mark of the Beast control online transactions?” the answer is it alone can’t. Only when coupled with a system that removes all anonymity from the internet can the Mark be enforced. 

Understanding how the Mark and a system can work together to control online purchases we must first cover how a computer is identified on a network.   To purchase items from the internet the consumer must first be connect to the internet using a network capable device such as a computer. Each networked device has a unique identifier known as an IP Address. This IP Address only identifies the computer to the network, not the user of the computer. (How Stuff Works, 2001) The use of an IP Address to identify a computer when connected to the internet still allows users a level of anonymity. For example a person could enter a public library and use the computer to access the internet research a product and make a purchase. Only the specific computer is known to the network not the person using the computer. While making purchases from a library computer would not be the wisest thing to do from a security standpoint, the user would still retain some level of anonymity. But don’t worry, that anonymity is being taken care of by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

In their wisdom the US government has decided the multiple passwords we all have to keep up with is just too cumbersome. This along with the promise of enhanced security is all the excuse the Commerce Department needs to initiate a system that will remove all anonymity from the internet. Known as the “National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace”, this plan is being touted as the way forward to reduce “cybersecurity vulnerabilities and improve online privacy protections”. (Pedraza, 2011) The system as currently envisioned would allow “users to get trusted credentials, issued by private-sector identity providers, which could take the form of a secure application on a cell phone, a smart card or another device. “ (Walker, 2011) This system is currently being touted as “voluntary” and the Commerce Department has stated it is not a form of a “National ID”, however in the article “Obama moves forward with Internet ID plan” Declan McCullagh points out "federal agencies could begin to require it for IRS e-filing, applying for Social Security or veterans' benefits, renewing passports online, requesting federal licenses (including ham radio and pilot's licenses), and so on. Then obtaining one of these ID would become all but mandatory for most Americans. “(McCullugh, 2011) It is important to remember this ID will extend to all internet capable devices including Smartphones. When Smartphones have become the dominant method of access to the internet while also replacing debit / credit cards for face to face transactions it is easy to see how the Smartphone might begin to fulfill bible prophecy.

Note: As of this posting much more data has become available regarding the implementation of national ID's throughout countries world wide. Check back soon for updated information.

Conclusion

So do Smartphone’s meet the requirements of the Mark? In the end only you can make that decision. As a person who studies technology, my goal was to aid you in answering this question by carefully analyzing all factors related to “buying and selling”. Based off of this analysis the answer is they are the closest thing to date that meet the definition of the Mark. They not only meet the physical description as provided in Revelation 13:16 but they are well on their way to meeting the demographic description provided in Revelation 13:17, when viewing the rate at which they are being adopted worldwide. Whether it be buying milk at the market using NFC, or purchasing items through the internet using a personal online ID, and with over 65% of the world population as of 2010 owning a mobile device, it won’t be long before the entire worldwide population has come to rely on these devices for acquiring their basic necessities. Regardless of your conclusion, avoiding reliance on these devices in our everyday lives may benefit us in the end.

References:

EECA,ESIA, and WSTS. "2010-2013 Semiconductor Market Forecast Seizing the Economic & Political Momentum in Europe for Key Enabling Technologies." Upload & Share PowerPoint Presentations and Documents. http://www.slideshare.net/StephanCadene/20102013-semiconductor-market-forecast-seizing-the-economic-amp-political-momentum-in-europe-for-key-enabling-technologies, 08 June 2010. Web. 04 Feb. 2011.

Clarke, Peter. "Global Chip Making Capacity Rises, Says SEMI." Electronics Industry News, Electronics Design Ideas & Products for EEs. EETimes.com, 09 Dec. 2010. Web. 05 Jan. 2011.

Fotheringham, Vern, and Chetan Sharma. "Chapter 3: Global Wireless Market Analysis." Wireless Broadband: Conflict and Convergence. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE, 2008. Print.

Johnson, Simon. "Mobile Broadband Users Seen Hitting 1 Billion in 2011| Reuters." Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com. Reuters.com, 11 Jan. 2011. Web. 06 Feb. 2011.

 Patterson, Ben. "CNET's Quick Guide to 3G Cell Phone Service - CNET Reviews." Product Reviews - Electronics Reviews, Computer Reviews & More - CNET Reviews. CNET Reviews, 22 Feb. 2005. Web. 06 Feb. 2011. <http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3504_7-5664933-1.html>.

 Wireless Internet.org. "4G Networks, and Service: 4G Network Providers and Speed." Wireless Internet Providers, Service and Access Guide. unknown. Web. 06 Feb. 2011. <http://www.wirelessinternet.org/4G-network.php>.

 Unknown. "E-commerce Definition." InvestorWords.com - Investing Glossary. InvestorWords.com, unknown. Web. 20 Feb. 2011. <http://www.investorwords.com/1637/e_commerce.html>.

 "Mobile Commerce." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 15 May 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_commerce>.

"Near Field Communication." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 15 May 2011. <http http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_field_communication>.

Ecommercejunkie. "Final 2010 E-commerce Data Released by Commerce Dept. « E-commerce News." E-commerce News. 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 20 Feb. 2011. http://ecommercejunkie.com/2011/02/17/final-2010-e-commerce-data-released-by-commerce-dept/.

Snow, Blake. "Dumb Phones Still Dominate Smartphones ... For Now - FoxNews.com." FoxNews.com - Breaking News | Latest News | Current News. Web. 08 May 2011. <http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/02/10/dumb-phones-dominate-smart-phones/>.

Butcher, Dan. "More than Half of Smartphone Owners Use Mobile Devices in Retail Stores: Study - Mobile Commerce Daily - Research." Mobile Commerce Daily. 14 Mar. 2011. Web. 09 May 2011. http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/2011/03/14/more-than-half-of-smartphone-owners-use-mobile-devices-in-retail-stores-study

Chapman, Glenn. "Alliance Heralds Era of Smartphone Wallets." PhysOrg.com - Science News, Technology, Physics, Nanotechnology, Space Science, Earth Science, Medicine. 7 Dec. 2010. Web. 22 May 2011. <http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-12-alliance-heralds-era-smartphone-wallets.html>.

Unknown. "ISuppli Sees Surge In Near-Field Technology On Cellphones." ISuppli Sees Surge In Near-Field Technology On Cellphones. Dow Jones Newswires, 20 Dec. 2010. Web. 22 May 2011.http://www.foxbusiness.com/search-results/search?&q=isuppli&daterange=2010-05-23,max

Zind, Tom. "Preparing for Mobile Payment: Visa, MasterCard and Isis Weigh in | NFC Times – Near Field Communication and All Contactless Technology." Home | NFC Times. 28 Feb. 2011. Web. 23 May 2011. <http://www.nfctimes.com/report/preparing-mobile-payment-visa-mastercard-and-isis-weigh>.

"Catalog Marketing." Encyclopedia of Business. Ed. Jane A. Malonis. Gale Cengage, 2000. eNotes.com. 2006. 29 May, 2011 http://www.enotes.com/biz-encyclopedia/catalog-marketing

National Mail Order Association. National Directory of Catalogs. Minneapolis: National Mail Order Association, 2008. National Mail Order Association. National Mail Order Association, 2008. Web. 29 May 2011. <http://www.nmoa.org/catalog/mailorderdir.htm>.

American Printer. "PRIMIR Releases Direct Marketing Study | American Printer." American Printer Magazine | Home Page | Printing Industry News, Notes and Features | Presses | Ink | CTP. Penton Media,Inc, 03 May 2011. Web. 29 May 2011. <http://americanprinter.com/how-to/news/primir-direct-marketing-study-0503/>.

Brohan, Mark. "Top 500 - The Internet Kills More Catalogs at J.C. Penney - Internet Retailer." Industry Strategies for Online Merchants - Internet Retailer. 28 Sept. 2010. Web. 29 May 2011. <http://www.internetretailer.com/2010/09/28/internet-kills-more-catalogs-jc-penney>.

"What is an IP address?"  12 January 2001.  HowStuffWorks.com. <http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/question549.htm>  29 May 2011.

Quain, John. "The PC Is Dead."Fox News. 11 January. 2011. Web. 11 January. 2011. <http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/01/11/pc-is-dead-ces-tablets-smartphone/print>.

Pedraza, Rick. "Obama Eyes Internet ID for All Americans." Newsmax - Newsmax.com - Breaking News, Politics, Commentary. 10 Jan. 2011. Web. 12 June 2011. <http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Obama-Internet-ID-Americans/2011/01/10/id/382368>.

McCullugh, Declan. "Obama Moves Forward with Internet ID Plan | Privacy Inc. - CNET News." Technology News - CNET News. 15 Apr. 2011. Web. 12 June 2011. <http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20054342-281.html>.

Walker, Molly B. "White House Releases Plan for an Internet 'identity Ecosystem' - FierceGovernmentIT." Government IT, Gov Tech, IT in Government – Fierce Gov IT. 18 Apr. 2011. Web. 12 June 2011. <http://www.fiercegovernmentit.com/story/white-house-releases-plan-internet-identity-ecosystem/2011-04-18>.

McMahon, Tim. "Goodbye M3- What Is the Government Hiding?" InflatationData.com. 16 Mar. 2006. Web. 12 June 2011. <http://www.inflationdata.com/inflation/inflation_articles/m3_money_supply.asp>.

NY FED. "How Currency Gets into Circulation - Fedpoints - Federal Reserve Bank of New York." FEDERAL RESERVE BANK of NEW YORK. June 2008. Web. 12 June 2011. <http://www.newyorkfed.org/aboutthefed/fedpoint/fed01.html>.

Woolsey, Ben, and Matt Schulz. "Credit Card Statistics, Industry Facts, Debt Statistics." Credit Cards - Compare Credit Card Offers at CreditCards.com. 12 May 2011. Web. 12 June 2011. <http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/credit-card-industry-facts-personal-debt-statistics-1276.php>.

Consumer Debt Statistics. "Consumer Debt Statistics." Careers, Finance and Investing : Money-zine.com. Money-Zine.com, 2006 - 2011. Web. 12 June 2011. <http://www.money-zine.com/Financial-Planning/Debt-Consolidation/Consumer-Debt-Statistics/>.

Bangudu, Oluwaseyi Bangudu June. "Experts Push for Cashless Society." NEXT: Latest News, Sport and Views from Nigeria. 2 Feb. 2011. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Money/Finance/5671823-147/experts_push_for_cashless_society_.csp>.

Hyland, Matthew. "Cashless Economy." Mute Magazine | PRINT / ONLINE / SUBSCRIBE. 13 Jan. 2011. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://www.metamute.org/en/print/13806>.

Yglesias, Matthew. "Below the Zero Bound in the Cashless Economy." ThinkProgress. 21 June 2009. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://thinkprogress.org/yglesias/2009/06/21/193402/below-the-zero-bound-in-the-cashless-economy/>.

Sanchez, Melissa. "City to Eliminate Cash Payments for Utilities - Miami-Dade - MiamiHerald.com." MiamiHerald.com - Miami & Ft. Lauderdale News, Weather, Miami Dolphins & More. 28 Nov. 2010. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/11/28/1946378/city-to-eliminate-cash-payments.html>.

Regan, Keith. "E-Commerce News: Trends: The New Cashless Economy." Welcome to E-Commerce Times. 24 Mar. 2007. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/56466.html?wlc=1308011439>.

Layton, Julie, Brian, Marshall, and Tyson, Jeff. "How Cell Phones Work". How Stuff Works. Date Unknown <http://www.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone.htm>.

Wikipedia. “Invention of Radio” Wikipedia. Date Unknown http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invention_of_radio

Marples, Gareth. “The History of Cell Phones – A Vision Realized”. TheHistoryOf.net. Web. 30 Jun. 2008. http://www.thehistoryof.net/history-of-cell-phones.html

Bellis, Mary. “Inventors of the Modern Computer:The First Freely Programmable Computer invented by Konrad Zuse”. About.com. Inventors. Date Unknown http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa050298.htm

Bellis, Mary. “The History of Computers”. About.com. Inventors. Date Unknown

http://inventors.about.com/library/blcoindex.htm

Unknown. “Number of Cell Phones Worldwide Hits 4.6B”. CBNews.com. February 15, 2010. <http://m.cbsnews.com/fullstory.rbml?feed_id=0&catid=6209772&videofeed=36>