It would be really interesting to see the state-of-the-art in actual tagging technology. I have to admit, for being a lab focusing on the Now Economy, I haven’t actually held an RFID tag in my own hot little hands. (There was an InterMEC reader left behind in my cube when I moved in, though :-)

There have been some nice reviews of Alien’s classes, though other manufacturers surely offer similar events. The key would appear to be some learning-by-doing insofar as you learn what materials you can scan through or not, for example.

Alien Technology – RFID Academy


Years of RFID Experience Packed Into Two Days… RFID Academy course fees are $5,000, which includes a Development Kit. Register early: Classes always sell out.

… Participants of RFID Academy have a choice between receiving a 915MHz Passive UHF system or a 2450MHz Battery Assisted Passive (BAP) Microwave Development Kit along with the two-day technical RFID training session.


  • 915MHz Passive Development Kit and Circular Polarized Antenna

  • 2450MHz Long Range Battery Tag w/Temperature Data Logging Option

Of course, for half the price, I suspect that I’d have a lot more fun at Web 2.0.