Programmer replaces lost finger with thumb drive

You’ve heard of USB thumb drives, but you likely have not considered the real thing – a lost digit replaced by a USB Flash drive.

A Finnish programmer who lost his finger in a motorcycle accident has now replaced it with a prosthetic finger that has a USB drive built in. Jerry Jalava can now peel back his “nail” and reveal a 2GB “finger drive” for storing photos, movies and software.

Jalava had his left ring finger amputated last summer after crashing into a deer with his motorbike near the Finnish capital Helsinky. Given his profession as a computer programmer, the doctors treating him joked that he should have a USB “finger drive” and Jalava went for the idea.

Thumb-size trouble

USB drives as security risks

Jerry Jalava’s 2GB USB finger looks like a normal finger, but it’s detachable and he leaves it inside his computer’s slot while using it. The Finnish programmer plans to “upgrade” his finger in the future with one that has a removable fingertip, an RFID tag and more storage space.

This time, Jalava’s USB finger is not a hoax, unlike the story of the guy who surgically altered his thumbs two years ago for better use of his phone keyboard. To refresh your memory, that guy whittled his thumbs several times so that he could type faster on his Blackberry and then iPhone – and it proved to be just a PR stunt (or more of a Flat Earth News worthy tale).

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Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

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