You know, if I just wanted practicality, I wouldn’t implant anything. For instance, if I wanted almost all the benefits of an NFC implant without the drawbacks, I’d stick an NFC nail on one of my fingernails. The only difference with an implant is, I would have to replace it every few weeks - depending on how often I clip my nail. That’s the only difference, literally.
Similarly, I don’t need a xBT either: I can get my temperature just as quickly with an el-cheapo infrared thermometer from the supermarket.
But it’s not the same, is it. I want to research human augmentation (at my small, insignificant amateur level with zero access to research facilities). That means modifying my body and seeing what happens with my new internal gadgetry: how it integrates into my life, how it changes me as a person. I want the permanence of it.
Kind of like someone going for a tattoo when they could simply order custom-printed temporary tattoo patches and renew them every few weeks. The latter is more practical, but it’s just not the same.
I want the technology inside of me to become part of me. The modification to my sense of self is what I want to explore, as well as the practical side of implants - if that makes any sense.
Anyway, the point is moot: the surgeon answered me and (politely) told me to get stuffed and come back when I’m deaf. As expected: doctors don’t do body upgrades, only body repairs.