And gadgets such as a bathroom scale made by Withings, a French company, can transmit a person's weight to a digital health-log on a computer or smartphone.

ECONOMIST: Technology will become even more personal

Quite the opposite is true - for convenience many store their digital identities in their browsers so they do not have to log on every time they wish to use an online service.

BBC: Computer security words in a Scrabble game

Evernote offers digital note-taking, syncing users' notes with any device they log in, and allowing them to share these notes with others.

BBC: Evernote will set up a data centre in China

In theory, government agents who are scattered geographically will be able to log on and meet "face to face" as realistic avatars in a digital conference room equipped with video and audio conferencing, presentation applications, and file sharing, all provided by IBM's unified communications software.

FORBES: Building The Feds' Virtual War Room