Good lord, I carry a lot of crap around with me:
Wallet (brown leather with gold studs and chains)
cell phone (with camera, web, text, and music capabilities), 2 debit cards (one IL account, one CA account), health insurance card, school ID, IL driver's license, FlexCar RFID card, rent checks (from roommates), grocery discount card, tuition refund stub
Key Chain 1 (attached to wallet)
house keys (2), boss's house, thesis space, boss's office
Key Chain 2 (yellow caribiner)
old thesis space, IKEA cabinet, bike chain, my brother's car, parents' house, bottle opener
Key Chain 3 (pink plastic)
thesis space (6 copies)
Purse (red leather with gold studs and chains)
US passport, twisty toy, badge from internship, parking pass from internship, ibuprofen, triple ended highlighter, sunglasses (Spiderman branded), toothbrush (Pirates of the Caribbean branded), lip gloss (pink lemonade flavor), pens (2 black, 1 green, 1 black foldable), sunburn spray, chewing gum, business cards (not me), business cards (me), 12 old receipts, fingernail clippers, case for SD card (card in camera), 10.1 megapixel digital camera, deodorant, 2 x AAA batteries, hard candy, Nintendo DS Lite, DS games (EBA, New Super Mario Bros., Harvest Moon, Puzzle Quest), 1GB thumb drive shaped like Chewbacca (with tiny hoodie), powder/foundation compact
Watch
Nixon brand, black face with white leather double strap
Rings
Sterling silver claddaugh, sterling silver trinity knot
Misc. Jewelry
Rhinestone collar, sterling silver hoop earrings
Clothing
Jeans (Express brand), black tank top, black cardigan, bra, underwear, grey flip flops (Havaianas brand)
Pockets
20Gb iPod (used for data storage in addition to music), headphones
Other
Notebook (over a year old), class handouts (syllabus and bibliography), unflavored frozen yogurt with mixed berries on top, diet caffeinated soda
Analysis
There's a lot here, so let's break this up into categories, shall we?
Ornamentation
Decorated purse/wallet, several pieces of jewelry, cosmetics, branded clothing
A lot of these items indicate a society that values decoration of one's person and belongings, both as a statement of individual personality and of wealth. In particular, such ornamentation is common of women, who customarily are more adorned than their male counterparts. Interestingly, such ostentation stands in contrast to the modesty implied by the presence of clothing in a climate where protection from the elements is unnecessary.
Access
keys (houses, car, workplace), school ID (functions as a lab key), workplace RFID badge, workplace RFID parking pass
This is a society that manages access, primarily for security reasons. Authorization, in the form of keys and key-like objects, is sometimes a way of conferring status (a higher status individual will have more access to better places).
Identity
passport, driver's license, school ID, business cards
Individuals are expected to identify themselves at all times. In a data-driven society such as this one, it is essential that one be able to identify, classify, locate, and index members of the society according to a number of factors. Often, identity is also a key factor in obtaining access (ie. a school ID that doubles as a key to campus facilities).
Media/Data
cell phone, camera, SD card, video games, USB drive, iPod, notebook, pens
Individuals are expected to access large and varied amounts of data on a regular basis, and as such have taken to keeping storage devices handy for transporting important digital data. Communication devices create an opportunity to further access information when needed. Entertainment media is pervasive, with individuals carrying their preferred forms with them. Capture devices provide the opportunity to record events and, in the process, create more media. Analog media is also represented; low tech individuals will record events and observations for storage and retrieval using pen and paper.
Education
student ID, tuition refund stub
As previously stated, this is a society that places high value on information. As such, education is considered of paramount importance; an individual can be engaged in no better pursuit than the concerted acquisition of knowledge. Such knowledge access comes at a high price, but the cost is often considered more than worth the benefit.
Hygiene/Chemical Enhancement
deodorant, toothbrush, sunburn spray, ibuprofen, caffeinated soda
In addition to being ornamented, individuals in this society are expected to manipulate their body chemistries to overcome such faux pas as body odor and bad breath, as well as to reverse such unpleasant sensations as pain and fatigue.
Essential Needs
health insurance card, rent checks, grocery discount card
Access to survival essentials is largely dependent on forces outside the individual's control: food is obtained via a store (rather than hunted/farmed), shelter is rented rather than owned, health care is obtained via service providers and paid for with insurance provided by one's employer.
Acquisition
debit cards, paper checks, tuition stub
Acquisition, whether of objects or services, is done via symbolic exchange, or money. Rather than trading two items of perceived equal value, individuals convert much of their wealth into currency, a symbolic representation of tangible value. The society in question takes this one step further by converting physical currency into data via such items as bank accounts, credit cards, and debit cards. This means that money (value) can change hands without any physical objects being exchanged.
Overall, were I an alien or archaeologist at some far future dig, I would see evidence of a society that values appearances, rises above natural influences, seeks status, and controls access to wealth and information. It is a society wherein no individual is self sufficient, yet every individual is expected to be prepared at all times.
cell phone (with camera, web, text, and music capabilities), 2 debit cards (one IL account, one CA account), health insurance card, school ID, IL driver's license, FlexCar RFID card, rent checks (from roommates), grocery discount card, tuition refund stub
Key Chain 1 (attached to wallet)
house keys (2), boss's house, thesis space, boss's office
Key Chain 2 (yellow caribiner)
old thesis space, IKEA cabinet, bike chain, my brother's car, parents' house, bottle opener
Key Chain 3 (pink plastic)
thesis space (6 copies)
Purse (red leather with gold studs and chains)
US passport, twisty toy, badge from internship, parking pass from internship, ibuprofen, triple ended highlighter, sunglasses (Spiderman branded), toothbrush (Pirates of the Caribbean branded), lip gloss (pink lemonade flavor), pens (2 black, 1 green, 1 black foldable), sunburn spray, chewing gum, business cards (not me), business cards (me), 12 old receipts, fingernail clippers, case for SD card (card in camera), 10.1 megapixel digital camera, deodorant, 2 x AAA batteries, hard candy, Nintendo DS Lite, DS games (EBA, New Super Mario Bros., Harvest Moon, Puzzle Quest), 1GB thumb drive shaped like Chewbacca (with tiny hoodie), powder/foundation compact
Watch
Nixon brand, black face with white leather double strap
Rings
Sterling silver claddaugh, sterling silver trinity knot
Misc. Jewelry
Rhinestone collar, sterling silver hoop earrings
Clothing
Jeans (Express brand), black tank top, black cardigan, bra, underwear, grey flip flops (Havaianas brand)
Pockets
20Gb iPod (used for data storage in addition to music), headphones
Other
Notebook (over a year old), class handouts (syllabus and bibliography), unflavored frozen yogurt with mixed berries on top, diet caffeinated soda
Analysis
There's a lot here, so let's break this up into categories, shall we?
Ornamentation
Decorated purse/wallet, several pieces of jewelry, cosmetics, branded clothing
A lot of these items indicate a society that values decoration of one's person and belongings, both as a statement of individual personality and of wealth. In particular, such ornamentation is common of women, who customarily are more adorned than their male counterparts. Interestingly, such ostentation stands in contrast to the modesty implied by the presence of clothing in a climate where protection from the elements is unnecessary.
Access
keys (houses, car, workplace), school ID (functions as a lab key), workplace RFID badge, workplace RFID parking pass
This is a society that manages access, primarily for security reasons. Authorization, in the form of keys and key-like objects, is sometimes a way of conferring status (a higher status individual will have more access to better places).
Identity
passport, driver's license, school ID, business cards
Individuals are expected to identify themselves at all times. In a data-driven society such as this one, it is essential that one be able to identify, classify, locate, and index members of the society according to a number of factors. Often, identity is also a key factor in obtaining access (ie. a school ID that doubles as a key to campus facilities).
Media/Data
cell phone, camera, SD card, video games, USB drive, iPod, notebook, pens
Individuals are expected to access large and varied amounts of data on a regular basis, and as such have taken to keeping storage devices handy for transporting important digital data. Communication devices create an opportunity to further access information when needed. Entertainment media is pervasive, with individuals carrying their preferred forms with them. Capture devices provide the opportunity to record events and, in the process, create more media. Analog media is also represented; low tech individuals will record events and observations for storage and retrieval using pen and paper.
Education
student ID, tuition refund stub
As previously stated, this is a society that places high value on information. As such, education is considered of paramount importance; an individual can be engaged in no better pursuit than the concerted acquisition of knowledge. Such knowledge access comes at a high price, but the cost is often considered more than worth the benefit.
Hygiene/Chemical Enhancement
deodorant, toothbrush, sunburn spray, ibuprofen, caffeinated soda
In addition to being ornamented, individuals in this society are expected to manipulate their body chemistries to overcome such faux pas as body odor and bad breath, as well as to reverse such unpleasant sensations as pain and fatigue.
Essential Needs
health insurance card, rent checks, grocery discount card
Access to survival essentials is largely dependent on forces outside the individual's control: food is obtained via a store (rather than hunted/farmed), shelter is rented rather than owned, health care is obtained via service providers and paid for with insurance provided by one's employer.
Acquisition
debit cards, paper checks, tuition stub
Acquisition, whether of objects or services, is done via symbolic exchange, or money. Rather than trading two items of perceived equal value, individuals convert much of their wealth into currency, a symbolic representation of tangible value. The society in question takes this one step further by converting physical currency into data via such items as bank accounts, credit cards, and debit cards. This means that money (value) can change hands without any physical objects being exchanged.
Overall, were I an alien or archaeologist at some far future dig, I would see evidence of a society that values appearances, rises above natural influences, seeks status, and controls access to wealth and information. It is a society wherein no individual is self sufficient, yet every individual is expected to be prepared at all times.