This strip first appeared in issue #237 of Linux (Pro) Magazine. It was created in mid-2020, at a time when the news was filled with talk of governments around the world creating apps that would use Bluetooth to track your exposure, in terms of proximity and duration, to people who subsequently tested positive for covid-19. These were generally referred to as “contact tracing” apps.

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↓ Transcript
[Panel 1: Elvie and James are sitting in a park. Elvie is working on her laptop, with a phone attached to it.]

Elvie: I'm working on some code that uses machine learning to identify any contacts within a two metre radius.

James: Is this the app I've heard about that uses Bluetooth to help track any coronavirus outbreaks?

[Panel 2: Elvie is crawling along, using her phone to examine the grass. A small object is glinting on the ground.]

Elvie: No, it uses the camera to look for telltale indicators…
…to find my missing contact *lens*!