Passports

Why is it that your the document that gives you freedom to explore most of the world is so cumbersome and user unfriendly? It feels like a large, flat ball and chain, requiring special pockets or arrangements to keep on your person. There are various security wallets, pouches and belts for concealing them, but all are limited by the size of what they must carry. I prefer the passport wallet that has a loop around a belt, then hangs on the side of the hip, as it is the most natural and concealable of the four passport wallets I own, but even so, one must worry about crunching or creasing the passport. Now that passports are issued with electronic radio signals built into them, it seems like passports could undergo a change in form factor, more like an identification card, or a driver's license. All the information could be stored electronically, it could be more durable as well as easier to carry. Gone could be the awkward moments of reaching into your pants every time you checked into a hotel. It might take away some novelty of flipping through a passport for evidence that you are well traveled, but it's a sensible trade off. All the world got together to come up with current passport designs once before--hopefully they can shrink our current paper ball and chain in the future. Can I get an amen?