/dramatic exaggeration.
Seriously, it can be very problematic, though. See http://www.simplyphysics.com/flying_objects.html
Not just "stuff," people have been killed this way.
http://www.mrisafety.com/safety_article.asp?subject=39http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-da...
I think having a magnetic sense in general would be cool, but not like this. A real piece of cyberware instead of this crude body mod butchery might well be worth trying out. It would be especially nice if it was sensitive enough to work as a compass.
http://www.supermagnetman.net/index.php?cPath=122
I'd like to try two rings: one magnetized through the thickness, and the other magnetized through the diameter. That would let me sense two orthogonal vectors from the surrounding field.
Which actually sounds like your basic early adopter problem. Hypothetically, as more and more people gain this sense, there will be market pressure to make the world more interesting and usable for them, and the growing competitive advantage for those who have it will accelerate the process. This won't be the last novel sense humanity sees... It will be interesting to see this play out, if not with magnetism than with UV or radar or whatever it is.
Thanks!
With enough outputs you even do things similar to the vibrating compass belt that's mentioned elsewhere in the comments. Or instead of a north-compass, it could point you toward any arbitrary destination via GPS.
I don't see why it isn't possible.
http://blog.holyscraphotsprings.com/2011/12/reasonably-price...
However "Implant work isn't ready for prime time. While Huffman loves his implant, he discourages others from getting it. "Most people don't understand the risks, and implant work isn't appropriate for most people." Those risks include infection and breach of the magnet's silicone sheath. The procedure itself is painful, and the results vary from person to person for unknown and unstudied reasons. Huffman doesn't see it as a candidate for study." http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mods/news/2006/06/71087
At the first hint of pain that thing would be outta there for me.
(http://www.discoverthis.com/project-magnetic-field-bottle.ht...)
It does seperate the curious. Ironically, when a date finds the magnet, he's the close minded one.
A smaller implant would be less sensitive to magnetic fields, ie less distracting.
I'm not really into implants, but maybe something no bigger than a needle could be tested by an eager volunteer?
A biocompatible coating is needed, which increases the size - the technical challenge is making an implant small enough, coating included, to be helpful without being painful or distracting