My passport was set to expire in 2008, and I decided to renew now and get not only a better picture, but a non-RFID model.

On the advice of a Seattle passport agency employee, rather than gin up a reason and pay extra to have mine issued in person as recommended here:

http://www.hasbrouck.org/blog/archives/001060.html

...I just sent mine in a couple of weeks ago to the national passport center address for renewals.

He said that at the national centers, they were only issuing something on the order of one of every hundred as RFID at this point, as the production lines weren't up to speed.

In my letter requesting a 48 page model, I also requested a non-RFID, just in case someone would take note of that.