igargoyle

Introducing: My Technomadism Hacks

I haven't been posting much, but I have been researching, developing, rapid prototyping, and hacking. I'm applying my love of desert camping, travel, wearable technology, and embedded computing to my urban flagship; a duosport motorcycle. Here's a first look:

solar-nav-storage:

This photo shows items I transformed into a top case and a tank bag.

While commuting, the top case can hold gear from errands. While touring, it can carry as much gas a my tank holds plus water. I can remove it anytime. This allows off-roading without extra fuel sloshing around in an enlarged tank. It is made from an LP case, and stability tests will determine if it's indeed more versatile than a top case and replacement gas tank; easily at a savings of at least $200.

The tank bag is made from a folding map case, magnets, and wiring. It's appropriate that it holds my phone with GPS, a non-networked highway infrastructure computer, compass and pencil pack, map, and a solar battery charger for my bike and auuxilliary device battery. I'm sure it'll still also hold an actual paper map or two. I can't find many tank bags with top map pockets that will fit my sloped gas tank. So, I made a form-fitting one that mostly multplies the functionality of the feature I wanted most anyway; a large map pocket.

Glog On

Well, despite error messages I had received while trying to Glog from my Treo 650, it turns out my images did indeed get posted. These are from BarCamp LA-3 from March.

MobileCamp LA was a complete blast, and I won a Nokia N95, which will be much easier to Glog from. I am running the Glogger application, rather than using MMS, but I will be relying on WiFi until I transfer my service over from Sprint. I have several hacks in mind for my N95, as hinted at in the my Maker Square post, and I will get into that later. I look forward to Glogging about my future hacks, and more. Some of them will be Meta-Glogs, since they will help document my wearable technology work.

I am also going to be checking out the application included with my N95 called Lifeblogger. It will be interesting to share my comparisons of Lifeblogger and Glogger and playing with ways to use each application to do so.

Cybernetic iArm Video

[ See the Video ]

Bionic Knee Hits the Market

An AI-powered bionic knee is now publicly available.

"Within those 60 steps the patient has to vary their speed a little bit, the knee starts learning how they move, how they walk, and at that point figures out how to adjust itself with the person," Warren said.

What makes the Rheo-Knee different is that it's the first to use artificial intelligence -- tiny sensors that analyze the knee 1,000 times per second allowing it to adjust to any step or misstep.

Current unit runs about $30,000.
[ Link ]

Neural Tongue Interface

*Ahem*, that is, the Florida Institute of Human and and Machine Cognition has developed an interface that stimulates the sensitive nerves of your tongue.

The system, which is getting shown off to Navy and Marine Corps divers next month will supposedly have sonar integration for sub-aqueous orientation, but has already apparently given some landlubber blind people the ability to catch balls, "notice" others walking in front of them, and find doors. With IR, radar, sonar, and other forms of detection, the researchers believe this device will obsolete night vision -- even our own eyes -- sooner than later.

[ Link via Engadget ]

Wearaware's Wearable Computer

I presented a wearable computing prototype based upon an Archos PMA-430 and a network I am starting for people who want to add wearable configurations to handheld electronics such as PDAs and recording devices. The PMA-430 combines the functionality of an embedded Linux computer with a Digital Video Recorder (DVR). A novel accessory converts the proprietary "Multi-Connect Jack" (MCJ) to a more modular, field-reconfigurable 1/10"-center socket. The prototype fits into a single pouch, but other modules are also being developed to be incorporated into vests, jackets, and other designs rather than utility belts. They include integrated active noise cancellation, a music/phone headset, biometric sensors, media switcher, and integrated status display.

Some applications include Glogging, Warwalking, and together, Moblogging. This means the ability to log notes, media, and leverage wireless access points for sharing them in a low-profile and low-power setup. All this can be walked around with while still having use of at least one hand available for manual tasks. While the analog A/V I/O capabilities are inherent to the PMA, this is the first project to make them all mobile. With its 30 GB HD, full
motion video, WiFi, and embedded Linux OS, the PMA has radical potential for [cyborg] Glogging. This is the first step towards accessing these and other functions in a more wearable, private way that protects the device from fumbles and helps to free a hand or two.

It is an experimental platform for communications, Glogging, memory augmentation, art, and teaching about Humanistic Intelligence (HI) and modular systems architecture. HI is a concept of Steve Mann's that helps me educate those who are afraid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and feel that becoming a cyborg a priori diminishes humanity. It depends upon the system, and we are still in the homebrew stage of Wearable Computing. We can raise issues early before some monopoly releases devices that are easy-to-use because they dumb-down user-re-configurability. HI lets both the brain and computer do the types of processing each is best at, in a more
symbiotic arrangement. Like Professor Mann's, this project is amenable to education, experimentation, and activism.

I will present again at DorkBot Socal this summer, and look forward to working with people I’ve met online, at Dorkbot and neighbors for wearable computing designs with Archos models, HP clamshell organizers, Asus MyPal and Dell Axim X5xx PDAs.

-wearaware

[ Check out Wearaware's personal site at http://www.roboch.net, and keep a look out for more articles from him on igargoyle.com. He also has a site about his wearable here. You can contact him about his research at wearaware at yahoo dot com ]

Power to the Cyborgs!

I found this quote from Network Publics, and found it very inspiring. Technology is being adopted at an amazing rate, and these days it's not uncommon to see people wearing computers on their belt. Even though technology like head mounted displays are still rare, the cyborg desire in our culture is moving at an incredible rate.

It was Japanese teenage girls, after all, who hijacked pagers and portable phones from salarymen in the early nineties, and went on to help shape what came to be known as the mobile revolution. But the story doesn’t stop on the streets of Tokyo, Seoul, or Helsinki. Nowadays, China and India are where the ambitions of mobile operators have turned. Its not just Japanese teens for whom the portable phone was the first personal computer. The wave of wireless and portable computing is engulfing countries that lacked widespread telephone usage, much less computer access. Computers for the masses! Power to the cyborgs!

[ Link ]

Wearable at Where2.0

This is graduate student Daniel L. Ashbrook from the Georgia Institue of Technology at the Where 2.0 Conference in San Jose, CA. Picture by James Duncan Davidson/O'Reilly Media.

Do Cyborgs Deserve Human Rights?

ordaos writes:

look what I found on the coffee table in the middle of my engineering building.

Only two days away. Should be an interesting event if you're in Santa Cruz.

i heart cyborgs

I admit it. I'm in love with cyborgs.

[ Link via Jess. Thanks Jess! ]

Rat Brain Controls Fighter Jet

One target is to install living computers in unmanned aircraft so they can be deployed on missions too dangerous for humans. It is also hoped that the research will provide the basis for developing new drugs to treat brain diseases such as epilepsy.

Under the microscope they looked at first like grains of sand, but soon the cells begin to connect to form what scientists are calling a "live computation device" (a brain). The electrodes measure and stimulate neural activity in the network, allowing researchers to study how the brain processes, transforms and stores information.

In the most striking experiment, the brain was linked to the jet simulator. Manipulated by the electrodes and a desktop computer, it was taught to control the flight path, even in mock hurricane-strength winds.

All I know is, if you work in a cheese factory, I'd consider getting the heck out of there.

[ Link via The Age ]

Transhumanists & Society

When I was younger, I was occasionally called a nerd, mostly because when I wasn't able to become wildly social with my peers, I turned to computers- one thing I could control and completely own mentally. Like most others who had similar experiences, I'm no longer called a nerd, but instead the more favorable term, "geek". I get this respect because this social group has grown through the dot com boom, and the push of the world wide web. I no longer wish to hide my interests as a geek, but stand tall.

Transhumanists though, while a subset of geeks, are less understood. In fact the idea of modifying oneself seems outright alien to many. The idea of pushing one's human shell to the limits to improve performance, and lifespan is even threatening to some. I myself have had conversations with people where I've expressed my desire to live for centuries instead of just one, and found myself in an argument about playing god. Nevertheless the goals of the transhumanist movement are appealing to many, which Stacy Robinson addresses in her book Transhumanism Reloaded:

...It may be a mistake to dismiss the transhumanists as a harmless group of under-socialized techno-geeks. Their vision of a world in which atomized individuals use technology and free markets to achieve dominance over others differs in degree, and not kind, from much of the real world today. At a time when many people feel powerless to influence social conditions, their message—don’t worry about society; technology will make you smart, strong, and attractive—could seem compelling.

It may seem foreign and strange right now to wear head mounted displays and want to put impant electronics under our skin now, but I think like theg geeks and the world wide web, transhumanism and cyborganics are going to become more and more accepted as this group of individuals excels beyond others. I will stand tall with my desire to augment myself because the idea of improving myself is compelling, and I believe while the transhumanist movement is young, the work being done now will be the foundations for years to come.

Fusing Chips with Brains

Cyborganics took a big step forward when european researchers were able to fuse electronic chips with brain cells. The reason why they did this was to pave the road towards sophisticated neural prostheses. These prostheses could be used potentially to assist nurological disorders or build more advanced computers using human tissue. Yeah, it sounds a bit like Robocop, but it could mean a great leap in computational power and cyborgs.

To create the neuro-chip, researchers squeezed more than 16,000 electronic transistors and hundreds of capacitors onto a silicon chip just 1 millimeter square in size.

[Researchers] used special proteins found in the brain to glue brain cells, called neurons, onto the chip. However, the proteins acted as more than just a simple adhesive.

"They also provided the link between ionic channels of the neurons and semiconductor material in a way that neural electrical signals could be passed to the silicon chip," said study team member Stefano Vassanelli from the University of Padua in Italy.

The proteins allowed the neuro-chip's electronic components and its living cells to communicate with each other. Electrical signals from neurons were recorded using the chip's transistors, while the chip's capacitors were used to stimulate the neurons.

They see the payoff being decades away, but for the meantime they believe their work can be used for screening drugs for the pharmaceutical industry. After all researchers follow where the money is, and the pharmaceutical industry has bags of it.

[ Link via Xaos. Thanks Xaos! ]

DRM vs Cyborgs

Going to the movies is not what it used to be. Security at the studio-owned theatres is heavy, it's not a trip to be taken lightly. But if you want to see the film everyone is talking about without waiting a year for the home release, you have little choice. When you enter the lobby the first thing you see are long ranks of tiny, thumbprint activated lockers. This is where you must leave all of your electronics, your personal server and peripherals, even your watch, and you had better not be wearing smart spectacles or contacts. As you enter the security zone you're scanned for anything you may have forgotten. Cochlea and optical implants must be capable of responding with a coded RF identification signal to indicate their systems are secure and cannot record. People with older models, or models implanted abroad where such interrogation is illegal, are turned away. Perhaps they would like to see one of the older releases? Once through the scanner you must submit to a biometric ID test - this is where the known bloggers, hackers and spoilers are ejected. Finally there is the non-disclosure agreement to be signed - these days most moviegoers choose to sign via the MPAAs annual subscription, just trying to take some of the hassle out of visiting the cinema. Finally you get to see the film. In the auditorium the audience is constantly scanned by an AI looking for suspicious activity, so don't rummage in your pockets for too long. It's strange that all this effort to protect the movie industry has done so little to improve the movies.

[ Link via boingboing ]

Adapting Cyborg Knee

This prothestic knee uses sensors to adapt to the wearer's walking pattern, to help emulate how a real leg would operate. Very cool medical tech.

The "Rheo Knee," [has] built-in sensors that can measure how far the knee is bent, as well as the amount of force the user applies to it while walking – a computer chip then analyses user's walk and continually adapts the movement and resistance of the knee accordingly.

"The Rheo knee has an adaptiveness that's both immediate and very rapid, and also an adaptiveness that's more longer term," Herr explains. "The knee has the ability to adapt step to step, from minute to minute, from hour to hour."

[ Link via engadget ]

Cyberhand

This cybernetics project looks interesting:

It works in much the same way as a real hand; by using synthetic tendons that run through each finger, the artificial hand only needs 6 motors to control motion. So far they’ve created a touch sensitive prototype, and now it looks like their next task is to attach the hand and fire it up. Though what’s really got us excited is the wireless communication between the nerve endings and the hand, opening up a whole realm of possibilities for hot-swapping arm attachments. We think you know where we’re going with this. [engadget]

[ Link via engadget ]

Cyborg Bill of Rights

This Cyborg Bill of Rights by "Cyborgologist" Chris Hables Gray caught my attention, but I'm not sure how much it applies to cyborgs, as it doesn't really address some of the problems that people like Steve Mann have had as a result of being different from the norm. Here are a few bits that did seem interesting:

Freedom of Consciousness. The consciousness of the citizen shall be protected by the First, Fourth, and Eighth Amendments. Unreasonable search and seizure in this, the most sacred and private part of an individual citizen, shall be absolutely prohibited. Individuals shall retain all rights to modify their consciousness through psychopharmological, medical, genetic, spiritual and other practices in so far as they do not threaten the fundamental rights of other individuals and citizens and if they do so at their own risk and expense.

Freedom of Information. Citizens shall have access to all information held on them by governments or other bureaucracies. Citizens shall have the right to correct all information held on them by governments and other bureaucracies at the expense of these bureaucracies. Institutional and corporate use of information to coerce or otherwise illegally manipulate or act upon citizens shall be absolutely forbidden.

[ Link via del ]

Cyborg Web Shop

Can I have the LCD Lens and Telescope Lens implanted at the same time? Yes, you can. We do however recommend waiting another 6 months when a new model with both options will be coming out.

Some artists put together this site intended to explore people's reaction to commercial, cyborganic, high tech implants. You have to answer some questions first to get to the site, but it's pretty interesting. I love the comment in the picture above from a visitor, "are these items genuinely for sale?". How soon do you think until a cyborg web shop actually does open? There are already two wearable computing stores that I personally know of.

[ Link via del ]

Telescope Eye Implant

Visioncare Inc. has developed a telescope eye implant, which can reportedly zoom up to 3X. It is designed for people with age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, instead of those who want better than human vision, but it's a step in the right direction. Just imagine being able to get an implant that allows your eyes to zoom far beyond our natural limitations. Instead of seeing someone wave to you from a distance, you could tell if they had rings on their fingers or not.

The device is implanted in one eye, which provides central vision [...] while the non-implanted eye provides peripheral vision for mobility and navigation. After the surgical procedure, the patient participates in a structured vision rehabilitation program to maximize their ability to perform daily activities. Situated in the eye, the device allows patients to use natural eye movements to scan the environment and reading materials.

[ Link via shawn vlad ]

Radical Cyborgs Tribe

Found a tribe on tribe.net called "Radical Cyborgs", which seems to hold some promise for discusssion. Here's the description:

Democratic transhumanists, revolutionary singularitarians, leftist extropians, bioutopians, socialist-feminist cyborgs, biopunks, transgenders, body modifiers, basic income, the culture, viridians.

One of the topics I really liked was "What cybernetic enhancement / device do you need?". Check it out, there's some fun comments there.

We are not free in this human society because we need to eat, to drink and to sleep. And even in a ideal techno-utopic society, it would be impossible to be free because we die.

If we want to be free, before thinking of other possibilities, we would have to remove those needs.

Think of alga, maybe you think it ’s a lower being, and it is in some ways, but it doesn ’t need to kill to live. Alga gets its energy directly from sun.

What kind of device would we need to insert inside of our human bodies to be a kind of intelligent seaweed?

[ Link via tribe ]

Cyborg Cells

Cell research is breaking new ground for cybernetics, thanks to the University of Nebraska. Bacteria have been successfully used as a humidity sensor, and aparently still change shape in response to humidity even a month after they die.

Living bacteria have been incorporated into an electronic circuit to produce a sensitive humidity gauge.

The device unites microbe and machine, taking advantage of the properties of both to make for a supersensitive sensor.

"As far as we know, this is the first report of using microorganisms to make an electronic device," says Ravi Saraf, a chemist from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, who developed the 'cellborg' with his student Vikas Berry.

While this is taking the approach of embedding cells in electronics, instead of electronics in humans, it still is a big step forward to merging flesh and technology.

[ Link via we-make-money-not-art ]

Cyborg 101

Cyborg 101, aka "Warrior's Guide to the Blackboard Jungle" is an online book written by Angus T.K. Wong that expores cyborgs. Reprinted by Grasshopper Enterpises, and preserved by the Wayback Machine, this is a romp through cybernetic technology.

Nowaways, the term "cybernetics" has taken on new meaning. It describes the interaction between humans and machines. In fact, the "cybernetic relationship" requires that there be little distinction between the component organic and mechanical parts. A person with a surgically-implanted device, such as a pace-maker, is a prime example. The key to the use of the word "cybernetics" in the context of this book is to realise that cybernetic devices enhance organic functions. I will discuss not only cybernetic hardware, but cybernetic principles as well. In the competitive world of the urban jungle, it takes more than animal instinct and brute force to survive. Indeed, these two traits, so vital once long ago, may even be counter-productive in this day and age. Because of our biological limitations, and because of the modern demands placed on every person to perform at higher levels, it is foolhardy not to take advantage of advanced technology to assist us in our endeavours. It is this cybernetic assistance that I will show you.

[ Link to archived site via del. Image from BenJ ]

Your Own Cyborg Child

You too can own a 4-6 year old small cyborg child.

Teen Titan Cyborg Child - Small 4-6 Web Only $28.99

The specs are a bit sparse though, no idea if the child comes with bionic legs to jump over small buildings, or lasers in it's eyes, but it's a good deal. You can't even get a regular child for under thirty dollars.

[ Link ]

“Borgs” By 2045

Ray Kurzweil, who has a new book called "The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology", is predicting that a borg singularity, like that of Star Trek. His prediction is based on Moore's Law, which when applied to current techology, claims that by 2030 a $1 computer will be as powerful as the human brain, which lends to the transfer of a brain to computer, or at least a merging of the two.

Your concept of the future relies heavily on "strong AI," the idea that artificial intelligence will become self-aware and eventually surpass human intelligence. But it seems like AI researchers have abandoned that idea for focused real-world applications like face recognition. I was at a speech this week where computer science professor Rudy Rucker said that strong AI was dead.

Kurzweil: There are hundreds of applications where AI is performing projects that would have required a human level of intelligence a few years ago. Those include diagnosing heart disease, routing e-mail messages, cell phone routing, landing planes.

We are now in an era of narrow AI, meaning it's not strong AI. It's not the full range of human intelligence. But it's performing functions that used to require human intelligence. Looking for credit card fraud is one example of that. These were research projects 15 years ago.

This isn't 2029. We'll make a billionfold increase in hardware capacity between now and then. We're also doubling the resolution of brain scanning every year. So it's a long case, which is why it took a whole book to express it. But we'll have the hardware and software in the 2020s for strong AI. We're a factor of a billion (away).

The tools we have to model the brain, to scan the brain, to simulate these processes, all of these are doubling every year. What that means from the perspective of the 2020s is that it's a very doable project.

I tend to be on the verge with this one; technology has limitations, which lend to coming up with dramatically different solutions to computational problems, but that really comes down to what you think of Moore's Law. I'm also unsure about AI's ability to really make complicated decisions when they still make lousy opponents in video games.

[ Link via Gizmodo ]

Contact Lenses as Sunglasses

Nike, Bausch & Lomb have teamed together to make contact lenses that act as sunglasses, and assist sports players in various ways. It doesn't seem like vaporware either, it's reported to be bound for stores this month. The contact lenses are tinted in such a way that allows greater clarity for certain sports activites.

"Nike Maxsight contact lenses come in a grey-green tint and an amber tint, [see picture], to enhance different parts of the light spectrum for different activities.

The grey-green lenses are designed to enhance the green and red portions of the visual spectrum of natural sunlight to improve detail and contour recognition. This is ideal for sports played in bright sunlight such as golf, football, running and rugby.

The amber assists athletes playing fast-moving ball sports played in variable light such as soccer, tennis, baseball and softball. The tint selectively filters wavelengths in the blue-green portion of the visible spectrum, making the ball pop out of the background."

Sounds very interesting, although having worn contacts in the past, I kind of think they're a pain, but this may become a very hip thing to do, much like other cosmetic contact lenses.

[ Link ]

Monochromatism Cyboria

"Neil Harbisson is, quite literally, a man who has always viewed life in black and white. The 22-year-old Spaniard, who moved to Totnes in south Devon in 2003, was born with achromatopsia, a rare condition that affects only one person in 33,000 and causes monochromatism, or complete colour blindness.

But last year, he was able to see – or, more accurately, hear – colours for the first time. Neil has been fitted with a machine that turns colours into soundwaves, with a different sound representing each hue. The Eye-Borg, as it is known, features a head-mounted digital camera that reads the colours in front of Neil and converts them into sound. A scale of musical tones represents the spectrum of colours – light hues are high-pitched, while darker colours sound bolder. It is, in a way, forced synaesthesia; its creator, 24-year-old digital multimedia expert Adam Montandon, describes the invention as "like hearing a colour wheel"."

I think 'Eye-Borg' is a bit of a silly name, especially as it doesn't communicate what it's really for. In any case I'm all for people enabling themselves, to overcome shortcomings, or go beyond their biological limitations. I look forward to finding out more about this project.

[ Link to HMC MediaLab ]

Cyborg Flash Animation

[Here's a] flash examining the potential of bioelectronic implants, nanotechnology, smart clothing, computers and telecommunications for creating cyborgs in our lifetime.

I watched this flash animation without sound, and it was pretty interesting. Could be good for explaining the benefits of medical implants and nanotechnology. Also seems to touch on the concept of a singularity.

[ Link via del.icio.us ]

Man Says No to Implants

Oh yeah, that guy is Bill Gates.

"One of the guys that works at Microsoft ... always says to me 'I'm ready, plug me in,"' Gates said at a Microsoft seminar in Singapore. "I don't feel quite the same way. I'm happy to have the computer over there and I'm over here."

As one /.'er says:

Well Bill... Resistance is futile.

[ Link to boring Technology Review article (via /.) ]

Running with Metal

"The notion that your leg is a machine part and it is exposed, that it is an enhancement, is becoming comfortable in the sense that it can be made a part of you."'

It had to happen, and it did. I got into a fight with my girlfriend about replacing body parts, and she seemed really concerned that I might actually remove a leg in order to replace it. I explained that I would only want to improve, not take a step back, from my humanity. That being said, she still didn't like the idea of replacing my bones with stronger materials, or other unseen modifications. Interesting how some people react to tampering with the human body when it's not meant to restore someone, like with this bloke who lost his legs in a train accident.

[ Link via del.icio.us ]

Bots on the Move

[From The ARQuake Photo Gallery which is a part of the Tinmith augmented reality project]

Stelarc, Cyborg Artist

Just found a series of links about an interesting cyborg-artist, who has been working in performance art since the 1970s. BMEZine has an article about his earlier work with suspensions, but I think you'll appreciate his more cyborganic experimentations:

And from CTHEORY:

Selarc's experiments seem similar in many regards to the work of The Psymbiote and Steve Mann. I sure hope Stelarc brings his peformances to Los Angeles!

[Official website, Recent peformances via snfg on del.icio.us/tag/cyborg/]

Braaaains!

My brother just wrote me from Santa Cruz about a bit of futuretech:

[Link]

Cyborg Rumsfeld

Turns out cyborg bush has a companion in his ranks:

[Link]

Cameras and the War

The above photo is a video game rendition of the Future Force Warrior for a new game, Ghost Recon 2. This photo, and the one from the army to the right are what our modern army is probably going to look like. On the opposite of the spectrum, a 27 minute film has been released called "60 Cameras against the War", which is one of the first compiled witnessal networks exposing the truth behind the 2003 anti-war protest in New York city. According to the film, protesters were denied permits to protest legally:

I'm excited about the Future Force Warrior program, and the use of cameras by anti-war protesters, but it's important to be aware of the barriers between citizens and authority, especially when the government is suiting up police with the same kind of helmet cameras that the Future Force Warrior program is pushing.

I just hope that these cameras are designed to be open and free for everyone to see. When the police break the rules they're supposed to enforce, there should be a recording to make them accountable.

[Link to 60 Minutes Against the War (hosted for free by Archive.org)]

Disabled or Crossbow-Enabled?

Don't mess with Cyborgs.

[Link via boingboing]

Cyborg Democracy

Just found a new blog called Cyborg Democracy.

Okay wow. WTF? Now I need to read deeper.

[Link]

Helmet Head

Looks like some relic from the 80's. Maybe they don't get mugged enough in NY anymore.

[via engadget]

Cyborg Tom Brooks

Robert Vitalini from Wheii.com, a cool futurism/trends site, sent me this photo of his friend Tom Brooks as an igargoyle photo submission.

Thanks Rob!

Natural Born Cyborgs

I just found this book, called "Natural Born Cyborgs" by Andy Clark, which I imagine is a good technological-read. Clark has written 27 other books, many dealing with artificial inteligence and cognitive science.

Another book that Clark has written, "Mindware" was reviewed as being

Since I haven't read either books, here is a description of Clark's "Natural Born Cyborgs":

[Link via The World Transhumanist Association]

World Transhuman Con

I can only imagine that this is worth going to if you're in the Toronto area. If you're attending, I would please email me about moblogging and/or photoblogging the event.

Presentations include:

• Atheism, Rationalism and Transhumanism: Are Transhumanism and Religious Faith Compatible?
  
• Transhumanist Public Policy
  
• Neurotheology and the Moral Duty of Self-improvement
  
• Immortalism: Sublimated Religious Impulse?
  
• Transhuman Art and Aesthetics
  
• Body Politics

Also check out the World Transhumanist Association. They even have a blog, how is it that I've never heard of them? Do I live in a technological cave?

[Link via boingboing]

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

The sequel to the huge anime hit, Ghost in the Shell, is about to go on a limited release. Written and directed by Mamoru Oshii, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence was the "first anim� to ever screen in competition at the Cannes Film Festival" and may be the first cyborg story to be shown at Cannes. From the looks of the movie's website and their production photos, this is going to completely outdo the first Ghost in the Shell, as well as the GITS television series.

The original film "is set in the not-too-distant future, when an unnamed government uses lifelike cyborgs or 'enhanced' humans for undercover work" [Charles Solomon via amazon]. Commingsoon.net describes this sequel as "the story of a solitary cyborg who desperately wants to hold on to what's left of his humanity in a world where the worth of the human soul is fading almost into obscurity".

The sequel will be released in U.S. theaters on September 17, 2004 under the Go Fish Pictures banner, a division of DreamWorks Pictures. Anyone in the LA area is welcome to join us for the premiere, details will be announced in September.

Wallpapers can be downloaded from here here and here.

[Link (English GITS:Innocence Website) Link (Japanese Innocence Website). Production photos from commingsoon.net]

NPR Steve Mann Interview

I'm an avid NPR listener, so I was totally pleased to find out that they have interviewed the ever evolving cyborg, Steve Mann. He talks about his body's "dashboard" which shows him his heartrate and other bodily functions. Also touches on sousveillance - "the people watching the powers that be". Available in both RealAudio & Windows Media Player 9.

[Link via news.google.com:cyborg. Photo from wearcam]]

Antenna Implants

Zarlink Semiconductor is working under the EU to develop antennas for implants. This is big news for anyone with a pacemaker since currently patients with problematic implants need to go under the knife in order to fix their medical gadgets. With an antenna on board, doctors could fix the devices wirelessly. The development works up to three meters and can "work on wireless bands devoted to medical implant communications in both the United States and Europe."

Hacking concerns aside, I see this as a major improvment and would be great for things like digital tattoos and cyborganic sensors. Also it brings a whole new meaning to "ping me".

[Link via we-make-money-not-art]

Mexican Attny General Chipped

The Mexican Government seems to be embracing cyborg technology. Similar to pet id chips, the Attorney General of Mexico has been chipped. A microchip was inserted under the skin of one of his arms to identify him when accessing the governments new crime database. Since the country hasn't always been the most stable politically, the chip also is designed to trace him if he is ever abducted. Unfortunately, if he is ever abducted, his arms will be probably be cut off.

Well I don't think think I agree with sue's zealous rant, I do think this is a frightening trend as "about 160 Mexican officials will carry the microchip" and "the chip can't be removed, but will be deactivated after Macedo's term as attorney general expires.", if it's okay to chip government employees, why wouldn't it be okay to chip criminals or citizens? Hey, I'm all for electronic implants, but I'm just a bit wary of governments doing it.

Cheers Attorney General Rafael Macedo, I look forward to joining you in the lake of fire.

[Link via boingboing]

Kevin Warwick, 1st Cyborg?

Kevin Warwick seemed like a pretty cool guy when I first picked up a wired issue with his face on the cover, but I quickly realised that this bloke is just a media whore and a bunch of hot air, and now he's trying to claim that he's the "World's first cyborg".

It's amazing that this guy ignores significant criticism for his tatics and lack of real development. Even Wired, after doing a feature story on Warwick, wrote a followup article entitled Kevin Warwick: Cyborg or Media Doll? exposing the stupidity of reporters who follow the "1st Cyborg".

Kevin, get a clue, and let the media interview the real cyborgs like Steve Mann.

[silly multi-light photo taken without permission from kevin's media whore website]

The Witnessential Net

This photo shows Steve Mann wearing an EyeTap device and a screen displaying photos published by his EyeTap off his website. I think this rig could be a bit more aesthetic, but it certainly confronts people with the fact that they're being recorded. I found this photo while reading a paper written by Mann called "The Witnessential Net":