November 30, 2004
Bots on the Move
[From The ARQuake Photo Gallery which is a part of the Tinmith augmented reality project]
November 07, 2004
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:
The objectification of the body, a theory that informs Stelarc's cyborg experiments, is not actually a modern idea. The body as a machine, is a theory that is tied to the work of the seventeenth century thinker Rene Descartes.[3] In 1637, Descartes published the Discourse on Method . The body is composed of only mechanical functioning, wrote Descartes. The body and mind were distinctly separate for Descartes, who thought the body a machine, to be informed by the higher order rationality of the mind, that was imbued with pneuma (breath of God or soul).[4] Stelarc's body and mind have been hollowed out from this dualistic theory. It does not mean he is an atheist, as if his mind or soul does not exist. Rather, he revitalizes the body with respect to consciousness.' [The Body Without Memory: An Interview with Stelarc by Mark Fernandes]
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/]
October 23, 2004
Braaaains!
My brother just wrote me from Santa Cruz about a bit of futuretech:
[Link]
October 13, 2004
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)]
August 22, 2004
Disabled or Crossbow-Enabled?
Don't mess with Cyborgs.
[Link via boingboing]
August 08, 2004
Cyborg Democracy
Just found a new blog called Cyborg Democracy.
Okay wow. WTF? Now I need to read deeper.
[Link]
August 07, 2004
Helmet Head
Looks like some relic from the 80's. Maybe they don't get mugged enough in NY anymore.
[via engadget]
July 31, 2004
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!
July 20, 2004
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":
July 19, 2004
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.
"The theme of this year's conference is "Art and Life in the Posthuman Era," featuring such presenters as cyborg Steve Mann, Australian performance artist Stelarc, Extropy Institute founder Max More, leading biogerontologist Aubrey de Grey, and transhumanist philosopher Nick Bostrom, among many others." [boingboing]
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]
July 17, 2004
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 animé 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]
July 16, 2004
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]]
July 14, 2004
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]
July 13, 2004
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.
As Born Again children of God through Jesus Christ we are NOT to Accept the Mark of the Beast, no Matter how Good they make it sound. Those who Do Not accept the Mark of the Beast Cannot buy or Sell, but if you Accept it you are Eternally Lost & Doomed to the Lake of Fire with Satan." [jesusandsue]
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]
July 07, 2004
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".
...
[Warwick]'s been surprised by the criticism.
"None of them have said anything to me," he said. "I'm not going to get into some sideline, trivial argument. I've got research that I want to get on with and that's the important thing for me." [wired news]
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]
June 28, 2004
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":
[Link]
June 25, 2004
Contains Superior Synthetic Parts
"...longtime bOING bOING editor Gareth Branwyn underwent total hip replacement to help relieve the pain of severe degenerative arthritis. A quintessential happy mutant, Gar wrote a smart, funny, and poignant deconstruction of his reconstruction, accompanied by "get well" illustrations by designer Jim Leftwich."
I just love the get-well illustrations, but Gar's description of his cyborganic event is quite lovely too:
"During the initial visit with my orthopedic surgeon, he brought in an implant for me to play with. It was a gorgeous, awe-inspiring piece of modern machinery - almost Zen-like in its shining simplicity and austere precision. The cementless implant technology my doctor's clinic uses was co-developed by them and has been implanted into thousands of patients. The description of the implant reads like something from a William Gibson novel. I now sport a Duroloc(r) 100 acetabular titanium cup with sintered titanium beads for in-bone growth adhesion. I have a bleeding-edge Marathon(r) polyethylene liner with irradiated cross-linked polymers for tighter bonding and longer wear rates. My Prodigy(r) brand stem has a 28mm cobalt-chrome head and a cobalt-chrome femoral component with sintered cobalt-chrome beading for bone in-growth fixation. Where 2001's HAL 9000 was fond of telling people that he was made at the H.A.L. plant in Urbana, Illinois, I can now boast that part of me was manufactured by DePuy Industries of Warsaw, Indiana."
[Link via boingboing]
June 22, 2004
Cyborg Arms
Well research similar to the robotic arm tests with chimps implies that cyborg arms are not that far off, nor are brain activated keyboards. North Carolina's Duke University Medical Center gives no finite word if the human brain is capible of carrying on more complex things like controlling a myrad of cyborg-tenticals, but the following quotes are positive. I'll keep hoping.
"Patients are awake during the surgery, and their brain signals are recorded to ensure that the electrodes are placed in the right location.
...
The study also showed that more parts of the brain could be used for neural interfaces than the researchers had previously tested with monkeys.
Unlike the monkey study, in which electrodes were implanted into the brain's cortical structures, the current study involved analyzing brain signals from electrodes inserted deep into subcortical structures.
"This shows that one can extract information not only from cortical areas, but from subcortical ones, too," says Nicolelis. "This suggests that in the future, there will be more options for sampling neuronal information to control a prosthetic device." " [betterhumans]
The future? I prefer this to the cyborg girlfriend scenario. In any case, my children are sure to find new and creative ways to offend me through body modification.
[Link via del.icio.us/tag/cyborg]
June 12, 2004
How to be a Gargoyle
Funny article about being a Gargoyle, and a few reviews of equipment that can help you become one. Short, but sweet.
"Now all we need is a full-power portable wireless computer system with extremely long battery life that can interface with any number of I/O devices.
Yup. That's all we need."
I too cannot wait to hack my first brainstem.
June 10, 2004
Cyborg Cows
I never thought I'd be envious of the students of Bovine University, but apparently cows are getting some sweet gear to wear. Ranchers may soon be able to herd cows without getting out of bed now, and be able to set up virtual fences for your cattle. Like virtual dog fences, these use electric shocks and sounds to herd, but unlike dog fences, these use gps devices to locate cows and determine if the cow is where they should be. They also use 802.11b to communicate wirelessly to update the virtual fence maps.
"[the researchers think their system would be] attractive to farmers in Australia who must move cattle across ranches that range up to 22,000 square kilometres - roughly the size of Massachusetts.
Currently farmers herd the cattle on horseback, motorcycles or even in helicopters, and have to open and close gates frequently, all requiring many workers and considerable time."
Okay so maybe the cows will have wearable computers before I do, but at least I won't be wearing a shock collar.
Update:
<anselm> soon i will steal ipaqs from cows
May 27, 2004
Cyborg Sensations
Nice article on Mann's opening keynote address at digifest:
Over one or both of his eyes, Mann wears a rotating fleet of mini-cameras and lasers that constantly mediate the world around him. Through the computing power attached to his body he can filter out obnoxious billboards, see people behind him, surf the Web and even change the colour of his surroundings.
[Link via Steve Mann's eyetap.org]
January 11, 2004
Steve Mann AP Article
Steve Barr posted on the wear-hard mailing list about a Steve Mann AP article. It's a pretty good read, I recommend checking it out.