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...Not quite yet, but getting there.
So one day, I sat down in the kitchen with a fruit peeler, and I started sticking it into my arm.
Here is a very interesting article on an emerging subculture of body-mod enthusiasts a bit more "scientistic" than your average BME/tattoo freak. These are grinders, and based on what I've read, these guys are on the cusp of something big. They're essentially people who are using their own bodies to experiment with how to integrate their nerves with machines, and doing it on their own time, off very limited budgets. Right now, they're mostly clustered in decaying industrial cities in the Rust Belt (*cough* Deus Ex HR Detroit *cough*) but that could all very well change.
I look at what they're doing and I see possibilities that are potentially endless. Imagine being able to browse teamliquid just by opening your eyes, or being able to turn those tunes you're humming into symphonic orchestras just by thinking it, or never forgetting where your car keys are again. Imagine the blind given sight, the legless given the ability to walk, the voiceless given the ability to sing.
What I find especially amazing is that these people are doing it without funding. Imagine what we could do if we dumped billions of dollars at these sorts of problems instead of letting it sit in Apple's corporate bank account or be spent on blowing up yet another Middle Eastern country?
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Cool link. And you can bet your ass gov'ts are already dumping a great deal of money into this kind of research. There's a reason the US military is now able to install vid cams on horseflies and remote control them from bases to fly around and spy on shit.
P.S. First comment on this article is sooooo epic and fitting.
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Last month, a Canadian professor named Steve Mann was eating at a McDonalds with his family. Mann wears a pair of computerized glasses at all times, similar to Google’s project glass. One of the employees asked him to take them off. When he refused, Mann says, an employee tried to rip the glasses off, an alleged attack made more brutal because the device is permanently attached and does not come off his skull without special tools.
On biohacking websites and transhumanist forums, the event was a warning sign of the battle to come. Some dubbed it the first hate crime against cyborgs. That would imply the employees knew Mann’s device was part of him, which is still largely unclear. But it was certainly a harbinger of the friction that will emerge between people whose bodies contain powerful machines and society at large.
Whoa, Deus Ex much?
EDIT: Also this
"I would really prefer not to have to rely on a inefficient four valve pump that sends liquid through these fragile hoses. Fuck cheetahs. I want to punch through walls."
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I don't think the magnetic implants is too knew. I remember a bunch of articles and a reddit AMA a while back about electrical engineers getting small magnets implanted into their fingertips or forearms so they can feel electromagnetic fields like a 6th sense.
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On August 10 2012 13:47 Tarot wrote:
I don't think the magnetic implants is too knew. I remember a bunch of articles and a reddit AMA a while back about electrical engineers getting small magnets implanted into their fingertips or forearms so they can feel electromagnetic fields like a 6th sense.
It's not that it's nothing new. It's the sort of low-budget hacker ethos which brought about the micro-computer revolution in the 1970s and 80s. That ethos is something to admire, encourage, and ultimately profit from
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The whole magnet thing actually sounds interesting. When this manages to get refined, I see it taking off within ten years.
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On August 10 2012 13:46 Shady Sands wrote:Show nested quote +Last month, a Canadian professor named Steve Mann was eating at a McDonalds with his family. Mann wears a pair of computerized glasses at all times, similar to Google’s project glass. One of the employees asked him to take them off. When he refused, Mann says, an employee tried to rip the glasses off, an alleged attack made more brutal because the device is permanently attached and does not come off his skull without special tools.
On biohacking websites and transhumanist forums, the event was a warning sign of the battle to come. Some dubbed it the first hate crime against cyborgs. That would imply the employees knew Mann’s device was part of him, which is still largely unclear. But it was certainly a harbinger of the friction that will emerge between people whose bodies contain powerful machines and society at large. Whoa, Deus Ex much?
Why the hell would an employee rip off someone's glasses, jesus christ. Like really, who the hell does that shit.
Anyway, this is INCREDIBLY interesting, but it still makes me feel... I don't know. A little nervous, I guess. I don't really know why. I don't really like the idea of fucking with your body to that extent.
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On August 10 2012 13:49 CyDe wrote:Show nested quote +On August 10 2012 13:46 Shady Sands wrote:Last month, a Canadian professor named Steve Mann was eating at a McDonalds with his family. Mann wears a pair of computerized glasses at all times, similar to Google’s project glass. One of the employees asked him to take them off. When he refused, Mann says, an employee tried to rip the glasses off, an alleged attack made more brutal because the device is permanently attached and does not come off his skull without special tools.
On biohacking websites and transhumanist forums, the event was a warning sign of the battle to come. Some dubbed it the first hate crime against cyborgs. That would imply the employees knew Mann’s device was part of him, which is still largely unclear. But it was certainly a harbinger of the friction that will emerge between people whose bodies contain powerful machines and society at large. Whoa, Deus Ex much? Why the hell would an employee rip off someone's glasses, jesus christ. Like really, who the hell does that shit. Anyway, this is INCREDIBLY interesting, but it still makes me feel... I don't know. A little nervous, I guess. I don't really know why. I don't really like the idea of fucking with your body to that extent.
It's SOP to put titanium plates, artificial pacemakers, etc into people's bodies for medical reasons. This threshold was crossed long time ago. I don't see why you would be worried. If there are already artificial chambers implanted into people's HEARTS I don't see why there would be any resistance left.
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On August 10 2012 14:02 StorkHwaiting wrote:Show nested quote +On August 10 2012 13:49 CyDe wrote:On August 10 2012 13:46 Shady Sands wrote:Last month, a Canadian professor named Steve Mann was eating at a McDonalds with his family. Mann wears a pair of computerized glasses at all times, similar to Google’s project glass. One of the employees asked him to take them off. When he refused, Mann says, an employee tried to rip the glasses off, an alleged attack made more brutal because the device is permanently attached and does not come off his skull without special tools.
On biohacking websites and transhumanist forums, the event was a warning sign of the battle to come. Some dubbed it the first hate crime against cyborgs. That would imply the employees knew Mann’s device was part of him, which is still largely unclear. But it was certainly a harbinger of the friction that will emerge between people whose bodies contain powerful machines and society at large. Whoa, Deus Ex much? Why the hell would an employee rip off someone's glasses, jesus christ. Like really, who the hell does that shit. Anyway, this is INCREDIBLY interesting, but it still makes me feel... I don't know. A little nervous, I guess. I don't really know why. I don't really like the idea of fucking with your body to that extent. It's SOP to put titanium plates, artificial pacemakers, etc into people's bodies for medical reasons. This threshold was crossed long time ago. I don't see why you would be worried. If there are already artificial chambers implanted into people's HEARTS I don't see why there would be any resistance left.
Yeah, but that is for medical purposes. This is recreational, and is for a totally different purpose. You know? It's like functionality. I mean, I'm one of those people that isn't even a big fan of carrying a phone that you can be on all the time, so for it to actually be PART of you... it just. I don't know. It makes me a bit uncomfortable to consider.
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Just in a few years, we might see real life Ghosts, not really cool.
I don't mean that as in cloaking field, but the whole hud/ui thing.
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On August 10 2012 14:02 StorkHwaiting wrote:Show nested quote +On August 10 2012 13:49 CyDe wrote:On August 10 2012 13:46 Shady Sands wrote:Last month, a Canadian professor named Steve Mann was eating at a McDonalds with his family. Mann wears a pair of computerized glasses at all times, similar to Google’s project glass. One of the employees asked him to take them off. When he refused, Mann says, an employee tried to rip the glasses off, an alleged attack made more brutal because the device is permanently attached and does not come off his skull without special tools.
On biohacking websites and transhumanist forums, the event was a warning sign of the battle to come. Some dubbed it the first hate crime against cyborgs. That would imply the employees knew Mann’s device was part of him, which is still largely unclear. But it was certainly a harbinger of the friction that will emerge between people whose bodies contain powerful machines and society at large. Whoa, Deus Ex much? Why the hell would an employee rip off someone's glasses, jesus christ. Like really, who the hell does that shit. Anyway, this is INCREDIBLY interesting, but it still makes me feel... I don't know. A little nervous, I guess. I don't really know why. I don't really like the idea of fucking with your body to that extent. It's SOP to put titanium plates, artificial pacemakers, etc into people's bodies for medical reasons. This threshold was crossed long time ago. I don't see why you would be worried. If there are already artificial chambers implanted into people's HEARTS I don't see why there would be any resistance left.
There's a difference between repairing or replacing a malfunctioning organ and augmenting your body with machines and computers to enhance strength, intelligence, etc. That said, their body, they can do whatever the hell they want with it, but this road ain't going to be the pretty picture people are brewing inside their heads.
As for my personal thoughts -- I'm human, not a machine and I would never want to move towards becoming more 'machine-like'. The trade-off's are too great. Also, nature is a wee-bit more resilient than man-made machines. If I take care of my body more than likely I can live long-enough (80+ years), without having to pay too much to tune it up every now and then (check-ups, doctor visits, etc.). I'd rather not cede that autonomy over to anyone else, not to mention potential problems with hacking, etc. that always comes with stuff like this. AFAIK MK Ultra is just conspiracy and not fact. :p
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On August 10 2012 14:14 Wegandi wrote:Show nested quote +On August 10 2012 14:02 StorkHwaiting wrote:On August 10 2012 13:49 CyDe wrote:On August 10 2012 13:46 Shady Sands wrote:Last month, a Canadian professor named Steve Mann was eating at a McDonalds with his family. Mann wears a pair of computerized glasses at all times, similar to Google’s project glass. One of the employees asked him to take them off. When he refused, Mann says, an employee tried to rip the glasses off, an alleged attack made more brutal because the device is permanently attached and does not come off his skull without special tools.
On biohacking websites and transhumanist forums, the event was a warning sign of the battle to come. Some dubbed it the first hate crime against cyborgs. That would imply the employees knew Mann’s device was part of him, which is still largely unclear. But it was certainly a harbinger of the friction that will emerge between people whose bodies contain powerful machines and society at large. Whoa, Deus Ex much? Why the hell would an employee rip off someone's glasses, jesus christ. Like really, who the hell does that shit. Anyway, this is INCREDIBLY interesting, but it still makes me feel... I don't know. A little nervous, I guess. I don't really know why. I don't really like the idea of fucking with your body to that extent. It's SOP to put titanium plates, artificial pacemakers, etc into people's bodies for medical reasons. This threshold was crossed long time ago. I don't see why you would be worried. If there are already artificial chambers implanted into people's HEARTS I don't see why there would be any resistance left. There's a difference between repairing or replacing a malfunctioning organ and augmenting your body with machines and computers to enhance strength, intelligence, etc. That said, their body, they can do whatever the hell they want with it, but this road ain't going to be the pretty picture people are brewing inside their heads. As for my personal thoughts -- I'm human, not a machine and I would never want to move towards becoming more 'machine-like'. The trade-off's are too great. Also, nature is a wee-bit more resilient than man-made machines. If I take care of my body more than likely I can live long-enough (80+ years), without having to pay too much to tune it up every now and then (check-ups, doctor visits, etc.). I'd rather not cede that autonomy over to anyone else, not to mention potential problems with hacking, etc. that always comes with stuff like this. AFAIK MK Ultra is just conspiracy and not fact. :p
There's actually no difference in what you "compared". If you look at it in such a way that says "well, I'm replacing something to survive and thats a different reason than for just pure enhancement" then yes your purpose is different. As for the ACT of inserting machinery to help your body and integrating it into yourself (which is what we are talking about), there is no difference, its been done and saying you're opposed to it is blatantly lying.
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Just think though. What if you created a mercenary company where everyone who joined the PMC had to get implants first?
Or has that been done already 
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On August 10 2012 14:14 Wegandi wrote:Show nested quote +On August 10 2012 14:02 StorkHwaiting wrote:On August 10 2012 13:49 CyDe wrote:On August 10 2012 13:46 Shady Sands wrote:Last month, a Canadian professor named Steve Mann was eating at a McDonalds with his family. Mann wears a pair of computerized glasses at all times, similar to Google’s project glass. One of the employees asked him to take them off. When he refused, Mann says, an employee tried to rip the glasses off, an alleged attack made more brutal because the device is permanently attached and does not come off his skull without special tools.
On biohacking websites and transhumanist forums, the event was a warning sign of the battle to come. Some dubbed it the first hate crime against cyborgs. That would imply the employees knew Mann’s device was part of him, which is still largely unclear. But it was certainly a harbinger of the friction that will emerge between people whose bodies contain powerful machines and society at large. Whoa, Deus Ex much? Why the hell would an employee rip off someone's glasses, jesus christ. Like really, who the hell does that shit. Anyway, this is INCREDIBLY interesting, but it still makes me feel... I don't know. A little nervous, I guess. I don't really know why. I don't really like the idea of fucking with your body to that extent. It's SOP to put titanium plates, artificial pacemakers, etc into people's bodies for medical reasons. This threshold was crossed long time ago. I don't see why you would be worried. If there are already artificial chambers implanted into people's HEARTS I don't see why there would be any resistance left. There's a difference between repairing or replacing a malfunctioning organ and augmenting your body with machines and computers to enhance strength, intelligence, etc. That said, their body, they can do whatever the hell they want with it, but this road ain't going to be the pretty picture people are brewing inside their heads. As for my personal thoughts -- I'm human, not a machine and I would never want to move towards becoming more 'machine-like'. The trade-off's are too great. Also, nature is a wee-bit more resilient than man-made machines. If I take care of my body more than likely I can live long-enough (80+ years), without having to pay too much to tune it up every now and then (check-ups, doctor visits, etc.). I'd rather not cede that autonomy over to anyone else, not to mention potential problems with hacking, etc. that always comes with stuff like this. AFAIK MK Ultra is just conspiracy and not fact. :p
Sorry to break it to you but you are a machine already. You're a complex agglomeration of levers and pulleys, electrical and chemical signals that prompts parts of your body to react. These guys are trying to improve on that.
I read a cool article where a group was developing an artificial heart and they had a breakthrough when they realised the heart doesn't have to 'beat' - it's a pump, and making it jerk repeatedly puts a strain on it. Making it more like a conventional pump works fine, though it would be a little spooky to have one - you wouldn't have a pulse.
What worries me more about this is that these guys are hacking their own bodies. It's cool and all but someone will end up permanently disfiguring and maiming themselves. But I would agree that doctors, scientists and governments have been trying to do this for decades now. Anyone with a pacemaker is merely the precursor to what will be the future - permanent and semi-permanent implants which enable interfacing with devices, augmenting human abilities or replacing worn and broken body parts - looking at the prosthetic industry we have plenty of examples already of the amazing things being done to the human body. I'm interested to see how far it goes, and the implications it has for us. Are we less human with more implants? Can an augmented human compete in sports? What will the legal changes be if we have people who can literally replace parts of themselves?
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my views on this: "sounds awesome. you go first"
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On August 10 2012 14:24 Senros wrote:Show nested quote +On August 10 2012 14:14 Wegandi wrote:On August 10 2012 14:02 StorkHwaiting wrote:On August 10 2012 13:49 CyDe wrote:On August 10 2012 13:46 Shady Sands wrote:Last month, a Canadian professor named Steve Mann was eating at a McDonalds with his family. Mann wears a pair of computerized glasses at all times, similar to Google’s project glass. One of the employees asked him to take them off. When he refused, Mann says, an employee tried to rip the glasses off, an alleged attack made more brutal because the device is permanently attached and does not come off his skull without special tools.
On biohacking websites and transhumanist forums, the event was a warning sign of the battle to come. Some dubbed it the first hate crime against cyborgs. That would imply the employees knew Mann’s device was part of him, which is still largely unclear. But it was certainly a harbinger of the friction that will emerge between people whose bodies contain powerful machines and society at large. Whoa, Deus Ex much? Why the hell would an employee rip off someone's glasses, jesus christ. Like really, who the hell does that shit. Anyway, this is INCREDIBLY interesting, but it still makes me feel... I don't know. A little nervous, I guess. I don't really know why. I don't really like the idea of fucking with your body to that extent. It's SOP to put titanium plates, artificial pacemakers, etc into people's bodies for medical reasons. This threshold was crossed long time ago. I don't see why you would be worried. If there are already artificial chambers implanted into people's HEARTS I don't see why there would be any resistance left. There's a difference between repairing or replacing a malfunctioning organ and augmenting your body with machines and computers to enhance strength, intelligence, etc. That said, their body, they can do whatever the hell they want with it, but this road ain't going to be the pretty picture people are brewing inside their heads. As for my personal thoughts -- I'm human, not a machine and I would never want to move towards becoming more 'machine-like'. The trade-off's are too great. Also, nature is a wee-bit more resilient than man-made machines. If I take care of my body more than likely I can live long-enough (80+ years), without having to pay too much to tune it up every now and then (check-ups, doctor visits, etc.). I'd rather not cede that autonomy over to anyone else, not to mention potential problems with hacking, etc. that always comes with stuff like this. AFAIK MK Ultra is just conspiracy and not fact. :p There's actually no difference in what you "compared". If you look at it in such a way that says "well, I'm replacing something to survive and thats a different reason than for just pure enhancement" then yes your purpose is different. As for the ACT of inserting machinery to help your body and integrating it into yourself (which is what we are talking about), there is no difference, its been done and saying you're opposed to it is blatantly lying.
I'm not lying. I said people could do whatever the hell they want with their body, but for me, no thanks. Yes, it is different, you even stated yourself. We aren't merely talking about the act, but the intent and purpose behind the act also. You are right though, there is nothing inherently per se off putting to putting metal, etc. in a body, but it's one thing to aid one to continue living as opposed to eschewing perfectly working body and transforming yourself into a machine or at least part machine, in order to add strength, endurance, intelligence, etc.
It's no different than eugenics when looking at it like that and I'd rather not move down the Gattaca path, but hey, that's just my personal thoughts. You're free to use or abuse your body in whatever way you want.
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interesting stuff, but seeing as i'm really squeemish i doubt the whole "cut your finger open manually while you're watching" would work for me :D
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Get me in on this. Just put my brain in a robotic body and let me live forever.
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Awesome article; I was so impressed with the author, both for his cutting edge choice of subject, and having the balls to undergo fucking underground surgery to implant shit in his body, just to be able to REALLY report on it. That is s class journalism right there.
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On August 10 2012 14:40 MichaelDonovan wrote:
Get me in on this. Just put my brain in a robotic body and let me live forever.
Me too, right? Although I'm torn between this and completely replacing all the wetware with silicon. Like total mind upload
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Those magnets have the strength to rip out of those fingers, assuming a magnetic field was close/strong enough. That would be a funny sight, like a couple's facial piercings getting stuck to each other
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Reading this I was reminded of an old friend of mine, he told me that cybernetics were the future, this was about 15 years ago. He was really into the Ghost in the Shell at the time. Cool stuff, I wonder how fast my apm would be if I didn't have to use a mouse or keyboard. ]
There are so many interesting technologies that could spawn from this. Replacement body parts, soldiers with digitally enhanced senses, direct brain integration, your own internal cell phone and hard drive, direct computer interface, even the potential to bypass breaks in nerves (spinal injury).
I imagine a world where I drive my car with thoughts, and never have to look for the tv remote again.
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Imagine in the next few centuries where Earth got fucked up hard, we are forced to move to space, and evolution isnt coming fast enough for us to adapt to the extreme environment of new planets. DNA and electronics will be used together in a lab womb to create a reasonably suitable human ( halfhuman?). Instead of tools, we might just have arms that you can plug and unplug new tools like a Bosch screwdriver with the sizes and all. Instead of learning something through going to school and stuff, we could just have a computer in our brain that remembers everything so all we need to train on is critical thinking, ethics/morality, empathy. Creativity and originality will be the most sought after commodity right behind Spice.
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On August 10 2012 14:54 Shady Sands wrote:Show nested quote +On August 10 2012 14:40 MichaelDonovan wrote:
Get me in on this. Just put my brain in a robotic body and let me live forever. Me too, right? Although I'm torn between this and completely replacing all the wetware with silicon. Like total mind upload
I'd rather total mind upload. IF you can total mind upload then you can just clone yourself endlessly. Immortality and infinity. Only limiter is processing power and energy source.
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On August 10 2012 14:54 Zahir wrote:
Awesome article; I was so impressed with the author, both for his cutting edge choice of subject, and having the balls to undergo fucking underground surgery to implant shit in his body, just to be able to REALLY report on it. That is s class journalism right there.
Yeah, Ben Popper did an excellent job on the article. I've loved all his previous features on The Verge, but the cyborg one really takes the cake.
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On August 10 2012 16:05 StorkHwaiting wrote:Show nested quote +On August 10 2012 14:54 Shady Sands wrote:On August 10 2012 14:40 MichaelDonovan wrote:
Get me in on this. Just put my brain in a robotic body and let me live forever. Me too, right? Although I'm torn between this and completely replacing all the wetware with silicon. Like total mind upload I'd rather total mind upload. IF you can total mind upload then you can just clone yourself endlessly. Immortality and infinity. Only limiter is processing power and energy source.
That kind of depends on what you believe about consciousness and the mind. To quote a certain movie, "would you be the man in the box or the prestige?"
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Aotearoa39261 Posts
Really good article, like others have said. Makes me wonder when (or if?) this will be done commercially. There would clearly be a market for it, but I wonder if government regulators will step in.
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On August 10 2012 14:54 Shady Sands wrote:Show nested quote +On August 10 2012 14:40 MichaelDonovan wrote:
Get me in on this. Just put my brain in a robotic body and let me live forever. Me too, right? Although I'm torn between this and completely replacing all the wetware with silicon. Like total mind upload
Ghost in the Shell.
Freaking Ghost in the Shell, so fucking good. Movies like that aren't made anymore.
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The human body is a remarkable thing, almost divine. I like my internal body the way it is thank you.
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This is really fascinating stuff, thanks again for a great post Shady Sands. I also approve of the Fallout reference  .
I feel like there will probably be an equal amount of advances in genetic modification and understanding how stem cells work so that they can be used to recreate/repair any damaged bones or organs. We could basically have clinical immortality if we figure out the aging process, no need to transfer your consciousness to a machine (what is consciousness anyways, do you want to take the chance?)
Fun quote from Alpha Centauri, from the secret project "The Longevity Vaccine":
"I plan to live forever, of course, but barring that I'd settle for a couple thousand years. Even five hundred would be pretty nice."
-- CEO Nwabudike Morgan, MorganLink 3DVision Interview
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For those into the body modding, the story is remarkably similar to cyberpunk like Neuromancer (great book) or Ghost in the Shell (anime).
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On August 12 2012 08:55 HammyBits wrote:
For those into the body modding, the story is remarkably similar to cyberpunk like Neuromancer (great book) or Ghost in the Shell (anime).
Just sent those guys an email about this thread. We'll see if they respond here =)
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So they did something that has been possible for longer then their lifetime already and think it's cutting edge?
Zzz.
Show some real progress please, not some guys daydreaming bout it.
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On August 14 2012 18:57 Technique wrote:
So they did something that has been possible for longer then their lifetime already and think it's cutting edge?
Zzz.
Show some real progress please, not some guys daydreaming bout it.
Here's the thing dude: progress here is not defined by cutting edge improvements in the technology--it's about bringing it down to the level of cheap, mass acceptance. It wasn't IBM's and Cray's innovations in supercomputing that led to the information revolution--it was Steve Jobs fiddling around with cheap transistors, a CRT screen, and a wooden box. That's what these guys remind me of.
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EPT![[image loading]](http://www.gamerreaction.tv/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/deus-ex-human-revolution1.jpeg)
