I need to learn how to draw

Yup, that’s right. I admit it to the world. I totally suck at drawing. I should learn how to draw, because I want to draw where cyborg implants would best be placed, and what implants would be good to have. I recognize that this probably isn’t why most people learn to draw, but then again I’m not like most people. I’m myself!

Photos from scifi convention 2009 in Gothenburg

Here’s some photos from the 2009 Scifi convention in Gothenburg. I’ve selected the best photos from the convention to post here so enjoy

Defining Cyborgs

What is a Cyborg? That is a question that everyone has a different answer to.

Chris Hables Gray writes in his book The Cyborg Handbook “the fighter-bomber pilot in the state-of-the-art cockpit who can target enemies with the eyes” where he thinks of that pilot as a cyborg.

Two other persons defines cyborgs in different grades, neo-, proto-, ultra-, semi-, hyper-, retro-, omni-, pseudo-, mega-, and meta-cyborgs.

Gray also states that “Cyborg” is as useless term as “tool” and “machine” and I absolutely agree. I do not believe cyborg is to be used as widely as it is today. I see cyborg as a misused term just like the brand Jeep, which in a study a few years back was proven that people believe it is the name for a specific sort of car, not a brand name.

Cyborg handbook

I borrowed the book “The Cyborg handbook” by Chris Hables Gray from Karlstads Univerity library which hopefully will give me a good and complete introduction to cyborgs. For a long time I’ve been interested in cyborgs, ever since I first saw them on Star Trek, but my fascination of them didn’t come until I read the book series “The Commonwealth Saga” by Peter F. Hamilton.

He painted a wonderful world (not included the fact that humanity was almost subdued to an alien species) where humans had computers, memory cells and inter connectivity built into themselves. When they died, they’d simply be reborn in a laboratory and then loaded with their latest memory backup, after which they simply continued living as normal. That opened my eyes to what actually could be done with cyborg technology other than merely creating better soldiers and assimilating other species.

I hope this book will provide me with valuable insight into what cyborgs are, how far science has come and a few examples of a few early implants that in theory could be created now. Not to mention a theory of what the future for humanity could be like as cyborgs.

Connecting your body to the internet

Who would connect himself (physically) to the internet and his wife?

Kevin Warwick had got a few new implants, and unlike the old ones these were connected to a computer and, indirectly, the internet. This was one step towards creating his biological brain that he’s now got in his laboratory.

One of his earlier experiments was to connect his and his wifes’ neural systems, so they could feel each others feelings. At least some of them. That’s not something I would do, what if we become like the Borg in Star Trek?. This is the first step to sharing thoughts and feelings. In about 7-8 years he plans on getting an implant in his brain.

Let’s wait and see what the future brings us, and I hope to be part of it. Probably not getting an implant in my brain, but more likely a screen in my arm and perhaps some other implant, if I get the chance to do so

Digital Tattoo Interface

Since I already wrote “what brand is your brain”, why not continue my high-tech interest in my blog?

A few months ago I found out about a screen that you can surgically place under your skin. It’s extremely thin so you can roll it up, stick it under your skin, connect it to your blood vein and unroll it when it’s done. The screen looks like an tattoo on the skin and when not used it’s invisible.

Say that someone calls you or you get a text message to your mobile phone, instead of picking it up of your pocket you can not see who’s calling or read the text message easily on your arm! Isn’t that awesome! Now think about connecting it to your computer, stereo, or other wireless stuff in your home? That would rock!

I’d love to develop the software for that screen! And I certainly wouldn’t mind having one in my arm myself. Out of all people I have talked to, only one of them were also interested in the idea of having a piece of machinery in your own body. I think of it like a natural development, but so far our society doesn’t accept anything else than pacemakers or hearing aids.

So far that screen is too expensive and complicated to use commercially, but I believe that we will improve our bodies with technology and become something like half cyborgs (if you want to call it that).

I wonder how much power it requires and what’s a good measurement. Joules? Calories? Pizzas?

The article can be read here

Click the images to enlarge

What brand is your brain?

I’ve seriously tried hard not to involve any future technology and computers in my blog, but I can’t hold this one back! Yeah yeah call me nerd if you really have to -_-’

A few groups of researchers have found ways to stimulade the human brain so that we easier can access our memories. They insert a chip into our brain that stimulates the brain and somehow makes it easier to recall memories.

The problem with brains is that we have a lot of space to store, but we’re not as good at recalling what we’ve stored. They’ve realized that some good things is best in nature, and others in computers. Google being one of them. They are currently thinking of how to incorporate google into our brains in the far away future. Not to mention connecting us to the internet. Perhaps we all will go around with elf ears, in which the antennas is hidden?

Think of me as crazy but that would be really cool, and think about how much easier things would get! Let’s just hope spam won’t work

Here’s my source at Telegraph.co.uk