gnomedex 09 cyborg anthropology caseorganic

Prosthetic Culture andCyborg Anthropology

@caseorganichttp://oakhazelnut.com

What is Cyborg Anthropology?

Before we answer that…

Let us talk about Prosthetic culture…

Aimee Mullins

Extending the capability of the legs…

But our objects are also prosthetic devices.

As they extend the capability of the ears.

Cyborg Anthropology studies how technology augments our ability to communicate and live.

“Soon, perhaps, it will be impossible to tell where humans end and machines begin”.

For instance…

The term “Cyborg”…

1960 Paper on Space Travel

Using it to describe an organism “to which exogenous components had been added for the purpose of adapting it to new environments”.

Like Space.

Which is very similar to…

Information Society

We are all Cyborgs.

Also a Cyborg.

Sometimes we FAIL.

A possible future...Civilization and its Discontents

Omit Unnecessary Cyborgs.

Use Friendlier Replacements.

But has anything really changed?

Sci-Fi has a nice way of creating the future…

Multiplicity of Prosthetics

EARLY PROSTHETICS

ADVANCED PROSTHETICS

WE’RE ALL SHEDDING MATERIALS

LOTS OF MATERIALS

KIND OF LIKE TREES

EXCEPT LEAVES HELP CREATE NEW GROWTH

And we don’t…

WE SHARE OUR PROSTHETIC IMPULSE WITH ANOTHER CREATURE

WE SHARE OUR PROSTHETIC IMPULSE WITH ANOTHER CREATURE

One of the earliest forms of life to develop an exoskeleton.

One of the earliest forms of life to develop an exoskeleton.

Trilobytes shed their eyes.

So do we.

So do we.

Among other things…

Tinyurl, Tr.im, Bit.ly

TELEOPERATORS

Teleoperators

Telenoia

All The World’s A Video Game

A Giant Spreadsheet

We’re all basically database animals.

It happens first in digital…

…and then it becomes reality

Or, it happens as a game…

TRAINING WHEELS

Maintenance

Either way, we’ve now become…

FAMOUS MACHINES (term from @anselm)

Webvisions ’09 @caseorganic

Here, talk about the escape velocity of data when there is too much of it on a hard drive (many photos, ect).

ESCAPE VELOCITY OF DATA

The automatic production of space.

Unified System

Box(USB)

10 Megs of Data

A HISTORY OF THE FUTURE

STEVE MANN

Self-Portrait of Steve Mann Wearable Computing Apparatus(1981)

Steve Mann Wearable Wireless WebcamDecember 13, 1994

Steve Mann Wearable Wireless WebcamDecember 13, 1994

Different types of input…

Mika Satomi — V2 Institute for the Unstable Media

Kelly DobsonMIT

Remote ImpactBoxingFrom a Distance

Different types of input devices.

Different types of input devices.

MIT Media Lab's Fluid

InterfaceGroup

Different types of input devices.

Belt

Thanks, Gnomedex!

http://cyborgcamp.com@caseorganic

caseorganic@gmail.com

Steve Mann Wearable Wireless WebcamDecember 13, 1994