i saw that picture, got scared, and closed out. now that i'm ready for it, i'll try again later.

ever notice that every u/distopian futuristic sciflick has some sort of sexually gratifying fembot...here's an example from alphaville...

ya its interesting that harraway sees the cyborg as a post gender human when everywhere in scifi cyborgs and androids wear their sex up front. but i guess ther not really human so theyre not subject to human constructs like gender... see, if youre a cyborg, you can kick ass, regardless of how much you resemble a barbie doll...

old thread... but I love this essay, even if it is a bit ridiculous.

Examples of cyborg architecture anyone?

My undergrad (industrial design) thesis was on integrating technology into the body, aka cyborgs and design. There's a lot of potential and we haven't even scratched the (admittedly scary) surface of what such a technological approach to interaction with our built environment could entail. I'm not for or against, but I am interested.

I have a friend who implanted some silicone-encased rare-earth magnets into his fingertips. He told me that when he worked on the computer or passed by anything with decent levels of electromagnetic activity, the magnets 'buzzed,' giving him a sort of sixth sense for electricity.

rad- has he kept them in permanently?

I'm specifically interested in investigating what a cyborg space or architecture would be. (starting my thesis) Is it just a different scale for a ui?

R&Sie does sorta cyborg work:

http://www.new-territories.com/hybrid%20realized.htm

I have a programming friend with pierced nipples. The magnet on his mac power cord was accidently attracted to his piercing and he got quite a shock! Not as clever as your friend.

what about Wolverine-like skeletal system, an adamantine plaiting?

gray i was originally looking into the similar subject of what does archtecture mean now that we are cyborgs. it can really be taken at two scales (at least the way i saw it when i was still thinking of it, as can the definition of cyborgs itself in my opinion); it can either be the software side of integrated biological technology and the "physical" cyborg (even extendable to the personal computing device in my opinion, such as the iphone) dealing with UI systems and their integration to the surfaces we call architecture. I personally felt this topic somewhat utopian, and therefore at the same time endless and extremely confining. The other side that it can be seen from, which I have opted for recently is in this comparison the "hardware" side, in which the "cyborg" nature of humans is just another "self" added to the human psyche, and an analysis of architecture through more conventional notions can be interpreted in relation to the present state of the common psychology. The difference in my opinion, which is where the two definitions of cyborg come into play (again, this is just in my opinion through my thought process and where thats brought me to today) is whether the cyborg nature remains independent, internal, and subjective to the individual being augmented, or an objective, homogenizing (in one form or another) collectivity is utilized (for its clear advantages with many historical allegories)

bRink: what will we do for architecture?

if being a cyborg is about the later stage of housing within oneself extracorporeal technologies, and if architecture is also about the earlier stage of housing extracorporeal technologies...then perhaps we will, at some point, house architecture (house shousing, that is)within ourselves, a techno-primordial (since we also conceive of our body as the promordial housing of our selves) creature. our bodies will be sufficiently augmented with technologies to cope with all ecological and environmental fluctuation. naked perfection; we might not even have to breath or eat or move or shit or blink or talk anymore.

grayscaled - no, he had to take most (or all) of them out because the silicone casings started rubbing away, and his body was absorbing the magnets. Here's Shannon's story, starting roughly at the beginning. Follow the links on his page for the full story: http://www.zentastic.com/blog/2005/06/19/implant-photos/ Steve Haworth is the artist responsible for putting them in, and my old boss Tom is the one who removed them. WARNING - graphic photos if you're squeamish.

Here's a story by my friend Quinn, who also had the same procedure done by Steve: http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mods/news/2006/06/71087

(On a side-note, Nike commissioned IDEO to develop magnetic sunglasses, but without the implants: http://www.ideo.com/work/item/magneto/)

These are just really crude experiments, but they make one think about other possibilities - RFID tags, focused advertising, truly 'smart' homes or offices or cars.... etc. Here's a well-documented and more advanced technology for blind people: http://www.seeingwithsound.com/etumble.htm

Time for coffee.

Oh, and PS - your story about the friend with the nipple piercing.... while it's possible you could get a shock, body piercing jewelry is in no way magnetic. Methinks your friend is just making it up. I was a body piercer for nearly a decade and I've never heard of somebody getting a shock through their jewelry, either.

Sorry, I'm a geek when it comes to this stuff, but I'm definitely out of practice...

I saw Steve Mann (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Mann) lecture with Stelarc (http://www.stelarc.va.com.au/arcx.html). Amazing to hear them both speak. (Stelarc is especially interested in the body modification community, having 'pioneered' body suspension in the late 1970's).

More: http://igargoyle.com/archives/000526.html
http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=354
http://www.londontheatreblog.co.uk/performing-the-cyborg-stelarc/

Ok, now coffee time for real...

Dustin: wasn't shannon's story an april fool's joke? I remember it came out right around that time…though it's an interesting concept

I've known Shannon personally for about a decade (we used to live a few blocks from eachother, have worked at the same tattoo/piercing studio, etc) and there's as much legend as there is truth with anything associated with him, but this story is real. BME is blocked by my work filters, but you can look up the April Fools jokes there if you want.

I also know the guy who installed his implants, and the guy who removed them (mine and Shannon's former boss in Toronto). I've performed non-magnetic implants myself, and had 26 separate pieces implanted (and removed) from my body in 3 different procedures. Good times! Hahaha

Dustin-

Thanks for the all the links! I'm going to check them out when I have a moment and keep the geek rolling.

I heard that story secondhand, so sadly it may be legend.

In terms of the surgical images I'm really excited by the grotesque/graphic aspect of cyborg aesthetics. I think that it is relevant to a conceiving what a cyborg architecture could be.

Alucidwake-

Interesting thoughts, however, I'm not clear what you mean by the "hardware" side and how it relates to psychology. Would love to hear more about it.

we've been cyborgs since chimps started hitting rocks together. human civilization and our technology are inseparable. it doesn't mean anything for architecture ;)

Absolutely true (I see your winking there...), according to many. Using tools to extend the capability of the human body is something we've been doing for a very long time. Even something as basic as eyeglasses makes us 'cyborgs' in some ways.

A professor of cybernetics in the UK named Kevin Warwick (iirc) had an implant or two that spoke to his office building.... basically doors would unlock and open for him when it 'heard' the frequency put out by his implant(s). I think this was about 15 years ago maybe? But I could be off by quite a bit with that number. Anyway, I don't know where he is with it right now, but he was talking about using implanted tracking technology for kids: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/sep/03/schools.childprotection2

On the market:

VeriChip is an FDA-approved (since 2004) implanted tracker: http://www.verichipcorp.com/

implanted GPS tracker: http://www.lightninggps.com/personal-tracking/gps-implant.html

All ethical questions aside for a minute, this could be pretty crazy for geomatics junkies!