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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of Duckspwn Duckspwn
    11/16/09

    In reply to This Cyborg Life Gets Unplugged
    I'm sorry to say it, but I'm in the minority who didn't like the articles at all. Ah well, to each his own I guess. #cyborgs
     Reply
    Duckspwn was starred Duckspwn was unstarred
    Image of DJ Bushido DJ Bushido
    11/17/09

    @Duckspwn: But you're a fan of normal Giz? And the ultimate human gadget possibilities didn't interest you? I had to stop reading because I need to work a LITTLE bit while I'm on the clock... #cyborgs
     Reply
    Duckspwn promoted this comment DJ Bushido was starred DJ Bushido was unstarred
    Image of Duckspwn Duckspwn
    11/17/09

    @DJ Bushido: Not at all. I can't really be bothered with fantasizing about future technology that isn't guaranteed to come into existence. Articles on Giz that are like that are the ones I generally skip, unless it's really, really fascinating. #cyborgs
     Reply
    Duckspwn was starred Duckspwn was unstarred
    Image of Gordonium Gordonium
    11/16/09

    In reply to This Cyborg Life Gets Unplugged
    This was a great theme week here at Giz. Thanks to everybody involved in making it happen!

    I look forward to This Cyborg Life 2.0! #cyborgs
     Reply
    Gordonium was starred Gordonium was unstarred
    Image of met2art met2art
    11/14/09

    In reply to Normal Was Never Cool: Inception of Perception
    I could wax poetic with glowing praise for your writing and attitude, but I think it will suffice to say, that was beautiful. #prostheses
     Reply
    met2art was starred met2art was unstarred
    Image of Baroness Baroness
    11/14/09

    In reply to Normal Was Never Cool: Inception of Perception
    I have been enjoying reading your posts here immensely, Aimee. Technology, aesthetics, your unique life and point of view is fascinating. I've always loved your collaborations with Matthew Barney and Nick Knight, and reading your articles just adds another dimension to an extraordinary person. Thank you. #prostheses
     Reply
    Baroness was starred Baroness was unstarred
    Image of :negated: :negated:
    11/14/09

    In reply to Normal Was Never Cool: Inception of Perception
    I'm thinking about getting robot legs. It's a risky operation but it'll be worth it.
     Reply
    Edited by :negated: at 11/14/09 1:07 PM :negated: was starred :negated: was unstarred
    Image of dolo54 blows minds and blows engines! dolo54 blows minds and blows engines!
    11/14/09

    @negated: has star powah: so how much do clothes cost in the matrix? #prostheses
     Reply
    dolo54 blows minds and blows engines! was starred dolo54 blows minds and blows engines! was unstarred
    Image of :negated: :negated:
    11/14/09

    @dolo54 blows minds and blows engines!: That movie kicked ass. And the director's commentary totally made the DVD worth it... #prostheses
     Reply
    :negated: was starred :negated: was unstarred
    Image of Odin Odin
    11/13/09

    In reply to Racing on Carbon Fiber Legs: How Abled Should We Be?
    To be fair the Amazon breast archery thing was probably less about sport and more about warfare. Sort of a different kettle of fish.

    Great article though. True fairness in competition is pretty impossible though. The best they can do is categorize people into very roughly equal groups and have them compete amongst themselves.

    The carbon fibre legs are an incredible piece of technology though. The sensation of running on them is pretty hard to imagine and one I've always been oddly curious about. #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    Odin was starred Odin was unstarred
    Image of SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!!
    11/13/09

    In reply to Racing on Carbon Fiber Legs: How Abled Should We Be?
    Until today, there are no evidences that amazons cut their breast of in order of improving bow proficiency. Hell, there are no evidences that amazons ever existed in first place.
     Reply
    Edited by SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! at 11/13/09 5:48 AM SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! was starred SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! was unstarred
    Image of daemonoid daemonoid
    11/13/09

    @SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!!: There have also been instances of amputation in the persuit of sport...

    Simona Halep an up and coming tennis star with DD breasts had a reduction so that she could play with less interference:

    [www.theregister.co.uk] #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! promoted this comment daemonoid was starred daemonoid was unstarred
    Image of SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!!
    11/13/09

    @daemonoid: Breast reduction is different than "cut your breast off". Lots of girls who have back pains reduce their breast.
    And what I meant is that you should not use a myth to prove you point of view. #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! was starred SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! was unstarred
    Image of Furiosa Furiosa
    11/13/09

    @SewerShark:

    Amazons are a part of Greek mythology. They supposedly prevented the growth of the right breast by cauterizing it while young. The author had the side mixed up, but it is most assuredly a true part of the mythology.
     Reply
    SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! promoted this comment Edited by Furiosa at 11/13/09 6:18 AM Furiosa was starred Furiosa was unstarred
    Image of SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!!
    11/13/09

    @Furiosa:
    The word Amazon is of unknown origin, however a folk etymology popped up which explained the word as being a deriviative of the preface "a-", meaning "without", followed by "mazos", meaning "breast". This folk etymology was supported by the folktale that Amazons cut off one breast to facilitate archery. However, this is most likely a story designed to discourage women from taking up archery. This speculation is supported by even the most casual observation of modern day female archers who are more than capable of using the bow with all breasts intact.
    Source: [www.whoosh.org]

    The image that says with most people is that of single-breasted women. Sounds like a shocker doesn't it? But a recent survey indicated that single-breasted women with a quiver of arrows slung on their shoulders epitomize the women warriors of the Amazon. According to myth, the Amazons were an all-female society of fierce warriors who supposedly lived in the area north of the Black Sea about 700 years before the fifth century BC. Supposedly they cut off one breast to make shooting a bow and arrow easier. But this has never been proved even in the myths. The word Amazon itself has some connotation with breasts.
    Source: [www.buzzle.com] #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! was starred SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! was unstarred
    Image of Ayleron Ayleron
    11/13/09

    @SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!!:
    I'll politely disagree with you second claim. [en.wikipedia.org] #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! promoted this comment Ayleron was starred Ayleron was unstarred
    Image of SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!!
    11/13/09

    @Ayleron: In what point exactly you disagree? From what I readied on the article, the Dahomey Amazons were a military regiment, not an all female tribe. And it does not say anything about cutting out one breast, which is, basically, the point here.

    I think you are reading about the wrong amazons.
     Reply
    Edited by SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! at 11/13/09 10:44 AM SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! was starred SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! was unstarred
    Image of 32ndnote 32ndnote
    11/13/09

    @SewerShark: Yeah, you're right. They were probably thinking about the ones that cut off a breast to assure super fast shipping and the lowest prices online. #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    32ndnote was starred 32ndnote was unstarred
    Image of SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!!
    11/13/09

    @32ndnote: I lol'ed. #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! was starred SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!! was unstarred
    Image of ClickClickThud ClickClickThud
    11/12/09

    In reply to Racing on Carbon Fiber Legs: How Abled Should We Be?
    The author has an unfair advantage. She's clearly much brainier than the typical Gizmodo commenter. #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    ClickClickThud was starred ClickClickThud was unstarred
    Image of Dnyde Dnyde
    11/13/09

    @ClickClickThud: WTB enhancement for brain naooo #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    ClickClickThud promoted this comment Dnyde was starred Dnyde was unstarred
    Image of ClickClickThud ClickClickThud
    11/13/09

    @Dnyde: I'd like some prosthetic devices that make my brain taller, fer shure! Made out of the same stuff as bowling balls? Bonus!

    (See her TED presentation if you don't know what I'm talking about.) #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    ClickClickThud was starred ClickClickThud was unstarred
    Image of ninety_nine ninety_nine
    11/12/09

    In reply to Racing on Carbon Fiber Legs: How Abled Should We Be?
    One area this has been discussed for years is wheelchair competitors in marathons. They are routinely held back from starting because organizers don't want the symbolism of a wheelchair 'unfairly' crossing the finish line first.

    The compromise seems pretty simple: if you willing to amputate limbs to increase athletic performance, there should be no restrictions to your competing. The frustrations one would encounter using a wheelchair everywhere else in the world should be seen a sacrifice far exceeding the proverbial getting up early in the morning to work out. Those 'fortunate' enough to be born without limbs (and in wheelchair racing having lower extremities is a disadvantage having to with weight and chair design) would be the same as a basketball player fortunate enough to be born tall. Or with exceptionally acute vision. Wade Boggs' hitting skills were mostly attributed to that fact.

    The cultural exclusion is fascinating -- these athletes are seen less than normal and more than human simultaneously. #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    ninety_nine was starred ninety_nine was unstarred
    Image of Identity (Metric) Identity (Metric)
    11/12/09

    In reply to Racing on Carbon Fiber Legs: How Abled Should We Be?
    This was very well written, and quite informative.

    Thank you. #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    Identity (Metric) was starred Identity (Metric) was unstarred
    Image of kosai kosai
    11/12/09

    In reply to Racing on Carbon Fiber Legs: How Abled Should We Be?
    Either we need to go back to naked sports (original olympics) or allow every technology and enhancement the athletes are willing to endure. #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    kosai was starred kosai was unstarred
    Image of Philip Han Philip Han
    11/12/09

    @kosai: Flapping bodyparts on the TV is not the kind of content what I want to see...

    Imagine how bad that would hurt?
    And how it would affect the scores of divers... #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    kosai promoted this comment Philip Han was starred Philip Han was unstarred
    Image of kosai kosai
    11/12/09

    @Philip Han: Well I was being facetious about naked sports, but every aspect of the modern athlete is engineered why limit what they are allowed to do to their bodies? Especially the statement that was made about Pistorius and his prosthetic, why allow athletes to wear highly developed running shoes how are they different? #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    kosai was starred kosai was unstarred
    Image of AkkiRonin AkkiRonin
    11/12/09

    In reply to Racing on Carbon Fiber Legs: How Abled Should We Be?
    My initial response here was that its not so much that a prosthesis gives an advantage or not its that it becomes an apples to oranges comparison between the competitors. Tiger's eye after LASIK is still easily comparable to mine. Comparing a carbon-fiber Cheetah Leg to calf and foot is tough. There are so many differences in terms of how force is transferred, durability, nervous system feedback, etc.

    That said, I'd like to consider Lance Armstrong for a moment. Comparing him to, well pretty much any other human, when it comes to cycling is apples to oranges. His heart, lungs, and pretty much all the rest of him are physiologically amazing and optimal for his sport. So if saying a prosthesis makes you so distinctive that you can't legitimately be compared to your peers, why isn't that true of Lance. #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    AkkiRonin was starred AkkiRonin was unstarred
    Image of kosai kosai
    11/12/09

    @AkkiRonin: or Phelps? What about when people opt to genetically enhance their child's ability to perform at certain activities? #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    kosai was starred kosai was unstarred
    Image of Chimaera Chimaera
    11/12/09

    In reply to Racing on Carbon Fiber Legs: How Abled Should We Be?
    Of course, soon to follow elective amputation will be elective regeneration when they retire. #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    Chimaera was starred Chimaera was unstarred
    Image of Purple Dave Purple Dave
    11/12/09

    In reply to Racing on Carbon Fiber Legs: How Abled Should We Be?
    Perception and tradition are two of the most powerful sources of argument in sports. Noone argues that football players shouldn't be wearing more protective padding than they did in the 30's, but don't ever try suggesting that the MLB should switch to alluminum bats. The fact that Lasik surgery is undetectable can be contrasted with the fact that you can't see when someone corked a bat or took performance-enhancing drugs. Mostly it comes down to whether the fans and athletes feel that a perceived advantage is "true" to the sport, or if it detracts from it.

    In swimming, dive caps are simply part of the game, and you can't exactly penalize someone for shaving their head bald to reduce drag, It's only natural that someone would try to make swimsuits that create less drag than bare skin, but the public never really anticipated the benefits of muscle compression (they also never anticipated how making a swimming pool significantly deeper and wider would make it a "fast pool", but you never heard that mentioned by people who were calling for a ban on full-body suits).

    As for the blades, I believe it is legitimately possible to develop an artificial leg that _will_ provide an unfair advantage over a natural leg, but I've yet to see any conclusive proof that the blades succeeded. Regardless of what the facts are, blades _look_ like they'll make you faster, and they're lighter than natural legs as well. You know, nevermind the fact that blades require the application of external force to work, as compared to how natural legs can generate their own force.

    The real issue in whether or not blades will ever be accepted in track competitions is that there's no way to prove whether Runner A can run faster with blades than with natural legs. You can't simply swap them with each other and do comparative time trials. Maybe if there's ever a case where genetic twins run track and consistently finish with similar times, and one of them ends up getting blades after a double-amputation and _still_ finishes with times that nearly match the other twin... #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    Purple Dave was starred Purple Dave was unstarred
    Image of Kajigger Me Timbers Kajigger Me Timbers
    11/12/09

    @Purple Dave: I'm not even sure if twins competing would completely settle this score. Consider that from the point of divergence, when the one sibling is modified, you would expect their training regiments and physical attributes to differ significantly. Rather than giving a simple and convenient A to B comparison, now we have additional variables that would be just as hard to reconcile.

    I'm personally stuck on the notion of keeping separate classes of athlete, "natural" (for lack of a better, more PC term), and "enhanced". This would allow the first category of athletes to compare their abilities with others based on genetics, physical development, and mental determination, with only a minor influence of technology through training methods and nutrition. The enhanced class of athletes would be measured on all of the above criteria, but with an added emphasis on technology and the ability of a competitor to successfully adapt to their enhancements. Indeed, I imagine it would be very similar to the Paralympics are today, but I can easily imagine such enhanced athletes outperforming "natural" competitors due to technological breakthroughs outpacing genetic evolution over time.

    To imagine this taken to a further extreme, could we not have whole new sports in the future that are in fact cannot be participated in by un-enhanced humans? We can see the beginnings of such a divergence with the invention of Murderball and wheelchair racing in the past decades as modifications of current sports. Hell, I can see myself getting more excited to watch the Cyborlympics than the Olympics if the events are cool enough.

    Regardless of the simple effect of these developments on the world of sports, these new technologies will undoubtedly give not only "disabled" humans, but all of humanity the ability to hack their bodies to be more than nature ever intended, and I can't wait. #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    Purple Dave promoted this comment Kajigger Me Timbers was starred Kajigger Me Timbers was unstarred
    Image of jeffimix jeffimix
    11/12/09

    @Purple Dave: Nitpicky but I believe the aluminum bats argument is self-contradictory. The advantages they introduce into the game, although level across teams, make the ball dangerously fast. So they're banned for *exactly* the same reason the NFL can add more padding. #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    Purple Dave promoted this comment jeffimix was starred jeffimix was unstarred
    Image of Purple Dave Purple Dave
    11/13/09

    @Kajigger Me Timbers:
    Okay, so, should blade-runners (heh, I _so_ had to do that, and it's all the better for being topically appropriate) be in the Paralympics or your "Cyborlympics"? #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    Purple Dave was starred Purple Dave was unstarred
    Image of Purple Dave Purple Dave
    11/13/09

    @jeffimix:
    I'd always understood that they were banned because the fans wanted the crack of the bat, not a ping. #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    Purple Dave was starred Purple Dave was unstarred
    Image of met2art met2art
    11/12/09

    In reply to Racing on Carbon Fiber Legs: How Abled Should We Be?
    Absolutely brilliant writing. Thought provoking and far-thinking. It's sobering to realize that some of the issues in the science fiction we often escape reality with have a far more immediate and impactful basis than we might realize. Instead of abstract thought experiments to ponder, there are individuals who are dealing with augmentation-bias issues now.

    Thank you, Aimee, for this fantastic and obviously deeply thought out, article. #oscarpistorius
     Reply
    met2art was starred met2art was unstarred
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