Monday, March 13, 2006

New Feature: Cyborg of the Month!

Now that I have the VNS implant, I am officialy a cyborg, so I though I might do a article each month about other Cyborgs - in fiction and "real life". And maybe I might do one of each... we shall see.

What is a cyborg? Wikipedia defines it as:
A term used to designate an organism which is a mixture of organic and mechanical (synthetic) parts. Generally, the aim is to add to or enhance the abilities of an organism by using technology.

Using this definition, anything not organic that interfaces with the body might get one the classification of cyborg. This could include a hip replacement, heart stint, glass eye, false teeth, or hearing aid. But, when the second part of the definition is applied, "enhance the abilities of an organism by using technology," it insinuates that the technology should make one better than normal as opposed to simply replacing broken organic parts.

The Vagus Nerve Stimulator could be considered to both fix broken parts and enhance the abilities of an organism. The goal of the manufacturer is to help people with medical conditions: Epilepsy and Clinical Depression. But a "side effect" tha many people experience is enhanced memory and mood. This might be considered enhancement. So, although and argument could be made against it, I am going to go ahead and call myself a cyborg.

As for the Cyborg of the Month: There are numerous protagonist and antagonist cyborgs in literature and film. I'll be posting my first one about the character Case from the novel Neuromancer.

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