A Non-Half-Assed Response to “One Half a Manifesto” culture

Thu, 01 May 2008 15:29:41 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Interesting read for those interested in transhumanist and singularity issues

Clip Source: www.acceleratingfuture.com

Well, it has been seven and a half years since Jaron Lanier’s “One Half of a Manifesto”, but I thought, why not respond to it right this very second? Better late than never. This response is for Mr. Lanier and anyone else who is interested. Below is an image of Mr. Lanier getting jiggy with a VR interface.

Jaron Lanier, a pioneer in virtual reality, musician, and currently the lead scientist for the National Tele-Immersion Initiative, worries about the future of human culture more than the gadgets. In his “Half a Manifesto” he takes on those he terms the “cybernetic totalists” who do not seem “to not have been educated in the tradition of scientific skepticism.

I label myself a “so-called cybernetic totalist” in some of the responses that follow because I meet the criteria for the term as used by Mr. Lanier, although I object to its rhetorical implications.

n my response below I will argue that scientific skepticism has been duly applied to our claims.

Tags: transhumanism, singularity, future

Real-Life Iron Man: A Robotic Suit That Magnifies Human Strength

Thu, 01 May 2008 15:01:21 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

An exoskeleton robotic suit may help workers lift heavy loads and patients move damaged and prosthetic limbs

The prospect of slipping into a robotic exoskeleton that could enhance strength, keep the body active while recovering from an injury or even serve as a prosthetic limb has great appeal. Unlike the svelt body armor donned by Iron Man, however, most exoskeletons to date have looked more like clunky spare parts cobbled together.

Japan's CYBERDYNE, Inc. is hoping to change that with a sleek, white exoskeleton now in the works that it says can augment the body's own strength or do the work of ailing (or missing) limbs. The company is confident enough in its new technology to have started construction on a new lab expected to mass-produce up to 500 robotic power suits (think Star Wars storm trooper without the helmet) annually, beginning in October, according to Japan's Kyodo News Web site.

Tags: robotics, exoskeleton

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A Non-Half-Assed Response to “One Half a Manifesto” culture

Real-Life Iron Man: A Robotic Suit That Magnifies Human Strength

An exoskeleton robotic suit may help workers lift heavy loads and patients move damaged and prosthetic limbs