I'm going to be a cyborg. No jokes.

[cryptophreak]

From the article on The Verge entitled Cyborg America: inside the strange new world of basement body hackers:

Tim, the proprietor of Hot Rod Piercing in downtown Pittsburgh, put down the scalpel and picked up an instrument called an elevator, which he used to separate the flesh inside in Sarver's finger, creating a small empty pocket of space. Then, with practiced hands, he slid a tiny rare earth metal inside the open wound, the width of a pencil eraser and thinner than a dime. [...]

Tim quickly stitched the cut shut, and cleaned off the blood. "Want to try it out?" he asked Sarver, who nodded with excitement. Tim dangled the needle from a string of suture next to Sarver's finger, closer and closer, until suddenly, it jumped through the air and stuck to his flesh, attracted by the magnetic pull of the mineral implant.

Currently reviewing shops at which to have the procedure done. When it's finished I'll update you five-sense-having people what it's like to be able to feel electromagnetic activity.

[[GU]elmur_fud]

Fascinating stuff... I have been talking to my eye doctor and according to him by the time I go blind in 15-25 years they should have digital eyeballs as standard fair. I told him I want ones with still/video capture and bluetooth-esque capabilities so I can save anything cough cool cough that I see.

[cryptophreak]

What's the cause of blindness? If it's macular degeneration, there are already sensors being inserted into the eye that can restore sight to a degree -- black and white imaging at approximately 600 by 300 if I recall properly.

[[GU]elmur_fud]

Originally Posted by cryptophreak

What's the cause of blindness? If it's macular degeneration, there are already sensors being inserted into the eye that can restore sight to a degree -- black and white imaging at approximately 600 by 300 if I recall properly.

Similar to RP so that is what I usually say but it appears to be genetic as somebody in my family every other generation gets it and has for at least the past 150 years. Those in my family that get it go blind in their 50's - 60's. They used to think it Glaucoma but it doesn't respond to any glaucoma treatments.

Edit:
At the time I was diagnosed in 95ish they were saying it wasn't genetic and it only effects younger people, just read the wiki page on it, and now they say it can be genetic and some strains attack older people... I just got an eye doctor 2 weeks ago. All I have had so far is a consultation over the phone. I haven't been to an eye doctor in over 10 years. Kinda been avoiding the tests which 10 years ago caused my eyes to burn and be blurry for about 3 days. This guy claims they have had some advancements and it's no longer torture.

[BillyBadAss]

You can forget ever working on a PC again or around anything that can be damaged by magnets.

[cryptophreak]

You are overestimating the strength of the magnet.

[Gir]

Originally Posted by BillyBadAss

You can forget ever working on a PC again or around anything that can be damaged by magnets.

I went to get an fMRI once and nearly forgot I have a small strip of metal in my mouth. I've had it there for about 20 years or so and I never even think about it anymore. If it hadn't popped into my mind about an hour before the appointment, it could have been a rather short and painful examination.

Unless we're talking plug 'n play devices here, having random bits of cybernetics in you would affect your health, or rather the availability of specific types of healthcare.

[BillyBadAss]

Originally Posted by cryptophreak

You are overestimating the strength of the magnet.

I fail to see the point then. Also, with this kind of metal in your body, does it have any long term negative effects like a kind of poisoning that could occur?

[cryptophreak]

Originally Posted by Gir

Unless we're talking plug 'n play devices here, having random bits of cybernetics in you would affect your health, or rather the availability of specific types of healthcare.

Fortunately the procedure is minimally invasive and takes about 10 minutes. So I figure worst-case scenario I remove it, which isn't the end of the world.

Originally Posted by BillyBadAss

I fail to see the point then. Also, with this kind of metal in your body, does it have any long term negative effects like a kind of poisoning that could occur?

The point is that even a very slight sub-dermal attraction stimulates nerves, allowing you to feel the shape and power of magnetic fields. Thus you could be said to literally possess a sixth sense, which is ****ing cool.

Of course simply jamming metal into one's body will cause harm. One solution is to bioproof by encasing the magnet in silicone. Whether "complete" solutions exist is debatable; this is a new field, so risk and a degree of experimentation comes with the territory. Fortunately I don't have to be the very first to try some of these things out, as there are raging bloody lunatics like Lepht Anonym (profiled in Wired) willing to slice themselves up in their own kitchen with nothing but a scalpel and some vodka and tell us of their successes and failures:

The medical consequences can be both severe and likely to elicit hostility from doctors. She's put herself in the hospital several times. She nearly lost a fingertip the first time she tried to implant a neodymium disc herself. Various experiments with bioproofing have failed, with implants rusting under her skin, or her own self-surgeries turning septic.

[Gir]

Originally Posted by BillyBadAss

I fail to see the point then. Also, with this kind of metal in your body, does it have any long term negative effects like a kind of poisoning that could occur?

They've only recently uncovered that even titanium prostheses pose a long-term threat to health. Wear causes titanium nano particles to be released in the bloodstream. I forget if it was poisonous or if it just caused hypersensitivity, but it wasn't good either way. Best you can do is have some replacement parts around, I think. That or go full-body cyborg, like little miss Motoko Kusanagi.

[[GU]elmur_fud]

I find the notion interesting but I am a bit put off by the design.

[Hadmar]

Originally Posted by cryptophreak

When it's finished I'll update you five-sense-having people what it's like to be able to feel electromagnetic activity.

From a podcast I listened to in the past I remember someone build a belt out of old mobile phones that vibrated softly where, relative to the belt, north was. It basically worked as a compass sixth sense. Someone wore it for a week or two and after he had to return it he felt strange and a bit disoriented.

Very interesting stuff.

[cryptophreak]

Last I heard, Lepht is working on a sub-dermal variation on that idea using the Northpaw.

[Firefly]

Originally Posted by Gir

They've only recently uncovered that even titanium prostheses pose a long-term threat to health. Wear causes titanium nano particles to be released in the bloodstream. I forget if it was poisonous or if it just caused hypersensitivity, but it wasn't good either way. Best you can do is have some replacement parts around, I think. That or go full-body cyborg, like little miss Motoko Kusanagi.

damn fine film

Ghost in the machine