This essay by Margaret Wertheim was published in Greek in the magazine futura no. 5, Winter 1998 – 1999, from which we republish it. It was included in the collective …
refrigerator jacket
The world and its inhabitants are looking for ways to slim down (at least until the fashionable items that will impose: lift and tuck to take another walk around the …
“A Cyborg Manifesto”: thirty years later
Cyborgs are ether, the quintessence We are now traversing the sixth decade since the writings of Manfred Clynes and Nathan Kline gave substance to the cyborg construct/artifact. Today, although it …
flex screens
No one was interested (until now) in how flexible screens, televisions or “smartphones” are made, and the reason is simple: such products are not yet available on the market. And …
The piston, the worker, the hook: anatomy of cyborg ancestors
It is by no means necessary for someone to use a machine (from a smartphone to a robotic analyzer) to keep in mind how each wave of mechanization fits into …
mj-plus
If you remember Michael Jackson – and who truly can forget him? – you might have wondered: what exactly was this amazing comet that once crossed the sky of spectacle? …
Fitter, happier, more productive… (about self-quantification)
Fitter, happier, more productiveComfortable, not drinking too muchRegular exercise at the gym 3 days a weekGetting on better with your associate employee contemporariesAt ease, eating wellSleeping well, no bad dreams, …
Live work
The desolate rocky landscape belongs to the planet Mars. The vehicle visible in the lower right is the Curiosity rover, NASA’s spacecraft that landed on Mars in August 2012 and …
Hey teacher leave our brains alone! (first notes for neuroscience)
“It was generally accepted that our fate is hidden in the stars. But now we know exactly that it is written in our genes.” This phrase of Watson’s expresses in …
robotic reserve
If you look at the bulky object, it might resemble a robotic horse. Something similar, but not for races or walks! It is a “military unit support system” of the …
Rigidity and learning
Excerpts from Norbert Wiener’s book “Cybernetics and Society, the human use of human beings”, Chapter “Rigidity and learning. Two models of communication behavior”. (The book was first published in 1949, …
“smart watch”
Google Glass may be pulling ahead with difficulty (the fate of the pioneer who rushes), but Apple seems to be stepping firmly into the wearables arena. Its watch (available next …