While I am (as always) greatly intrigued by Psymbiote and others on the cutting edge of cyborg / transhuman design, I've noticed a continuing trend in that whole sphere of development -- it all appears to be an extension of the whole "gothic" style so prevalent with "the kids" these days.

I've got nothing against the style per se, but when associated with the hybrid designs of a futurist transhumanity, it seems to anticipate a *bleak* future rather than an *enlightened* one. As if technology will grant us tools enough to hack our way through the jungles of the future, but will not in anyway influence an ascent to a more wholistic-minded collectivity.

All in all, the 'bone-and-tendrilled' "look" of such anticipatory designs seems to reinforce our mortality, rather than anticipate our future (cryogenic or otherwise) life without death.

So while I do find these designs (and the models who sport them :P) aesthetically attractive, I fail to see the ultimate beauty in such a trend.

I wonder at what point the cyber human becomes greater than the natural human... is there a sense of loss yielding to the mechanical?

what we imagine and design does come from within - we're in the process of reintegrating all these things we've externalized - the next stage of evolution is an entirely human one, because it comes out of the human experience

seeing stuff like this makes me want to quit my job and wander off to wherever this kinda thing is going on, because I don't see this kinda thing happening in kansas

Upwinger - I agree with you about the goth aesthetic, but the technology itself is still augmenting. Regarding Chris's concern, I think it could easily be argued that we are WAY past our pre-tech ancestors (40,000 B.C) that we might as well be a different species. So in a sense we began this journey away from the merely 'human' a long, long time ago.

Since I wear glasses, I like to use that analogy. Without them I would be handicapped, and unable to do many tasks non-spectacled people take for granted. I have used them to augment my current vision. To use tools like Google to augment my knoweldge, or cars to augment my ability to travel, or telescopes my ability to see the cosmos, etc. is all in the same line. With transhuman tech like this, its part of it, if a bit more intimate. I don't see the problem per se, anymore than some people have "lost their humanity" by living in a big city. Therefore, I think like any technology, we can learn to use it for augmenting the best of ourselves or the worst, the choice is ours.

For the record, while I may not be too fond of the current stylistic imaginings, I personally see no loss of "the human" at all, but rather an emergence into a more fully explicated definition of Humankind. In the end, its always the most universally beneficial augmentations that win out. The definition of our Humanity is in a perpetual state of revision, and can never truly be lost. ;)

I love how the writer captured the whole mindset of this occurence in our social realm. The idea as a basic drab, spirtually absent society, technologically crowded world does seem to plague this phenomena.Loosing the body hair, pairing cybord tendencys and wearing nothing but man made synthetics. Perhaps its just a reflection of how the newer generation feels about the future,, its another step up in awareness. Its kinda refreshing, purposly going agianst symetry and "natural beauty". It carrys a materialist view but with a open your eyes and confuse me appendage. If kids can start expressing themselves without limitations and make up and feel outward beauty through emotional expression all the better i say

Here's a question: Will we still need such bulky material augmentations when Utility Fog becomes available?

Like Esfandiary, I'm feeling a great "nostalgia for the future!"

Ah, the stuff that dreams are made of ...
http://discuss.foresight.org/~josh/Ufog.html

I bet she smells good :-)

Be kind. Everyone is fighting a great battle.