Deus Ex Eyeborg Documentary Shows Today's Cyborgs 54
jjp9999 writes "A documentary commissioned by Eidos Montreal explores the possibilities of cyborg technology found in Deus Ex: Human Revolution, comparing it to technology found today. The 12-minute film is narrated by filmmaker Rob 'Eyeborg' Spence, known for his glowing prosthetic eye that connects to an electronic receiver, and follows him around the world as he meets with leaders in biotechnology and with people who have bionic prosthetics — all the while comparing the technology to what's found in Deus Ex."
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What makes you think the account is hijacked?
Not a hijack (Score:2)
The parent's user names isn't " kdawson ", it is " kdawson (3715) ". The number inside of parens is part of the name. the user number is 1344097.
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His blog changed site, and this documentary only got put up 3 days ago. So quit whining.
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I've been pondering this since DX1 (Score:3, Interesting)
...the best conclusion I could come to is that I would be willing to augment, not replace. JC Denton had nanoaugs that enhanced his biological limbs,organs and tissues without replacing them, unlike Jensen who has permanently lost part of himself to machinery. I think enhancement is a far better approach than irreversible replacement.
That, and I couldn't come to grips with taking out my eyes. My mother gave them to me.
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One of the things I found interesting, and which I wish had been addressed in the game, is that Jensen's legs and one of his arms could have been saved, but Sarif decided to execute a clause in his contract and had them replaced. He also had Jensen loaded up with basically every implant and aug available, all without any kind of direct consent.
So if Jensen had woken up and decided he didn't want to be an aug, he'd have been left a blind paraplegic.
To me, this opens up interesting questions about living will
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Most sane states allow for termination of employment by either employer or employee for any reason at any time. That doesnt seem like "too much control".
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So if I save your life, you're my slave?
I think that's a pretty novel solution to this particular moral dilemma.
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Yeah I saw some of that. The one thing is, I don't even think Sarif was so much looking for a super soldier (he could have hired Belltower if he wanted that, they can get them for you wholesale). I think for him he wanted to see how Jensen's unique biology would handle be loaded to the gills with augs. Ultimately, the entire plot centers around the questions raised by Jensen's ability to accept augs without needing to spend his life on drugs. I think Sarif wanted a poster boy for what he considered the next
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To me, this opens up interesting questions about living wills and the idea of operating on someone and changing their basic biology without their direct consent (a hidden clause in an employment contract doesn't seem adequate for the radical level of changes invovled, the man had a trademarked logo literally stamped on his forehead).
In the real world we have a term for this, slavery and it's already illegal in most of the world. There's nothing magical about the abuse you mention, it would just a new variation of an old crime and already illegal in the developed world.
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In the real world we have a term for this, slavery and it's already illegal in most of the world. There's nothing magical about the abuse you mention, it would just a new variation of an old crime and already illegal in the developed world.
I generally agree, but here's a question: what if the augs you have are company property, and on termination you're required to return all company assets? You're not a slave, you're welcome to terminate your employment at any time, but you better have a surgical team and a pile of spare parts standing by.
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I generally agree, but here's a question: what if the augs you have are company property, and on termination you're required to return all company assets? You're not a slave, you're welcome to terminate your employment at any time, but you better have a surgical team and a pile of spare parts standing by.
While I doubt there's anything resembling law for the above situation, it's worth noting that we already have situations where if the business just fired you, you'd end up in an untenable situation, for example, if you're employed in a distant location like Antarctica over the winter. There the business typically is required to move you to a location where you have some minimal level of options.
I imagine the business in the above situation would be required to provide you with the surgical team and spare
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I hope I end up living in a country with a strong labor protection system like that when all this comes to pass in a few decades :)
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It's not like Jenson had any say in the matter. He'd been critically injured, and needed a
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Recent advances in artificial vision are almost enough to make me wish to have an ocular accident, so I can get an artificial retina.
I'm a cyborg (Score:5, Interesting)
Lots of people my age and older are. The lens in my left eye is an artificial device. It sits on struts so is able to focus, unlike a natural lens anybody my age has (the eye's lens hardens around age 40, which is why geezers need reading glasses). Many folks I know have artificial hips, knees, and other joints.
I live in a science fiction world. You young folks can't imagine the scientific and technological marvels you'll see before you're my age.
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I'm a cyborg too... (Score:2, Insightful)
I have two artificial lenses in my eyes as a result of cataracts ten years ago. My vision, throughout my life, was about 20/200 correctable to 20/20 with thick glasses. After my cataract surgery I had 20/20 vision, threw away my glasses, and changed my life.
Over 20 years ago I had an industrial accident that resulted in my left leg not functioning properly. Last year I had a knee replacement surgery that greatly improved function - not to mention looks (as long as you ignore the scar running right down the
Hidden augmentations (Score:2)
One thing I didn't understand about the Deus Ex world was their inability to hide augmentations. A lot of prejudice could have been stopped if augmentations were more discreet.
Also most of the social problems could have been reduced if the anti-rejection drug, neroprozine wasn't sold at aubsurd prices.
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Wow, your comment looks like a conspiracy theorist's cannabic dream. XD
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If you find conspiracy theories entertaining, Deus Ex and its prequel, DX: Human Revolution are awesome. If you've ever liked the X files, ID4, Blade Runner, almost anything by Neal Stephenson, or even the Shadowrun RPG, these games are a must-play. It's like sending a beer-lover on an expense-paid trip around the world to every brewery they might imagine.
In some ways, I like Human Revolution better than the original game (blasphemy, I'm sure, to some fans). In some ways, the protagonist us easier to emp
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Aside from the reasons posted in other replies, dont forget that if this was real life human nature would play a significant role. Since the augmentations aren't initially cheap they are going to become a status symbol, and those who can afford them will want to show them off to discern themselves from the poor, this would also gurantee there was someone to buy the neroprozine at the absurd prices.
As the tech gets cheaper you are still going to get a buffer period where the price of the drug is hyper inflat
By some definitions, we are all cyborgs (Score:3)
We all use technology to replace bodily functions. For over twelve thousand years, we have been using cooking technology to replace the work our digestive systems previously had to do. We use clothing technology to replace the work our fur once did. We used art and writing, then the printing press, then the copy machine, and now computers to replace much of the work our brains once did.
Think about how you feel when you step into your car and turn on the ignition -- the car suddenly becomes part of you. If another car collides with yours, you say, "They hit me" and not "They hit my car." And now, with phones connecting to the Internet and identity becoming so important online, I certainly feel like I've lost a part of myself when someone else is playing with my phone, as if they tore out one of my limbs to do a puppet show.
I am a cyborg, but you wouldn't know it (Score:2)
I am young, but I have an implanted defibrillator. Looking at me, you wouldn't know it. So I wonder if that's a point of demarcation between what we consider a cyborg and what we don't. With a prosthetic arm you know you're augmented, and everyone else does too. They treat you differently, you see yourself differently. But it's conceivable you could be far more augmented than a person with a replacement arm and never think about that fact. Does that make you more or less human, more or less cyborg, if
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yeah like those people who have no heartbeat. just a pump continuously moving blood through their body. i think they're more cyborg than a person with an artificial limb!