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Pre-sale of Cyborg implant for sensing North

cyborgnest.net

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Re: Pre-sale of Cyborg implant for sensing North

#31

Post by Aelinsaar »

gearhart wrote: post #25
Aelinsaar wrote: post #2

This seems... incredibly silly. Not crazy or wrong, just silly. This feels like a child walking out of a movie theater like a cowboy, because they just saw a western. I don't want an implant to achieve something I can manage with a needle and a bowl of water.

There is a difference between having something permanently giving you feedback, and being able to get some information on demand. It's easy to conceive that being quietly reminded of which direction you're travelling every time you turn a corner could change the way you see the world. On the other hand, it does seem to be a pretty rubbish implementation. A dongle that you have to anchor to your chest with piercings,…

Or an ear piercing, something integrated into an existing "mod".

Re: Pre-sale of Cyborg implant for sensing North

#32

Post by Aelinsaar »

mattmanser wrote: post #26
Aelinsaar wrote: post #2

This seems... incredibly silly. Not crazy or wrong, just silly. This feels like a child walking out of a movie theater like a cowboy, because they just saw a western. I don't want an implant to achieve something I can manage with a needle and a bowl of water.

I'm not a fanboy, but you've missed the point entirely. It's not the same thing at all. It's about being able to sense north all the time . Not getting a compass out, or your silly solution of a bowl of water and a needle. About just knowing which direction north is. There's been (well received) articles here before about people wearing haptic belts that did the same thing. Here's an example: https://www.newscientist…

Alright, I can see the appeal for hikers and long walkers, urban explorers, and a whole subset of hobbyists that I didn't appreciate before. Thanks for the interesting read, and the context.

Re: Pre-sale of Cyborg implant for sensing North

#33

Post by mark_chosenberg »

rincebrain wrote: post #16
jessaustin wrote: post #10

A modicum of awareness suffices to keep anyone informed of the cardinal directions, in most situations not involving subway travel. This is more about "Cyborg" than "North".

While this is trivial for some people, it is extremely difficult to infeasible for others. Taking advantage of people's passive integration of sensory input into their perception of the world around them seems like a reasonable aid for people who have difficulty with things of this nature.

You people, some SV quacks could come up with a device that sends you a tweet when you need to take a shit and you'd still be telling me how it's making the world a better place.

Re: Pre-sale of Cyborg implant for sensing North

#34

Post by NKCSS »

mattmanser wrote: post #26
Aelinsaar wrote: post #2

This seems... incredibly silly. Not crazy or wrong, just silly. This feels like a child walking out of a movie theater like a cowboy, because they just saw a western. I don't want an implant to achieve something I can manage with a needle and a bowl of water.

I'm not a fanboy, but you've missed the point entirely. It's not the same thing at all. It's about being able to sense north all the time . Not getting a compass out, or your silly solution of a bowl of water and a needle. About just knowing which direction north is. There's been (well received) articles here before about people wearing haptic belts that did the same thing. Here's an example: https://www.newscientist…

But it doesn't do that, it just alerts you when you face north.... the rest of the time, you'll have no idea if your east, south or west... I would assume you'd have an always-present general force towards the North to make sure you always know your orientation; this is not like that; it just alerts you whenever you happen to face North.

Re: Pre-sale of Cyborg implant for sensing North

#35

Post by maxerickson »

mark_chosenberg wrote: post #33
rincebrain wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While this is trivial for some people, it is extremely difficult to infeasible for others. Taking advantage of people's passive integration of sensory input into their perception of the world around them seems like a reasonable aid for people who have difficulty with things of this nature.

You people, some SV quacks could come up with a device that sends you a tweet when you need to take a shit and you'd still be telling me how it's making the world a better place.

Some people do end up with nerve damage that impairs their ability to know when they need to empty their bowels. What you describe may indeed be useful for them.

Re: Pre-sale of Cyborg implant for sensing North

#37

Post by roel_v »

Looks like I'm the only one, but I think this is pretty nifty. Then again I had someone cut open my hand to shove in an rfid chip 10 years ago, which wasn't everybody's cup of tea either.

What I'm most worried about is battery life. If I have to recharge every week (or more), I would give up after a few weeks. Also, what risk is there snagging this thing on your shirt when you get dressed, or crushing it under a barbell when working out? Doing any sort of fighting sport would be impossible too I guess, even if you could take the actual sensor/vibrating thing out.

Re: Pre-sale of Cyborg implant for sensing North

#38

Post by veli_joza »

NKCSS wrote: post #34
mattmanser wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not a fanboy, but you've missed the point entirely. It's not the same thing at all. It's about being able to sense north all the time . Not getting a compass out, or your silly solution of a bowl of water and a needle. About just knowing which direction north is. There's been (well received) articles here before about people wearing haptic belts that did the same thing. Here's an example: https://www.newscientist…

But it doesn't do that, it just alerts you when you face north.... the rest of the time, you'll have no idea if your east, south or west... I would assume you'd have an always-present general force towards the North to make sure you always know your orientation; this is not like that; it just alerts you whenever you happen to face North.

Yeah, but when you are getting hints about direction of North while moving around, you'll subconsciously be aware of orientation all the time. Your spatial orientation would improve dramatically.

For me this looks too bulky and inconvenient to actually use.

Re: Pre-sale of Cyborg implant for sensing North

#39

Post by falcolas »

jessaustin wrote: post #10

A modicum of awareness suffices to keep anyone informed of the cardinal directions, in most situations not involving subway travel. This is more about "Cyborg" than "North".

I was in New York a short time ago, and though I was outside, in daylight, I had absolutely no sense of direction. I came out of the wrong exit from Grand Central, and had to pull out my phone's compass (after reviewing the map) just to get a sense of which direction I had to go.

It's still very easy to lose your sense of direction in unfamiliar territory, even when you're paying attention.

Re: Pre-sale of Cyborg implant for sensing North

#40

Post by falcolas »

roel_v wrote: post #37

Looks like I'm the only one, but I think this is pretty nifty. Then again I had someone cut open my hand to shove in an rfid chip 10 years ago, which wasn't everybody's cup of tea either. What I'm most worried about is battery life. If I have to recharge every week (or more), I would give up after a few weeks. Also, what risk is there snagging this thing on your shirt when you get dressed, or crushing it under a barb…

The battery situation worries me too. Then again, I've been OK with taking off a phone/watch and putting it on a charger on a regular basis for a few years now, so one more item wouldn't be a huge burden.
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