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How do our brains adapt to control an extra body part?

cam.ac.uk

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Re: How do our brains adapt to control an extra body part?

#21

Post by ndriscoll »

clipsy wrote: post #16
readams wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are some lucky circumstances where this is true, but most such accommodations are not like that. Usually some trade-off must be made, in cost or in functionality. For example, with those same cut curbs, we now need to put a bumpy panel to allow blind and visually impaired people to feel the transition from curb to street, but these make the cut much worse for anything with wheels.

> but these make the cut much worse for anything with wheels. Worse than the original curbs? Not in my experience.

I found that whatever material they used in San Francisco for those bumpy curb ramps was incredibly slippery when it rained. Wouldn't surprise me if someone ends up disabled because of them at some point.

Re: How do our brains adapt to control an extra body part?

#22

Post by uoaei »

ocschwar wrote: post #13

Marshal McLuhan's book Understanding Media had the full title "Understanding media: the extensions of man." And he had a chapter about the automobile. If you've ever had the chilling experience of a skid, the terrifying adrenaline surge during that second where it is clear the car is no longer under your control, you know the dude was onto something. The car is an extension of our bodies. An extra body part.

"extended cognition" is the generalization of this concept as defined in academia (cognitive science and the like).

I had a very vivid experience while backpacking on acid: I fully comprehended the cyborg nature I had adopted by carrying all the resources necessary to sustain life on my person. The hose pumping water into the organs best suited to deal with it, the extra deployable shelter I had stashed away, the ability to isolate more water from harmful pathogens for continued sustenance, on-demand flame and vessel to cook foods that would otherwise be inedible/undigestable, etc.

Your cognitive processes reorganize themselves around those new affordances you've provided for yourself, and you can reasonably say you're thinking with those faculties and not merely of them.

Re: How do our brains adapt to control an extra body part?

#25

Post by darby_nine »

readams wrote: post #11
CobrastanJorji wrote: post #9

There's this thing called the "curb-cut effect," where you make a change in order to accommodate people with a specific disability, and it turns out that the change is way more broadly useful than you anticipated. It's named after the ramps at intersections that were mandated by the ADA for folks in wheelchairs, but they turned out to be really good ideas in general and helped folks with strollers, on bicycles, and m…

There are some lucky circumstances where this is true, but most such accommodations are not like that. Usually some trade-off must be made, in cost or in functionality. For example, with those same cut curbs, we now need to put a bumpy panel to allow blind and visually impaired people to feel the transition from curb to street, but these make the cut much worse for anything with wheels.

[dead]

Re: How do our brains adapt to control an extra body part?

#26

Post by extheat »

BurningFrog wrote: post #18
klipklop wrote: post #14

How does this even work and where can I get one?

It works by pressing a button under your big toe.

I'm not sure if it's intentional or not, but this seems to be barely discussed, and the page reads more like an slick advertisement. There is a paragraph expert about it and it's mentioned at start of the video but I don't see anywhere showing how the full device is setup or how it looks. From the images/video b-roll alone it seems almost as if the wrist bad is what's controlling it and not your toe. Not to nitpick of course, just makes things seem a bit rather misleading.

Re: How do our brains adapt to control an extra body part?

#27

Post by atleastoptimal »

CobrastanJorji wrote: post #9

There's this thing called the "curb-cut effect," where you make a change in order to accommodate people with a specific disability, and it turns out that the change is way more broadly useful than you anticipated. It's named after the ramps at intersections that were mandated by the ADA for folks in wheelchairs, but they turned out to be really good ideas in general and helped folks with strollers, on bicycles, and m…

We need to make up an severe allergy to single-family zoning

Re: How do our brains adapt to control an extra body part?

#28

Post by tstrimple »

from-nibly wrote: post #15
CobrastanJorji wrote: post #9

There's this thing called the "curb-cut effect," where you make a change in order to accommodate people with a specific disability, and it turns out that the change is way more broadly useful than you anticipated. It's named after the ramps at intersections that were mandated by the ADA for folks in wheelchairs, but they turned out to be really good ideas in general and helped folks with strollers, on bicycles, and m…

It's like the overpopularization of the gluten free diet. It serves gluten intolerant people a lot.

Rolled our eyes at fad diets like gluten free (while knowing celiacs is a real thing) only for my wife to develop both lactose and gluten intolerance at 40. And I thought cutting HFCS was difficult. I’m glad that gluten free picked up in popularity now, but it’s still very difficult to shop at conventional grocery stores. Allergens listed on menus has been amazing.

Re: How do our brains adapt to control an extra body part?

#29

Post by Taniwha »

I broke my Achilles tendon - had to have a FULL reconstruction - they took a tendon that used to help waggle my big toe (the muscle is in my leg) wrapped around my heel and back up my leg and rebuilt my achilles around that - now I have a muscle that used to wiggle my toe than moves my entire foot.

How hard was it to relearn? at first I'd try to move my toe and something else would move, it felt weird - but doctor's orders were essentially don't do anything for 3 months, bed rest and keep the leg raised - all the muscles turned to jelly ... then months of physio, in the pool and then in the gym - at that point, once I started moving stuff again my brain had adjusted - that muscle moves my foot, not my toe - I didn't have to do anything explicitly to make it change, it just did

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