There’s an article in The New York Times, “An Amputee Sprinter: Is He Disabled or Too-Abled?” (Link), that feels a little like a tipping point for a much larger issue. While the article is about “techno-doping” (a new term for me) and the new, more capable prosthetics, it doesn’t take much to start wondering where a level playing field ends and human augmentation begins.
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Speaking of CAD and Second Life.

This video reminds me of the Quake 3 rocket launcher barrel being “built” in SL (reLink), only something like this has some pretty easy-to-understand practical applications.

Of course now we need some complex surfacing from sculpted prims (and a better soundtrack)…

via New World Notes

I read the following in Neil Gershenfeld’s book Fab and thought it worth posting here:

Etienne found that the most difficult technical lesson to teach was imagination. He could see the possibilities lurking within technological junk, but he had a hard time conveying to students how to put the pieces back together short of actually doing it himself. This problem inspired Etienne to turn to the same kind of three-dimensional CAD software that Frank Gehry and Larry Sass were using. He taught his students how to make a virtual version of their studio, freeing them to assemble simulated parts.

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I’ve not bothered to post on much of the recent news surrounding internet-connected dolls, mainly because the news was all over the place and there really wasn’t anything to add. Then again, maybe there is something to add because the New York Times has a story up today (Link) on the “virtual Barbie” offering from Mattel. C|Net is carrying a story today on Webkinz (Link). And I figure it’s only a matter of days or weeks before we hear of an electronically-enhanced Neopet.
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There are a series of posts over on Architectradure – “Wearable Robotic” (Link), “A Living Sculpture” (Link), and “Inspiring book : the Prosthetic Impulse” (Link) – that I’m finding fascinating. They’re generally concerned with the topic of prosthetics but also touch on issues of identity (one of my current favorites) and human augmentation (reminding me a little of the “wearable stomach” shown in the recent Sterling/Klinker GoogleTech video – Link).
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