Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 15, No. 358.
Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London
<http://www.princeton.edu/~mccarty/humanist/>
<http://www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/humanist/>
[1] From: Arun-Kumar Tripathi (22)
<tripathi@amadeus.statistik.uni-dortmund.de>
Subject: Digitalizing the human body by David Gugerli et. al.
[2] From: Arun-Kumar Tripathi (32)
<tripathi@amadeus.statistik.uni-dortmund.de>
Subject: Cyborg Guidelines
--[1]------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 07 Nov 2001 18:00:22 +0000
From: Arun-Kumar Tripathi
<tripathi@amadeus.statistik.uni-dortmund.de>
Subject: Digitalizing the human body by David Gugerli et. al.
Dear Dr. William McCarty,
This is an interesting research project on "Digitalizing the human body"
in the Cultural and institutional contexts of computer based image
processing in medical practice is in progress at History of Technology
Institute at ETH Zuerich, thought might interest to Humanist scholars. The
case of MRI in Switzerland! The project leaders are Professor David
Gugerli, Dr. Barbara Orland, & Dr. Regula Burri.
EXCERPT:
--------
During the last quarter of this century, medical practice has undergone a
profound technological change. The physicians technical means to visualize
the structure, the functions, and the deficiencies of the human body have
seen a development whose weight is only comparable to the emergence of the
anatomic theater in early modern times and the introduction of x-ray
techniques at the end of the 19th century. Computer based imaging
technologies such as ultrasound, computer assisted tomography, positrone
emission tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging have dramatically
amplified the possibilities of medical diagnosis and intervention.
Full text can be found at:
<http://www.tg.ethz.ch/forschung/projektbeschreib/MRI/MRIAbstract.htm>
Thanks!
Best regards,
Arun
--[2]------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 07 Nov 2001 18:00:54 +0000
From: Arun-Kumar Tripathi
<tripathi@amadeus.statistik.uni-dortmund.de>
Subject: Cyborg Guidelines
Dear Prof. Willard McCarty,
Hi, another project on "Cyborg Guidelines" is in progress at History of
Technology Institute, ETH Zuerich -thought might interest to humanist
scholars. It is about Project Visions and R&D Strategies in Computer
Engineering. The project leaders are Prof. David Gugerli and Dr. Carmen
Baumeler.
EXCERPT:
---------
"Cybernetic organisms" are inhabiting our concepts of a future man-machine
relationship ever since Manfred E. Clynes and Nathan S. Kline published
their "Cyborgs and Space" article in 1960. From a conceptual point of
view, Clynes and Kline had a very clear approach: Instead of carrying a
small, artificial environment in order to survive in an unfriendly natural
environment (e.g. wearing a special space suit during extra vehicular
activities), they rather proposed to change the homeostatic conditions and
cybernetic controls of the organism itself: "If man in space, in addition
to flying his vehicle, must continuously be checking on things and making
adjustments merely in order to keep himself alive, he becomes a slave to
the machine. The purpose of the Cyborg, as well as his own homeostatic
systems, is to provide an organizational system in which such robot-like
problems are taken care of automatically and unconsciously, leaving man
free to explore, to create, to think, and to feel." (Clynes and Kline
1960, see also Driscoll 1963). In 1984, William Gibson published his
influential novel Neuromancer where he created a similar vision of the
future relationship between humans and technology (Gibson 1984). From
Neuromancer we got the now ubiquitous term "cyberspace", which describes a
new class of cybernetically controlled spaces.
Complete details about the project can be found here:
<http://www.tg.ethz.ch/forschung/projektbeschreib/Wearable%20Computing/CyborgGuidelines.htm>
<http://www.wearable.ethz.ch/>
Thank you!
Sincerely
Arun Tripathi
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