We Are Cyborgs
What is a cyborg?
an organism "to which [external] components have been added for the purpose of adapting to new environments
(or something similar)
Why did Neil Harbisson become a cyborg?
He was born without the ability to see colors.
What does desolate mean?
a place that is empty, bleak, and uninhabited, or a person feeling profoundly sad, lonely, and without hope
In the TED Talk, which country did Marks mention that scored highest on the HPI? (Bonus: Do you remember which country was highest when we looked it up? Lowest?)
Costa Rica
(Bonus: Highest: Vanuatu, Lowest: Central African Republic)
What does Harbisson mean when he says he lived in a "grayscale world"?
He could only see everything in black and white and shades of gray.
A camera! (Bonus: He uses it to record interviews for a documentary about people with bionic body parts.)
What is the device that Neil Harbisson invented? What does it do?
(I will not accept the answer "it allows him to see colors"... you should tell me how!)
According to the reading, how do economists and statisticians define progress?
If economic growth and gross national product (GNP) go up, then life will get better.
(More money and wealth = more happiness!)
Finish the sentence:
Countries in the Western world and the ______________ have the highest ecological footprint.
Countries in the Western world and the Middle East have the highest ecological footprint.
What are some of the downsides of using cyborg technology, and thus being a cyborg? (Bonus: Give me an example!)
Larry Hester invented a different kind of bionic eye called the Argus II. How does the Argus II allow him to see?
What are some of the artistic pieces that Harbisson has created using his cyborg technology? Name at least 3.
Sound portraits, music translations, speech translations
According to Nic Marks, what do environmentalists focus on today when it comes to the future? (Bonus: Why are these definitions unhelpful?)
They focus on the worst-case scenario and all of the negative outcomes that will emerge if we don't change our behavior.
(Bonus: They incite fear, but fear tends to produce a flight-or-fight response in humans.)
Where is the ideal place to be on the graph showing the results of the HPI?
(I will show you the graph.)
The top left!
Finish the quote from the speech given by Robert Kennedy in 1968: "[The GNP] measures everything, in short, except that which ______ ______ ______."
"[The GNP] measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile."
What does Steve Mann's cyborg technology, the EyeTap, allow him to do? (Bonus: How is the EyeTap different from the other bionic eyes in this reading?)
It allows him to alter the things he sees using computer technology. (Bonus: His device does not enhance or restore a lost ability; it changes an already existing one.)
Harbisson explains how he expanded the functions of his Eyeborg device. What did he add? What can he now perceive that the human eye cannot?
ultraviolet and infrared light
How does Nic Marks want us to measure progress instead?
Using something he invented called the Happy Planet Index (HPI), which takes other factors into account when determining "progress".
List the "5 Keys to Happiness" mentioned by Marks.
To connect, be active, take notice, keep learning, give
(I will not accept any other answers, sorry :( )
What are the three levels that Marks mentions when he talks about positive feedback loops? Give me 1 example of an action that can be taken at each level to improve well-being.
Government level, business level, and personal level.
What examples does Amber Case give that suggest that we are already cyborgs? How do they make us cyborgs? Explain her argument!
Smartphones and computers. They give us abilities that we would otherwise not have.
How does the Eyeborg work? Explain in detail how it functions.
There is a color sensor on the device that detects the color frequency in front of him. It sends the frequency to the chip installed at the back of his head, which vibrates. He can then hear the frequency through bone conduction.
(or something similar)
Think about the diagram presenting the results of the 2003 survey about well-being. What were the top three most important factors? (Bonus: Can you name all seven in order?)
Happiness, Health, Love (Bonus: Meaning, Wealth, Heaven, Attractiveness)
Complete the equation:
Happy Planet Index ≈ __?__ x __?__ / __?__
Happy Planet Index ≈
Experienced well-being x Life expectancy / Ecological footprint
What is Claire Teacher's birthday?
(Bonus: How old is Claire Teacher?)
September 7
(I am... 25 :( )