On the Development of Cyborg Technology

Front cover of The Lawrentian 
Autumn Edition 2020 [1]

I don't know why some people dream of becoming-machine, whilst others fantasise about becoming-animal. I suppose in both cases it's all about enhancement - i.e., not only improving or strengthening what we are, but in some sense transcending our present (all-too-human) condition.

At any rate, researchers have recently made significant progress with the goal of integrating electronics with human tissue (including grey matter), thanks to the use of a conjugated polymer coating for components.

Previously, this was proving extremely difficult to accomplish, for traditional microelectronic materials - such as silicon, gold, or stainless steel - cause damage to organic material and the scarring that results disrupts or prevents the sending of electrical signals.

But now, thanks to poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) - or PEDOT as it is conveniently known - it looks like we'll soon be able to establish a seamless interface between hardware and soft tissue and merge artificial intelligence with the brain [2].

Is that a good thing? Well, it's certainly being sold to us as such; not because scientists will be able to create a race of superhuman cyborgs, but because it will enable a new generation of medical implants, dramatically improving the survival rate and quality of life of patients who may urgently require such.

And, I suppose, push comes to shove, if diagnosed with an intracranial tumour, I'd welcome these developments.

However, as a reader of D. H. Lawrence, I can't help being a little troubled by the thought of man's reinvention by the machine and wonder if one shouldn't try to side-step further enframing by technology ...? [3]    

Notes

[1] The material in this post was originally intended for publication in The Lawrentian (Autumn 2020), ed. David Brock, but was cut due to limitations of space. The new issue, on D. H. Lawrence and the question concerning technology, is out on 11 September. 

[2] For more details, see the recent press release from the American Chemical Society headed "'Cyborg' technology could enable new diagnostics, merger of humans and AI." (17 August, 2020): click here. 

[3] I'm thinking in particular here of Lawrence's poems in The 'Nettles' Notebook, such as 'Man and Machine' and 'Side-step, O sons of men!' - see The Poems Vol. 1, ed. Christopher Pollnitz, (Cambridge University Press, 2013), pp. 552 and 554. 

Olfactophilia: Reflections on Canine Arse-Sniffing

Illustration from the Dog Decoder smartphone app by Lili Chin

I got a smelly rear / I got a dirty nose

I don't want no shoes / I don't want no clothes

I'm living like the king of the dogs 

Someone once told me that the reason that dogs like to conduct anal inspections of other dogs is because they are looking for a long-lost message hidden by the King of the Dogs, containing the secret of how to overcome their human masters and be free once more to live their own lives.  

Part of me would still very much like to believe this story to be true. Unfortunately, I'm also familiar with the scientific explanation for such behaviour and this more factual account in terms of glandular secretions released from the dog's anal sac makes me doubt the veracity of the above.  

However, even the American Chemical Society conclude that canine arse-sniffing is essentially an exchange of information. Only what's being communicated concerns sexual status and dietary habits, for example, rather than how to regain the freedom of revered lupine ancestors.    

Finally - since we're discussing this subject - it might be noted that dogs are not enjoying the smell of shit when they stick their noses into the behinds of other dogs.

Indeed, thanks to the presence of Jacobson's organ located inside their nasal cavities, dogs are able to pass subtle chemical information detected in the glandular secretions directly to the brain without being distracted by other more powerful odours. 

Musical bonus: Iggy Pop, King of the Dogs (Lil Armstrong / Iggy Pop), from the album Préliminaires (Astralwerks, 2009).