Point 01: Sex robots
Point 02: 2-D girlfriends
Point 03: Starbucks nude logo outrage
At the intersection of science and sex is a motley collection of strange inventions and stranger personalities. People seeking ways to bring sex into the technology age. One way is to adapt old technologies to new, wanton uses. Another is to bring some outside-the-box ideas into the realm of the libido.
Give a man a fish, he will eat for a day; give a man a way to talk to a female without the awkwardness of face-to-face interaction, and he will use it to get laid. Cellular phones have been enabled and adapted to today's fast-paced, super-connected dating landscape. From those looking to make connections to those seeking quick relief (link not provided), the cell phone is a veritable Swiss Army knife of sexual fulfillment.
Of course if you can't stand putting up with members of the opposite sex having those pesky attributes called free will and self-determination, fear not! David Levy, a PhD from the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands predicts that we will be having sex with robots within 5 years and marrying them by 2050. Those liberal elites in Massachusetts will be first to make marrying robots legal, according to Levy. Levy points out that the technology is already available in the form of realistic sex dolls and all that is missing are "some electronics ... to add some vibration." Before you rush off and start Googling this guy, the answer is 'yes', he is married, but that would not sop him from trying out one of these fembots as well as letting his wife get in on the fun: "I would regard it as genuine scientific curiosity." While Levy waits, perhaps he should start practicing using this IT Kama Stura illustration as a guide. Another possibility would be to move to Japan as the Japanese are already leaps and bounds ahead of us in this as in all technology fields.
Of course if you can't stand putting up with beings that reside in and utilize all three spatial dimensions, you will be glad to know that Drew Burrows of NYU has the solution in the form of a projected, 2-dimensional girlfriend. She will spoon with you in bed and react to your movements. She is driven by a neat-sounding technology called "infrared sensitive light projection." Somehow I can't help but feel sorry for this sad genius. He is a modern-day Geppetto, but with a more lascivious motive.
I always thought that America was a nation or prudes. Maybe some of it has to do with the fact that about one fifth of all US households are disconnected from the Internet and have never sent an e-mail. If they saw all the lewdness, profanity, and man-on-robot lovin' that goes on within these tubes it would make them realize that having a barely-topless Starbucks logo is not such a big deal after all.
In any case, this technology-sex fusion will likely continue into the future and continue to amaze and confuse us. So for now, put down the Roomba, stop stroking your Pleo, and patiently await the golden age of cyborg kinkyness.
"For flavor, instant sex will never supersede the stuff you have to peel and cook."
- Quentin Crisp
5.19.2008
5.10.2008
Amortized Ambition
Point 01: Root of all ambition
It may be a little early in the life of this blog to stray too far from its stated theme and goal, but I was recently inspired and would like to pay small homage to those that have influenced me thus.
I often find myself amazed when discovering the hidden talents and passions of those around me. Whether it be a penchant for homemade Italian cuisine, musical prowess, or general adroitness when it comes to dealing with people, I find myself wondering what drives us to attain these extracurricular proficiencies.
Those that have heard me say it know that I am consciously and conscientiously expending effort towards constant self-improvement. This half-joke-half-truth speaks to my very nature, and if I may be so bold, the nature of all those who strive towards a similar state-of-being. There is some innate ambition, instilled at various stages of development, that pushes us to constantly improve. It may aptly be described as a Darwinian force that drives us to fulfill our genetic potential, lest we fail to survive in our modern jungle. To be sure, I am not naive enough to think that such an edict is universal. Unfortunately, many are perfectly content leading a wholly stagnant existence. These people are denying their very nature; they deny their own mind and therefore deny their own life. The sub-current forces that put us on a path towards the pursuit of noble endeavors, at the end of which lies the pinnacle of human evolution, are suppressed by those with a lackadaisical and lethargic disposition.
It begins at a young age. We grow up wanting to be an astronaut, firefighter, marine biologist, or gynecologist to the stars. If you're lucky, those around you and in charge of your care will nurture these nascent ambitions. Through added years and understanding we mold these to better fit our more developed and mature mind; to make them fit within the framework of our surroundings and our own abilities. A few will turn supernova and completely defy convention by superseding the expectations of others, but more importantly, their own. These are the ones who claw and climb their way out of darkened obscurity and malaise, and into the morning light of success, recognition, and epistemological well-being.
It is a frail thing this ambition. At any point it can be derailed, destroyed, decried, and discarded. If you find yourself wanting to better yourself in any fashion, no matter how insignificant it may seem initially, it is truly something to treasure and protect and pursue. They are a lucky and chosen few that experience this urge and choose to act and to progress and to evolve.
"Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals."
- Buddha
P.S. For those that use Outlook as part of their daily office grind, I cannot recommend Xobni highly enough. Their product was in private beta for a while, is now in public beta (free as in beer), and available for download.
UPDATE: Possible first step towards self-improvement, read any one of these: 100 Must-Read Books: The Essential Man's Library.
It may be a little early in the life of this blog to stray too far from its stated theme and goal, but I was recently inspired and would like to pay small homage to those that have influenced me thus.
I often find myself amazed when discovering the hidden talents and passions of those around me. Whether it be a penchant for homemade Italian cuisine, musical prowess, or general adroitness when it comes to dealing with people, I find myself wondering what drives us to attain these extracurricular proficiencies.
Those that have heard me say it know that I am consciously and conscientiously expending effort towards constant self-improvement. This half-joke-half-truth speaks to my very nature, and if I may be so bold, the nature of all those who strive towards a similar state-of-being. There is some innate ambition, instilled at various stages of development, that pushes us to constantly improve. It may aptly be described as a Darwinian force that drives us to fulfill our genetic potential, lest we fail to survive in our modern jungle. To be sure, I am not naive enough to think that such an edict is universal. Unfortunately, many are perfectly content leading a wholly stagnant existence. These people are denying their very nature; they deny their own mind and therefore deny their own life. The sub-current forces that put us on a path towards the pursuit of noble endeavors, at the end of which lies the pinnacle of human evolution, are suppressed by those with a lackadaisical and lethargic disposition.
It begins at a young age. We grow up wanting to be an astronaut, firefighter, marine biologist, or gynecologist to the stars. If you're lucky, those around you and in charge of your care will nurture these nascent ambitions. Through added years and understanding we mold these to better fit our more developed and mature mind; to make them fit within the framework of our surroundings and our own abilities. A few will turn supernova and completely defy convention by superseding the expectations of others, but more importantly, their own. These are the ones who claw and climb their way out of darkened obscurity and malaise, and into the morning light of success, recognition, and epistemological well-being.
It is a frail thing this ambition. At any point it can be derailed, destroyed, decried, and discarded. If you find yourself wanting to better yourself in any fashion, no matter how insignificant it may seem initially, it is truly something to treasure and protect and pursue. They are a lucky and chosen few that experience this urge and choose to act and to progress and to evolve.
"Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals."
- Buddha
P.S. For those that use Outlook as part of their daily office grind, I cannot recommend Xobni highly enough. Their product was in private beta for a while, is now in public beta (free as in beer), and available for download.
UPDATE: Possible first step towards self-improvement, read any one of these: 100 Must-Read Books: The Essential Man's Library.
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