
The Girl with the Augmented Body and a DIY Manufacturing Habit - exolymph
https://exolymph.news/2016/07/05/sexycyborg-shenzhen-3d-printing/
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astrodust
I'd seen the occasional bit about her on Reddit before, but I didn't know she
was as deeply interested in technology. Her observations about the 'hacker
scene' in China are really heart-breaking. So much potential, and it's all
being largely ignored since it doesn't fit with the cultural expectations.

~~~
SexyCyborg
Hardware startup scene is doing well. Lots of Kickstarters here. But the idea
we have Western style Makerspaces or Makers...no. Chinese are willing to
invest a lot in education. But much less in a hobby. So the few real spaces
are about classes for kids. But between classes you can go to TGN or Litchee
Lab and use their laser cutter. Although I have not yet.

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webkike
I'm sorry but, why should I care about this person? Is it because she reflects
a growing trend or acceptance towards body modification and calls herself a
transhumanist? Like, does she do anything interesting? A 3D printed model of
her is... incredibly not very unique? Does she represent how diverse tech can
be? Perhaps... but what's the point? "Sexy people can code too!" Yeah I
realize. I'm sorry, I just don't see the point.

~~~
kaitai
Sounds like you may be distracted by the body mod/sexy part. Other than the
crazy ideas about body modification that I commented on elsewhere, I thought
it was interesting that in China making original 3D-printed gifts was
something she saw as advantageous -- you "get a lot of face." The discussion
of maker culture in Shenzhen was also interesting, since it contrasts with the
US scene.

Cultural differences in how we end up putting technology to use are very
relevant to HN.

~~~
webkike
I got "distracted" by it because it's a huge part of the article! I would have
been interested in an article purely about the differences in maker culture.
But that wasn't the article.

~~~
throwanem
God forfend she be proud, or even unashamed, of the body she's made for
herself at considerable effort and expense.

~~~
webkike
I'm not suggesting she not be proud or for her to be ashamed about her body.
I'm just saying that it's not interesting to learn about. There are literally
3.52 billion women who should be proud of their bodies, but I don't feel
obligated to listen to any one of them be proud.

also I'm pretty sure you meant to say "unashamed, or even proud".

~~~
throwanem
Well, then, don't! And kindly oblige the rest of us by declining to do so a
little less loudly.

also i said exactly what i meant

~~~
dpark
Why are you so worked up about this? You're being extremely abrasive and
combative here. Webkike didn't slut shame this woman or insult her. The
question posed is literally "what's the point?" The article did a poor job of
making this profile interesting. (Sorry, Sonya.)

There could have been an interesting article here about the maker scene in
China, or the unhealthy way many westerners online attack this woman for her
appearance, or how non-stereotypical people can end up interested in the maker
scene, or maybe something else. Instead we got a title that promised body mods
and diy manufacturing and an article that delivered little of either. There
were literally two into paragraphs, mostly about her appearance, and then
"Given all of this context, I reached out to SexyCyborg for an interview."
What context? And now a question about 3D printing?

If I wrote an article containing two paragraphs about a guy called CyborgJim
who wears Metallica T-shirts, 3D prints Star Wars figurines, and gets called a
neckbeard online and then jumped into a Q&A with him, someone would rightly
say "why should I care?" And I doubt you would defend my article so
vigorously.

~~~
throwanem
> There could have been an interesting article here about the maker scene in
> China, or the unhealthy way many westerners online attack this woman for her
> appearance, or how non-stereotypical people can end up interested in the
> maker scene, or maybe something else.

And the article that actually was posted makes for a very workable entrée into
all of the above, especially if you take the time to follow links from it or
otherwise investigate.

> The article did a poor job of making this profile interesting.

You're right! But that's excused by the fact that it's an uninteresting
article about an interesting person, who sheds light on an interesting
culture, about whom and about which probably everyone who's commented in this
thread previously knew nothing. In light of that, it strikes me as odd it'd be
so divisive.

~~~
dpark
> _And the article that actually was posted makes for a very workable entrée
> into all of the above, especially if you take the time to follow links from
> it or otherwise investigate._

I would not consider the article a "workable entrée" into any of those topics.
Yes, I could do my own investigation into each of those things, but this
article doesn't help much with that, nor does it manage to make me interested
in any of those things. You can't expect people to read a bad article and then
say "well, that was boring, but I bet if I follow every link here I'll
eventually find something worth my time".

> _You 're right! But that's excused by the fact that it's an uninteresting
> article about an interesting person, who sheds light on an interesting
> culture, about whom and about which probably everyone who's commented in
> this thread previously knew nothing. In light of that, it strikes me as odd
> it'd be so divisive._

I don't agree. A poor article is not excused by having an interesting subject.
A poor article will make a subject seem uninteresting, which is what happened
here.

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nickledave
For people unable to read all the way through the title, it _does_ say "...and
a DIY Manufacturing Habit". </sarcasm>

Seriously, her comments about how "hobbies" like DIY manufacturing and
Makerspaces are seen in China were eye-opening to me and definitely worth a
read.

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kaitai
Magnetic implants. I have to say, I don't think about wearables or
augmentation much -- I'm pretty old-fashioned although I read my early Neal
Stephenson etc.

On the one hand, magnetic body armor. On the other hand, do we really have a
good understanding of the electrical nature of the body? We've got some
rudimentary understanding of the electromagnetic nature of the brain; we
figured out we have iron deposits in our noses; we know a tiny bit about MRIs
and their effects. You can induce vertigo with an MRI, for instance. But how
would continuous low-level magnetic exposure affect everyday
bioelectromagnetics?

~~~
dpark
> _But how would continuous low-level magnetic exposure affect everyday
> bioelectromagnetics?_

I'd wager not at all. There are plenty of people who wear magnetic bracelets,
believing they provide some sort of health benefits. All the evidence says
they do nothing at all. I'd expect the same for magnetic implants.

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Joof
Glad to see more diverse people are interested.

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RP_Joe
Many people on Reddit are convinced she is a he.

~~~
SexyCyborg
>Many people on Reddit are convinced she is a he.

Not sure where I would hide a penis in that bikini. Makes sense though.
Tinkercad and RGB LEDs, tough stuff.

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mac01021
> I have a better firewall than most people, though. None of it is in my
> mother tongue, so it does not really run on bare metal, as it were.

> Fortunately my English is okay and [...]

