
The Half Life of Body Hacking - sageabilly
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-half-life-of-body-hacking
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mafuyu
That Circadia device looks way too large to be comfortable. With some more
engineering, it could have been made much smaller. Also, in the removal
picture the battery seems to be bulging rather dangerously..

Battery maintenance and safety is a big concern. It's not easy to get at these
devices once they're inside you. I know pacemakers use Lithium-Iodine battery
chemistry, which is much safer and longer-lasting than Lithium-Ion.

Additionally, if it's just measuring pulse and heat, how much value does it
provide over a smartwatch? My Moto 360 already takes regular heartbeat
measurements and I can (crudely) map it next to my sleeping patterns measured
from the accelerometer[0]. (Interestingly, there's a fairly high correlation
between the two!)

I appreciate the vision of biohacking, but this device doesn't seem to provide
much advantage over an external device, while introducing a whole bunch more
inconvenience and risk.

[0]:
[https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/538662/4_26.png](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/538662/4_26.png)

~~~
sliverstorm
No kidding, my first thought was, this device is _irresponsibly_ large. I
don't know everything that is in it, but having made devices like that before,
I would bet with some engineering investment it could use a coin cell, and not
be much larger than 2 or 3 of said coin cells.

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clacktronics
...um it kind of looks like the LiPo battery was on the border of exploding,
its pretty swolen... boom lost an arm.

edit: ah translated from website

"Then, however, turned to biochemical engineer of the team during a routine
examination determined possible deformations in the battery casing. As Tim
told me recently in Berlin, it suddenly looked like this, as could a Feared by
some nightmare scenario actually occur: If the burst chip battery or, where
there is a cut in the Silikonverkapselung, could have fatal consequences."

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andmarios
I would argue that body hacking is when you experiment with the functions —and
metrics— of your own body.

Adding electronics should classify as body modifications or cyborging.

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nefitty
Imagine all the data points a body generates at any moment. This maybe the
first step toward a cyborg future. When you have that much information about
yourself the chances for experimentation are endless. I get excited just
tracking my sleep, I have no idea what I'll be able to achieve with technology
like this...

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speechduh
When you have that much information, the chances for spurious conclusions are
also endless.

~~~
__z
Yep. Too much information in the absence of symptoms can actually a bad thing.

[https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/a-skeptical-look-at-
scr...](https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/a-skeptical-look-at-screening-
tests/)

"When pharmacies in the UK started offering glucose and cholesterol tests, the
number of visits to doctors increased, but only 10% of people with positive
tests needed treatment"

~~~
2muchcoffeeman
I get a warning when I click on that link. Is this the same article
[http://www.delfini.org/Publications/SKEPDOC.15-3_Screening.p...](http://www.delfini.org/Publications/SKEPDOC.15-3_Screening.pdf)?

~~~
__z
Strange, i don't get a warning, but the certificate has only been valid since
yesterday.

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tantalor
What does this have to do with half lives?

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URSpider94
Their point is that cyborg gear is evolving at Moore's Law pace, so any
implants that you put in will be obsolete in a couple of years. Not to mention
that hardware degrades quickly in a hot, moist, corrosive environment. This is
at odds with more "traditional" body modification like tattooing, which lasts
a lifetime.

~~~
theophrastus
"hot, moist" raises a question i've yet to see addressed. body-"mods" would be
a lot more versatile/update-able if you could implant only the smaller stuff,
mostly sensors, and connect up the bigger stuff externally with cables (and
straps, or bio-velcro); so finally the question: other than rf/inductive
linkage has there been much advancement toward a resident body 'plug'? (often
seen as a feature of Keanu Reeves) while yet avoiding becoming a grand
esplanade for infection.

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cLeEOGPw
If you add something to your body at least make sure that the thing actually
makes use of the fact that it is in your body. Like cardiac stimulator. This
guy just uses his skin to function as a duck tape. And a bicep? Good luck
flexing your arm without feeling pain and bending the thing.

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d-equivalence
All this seems like a slightly more socially accepted way of hating yourself
and cutting your forearms.

It's not a surprise to see goths in every single video/article about body
hacking. Whether they operate safely or not is not a concern, because
obviously this isn't about research or science, or becoming a cyborg by
sticking wires up your ass.

Its about making a fashion statement in the club and drawing attention. And
while not every goth person or community is like that, it is a very prevailing
characteristic.

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thoward
"Grindhouse Wetware"

...that company name

