{"id":573,"date":"2009-08-26T15:57:14","date_gmt":"2009-08-26T21:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/weblog.chrisgrundemann.com\/?p=573"},"modified":"2009-08-26T15:57:14","modified_gmt":"2009-08-26T21:57:14","slug":"become-cyborg-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chrisgrundemann.com\/index.php\/2009\/become-cyborg-free\/","title":{"rendered":"I am a FOSS Cyborg, and you can too!"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have come to realize that I am, in fact, a cyborg. Not the cool hardware enhanced cyborg from sci-fi stories but a more software based cyborg.<\/p>\n

Merriam-Webster<\/a> defines cyborg as “a bionic human<\/a>” and bionic as “having normal biological capability or performance enhanced by or as if by electronic or electromechanical devices<\/a>” – thus a cyborg is simply a human whose performance is enhanced by something electronic.<\/p>\n

While we typically think of cyborgs<\/a> as creatures who have undergone physical augmentation (memory chips in the brain like Johnny<\/a> Mnemonic<\/a> or electromechanical body part replacements like Stark Trek’s Borg<\/a>), what about enhancements which do not require physical modifications?<\/p>\n

Are we not enhancing our memory when we store phone numbers in our mobile phone (an electronic device)? Isn’t your gps device enhancing your ability to navigate? How many things do you do everyday that you could not do at all without help from your mobile phone or your computer?\u00a0 How many things do you do better or faster thanks to them?<\/p>\n

While I have not introduced electronic devices into my body (like cyborg pioneer Kevin Warwick has<\/a>), what I have<\/em> done is expanded my consciousness into electronic devices.\u00a0 Here is a quick list of some of my favorite free and open source software<\/a> tools for enhancing the human mind:<\/p>\n