They say stop staring at your smartphone. I say stop staring at the past. They say the internet is shallow and fake. I say people are shallow and fake. They say being online is bad for social skills. I say being online makes you collaborative, and that’s the only social skill that matters. They say social media makes you depressed. I say negative people make you depressed. Just get rid of them. They say robots destroy our jobs. I say robots will liberate us from salary slavery and let us focus on things that matter. They say unplug and be more human. I say being plugged in is the most human thing there is. They say I’m a tech-fundamentalist. I say I’m a humanist. Because technology is the most human thing there is.

Can you see the pattern? I love technology. I believe that with it we can solve all of our present and future problems. This won’t happen without risk and accidents. We will even mess things up pretty badly along the way. But eventually, technology will save us from ourselves. Bear with me. I’m even willing to step it up to this: technology is the most human thing that has ever existed. Nothing is more human than technology. Technology isn’t something that happens to us – it is us.

Can you see the pattern? I love technology. I believe that with it we can solve all of our present and future problems. This won’t happen without risk and accidents. We will even mess things up pretty badly along the way. But eventually, technology will save us from ourselves. Bear with me. I’m even willing to step it up to this: technology is the most human thing that has ever existed. Nothing is more human than technology. Technology isn’t something that happens to us – it is us.

Let me explain. The whole idea came to me a few weeks ago when I was playing Deus Ex. It’s a videogame, first released in 2000, that has been developed into a series. The latest one is Mankind Divided, released in August. The story is set in the near-future, in which humans have invented and almost perfected the science of human augmentation – the art of replacing or upgrading your biological organs with artificial and mechanised/computerised organs. You basically upgrade your biology to something better, smarter and stronger. For example, you can replace your biological arms with much stronger artificial ones. You can augment your brain by implanting microchips with different features so that you become super-intelligent. You can augment your legs so that you can run at extremely fast speeds and jump much higher than your biological legs would ever allow you to.

The conflict in the game arises when a class of superhumans arise – the humans who can afford to buy the augmentations. The people who don’t have the money to augment themselves, or are against augmentation for ideological reasons, become inferior. Class warfare ensues and due to certain events (I’m not gonna spoil the story), the humans end up winning the political struggle. A new kind of apartheid is created, in which augmented humans are put in ghettos, in order to keep “natural humans” safe and prosperous.

So, as I was playing this game during the past weeks, it occurred to me that we actually aren’t that far away from augmentation in the real world. First of all, the creators of Deus Ex have teamed up with Open Bionics, an initiative with the vision of creating affordable, open-source prosthetics for amputees, researchers and hobbyists. Open Bionics has come a long way beyond just a vision, though. It is already delivering robotic hands and related components at extremely affordable prices. Without compromising quality and functionality. The medical industry hasn’t even got close to the affordability that Open Bionics is offering.

Augmented Future – this collaboration with the Deus Ex team – has added another level of awesomeness to what Open Bionics is doing. You see, the talented crew behind Deus Ex has been designing prosthetics (or augmentations) for the characters in their games since 2000. They’re among the most experienced on the planet when it comes to designing beautiful artificial body parts. And now they’re designing for Open Bionics, so that amputees can wear extraordinarily gorgeous prosthetics, rather than the boring medical devices designed by the prosthetics industry. They’re so damn gorgeous, in fact, that you’d want one yourself. Even though you might not need one.

So, prosthetics are becoming gorgeous and widely accessible. This in itself is revolutionary. But what is even crazier is that new devices are slowly showing up on the market with the aim of improving your biological functionality.

Let me give you a few examples. Cyborg Nest is a startup that has developed an augmentation that you pierce onto your body. The technology allows your body to feel when it faces the north pole, effectively giving you a sixth sense – the sense of a compass, built in and part of your biological body. I’ll let the company itself tell you why this augmentation would bring value to your boring and all-biological life, but damn, I can’t say it’s not tickling my senses and boggling my mind. I’ll probably buy one.

In May 2017, Waverly Labs is launching the Pilot, the equivalent of the Babel fish from Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. In case you haven’t read the book, it’s a device that translates other languages directly into your ear in real time. Waverly Labs is shipping the product, which is called Pilot, in May 2017. Although you won’t have to replace your biological ears with the Pilot, it’s in many ways an augmentation: you put it in your ear and it will allow you to understand other languages. Live! In the future, it could just as well be a piece of software that you install in the microchips that you already have implanted in your brain.

And lastly, Verily (a subsidiary of Alphabet/Google) is developing a smart contact lens that replaces your natural lens. It has a tiny chip that detects glucose in your tears, thus revolutionising life for diabetic patients. It’s just a matter of time before lens augmentation evolves into lenses that improve vision beyond human capabilities and even act as displays that show information directly on your eye.

The examples above are just a tiny pick of what’s going on out there. The science of augmented body parts is advancing rapidly. So the question remains: should we embrace these new and artificial augmentations to our bodies, or should we fight to remain human? Essentially, what I’m asking is what does it mean to be human?

As I said at the start, technology is the most human thing that has ever existed. Nothing is more human than technology. Think about it. Your biological arm, for example, isn’t that different from a chimpanzee’s arm. In fact, it isn’t that different from a cat’s or a mouse’s limb, either. Physiologically and biochemically speaking, they’re pretty similar. What actually separates you from the chimpanzee, cat, mouse and every other animal is your imagination and your ability to invent. That is the sole differentiator between you and every other species on this planet. And technology is the manifestation of your imagination and inventiveness. Therefore, technology is what makes you human. In fact, technology is the only thing that makes you human. Without technology, you’re an animal.

That’s why I believe augmenting ourselves is the most human thing we can do, when the technology is mature enough. And that’s why I believe technology will save us from ourselves. Because the wars we wage and the violence we impose on each other stem from the leftovers we have from when we were animals. The leftovers in our brains called the amygdala. It’s the amygdala that urges us to be tribal, to be insecure and hostile towards one another. It’s the amygdala that fuels our fears and urges us to distance ourselves from each other and the unknown. It’s the amygdala that fuels our ego and neglect of other human beings. It’s the amygdala that fuels our greed, instilling the fear of running out of what we already have. While technology brings enormous possibilities, it’s the amygdala that finds a thousand ways to misuse it for egoistic reasons.

Yet paradoxically, we can’t live without it. Because the amygdala helps us escape danger. It helps us stay out of harm’s way. It fuels our survival. But clearly it’s broken. So why not augment it? Why not install a chip that corrects its flaws? That would be the ultimate goal. We’re far away from getting there at the moment. We will probably augment every part of our body before we start even thinking about augmenting our brains. But we’re on our way. Meanwhile, we should embrace technology despite the shortcomings of our fragile, human brains. Because essentially, technology is the only thing that makes us human. It’s the only hope we have in stopping us from destroying ourselves. It’s the only hope we have in truly becoming human.

Credits:

Words by Dr Ashkan Fardost

deusex.com; openbionics.com; augmentedfuture.com; cyborgnest.net; waverlylabs.com; verily.com

One day in 2003, a friend and I met at a Stockholm coffee shop to discuss business ideas. It was one of those serious conversations about our futures and, more specifically, about starting our own business.

Before arriving, I had been shopping for one of those tape recorders that journalists use (to do research for a book I was writing). I spontaneously turned it on in the middle of our conversation just to try it out. The following is an excerpt from our conversation.

Friend: “Okay, hit it. What are the ideas you’ve come up with? I want to know all of them, even if you think they suck. No shame. We’re brainstorming here. Go for it.”

Me: “Cool. Here we go. You love dogs. I love dogs. Right? French bulldogs, especially. What if we start a company that designs premium clothing for French bulldogs? Called something like Frenchiewear. That would be so cool.”

Friend: “What? I’ve never heard of anyone who pays premium dollar just to clothe their dog. Also, the name sounds like clothes for French people. It’s just weird.”

Me: “Okay. Well, what about pencils? Everyone uses them, but most are shitty. Either you steal them from class or get them for free from somewhere. But imagine a store that specialises in pencils. Antique pencils, high-tech modern pencils, artistic pencils – whatever your needs, you can find the perfect pencil just for you. Like a Nike store, but for pencils.”

Friend: “Seriously, dude, are you for real? An entire store just for pencils? You’d go bankrupt on day one. They don’t exist, because only a weirdo would give a damn about their pencil. Give me something good.”

Me: “Okay, okay. Look, we travel a lot together, right? And sometimes we end up in an airport that we really love, without understanding why.”

Friend: “Yes. Like last month, when we were in Budapest! Damn, I love that airport.”

Me: “Exactly! I think the secret lies in the carpeting.”

Friend: “The carpeting?”

Me: “Yeah, I think the carpeting in airport terminals is the critical factor that makes an airport nice or crappy. I’ve been fascinated by airport carpeting for a while, to be honest. I’m thinking we could create a website that reviews carpets in airport terminals. We could make serious cash from advertising on that site.”

Friend: “Carpets in airports? Who gives a shit about carpets in airports?! I thought we were having a serious conversation about a money-making business, man.”

Me: “What if we create a TV show where we travel the world and document elevators in buildings?”

Friend: “… … …” Me: “Or an online community for people who believe they’re vampires.”

Friend: “… … … … …” Me: “Okay, last suggestion – an international event for rubber-duck racing.”

Friend: “You’re fucking insane.”

Now, my question to you is this – do you think I’m insane? Do you think my ideas were stupid? Chances are that you probably do. And if you do, you’re actually the one who’s insane. Here’s why.

First of all, I have a confession to make: that entire conversation is made up. But there’s a critical element of truth in it: all the ideas that the imaginary version of me came up with are 100% real. Yes, there is a website dedicated to reviewing airport carpets. There’s even a 14,000-fans-strong Facebook page dedicated to the carpet at Portland International Airport, Oregon.

In other words, there is a large number of people who passionately care about the weird stuff above. How is this possible? And why is this even important? Because of these three reasons.

1 People are naturally weird I’m weird. You’re weird. Maybe you don’t buy clothes for your French bulldog. Maybe you don’t believe you’re a vampire, or maybe you don’t care about pencils, but you’re weird in one way or another – either through a hobby, an interest, a secret fascination, something.

For example, I love jet airliners. In fact, I love them so much I purchased flight-simulation software, a flight stick, throttle, the whole shebang. In my spare time, I spend hours in front of my homemade flight simulator. I calculate routes with maps that are synched with real-world airline traffic and I fly. From Stockholm to Reykjavik. From Berlin to New York. I might even be able to land a real Airbus 320 by now (well, I know how to get the autopilot ready for landing, so if the autopilot is broken we’re done for). I’m not making this up, I love doing this. It’s one of my many weird fascinations.

And guess what? There are hundreds of online communities for people like me. We fly planes together, discuss their aerodynamics, even design our own planes, sell them on online stores specialising in flight-simulator airplanes… You get the idea. There’s a sprawling and bustling online world that awaits and welcomes all hobbyist computer pilots who are out there in the world.

So, what’s your weirdo fascination? You have one, too, I know it! If you’re afraid to admit it, or think people will ridicule you, here’s a piece of inspiration: I had a colleague who had a passion for laminating stuff and therefore actually had a laminating machine at home. Yes, a machine that laminates paper and makes it plastic-y. Again, not making this up. This colleague loved laminating stuff, among many other interests, of course, and I think it’s freaking awesome.

2 People seek other people who share their interests and values For as long as us humans have existed, this behaviour has been deeply rooted in our DNA. But until now, the seeking part has been really difficult. Weirdos have been suffering in silence for millennia, afraid of being cast out from their social tribes if they deviate too much from what’s considered normal. Reason 3 solves this problem.

3 Technology – or more specifically, the internet This is the most critical and exciting reason. This is what connects reasons 1 and 2 and renders all of the crazy weirdness I told you about before possible. You can connect with anyone on the entire planet. So, if you have a weird idea, a weird fascination, a weird whatever, chances are there will be thousands of other people around the planet who are weird in exactly the same way as you. And for the first time in history, you can actually seek and find them. You are no longer alone, and never will be, if you choose not to be.

So, in summary, the reasons all the weird stuff is possible are 1) we are inherently weird in our unique ways; 2) we are programmed to connect with other people, and the more unique the reason for our connection, the deeper the connection; and last but not least, 3) we now have the means to connect with virtually ever other human being on the planet.

In other words, being weird is not weird any more. Technology and the internet killed normal. We can see it in every facet of our world today, and it’s not only visible on the surface, such as in the examples in the beginning of this story. In fact, the uprising of weirdness and niche interests is completely transforming how the entire economy works (more on this in another article, perhaps, but in the meantime, you can check out a piece that appeared in Wired called The Long Tail by Chris Anderson, who saw this happening already in 2004).

That’s how much of an impact and power the weirdo in you has. And whether you decide to turn it into a business, start a community, or just find like-minded people to share it with is entirely up to you. None is better than the other, as long as you don’t keep it a secret. Because if you do, you’ll never forgive yourself the day you realise what you’ve been missing out on.

So, step up and dare to be the real and weird version of you. Because you were born this way and you should celebrate it. And there are billions of us who want to celebrate it with you. See you around, weirdo <3

Credits:

Words by Dr Ashkan Fardost

Cosplay Couple; Suvarnabhumi Airport Terminal, Bangkok

© David Mckelvey; Chicago International Airport

© Nicola; © Gaetan Lee

Links:

FRENCHIEWEAR

The Carpet at Portland Airport

The Long Tail by Chris Anderson