To be a machine : adventures among cyborgs, utopians, hackers, and the futurists solving the modest problem of death
(Book)

O'Connell, Slate's book columnist and contributor to the New York Times Magazine, the New Yorker, the Observer, and the Independent, writes pensively on the growing movement of transhumanism, the use of technology to enhance human physical, mental, and intellectual developments. O'Connell investigates this movement through his travels across the globe, from San Francisco to London, to meet with transhumanists in their homes, conferences, informal gatherings, and labs. From device implants to human cyborgs, O'Connell weaves his journey together via a series of encounters and discussions with transhumanists. Readers will appreciate O'Connell's sense of humor and his fast-paced writing, and will at times feel like they're having a dialogue with the author as he ponders the ethics, consequences, and dilemmas of these transhumanist activities embedded in society today. Those who are interested in artificial intelligence, bioengineering, technology, and human development will find this book to be deeply engrossing and informative on the topic of transhumanism and what it means to be a human today and in the future.--Pun, Raymond Copyright 2016 Booklist

Transhumanism-defined here as "a liberation movement advocating nothing less than a total emancipation from biology itself"-is scrutinized in this compact, provocative exploration of the techniques and technologies currently being advanced to extend human intelligence and life spans. Slate columnist and debut author O'Connell takes an open-minded but skeptical approach to his subject as he leads the reader on a tour of modern facilities devoted to enhancing the human "meat machine": cryonics storehouses that freeze brains and bodies for future resuscitation, whole-brain emulation labs studying the scanning and uploading of human consciousness, robotics researchers attempting to create simulacra capable of human function, cyborg "grindhouses" crafting renegade interfaces between the body and smart technology, and gerontology institutions that are trying to "cure" aging. O'Connell writes with an intellectual curiosity that makes his esoteric subject matter accessible to lay readers, and he tempers his observations with the existential anxiety that the concept of transhumanism evokes, as when he describes it as "an expression of the profound human longing to transcend the confusion and desire and impotence and sickness of the body, cowering in the darkening shadow of its own decay." His book is a stimulating overview of modern scientific realities once thought to be the exclusive purview of science fiction. Agent: Amelia Atlas, ICM Partners. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

O'Connell, Slate's book columnist and contributor to the New York Times Magazine, the New Yorker, the Observer, and the Independent, writes pensively on the growing movement of transhumanism, the use of technology to enhance human physical, mental, and intellectual developments. O'Connell investigates this movement through his travels across the globe, from San Francisco to London, to meet with transhumanists in their homes, conferences, informal gatherings, and labs. From device implants to human cyborgs, O'Connell weaves his journey together via a series of encounters and discussions with transhumanists. Readers will appreciate O'Connell's sense of humor and his fast-paced writing, and will at times feel like they're having a dialogue with the author as he ponders the ethics, consequences, and dilemmas of these transhumanist activities embedded in society today. Those who are interested in artificial intelligence, bioengineering, technology, and human development will find this book to be deeply engrossing and informative on the topic of transhumanism and what it means to be a human today and in the future. Copyright 2016 Booklist Reviews.

Transhumanism—defined here as "a liberation movement advocating nothing less than a total emancipation from biology itself"—is scrutinized in this compact, provocative exploration of the techniques and technologies currently being advanced to extend human intelligence and life spans. Slate columnist and debut author O'Connell takes an open-minded but skeptical approach to his subject as he leads the reader on a tour of modern facilities devoted to enhancing the human "meat machine": cryonics storehouses that freeze brains and bodies for future resuscitation, whole-brain emulation labs studying the scanning and uploading of human consciousness, robotics researchers attempting to create simulacra capable of human function, cyborg "grindhouses" crafting renegade interfaces between the body and smart technology, and gerontology institutions that are trying to "cure" aging. O'Connell writes with an intellectual curiosity that makes his esoteric subject matter accessible to lay readers, and he tempers his observations with the existential anxiety that the concept of transhumanism evokes, as when he describes it as "an expression of the profound human longing to transcend the confusion and desire and impotence and sickness of the body, cowering in the darkening shadow of its own decay." His book is a stimulating overview of modern scientific realities once thought to be the exclusive purview of science fiction. Agent: Amelia Atlas, ICM Partners. (Feb.) Copyright 2016 Publisher Weekly.