And it’s a doozy. In the tradition of giving cute names to terrifying weapons (eg, Fat Man and Little Boy, Bubble Girl, Busy Lobster, etc.), this one is called CHAMP. Remember the neutron bomb as the ultimate symbol of man’s depravity, because it killed people with a powerful blast of radiation, but left buildings standing? (And [...]
I try to resist computer-to-human analogies like “the brain is just an organic computer!” They’re facile and, ultimately, inaccurate. One role of DNA, however, is to act as a kind of data storage. It’s a wild oversimplification to compare genetic code to computer code, but there’s a kernel (geek pun: sorry) of truth in there. [...]
Paul Corby is 23, autistic, and suffers from a potentially fatal heart condition called left ventricular noncompaction. He’s high-functioning enough to have written and self-published a novel for pre-teens, but he also has severe social problems, is prone to emotional outbursts, and suffers from various psychological and developmental issues. He spends much of his day playing [...]
Every year around this time I begin a deeper descent into the world of gaming. As Editor-at-Large of Games Magazine, and a writer for many others, I keep up with games year round, but in July and August, I co-edit the Games Magazine 100, an annual awards issue and buyer’s guide to the best of [...]
Nazi propaganda urging the elimination of the unfit: “60,000 Reichsmarks is what this person suffering from a hereditary defect costs the People’s community during his lifetime. Fellow citizen, that is your money too.” If you believe it is right and proper for a woman to have prenatal testing to determine if she’s carrying a disabled [...]
Signing that organ donor card always seemed like a simple decision, but with the slide in modern medical ethics, particularly where end-of-life and “brain death” issues are concerned, perhaps that’s no longer the case. I’ve seen enough reports over the years about people who were incorrectly declared brain dead only to come roaring back to life, [...]
The Deus Ex series, along with its cousin, Bioshock, is one of the most profound statements on transhumanism in any medium. The most recent version, Human Revolution, was released last fall, and it’s still well worth a complete playthrough. Here’s a bit of what I wrote in my review for Catholic News Service. Human Revolution” [...]
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