On May 8 we were to discuss the issue of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), but due to low attendance, our conversation shifted to something equally exciting. Fanni and I started a debate on Facebook after she’d posted an article about Neil Harbisson, “the world’s first cyborg artist”.
This weird-looking gentleman was born colorblind. At the beginning of the 2000s, he began a project with Adam Montandon, which later became the “Eyeborg” project. They developed a “head-mounted sensor that translates colour frequences into sound frequences”. (Wikipedia) Today, after a series of events, Neil has a camera implanted into his skull that enables him to hear colors, thus overcoming the problem of colorblindness.
“I’m dressed in C major” says Neil in his rather funny and refreshing 10-minute TED presentation. It is definitely worth watching.
Although we couldn’t recall what our debate was originally about, we managed to raise a short but interesting discussion by reading out a few quotes. There were funny ones, such as “Now if I have problems perceiving a color I don’t know who to go to – an opthamologist, a neurologist, or a computer programmer.” But he went further than that with somewhat radical thoughts, which became the basis of our discussion. “Technology is made by humans so if we modify our body with human creations we become more human.” This statement could entail a day-long debate.
In the end we divided the group into two teams, put down words on slips of paper, then both teams had to roll the Story Cubes to tell their stories, using all the words. We had great fun again. Sick minds always save the night.
We have two meetings left until the summer break. Next time we’ll be discussing the issue of computers in education, that is, can computers replace teachers in the long run? If you like the topic or want to try out the tasty grilled chicken, join us next week, and don’t forget to spread the word.
TAKE FIVE — English Language Club 