We are running about a class behind, so I would like to give you the opportunity to continue to discuss some of the issues raised by last weeks “readings”. Here are two prompts for your thinking. You may choose to write about either or both.

Cyborgs, or cybernetic organisms, are beings that are partially biological and partially artificial. The term cybernetic refers to the effects of information flow within a system (cyber is etymologically the same as govern), but popular representations of cyborgs often emphasise the merger of biological and mechanical technologie in a single body. Not all of the “readings” assigned under the title of “Cyborg Culture” are specifically identified with the phenomenon, but we may consider to what extent, or in what ways, they should be. Discuss some of the ways that the various “readings” identify or predict some of the ways in which the cyborg phenomenon impacts the individual or society at large.

The Library of Alexandria was begun in the 4^th century BC and became the largest library in the ancient Greek world, a centre–and symbol–of learning and scholarship. Its accidental destruction by Julius Caesar in 48 BC may not be an accurate account, but it helps emphasise the tragic loss of knowledge on a grand scale that took place as a result. Jorge Luis Borges’ “Library of Babel” is partially inspired by the reputation of the Library of Babel as a universal repository of knowledge, but postulates that the universe itself is such an information repository. New media critics often cite this story as anticipating aspects of the development of the internet. Google’s Google Books project is also inspired by the Library of Alexandria in trying to create an online repository of all printed books. Discuss some of the issues raised by the readings with making “books” available on such a grand scale.