Free Rebuilt: My Journey Back To The Hearing World Ebooks Online
After Michael Chorost suddenly lost what was left of his hearing, he took the radical step of having a cochlear implant -- a tiny computer -- installed in his head. A technological marvel, the device not only restored to him the world of sound but also could be routinely upgraded with new software. Despite his intitial fear of the technology's potentially dehumanizing effects, Chorost's implant allowed him to connect with others in surprising ways: as a cyborg, he learned about love, joined a writing group, and formed deeper friendships. More profoundly, his perception of the world around him was dramatically altered. Brimming with insight and written with charm and self-deprecating humor, Rebuilt unveils, in personal terms, the astounding possibilities of a new technological age.
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Mariner Books; Reprint edition (May 19, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0618717609
ISBN-13: 978-0618717606
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #794,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #79 in Books > Computers & Technology > Computer Science > Cybernetics #85 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Diseases & Physical Ailments > Hearing Problems #149 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Computers & Technology
Cyborgs are familiar figures in science fiction. The term was coined in 1960 meaning "cybernetic organism", a living being who was a fusion of biological and computer parts. If you think we might eventually have cyborgs in the future, you are wrong; cyborgs walk among us now, and one has written an autobiography. In _Rebuilt: How Becoming Part Computer Made Me More Human_ (Houghton Mifflin), Michael Chorost has described how an implanted computer has taken over his hearing and brought him better back to the world. It is a strange story; in one sense, it isn't unique because thousands of cochlear implants are in use now, but Chorost has a lifetime of deafness, a longstanding interest in computers, a background in literature, and a fine sense of humor that bring the story forward in a unique way.Chorost had had impaired hearing since childhood, and it gave out entirely in 2001 when he was 36 years old. Because it was a problem within his inner ear and his auditory nerves themselves were intact, he was a candidate to get a cochlear implant. It is not a simple amplifier like a hearing aid is, but a direct stimulator of the nerves that go from the cochlea to the brain. He was distressed when it finally was turned on. "Everything sounds awful," he reports. There was a roaring sound, and everything else was muddy and incomprehensible. It got much better, and in strange ways that raise fascinating questions about sensation. For instance, the electrode array cannot stimulate the cochlea in the way it was used to, and there is a problem of frequency mismatch. A user perceives that the entire auditory spectrum is shifted into high; that was one reason that Chorost couldn't, that first day, tell a woman's voice from a man's. His own voice sounded too high, too.
Rebuilt: My Journey Back to the Hearing World The Best Ears in the World: A First Look at Sound and Hearing (Little Bees) Translating God: Hearing God's Voice For Yourself And The World Around You Hearing (The Five Senses) Sound and Hearing: Make a Noise! (Starters) Baby Sign Language Basics: Early Communication for Hearing Babies and Toddlers, New & Expanded Edition An Introduction to the Physiology of Hearing: Fourth Edition Deaf and Hard of Hearing (Living with a Special Need) Speech and Hearing Science: Anatomy and Physiology (4th Edition) Children with Hearing Loss: Developing Listening and Talking, Birth to Six, Third Edition Clinical Observation: A Guide for Students in Speech, Language, and Hearing Anatomy & Physiology for Speech, Language, and Hearing, 5th (with Anatesse Software Printed Access Card) Hearing and Writing Music Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others Growing Up with God: Adventures in Hearing His Voice Hearing Beyond the Words: How to Become a Listening Pastor The Message of the Twelve: Hearing the Voice of the Minor Prophets A Gentle Thunder: Hearing God Through the Storm The Complete Guide to Building Classic Barns, Fences, Storage Sheds, Animal Pens, Outbuildings, Greenhouses, Farm Equipment, & Tools: A Step-by-Step ... (Back-To-Basics) (Back to Basics: Building) Watch Your Back!: How the Back Pain Industry Is Costing Us More and Giving Us Less_and What You Can Do to Inform and Empower Yourself in Seeking ... Culture and Politics of Health Care Work)
