Magnet Implant

Magnetic children have been springing up across former Yugoslavian nations recently. Their stories are a little dubious, but some scientists and body-modification fans have been irresistibly drawn to the idea of merging man and magnet, with startling results.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_EulsRS-Vn07K7GIyhGg8jLhgiWvUfOUaY9LnZSJx_Gi8zCZ73833sl5Ygf9zwRajkq_EYg_pk-_zkj9vpK8TAkfETMjVh1ZC2bZZhPdgAlBKflv0dlGAToFGiUOvfOtIL6jRhaVk74/s1600/asset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_EulsRS-Vn07K7GIyhGg8jLhgiWvUfOUaY9LnZSJx_Gi8zCZ73833sl5Ygf9zwRajkq_EYg_pk-_zkj9vpK8TAkfETMjVh1ZC2bZZhPdgAlBKflv0dlGAToFGiUOvfOtIL6jRhaVk74/s320/asset.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Magnets have long been a source of fascination for we curious apes, drawing the attentions of generations of scientists, writers and philosophers. The ancient natural philosopher Thales thought that they might perhaps have a soul, prompting Aristotle to note (with perhaps a hint of snarkiness), "[he thinks] all things are full of gods." 2600 years later the rapper Shaggy 2 Dope summed up the frustrations many of today's youth feel when physics intrudes into their lives, pleading, "fucking magnets, how do they work?"<br /><br />History is littered with experiments in magnetism; from Shen Kuo's successful use of magnets in navigation by 1088, to William Gilbert's investigations of Earth's magnetism published in 1600, to my own experiments in the mid-1980s, which involved inserting bar magnets into my nostrils and trying to make paperclips stick to my nose. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoEIOmRV_u00PqkWeNgDH5dXZZorlebhYS1b30j8rqSngKu2x6NH3mqONmjuUezrsqfd67myQFSJqJfg6GTFXtiIbJLVAqg8aeayRqAlWg9Dq9IESv1K1RCCR33E0v6x739ZAuBJ9kXo/s1600/body3a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoEIOmRV_u00PqkWeNgDH5dXZZorlebhYS1b30j8rqSngKu2x6NH3mqONmjuUezrsqfd67myQFSJqJfg6GTFXtiIbJLVAqg8aeayRqAlWg9Dq9IESv1K1RCCR33E0v6x739ZAuBJ9kXo/s320/body3a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I wanted a magnetic nose. I still do, and who wouldn't? A magnetic nose is not something to be sniffed at (or with; removing bar magnets from sinus cavities is not a pleasant task for anyone involved). Imagine being able to sense north through a tingling in your nose, feel your mobile phone ringing in your face, or spend the night locked in a pleasant nasal embrace with your dream lover of opposite polarity. The possibilities are as endless as the variation in your mileage.<br /><br />In Eastern Europe my dreams of magnetic people have supposedly become reality, for a very low value of supposition and a very tenuous definition of reality. Boys and girls with 'magnetic bodies' have been springing up all over the place, without a nose-bleed or a hidden bar magnet in sight. <br /><br />The latest is Ivan, a six-year-old Croatian boy with "the ability to attract metallic objects, from coins to heavy frying pans, to his body" according to the, er, well, Guardian sadly. He follows ten-year-old Serbian girl Jelena, and her seven-year-old compatriot, Bogdan, who is supposedly banned from going near anything electrical and therefore won't be on Twitter any time soon.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLTwB8S0hOgmqOEUd2tbi5madXDhOSwMIFBe3CV-DlWV2mhst0RKNRwuxikqVQ3y-fA_PyCvJh9RJCaTzvm_EhrwJSYNcTAgOrthDPM94F-6kOKKUBOchl_UthGCh1s7dCndDfpUxX3M/s1600/Fingernails-Implanted-With-Magnets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLTwB8S0hOgmqOEUd2tbi5madXDhOSwMIFBe3CV-DlWV2mhst0RKNRwuxikqVQ3y-fA_PyCvJh9RJCaTzvm_EhrwJSYNcTAgOrthDPM94F-6kOKKUBOchl_UthGCh1s7dCndDfpUxX3M/s320/Fingernails-Implanted-With-Magnets.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />All three are claimed to be magnetic, but this obviously isn't the case. Bogdan is pictured with china plates and a TV remote control plastered to his chest, while Jelena is able to 'attract' mostly-plastic cigarette lighters - not objects you would really expect magnetism to act on.<br />The videos are rather oddly staged, too. None of the footage shows any objects being impelled by any force, or moving without human assistance; the items are always placed carefully against the flesh, with big surfaces in contact rather than, say, the edge of a knife. Larger, heavier items are positioned at the top of the chest with the child leaning backwards, suggesting that actually a lot of the weight is pressing into the skin, not pulling against it (and both boys are generously proportioned, allowing some of the weight to rest on their tummies). <br /><br />It also bugs me that the demonstrations are so unimaginatively lame. If my ejaculate somehow gave rise to a magnetic boy I can think of a thousand experiments way cooler than sticking cutlery to him. It would be nice to see him lift a cloud of iron filings off of the ground with a wave of the hand, or put a compass near him, or have him picked up by one of those electromagnetic cranes they use to pick up cars in junkyards, or make him be the first person to wing-walk on the underside of a wing. <br /><br />In short, these aren't very convincing displays. Human skin is greasy and oily and stretchy and can be pretty sticky - most men at some point in their lives will experience the agony that comes when you sit naked on a leather chair in hot weather and then stand up, only to find the bottom half of your scrotum still welded to the seat. There's nothing in the videos that can't be explained by sticky skin and some careful positioning. <br /><br />My dream isn't quite dead though. Thanks to the efforts of artists and scientists, magnetic people do exist. Quinn Norton wrote a fascinating essay for Wired in 2006 which describes the adventures of body modification artists Jesse Jarrell and Steve Haworth, who worked in collaboration with graduate student Todd Huffman to develop implants that would allow them to sense magnetic fields through their finger-tips. <br /><br />The implants were tiny - miniscule fragments of iron encased in a silicone sheath to prevent rejection - but the results were startling. "In time, bits of my laptop became familiar as tingles and buzzes. Every so often I would pass near something and get an unexpected vibration," Norton relates, in an article that is well worth reading in full.<br /><br />In Britain, graduate student (and science blogger) Jawish Hameed at the University of Reading has been living with his own magnetic implants for over two years.<br /><br />His implants are tiny neodymium disc magnets inserted in the ring and middle fingers of his left hand. They are 3mm in diameter, and just 0.7mm thick, and coated in a material called Parylene C to prevent any reaction with the surrounding tissue. Doctors at the university refused to perform the surgery, so Hameed had the procedure carried out by a body modification artist, Mac McCarthy. It sounds risky, and he tells me that he did it with his family's 'minimal knowledge', "They had concerns of its long term effects. But over two years with the implants without incident has comforted them somewhat!"<br /><br />The magnets are positioned in the pads of the finger-tips. Electromagnetic fields can stimulate the magnets, and their tiny movements and vibrations are picked up by the tightly-packed mechanoreceptors (nerves that sense mechanical pressure and distortion) in Hameed's fingers, allowing him to experience magnetism as little tugs and tingles. <br /><br />I asked him what it felt like. "It startled me on numerous occasions when interacting with everyday things like cash machines, microwaves, speakers and even my own laptop," he says, "I was suddenly aware of the silent spin and working of the hard drive and the cooling fan. I could feel a field around microwaves from about a foot away."<br /><br />His experiences then are similar to Quinn Norton's, with household objects suddenly interacting with his senses in whole new ways. "Each magnetic field induces a different sort of feeling, depending on the strength and frequency of the current that drives the electromagnetic fields," he tells me, "It is hard to describe an analogy but [it] feels like the vibrations from wind."<br /><br />A simple interface, consisting of an electromagnetic coil on a wire-frame wrapped around the finger, allows a computer to deliver signals to the implants. Initial tests have been promising, although there is obviously a long way to go before anything like this could be used widely. There are many possible applications, particularly for the blind. He has been able to use the implants to receive Morse code, and has experimented with transmitting information from an ultrasonic ranger to the implants to help people 'feel' the environment around them.<br /><br />He also plans to integrate the implants with his mobile phone, "I'm currently preparing a mini ring-sized wearable interface to injecting text messages from my phone." Even without the interface, he says his extra sense has practical uses: "I use it quite regularly to sense if a wire is carrying AC household current." <br /><br />Check out the video below, it shows how the procedure is done.<br /><br /><iframe width="400" height="330" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2UxV9Mdx8GQ?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />It goes to show that where we find fairy tales, science is often not far behind. Jawish Hameed is not 'Magnetoman', but there's something quite amazing about a species that, given five wonderful senses with which to experience our world, sets about trying to build a sixth.<br /><br /><br />Sources<br />La Sumisa<br /><br /><br />Subscribe to updates thru BBM: 32669473 <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-5219123-10359129" target="_top"> <img alt="Body Jewelry for Sale at BodyCandy.com" border="0" height="60" src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-5219123-10359129" width="468"/></a> <span class='st_twitter_large' ></span><span class='st_facebook_large' ></span><span class='st_yahoo_large' ></span><span class='st_gbuzz_large' ></span><span class='st_email_large' ></span><span class='st_sharethis_large' ></span><script type="text/javascript">var switchTo5x=true;</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://w.sharethis.com/button/buttons.js"></script><script type="text/javascript">stLight.options({publisher:'b14d2112-58eb-4f97-981a-de983524fb2f'});</script>

Magnet Implant

Magnetic children have been springing up across former Yugoslavian nations recently. Their stories are a little dubious, but some scientists...

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Body Modification

The concept of body modifications has long been prevalent in the human race. Put in simple words, ‘body modification’ refers to the process of making changes in the body. The changes incorporated can be temporary or permanent in nature. Primarily done for the purpose of beautification, body modification has emerged to be very different from what it had started as. The need as well as the ways for body modification has undergone transformation. This concept of making changes in the body has various implications and differs from culture to culture. While sharp objects, to tattoos to amputations are all categorized as ways to modify any part of the body, jewelries are the most common element that is used in body modifications. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXb8cYPc3E95ihPe6WMhd7G4xsMpqrmbHCRTHRHKptoxvqmZU8oLgEJMk4XbcMW0BqtJB-VneSYdPvwPaZ94qQW-RjmFROLujh6HxQd_G2E6KX8zwZV0JlngosBCoY-4nvpuisa0QQOwY/s1600/weird-scarification16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXb8cYPc3E95ihPe6WMhd7G4xsMpqrmbHCRTHRHKptoxvqmZU8oLgEJMk4XbcMW0BqtJB-VneSYdPvwPaZ94qQW-RjmFROLujh6HxQd_G2E6KX8zwZV0JlngosBCoY-4nvpuisa0QQOwY/s320/weird-scarification16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Apart from being a fashion statement, body modifications in early days were done for purely religious reasons. This thing still prevails in the modern times where examples can be cited from various regions. Believers do so with this faith that their sacrifice and pain will satisfy God and they will be granted their wishes. The pain inflicted on the body while doing so becomes immaterial at that time. <br /><br />Tracing back to the times of Indus Valley civilization, ornaments or jewelries has played a crucial role in body modifications. Earrings, anklets, necklaces, nose rings all excavated from the ruins have proved that they were in use in those days. The Bronze statues of a dancing girl excavated at one such site bore proof of the same fact. Bangles, rings, head bands also found at the excavation sites are evidence of the fact that even men used these for body modifications. <br /><br />For many cultures across the world, body modifications have an altogether different need and importance. It is an inherent part of their culture and they are taught to imbibe this from their very childhood. Say for example in Myanmar, the women of the Padaung tribe has this tradition to wear tight neck rings around their necks. The practice starts at a tender age of 5. While at this time, the number of ring put around the neck is one, the number soon increases with time. It’s quite prevalent among them to wear as many rings as possible around their calves too. The ultimate reason for doing so is to modify the neck as in the process it gets elongated at times to alarming rates. Other body modifications followed by tribes related to this use jewelry extensively for elongating their ear lobes or ear piercings done previously. <br /><br />Instances of body modifications can also be found in the American culture where the use of labrets is common among First Nations people inhabiting the North west coast. Modifications of the lips with the use of lip plates are common among Sara and Mursi people, mostly of African origin. <br /><br />Body modifications can hence be categorized as common and ‘extreme’. While some are temporary and easy to do like body piercing, ear piercing, dermal anchoring which is placing a small steel bead on the skin, neck rings and tattooing – some can be really dangerous and harmful. The extreme kinds consist of tongue splitting and extra ocular implant. <br /><br />With time, the sense of fashion has undergone a considerable change. For so long, footwear, jewelry and handbags co ordinate perfectly with stylish attire drew the attention in the crowd. Now is the time, when a ethnic embroidered apparel from India or a chic Indo western wear is well complimented by a perfectly done body modification. <br /><br /><br />Sources<br />La Sumisa<br />Tattoo Articles<br /><br /><br />Subscribe to updates thru BBM: 32669473 <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-5219123-10359129" target="_top"> <img alt="Body Jewelry for Sale at BodyCandy.com" border="0" height="60" src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-5219123-10359129" width="468"/></a> <span class='st_twitter_large' ></span><span class='st_facebook_large' ></span><span class='st_yahoo_large' ></span><span class='st_gbuzz_large' ></span><span class='st_email_large' ></span><span class='st_sharethis_large' ></span><script type="text/javascript">var switchTo5x=true;</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://w.sharethis.com/button/buttons.js"></script><script type="text/javascript">stLight.options({publisher:'b14d2112-58eb-4f97-981a-de983524fb2f'});</script>

Body Modification

The concept of body modifications has long been prevalent in the human race. Put in simple words, ‘body modification’ refers to the process ...

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Arizona Tattoo Expo

This coming weekend, the Mesa Convention Center hosts the 11th annual Arizona Tattoo Expo, where the tattooed and those looking to get tattooed can explore styles and designs by nearly 150 artists.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcqrzzlIlOUJKh5n4EGqWFq1wizWpwll_Dyj7TxwjbgAJBRNuv7JvG5wcYMlK0qpsfev0Mb0FWvEVGbLk9F5S243azgk6yHicQOYCbCCeUx5Z_GUR4WhduyGHI1dFJMVczcSTKjoDx4E/s1600/PHP4DD1A7F2F362A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcqrzzlIlOUJKh5n4EGqWFq1wizWpwll_Dyj7TxwjbgAJBRNuv7JvG5wcYMlK0qpsfev0Mb0FWvEVGbLk9F5S243azgk6yHicQOYCbCCeUx5Z_GUR4WhduyGHI1dFJMVczcSTKjoDx4E/s320/PHP4DD1A7F2F362A.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><br />The convention draws upward of 7,000 people a year and is an opportunity to promote tattooing, said expo founder Sage O'Connell, who owns Urban Art Tattoo in Mesa.<br /><br />Most of those who attend sport the full-range of tattoos, from sleeves to back pieces to tiny ankle tattoos, but O'Connell says nearly 25 percent get inked there for the first time - a phenomenon he attributes to the success of cable television series like "L.A. Ink," "Miami Ink," and "Inked."<br /><br />"I see people that might not have gotten a tattoo that now have seen the show(s) where they saw other people that were like-minded and said, 'You know, I really want to do something that commemorates my father,' or, 'I really want to do something that shows my kids how much I love them,' " O'Connell said.<br /><br />Sean Dowdell, owner of Club Tattoo with five Valley locations, said the TV shows have made tattooing more mainstream, showing that tattoos are a way of expressing people's individuality. In 2006, nearly 24 percent of American adults, aged 18 to 50, had at least one tattoo, according an article that year in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.<br /><br />Dowdell, along with his wife and Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington, opened Club Tattoo in 1995,when tattooing was just infiltrating the mainstream. Now, Club Tattoo participates in nearly 20 conventions a year.<br /><br />"I think years ago, people associated tattoos with kind of a biker mentality or lifestyle," Dowdell said. "Now people will come up to you on the street and check out (your work) and recognize that particular style."<br /><br />When he opened Club Tattoo, Dowdell estimates there were maybe four tattoo conventions each year worldwide. Now, "there's one every weekend, probably at three different locations in the United States alone," he said.<br /><br />"There are so many tattoo shows that it's a bit saturated," he said.<br /><br />One thing that separates this weekend's convention from similar ones is the focus on area art, Josh Gargalione said.<br /><br />Gargalione, who goes by the name "Uncle Josh," has been tattooing for more than a decade and works at Lady Luck in Tempe.<br /><br />Gargalione said a lot of the work done by artists at the convention is the result of pre-booked appointments. Last year, Club Tattoo had 18 appointments for four artists. Usually artists tattoo regulars or spend the weekend finishing large pieces.<br /><br />The expo is more of an opportunity for artists and the Valley's tight-knit tattoo community to socialize, Gargalione said. More than 70 area shops are represented at the convention, though there will be an international artist from Spain and a few more from around the country.<br /><br />"A lot of time, people will get tattoos from people that are out of town, because you don't have the opportunity to go into another state to go get tattooed," Gargalione said.<br /><br />Like many conventions, the Arizona Tattoo Expo conducts contests - best black and white, best themed, most erotic - and seminars, including one on piercing by Dowdell, for tattoo artists.<br /><br />Contest winners earn cash prizes, including $250 for the best tattoo of the day and $500 for best of show, and gain public recognition for their work, which often results in new and repeat customers.<br /><br />In an effort to differentiate the convention, O'Connell is hosting a fine art show. The art, featuring everything from sculpting to airbrushing to oil painting, is all done by tattoo artists to showcase artistic ability, he said. <br /><br />Arizona Tattoo Expo<br /><br />What: The expo includes more than 150 artists from 70 area shops as well as seminars, contests and an art show. When: Noon-11 p.m. Saturday, May 21 and noon-8 p.m. Sunday, May 22. Where: Mesa Convention Center, 201 N. Center St. Admission: $20 per day, $30 for the weekend. Ages 15 and under free with adult. Details: 480-644-0812, www.aztattooexpo.com<br /><br /><br />Sources<br />La Sumisa<br />AZ Central<br /><br /><br />Subscribe to updates thru BBM: 32669473 <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-5219123-10359129" target="_top"> <img alt="Body Jewelry for Sale at BodyCandy.com" border="0" height="60" src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-5219123-10359129" width="468" /></a> <span class="st_twitter_large"></span><span class="st_facebook_large"></span><span class="st_yahoo_large"></span><span class="st_gbuzz_large"></span><span class="st_email_large"></span><span class="st_sharethis_large"></span><script type="text/javascript">var switchTo5x=true;</script><script src="http://w.sharethis.com/button/buttons.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">stLight.options({publisher:'b14d2112-58eb-4f97-981a-de983524fb2f'});</script>

Arizona Tattoo Expo

This coming weekend, the Mesa Convention Center hosts the 11th annual Arizona Tattoo Expo, where the tattooed and those looking to get tatto...

Read more »