TED talk from Aimee Mullins, whom I know primarily as one of Matthew Barney's muses and accomplices in the Cremaster cycle. She discusses the possibilities of prosthetics beyond simply regaining or replacing lost or diminished function.
"We wouldn't be surprised if 10 years from now there are mermaids swimming about in your local pool."
"It was really overwhelming when I saw that I had arms again."
Quick rundown of the actual reasoning behind the IAAF's original ruling and the reasoning behind the overturning of that ruling by the CAS. Also makes the point that as prostheses continue to improve, the Paralympics will likely become a superhuman event.
Nice, long post about the recent ruling that allows double-amputee Oscar Pistorius of South Africa to attempt to qualify for the Beijing Olympics. He runs on two carbon-fiber "blades" modeled after the lower legs of a cheetah.
Pretty amazing story about a mechanical prosthetic with the unfortunate name "X Finger" that operates without electricity based on the movement of the patient's hand. Unclear whether they're also in the thumb business, but articulated fingers are swell.
