Robotics: "Rebuilt: How Becoming Part Computer Made Me More Human"

Author Michael Chorost visits Google's headquarters in Mountain View, CA, to discuss his book "Rebuilt: How Becoming Part Computer Made Me More Human". This event took place on June 30, 2008, as a part of of the Authors@google series.

Michael Chorost became a cyborg on October 1, 2001, the day his new ear was booted up. Born hard of hearing in 1964, he went completely deaf in his thirties. Rather than live in silence, he chose to have a computer surgically embedded in his skull to artificially restore his hearing. This is the story of Chorost's journey -- from deafness to hearing, from human to cyborg -- and how it transformed him. The melding of silicon and flesh has long been the stuff of science fiction. But as Chorost reveals in this witty, poignant, and illuminating memoir, fantasy is now giving way to reality. For more information about Michael Chorost and Rebuilt, visit http://www.rebuilt-thebook.com

Michael Chorost has a B.A. from Brown University and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. He lives in San Francisco, where he writes, teaches, and consults.