Britt Young is a geographer and tech writer based in the Bay Area. She also has what's called a "congenital upper limb deficiency." In other words, she was born without the part of her arm just below her left elbow. She's used different sorts of prosthetic devices her whole life, and in 2018, she celebrated the arrival of a brand new, multi-articulating prosthetic hand. This prosthetic hand has a sleek carbon fiber casing, with specific pre-programmed grips that she can control just by flexing the muscles in her residual limb. She can use a precision pinch to pick a hairpin off of the table, or a Hulk-style power fist to squeeze objects. This kind of assistive technology has been life-changing for a lot of people who have limb differences. But for Britt, in particular, it hasn't been life-changing at all. In fact, her cutting-edge bionic arm has been a pretty major disappointment. "It's just not what you imagine. It's not like I'm like everyone else now, it's something different."
The Lows of High Tech
Atomic Tattoos
Mini-Stories: Volume 6
Gathering the Magic
Christmas with The Allusionist
Mini-Stories: Volume 5
Bonus Episode- Avery talks Articles of Interest with Roman
The Accidental Room
Oñate's Foot
Raccoon Resistance
The Green Book redux
Orphan Drugs
Devolutionary Design
A Year in the Dark
Welcome to Jurassic Art
The Worst Way to Start a City
Punk Style: Articles of Interest #6
Blue Jeans: Articles of Interest #5
Hawaiian Shirts: Articles of Interest #4
Pockets: Articles of Interest #3
Plaid: Articles of Interest #2
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Radiolab
Freakonomics Radio
Stuff You Should Know
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Daily
No Such Thing As A Fish