The New Yorker

The New Yorker discusses Superman Lance Armstrong:

Lance Armstrong's heart is almost a third larger than that of an average man. During those rare moments when he is at rest, it beats about thirty-two times a minute — slowly enough so that a doctor who knew nothing about him would call a hospital as soon as he heard it. (When Armstrong is exerting himself, his heart rate can edge up above two hundred beats a minute.)

Thirty-two BPM at rest?! This guy's a machine. It makes me wonder when the first athletes will be disqualified from international competition for mechanical enhancements, like nanotech implants or perfomance-enhancing machinery.

I'm Anil Dash, and I've been blogging here since 1999, writing about how culture is made. Contact me at anil@dashes.com, at +1 646 833 8659, or at anildash on Twitter or IM. Find out more »

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