On Low-Tech Cyborgs, by David J. Hess, is an imaginative non-fiction essay about how the definition of the cyborg has changed throughout the past, the media's interpretation of a cyborg, as well as cultural interpretations of the cyborg phenomenon. The author pays close to attention to the difference between what he calls a "low-tech" cyborg and a "hi-tech" cyborg. An example of a low-tech cyborg given in the book is a South American Indian wearing a lip plug and body paint, while the Terminator is a classic example of a hi-tech cyborg. Hess, who calls himself a "low-tech cyborg anthropologist," also relates his experiences talking to a white shaman, whom he calls another example of a low-tech cyborg.
However, the essay soon takes on the form of a kind of dream, in which the author switches from one real or imaginary experience to another without any obvious connection. The author also starts to compare the media's interpretation of the cyborg to a new-age Tonto, the sidekick of the standard Lone Ranger character type, without giving any reason for this assumption apart from the claim that like Tonto, cyborgs are being depended upon to assist the Lone Ranger, i.e. the majority group of the population.
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