topicalhuman.com

Wired.com has a great article on Autism/Aspergers, and how some people with these conditions are challenging the scientific community to come up with a better categorization for these conditions, rather than it being a mental disorder or, worse, retardation.

It’s obviously a touchy subject for the people with this condition, and the scientific/medical types. I think this article also nicely touches on the concerns for the families of Autistic/Aspergers people. Worth a read if you’re interested in this subject.

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Now playing: Sonic Animation - Theophilius Thistler (… an excersise in vowels)
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The Bullets aren’t the only basketball team I follow who’ve lost one of their better players for the rest of the season to injury. The Houston Rockets  center Yao Ming is now also out for the rest of the season and post-season. Just when the Rockets are really building momentum towards the finals too…that sucks!

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Now playing: Desmond Dekker - You’ve Got Your Troubles
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If you’re having a bit of a bad hair day, or just need a pick me up to help you get through your day, I have an excellent suggestion.

As I’ve recently noted, one of my favourite film clips of recent times (and indeed a favourite song) is 1234 by Feist.

So go to iTunes store and download the videoclip (A$2.59), and bliss out for 3 minutes or so. Seriously, it is cheaper than a can of Red Bull, better for you and will make you feel happier. I promise.

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Now playing: Ben Folds Five - Kate
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This debate is evolving (a good thing), and I think one of the most important (yet simple) observations recently made is by Doc Searls:

We need symmetricality, not just neutrality

What does this mean? Well, Doc argues that because we are not merely consumers of a product provided by ISP’s (ie your DSL connection), and instead are authors, artists, journalists, employers, employees…basically anything that is creative and productive, we need a service that actually reciprocates what we offer by giving equal bandwidth (symmetricality) to uploads as to downloads. Spot on!

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Now playing: Feist - 1234
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If you spend time at a desk, and are a Star Wars fan, check this out.

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Now playing: Powderfinger - D.A.F.
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Robert Scoble ruminates about the limitations of Facebook, prompted by figures suggesting usage is falling, and also the experience of himself and others.

I’ve recently signed up to Facebook. I did so because my mother posted some photo’s there. Fair enough, I’m just proud that she is able to use a computer at all. Apart from my Mum’s lovely photo’s, I was predictably underwhelmed. Just not my cup of tea I suppose, but I would have probably been willing to persevere a little, until I started getting spam messages and email sent because someone wanted to ‘invite’ me to a game or questionnaire or some other distraction.

I ‘m just not interested in these things. Sure, I can see the benefits in the Social Networking aspect, but it needs more useful ways to use it, not more things that waste my time.

[Bonus Link] Eight Ways to Improve Your Online Networking.

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Now playing: Cat Power - He War
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This morning, I was looking through my RSS feeds, and in particular was looking at the BoingBoing feed. There was an article there about a leaked Pentagon document drafted for the President which stated that if the USA didn’t start taking Global warming seriously there was going to be major global upheaval by the year 2020 (this was the gist of it as I remember…you’ll see why I can’t link or be more specific below).

As this was something I was interested in, but didn’t have the time to read it immediately, I opened the link in a new tab, so I could read it later.

However when I went to read it, all I had was a ‘404′ error. But I knew I wasn’t imagining this, as the browser still had the address for the post: http://www.boingboing.net/2008/02/23/pentagon-to-bush-cli.html (I am still getting the ‘404′ error).

So what happened? Was the post pulled? If so, why? Has big brother gotten involved? Perhaps it is something more benign, like BoingBoing’s CMS throwing up old articles (a Google search indicates that this has happened before, as recently as 2006), or am I just an idiot who has missed something really obvious? I’d love to know.

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Now playing: Jane’s Addiction - Been Caught Stealing (12″ Remix Version)
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I’ve rather haphazardly followed the progress of the Tesla Electric Car, and this is the latest installment of that line of thought.

(Yes, I badly want one!)

TreeHugger recently had an article about the first one to roll off the production line. Obviously, ramping up production is a big challenge for the company - they apparently have well over 1,000 ordered. And at approximately US$100,000 each, they have lots of incentive to do so.

However, Robert Scoble has had the extreme pleasure of getting a ride in the very same car. It sounds awesome! And not to be sneezed at is Scoble’s observation that “…the Tesla only costs about three dollars to “fill up” with an electric charge that’ll last you more than 200 miles. Let’s put it this way, my Saturn only goes about 20 miles on gasoline that costs that much.”

Sounds Awesome!

[Bonus Link] Treehugger has another interesting post on the ongoing love affair with big, big, mostly stupid cars.

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Now playing: Buzzcocks - Promises
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These are a couple of links that provided some light entertainment for me.

A fellow in Denmark relates an amusing story about the police seizing his computer.

Boing Boing has an interesting post on optical illusions.

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Now playing: Pearl Jam - Alive (Brendan O’Brien Remix)
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Are you thinking of visiting the USA? Jules and I are thinking of going next year.

But then I see things like this, in which a 14 day old baby dies while being detained in customs in Honolulu after being flown there with the mother and a nurse for emergency heart surgery. Fingers are being pointed at the Dept. Homeland Security.

Stories relating to many problems travelers have had with the Transportation Security Administration are common, and I’m worried that such random mistakes may befall me, if I choose to visit.

And that is a real shame, because I really want to go - there are so many things I’d love to see and do in the States: The Smithsonian,  a Houston Rockets game, some real genuine Texas Blues, and much more. I especially want to visit my brother, who lives in Colorado.

I guess its just another sign of the times in which we are living.

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Now playing: Celia Cruz - Mi Soncito
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