The Truth About Autism

As as Aspie girl on the verbal end of the autistic spectrum, I'm very lucky in that I can communicate in ways that society deems 'normal'. However I'm far more comfortable with a keyboard then talking face to face with someone I don't know that well.

David Wolman at WIRED Magazine has written an excellent article on The Truth About Autism: Scientists Reconsider What They Think They Know. Even if you think that you already know about autism then I suggest you read this piece. Finally through the keyboard we are hearing autistic voices in their own words, not how scientists think they must be feeling.

In the article Canadian researcher Laurent Mottron draws a parallel with the not so distant Dark Ages view on homosexuality. In fact being gay was once seen as something to be killed or cured, a view that is thankfully now limited to the more barbaric and religious parts of the world.

Until 1974, psychiatry's bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, described being gay as a mental illness. Someday, Mottron says, we'll look back on today's ideas about autism with the same sense of shame that we now feel when talking about psychology's pre-1974 views on sexuality. "We want to break the idea that autism should definitely be suppressed," he says.

Personally I have always disliked the terms 'Low Functioning Autism' (LFA) and 'High Functioning Autism' (HFA), almost as much as I do the term Austistic Spectrum 'Disorder'. It implies that there is something wrong with all of us, with a score system based on IQ tests that are designed for NT input and output systems, like being able to talk or hold a pen.

I think the term Autistic Spectrum is enough and describes how each of us are individuals with a blend of abilities, without turning it into a disorder that must be cured. It's just that our quiet, focused strengths get lost in the noise of the modern world, which is currently designed for maximum sensory overload.

Society and research is also focussing on autism in young children or adults who were sadly born in a pre-technology age. There is now a whole generation of aspies and auties who are thriving in cyberspace. Stick us on an net connection in our favourite online space, and we may surprise you with our intelligence, verbosity and opinions.

Just don't expect us to look you in the eye or enjoy mass congregations...

The Girls of the Gulabi Gang

A growing female vigilante army clad in fluorescent pink saris are fighting corruption and violence in India. The girls of the Gulabi Gang (which means pink) led by Sampat Devi Palhave, have started taking matters into their own hands in the Banda district.

I think we should declare an annual Gulabi Day where people around the world wear a pink sari to support the courage of these girls.

"Gulabi means pink, and refers to the electric shade of the uniform worn by the 500-plus members, who hail from Banda's arid villages. The women have become folk heroes, winning public support for a series of Robin Hood-style operations.

Their most daring exploit was to hijack trucks laden with food meant for the poor that was being taken to be sold for profit at the market by corrupt officials.

The targets of the Gulabi Gang's vigilantism are corrupt officials and violent husbands. The gang has stopped child marriages, forced police officers to register cases of domestic violence - by slapping them - and got roads built by dragging the official responsible from his desk on to the dust track in question."

Amazing Female Body Art

This is indeed Amazing Female Body Art at the Social Pic Collective site Incredimazing

Misfits & Ms. Behaviour

It has been a year since I first discovered that I am an Aspie Girl, though I always knew I didn't quite fit into the normal world. Since then I have written a book about my life and personal revelations called
'Misfits & Ms. Behaviour'.

I wanted to write my story to share with other aspie girls, being an adult diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in my thirties. There is still very little research and information available for women with aspergers and autism. We are a rare breed indeed, and many of us don't get the support we need, especially through those difficult teenage years.

I have found that reading books or blogs from aspie girls and the frank conversations the women's forums at Wrong Planet have helped me the most to understand what it means to be a woman with Aspergers. I hope my book will give an insight into my rich sensory and creative world, and dispel a few myths about living with autism.

Misfits & Ms. Behaviour will be published as a book and a free pdf download in 2008. In the meantime you can read weekly tweets on asperger's and autism from Miss Aspielicious : twitter.com/aspiegirl

Six Principles for Making New Things

Paul Graham from technology seed funder Y Combinator has a simple recipe of six principles for making new things.

He says,

"I like to find (a) simple solutions (b) to overlooked problems (c) that actually need to be solved, and (d) deliver them as informally as possible, (e) starting with a very crude version 1, then (f) iterating rapidly."

I completely agree and advise people developing a new website to get to screens as quickly as possible as why document when you can do. I also advocate that you start simply, launch fast and then roll-out extra features in stages.

Anonymous Warning to Pastafarians

After taking on the might of the cult of scientology, the hacker group Anononymous are taking on Pastafarians.

Top 10 Films About Nonconformists

#01 - ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST [1975]

"And now they're telling me I'm crazy over here because I don't sit there like a goddamn vegetable. Don't make a bit of sense to me. If that's what's bein' crazy is, then I'm senseless, out of it, gone-down-the-road, wacko. But no more, no less, that's it."

Read the full top ten films about non conformists at Alternative Reel.

Goth Barbie

"When you're sinking into madness, and you think that you're the saddest, Goth Barbie's here for you!"

Phoo Action!

I can't wait to see more of the new Phoo Action series on BBC3 from Jamie Hewlett, as I loved his original Tank Girl, and Gorillaz videos. Phoo Action looks kitchy, campy, with buddhist kung-fu cops, looks heavily influenced by the LSD infused 1960s Batman series, and is from the Director of Dr Who.

4.25 Below

New Zealand has now reached the grand total of 4.25 million people living on shore. It reached the magic 4 million point when we moved here in 2001, so it's grand to see that we have gained our next quarter of a million people over the past seven years.

A big warm Kia Ora to our newest cuzzies & bros!

You Don't Own Me

I've had this track in my head all day. Leslie Gore was one of the original Grrrls.

Tan Lines from Typical Summer Activities

Working on my studio tan...

5 Ways to Build Amazing Client Karma (And Boost Your Business)

Samuel Ryan at Freelance switch has an excellent post on how to build excellent client relationships.

"let’s be honest — there will always be someone who can do parts of your job for less money. The problem is that such people only give the bare minimum. Build “caring consultancy” into your projects and your clients will see you as more of a partner than a contractor."

Providing high quality customer service is important, but beware becoming 'a member of the family', as people don't always treat their family members with respect. Too close and you lose the professional boundaries. Too distant and there is no client / agency loyalty. Finding the happy medium is key.

After all you're in business to make a profit, not friends.

Your Startup on a Shoestring

Business week reports on how much money you really need to start a business, which is probably less than you think and much less than in the days before the Internet.

There is some very sound advice given here on keeping costs low, hiring contractors rather than staff, stay flexible and invest either your time or money in marketing or 'funketing' as one little creative business in Nelson now calls it.

After all Funketing is key to keeping your cash flowing and debt free.

Frozen Grand Central

The Day Time Stood Still at Grand Central Station. 207 Freaky Frozen People. Awesome.

Seven things employees want most to be happy at work

It's very easy to give a pay rise but harder still to give the sort of benefits that make staff want to stay:

Increasingly, workplace specialists are discovering that for many workers, the "happiness factor" depends heavily on intangibles, such as respect, trust, and fairness.

"Study after study has shown that it is the small things that make workers feel committed to an organization," says Barbara Glanz, an author specializing in workplace issues.

"One study shows the top three things workers want are interesting work, full appreciation for the work they do, and a feeling of being in on things."

There is one very easy thing you can do every day. Always remember to say thank you!

17 Unbeatable Ways to Create a Peaceful, Relaxed Workday

Zen Habits suggests seventeen excellent ways to have a perfect workday, every day. Start slowly, plan ahead, do less and achieve more instead. Above all take lots of regular breaks. Most people's focus starts to slip after about 45 minutes, so schedule in more micro-breaks and you may be surprised at how much quicker you can work. We are not machines, we are human beings.

Do What I Say: Ms. Behavior's Guide to Gay & Lesbian Etiquette

This fantastic little book was written back in 1995 by Meryl Cohn. This Ms. Behaviour is a US columnist who celebrated her own gay marriage in 2004.

I must see if I can track down a copy of her book online. What a fabulous namesake to find!

How I see the world sometimes...

THEY Live is probably the best US documentary ever made. It stands for The Hierarchy that Enslave You. I know that they will never win, as people like us will never work for them. Switch off, log on and join in people. Life if not a rehearsal.