Books

The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity

The New York Times published an interesting review of a book entitled “NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity”, authored by Steve Silberman (534 pp. Avery/Penguin Random House).

Silberman describes how autism was discovered by a few different people around the same time, but with each the publicity around their work is warped by their environment and political situation.

This means that we mainly know the angle that one of the people took, which in turn warps our view of Aspergers and autism. Ironically, the lesser known story is actually that of Hans Asperger.

I reckon it’s an interesting read.

Sleep

Sleep: How to nap like a pro | BBC Future

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150106-how-to-nap-like-a-pro

We’ve all heard of the merits of power naps, says Tiffanie Wen, but are there good and bad ways to sleep during the day?

Brain Hacking

Why the modern world is bad for your brain | Guardian UK

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/18/modern-world-bad-for-brain-daniel-j-levitin-organized-mind-information-overload

Multitasking is an essential skill in the era of email, text messages, Facebook and Twitter. But, argues neuroscientist Daniel J Levitin, it’s actually making us less efficient.

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Rat Park drug experiment cartoon – Stuart McMillen comics

http://www.stuartmcmillen.com/comics_en/rat-park/



Comic about a classic experiment into drug addiction science: Rat Park.
Would rats choose to take drugs if given a stimulating environment and company?

Read and learn.

Stuart McMillen is an awesome Australian based young artist.

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Is depression a kind of allergic reaction? | The Guardian

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/04/depression-allergic-reaction-inflammation-immune-system

“A growing number of scientists are suggesting that depression is a result of inflammation caused by the body’s immune system”

An interesting idea, worth further research I think. The article content is clear that the scientists don’t regard it as a possible single cause, which is sensible as physical and psychological factors as well as environmental ones are likely to play a role.
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BlueHackers at LCA 2015 (Auckland NZ)

BlueHackers will have a presence at Linux.conf.au (this year in Auckland NZ, 12-16 Jan 2015), the awesome John Dalton is organising the BoF (Birds-of-a-Feather) session one evening, and he’ll also have a stash the little BlueHackers stickers that you can put on your laptop to show your support and understanding for mental health. Some stickers may also be available at the LCA registration desk.

Have an awesome time there – unfortunately I can’t make it this year.

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Depression Doesn’t Make You Sad All the Time | Meloukhia.net

One of the most popular, enduring, and irritating myths about depression is that it means depressed people are sad all the time — and that by extension, people who are happy can’t be experiencing depression, even if they say they are. Read S.E.Smith’s full article: http://meloukhia.net/2014/12/depression_doesnt_make_you_sad_all_the_time
Being the Supporter

Gender Acceptance

A very nice example of gender acceptance by parents.
Public acknowledgement in this way is awesome – well done to them!
And I figure the “tidy your room” is pretty much a “all is fine and normal, getting on with it” statement. Awesome.Source: Courier Mail (Brisbane AU, December 2014)

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BlueHackers @ Open Source Developers’ Conference 2014

This year, OSDC’s first afternoon plenary will be a specific BlueHackers related topic: Stress and Anxiety, presented by Neville Starick – an experienced Brisbane based counsellor.

We’ll also have our traditional BlueHackers “BoF” (birds-of-a-feather) session in the evening, usually featuring some general information, as well as the opportunity for safe lightning talks. Some people talk, some people don’t. That’s all fine.

The Open Source Developers’ Conference 2014 is being held at the beautiful Griffith University Gold Coast Campus, 4-7 November. It features a fine program, and if you use this magic link you get a special ticket price, but the regular registration is only around $300 anyhow, $180 for students! This includes all lunches and the conference dinner. Fabulous value.

because we're not just geeks – we're humans.