Contest(s)
- Blodeuedd’s giving away a copy of Gentlemen Prefer Mischief by Emily Greenwood. Closes January 4. US & Canada.
Bookity
- New releases: Fiction Vixen (UF/romance)
- Book and publishing news from Dear Author.
- The latest version of Calibre allows you to edit DRM-free books. That will be very handy for when italics run amok in AO3 works!
Think, Learn, Make, Do
Cookity
Drinkity
Gluten Free
Crafty
- Knit a pie crust. (via CRAFT)
Cool
- Scifi travel posters. (via The Mary Sue)
Cool or Wha…?
Wha…?
LOL
- Grrr.
Teh Cute
Reading Update
The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum by Temple Grandin & Richard Panek. Very good nonfiction look at how thinking about autism has changed as our understanding of neurology and brain chemistry has increased. For me, the second part of the book (“Rethinking the Autistic Brain”) was far more interesting and useful than the neurology/brain chemistry first part. Just because people with autism think differently doesn’t mean that our thinking is wrong. It’s just different. And if researchers develop a “cure” for autism, what will be lost? There’s evidence suggesting that people such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo had high-functioning autism, as well as probably Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, etc. That doesn’t seem like “wrong” or “broken” thinking to me.
I’m glad that I’m old enough (47) that I made it through the education system as a “weird smart kid” instead of as someone with a disability, and that I learned I could take care of and support myself. All of it was through a pretty non-standard path, which I’m not sure would be an option today. My pattern-matching brain and ability to look at problems in a way that’s completely different from the way my coworkers do is valued by the company I’ve worked for for over 17 years.
Flashback to a few months ago, when there were leaves and green things… *sigh*
“SquirrelSquirrelSquirrelSquirrelSquirrelSquirrelSquirrelSquirrelSquirrelSquirrel!” -Chaos
I should read the Grandin book, my coworker (in a nice way) told me she thinks I have aspergers…which fits
A recent post from blodeuedd..Paranormal Friday: x3 short reviews
While there is plenty of winter still to come, we’re inching closer to spring. At least the days are growing longer. Squirrel watching is a great entertainment, as is bird watching.
Chris- I would be better off knitting pie crust than making it. It would probably taste better too.
Oh well, can’t excel at everything. Happy 2014.
A recent post from Lorraine..No Tannenbaum
Okay, that Wha? is pretty wha?, but now that I know they’re there, I really want someone to have a reason to use them.
As for your comments on The Autistic Brain, I have to add on kind of a sideways thought. A friend of ours has kids who are dyslexic. It was really important for these parents to make the kids understand that they are not broken, that they have a gift that others don’t. Just because people look at it as a malfunction in your brain doesn’t make it so.
Edison started the viral cat videos… how great is that?
A recent post from Cheryl S…Merry Christmas!
I have a husband who is dyslexic and ADD. Life is fun.
A recent post from kmkat..YouTube’s greatest hits, as determined by me us.
I’ve wanted to read that Grandin book, thanks for the review. And since my sister told me of her GF baking fails over Christmas, I’m sending her these links. Happy New Year!
A recent post from Mary Lou..Steam that Pompom!
Good Heavens, that’s a tall cat!! 🙂
I laughed so hard when I saw the knitted pie crust!