Helen Baxter's blog

Listen to Aspergers & The Geek Syndrome, with Chelfyn, MsBehaviour & Wammo on Kiwi FM >>

The recent case of teen Hacker Owen Thor Wilson caught running an illegal botnet, has highlighted Asperger's Syndrome in the IT Industry and geek community. I think the New Zealand judge did the right thing giving him a second chance, as he is the product of enforced social isolation, bullying and misunderstanding.

Aspergers Syndrome is considered to be on the milder end of what is now called the Autistic Spectrum, and I am a strong supporter of autism advocacy for three reasons. Firstly some of the brightest and best geeks I have worked with have been aspies. Secondly I am married to an amazing clever, creative geek  who is an aspie boy, and finally in a rare quirk of genetic fate - I myself am an aspie girl.

Success Soul relays seven lessons from Albert Einstein, who showed that genuis can come from outside the school / college / university system and beleived that "It is a miracle that curiosity survives the formal education."

"Arguably, the smartest man ever born, Albert Einstein was average at best in his school years. He shunned certain classes for the mediocrity of education. He mocked some teachers who were irritated by his lack of obedience. His Greek grammar teacher, Joseph Degenhart, achieved immortality in the history books through insisting that “nothing would ever become of you.”

Later, when Einstein was told it would be best if he left the school, Degenhart had explained, “Your presence in the class destroys the respect of the students.” Disgusted by the rote teaching, he quit high school at the age of fifteen. The rest is history."

This is one of the most amazing clips I have watched in a long time, of a pod of Dolphins interacting with a robot dinosaur at Seaworld. Two minutes into the clip is where things start to get really interesting as the pod of dolphins become transfixed with the little Pleo.

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. I love the secrets that people share and the cards they choose to go with them.