According to the AutismSpeaks.org, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, ASD disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by:
difficulties in social interaction
verbal and nonverbal communication and
repetitive behaviors.
In addition, autism is much more complex than most people realize. As Dr. Nancy J. Minshew of the Center for Excellence in Autism Research (CeFAR) at the University of Pittsburgh points out, what we think of as autism actually encompasses a number of intricate disorders of brain development. Even more challenging is the need to understand what, at the genetic level, contributes to ASD. Doing so requires an enormous amount of first-hand information from those who struggle with ASD. Fortunately, the National Database for Autism Research (NDAR) and other participating organizations (such as NIMH, NICHD, NINDS, NIEHS, and CIT/NIH ) are safely collecting and sharing information to better understand what causes and how to treat ASD.
Apps for Autism (originally broadcast in October 2011 on CBS’s 60 Minutes) explored how tablet computers and special applications allow those challenged by ASD to communicate more efficiently and effectively.
Picture AAC app (from Hearty SPIN) is an iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch app that helps nonverbal individuals with autism and other special needs to communicate effectively using pictures.
One ofGigaOM‘s senior writers, Mathew Ingram, conjures up a some compelling reasons why publishers should quit cursing their readers with DRM. Ingram’s What Book Publishers Should Learn From Harry Potter reveals that allowing consumers to access their purchased literature on any platform without digital-rights management restrictions makes for a magical experience.
I’m back. I took a break from blogging last week to celebrate my birthday. An occasional guilt-free period of goofing off does the mind and body good. Rest is also wonderful tonic for a worn out brain. Want to maximize your shut-eye? If so, visit Sleepyti.me Bedtime Calculator.
I can’t believe I missed this. Audacity 2.0 (for Windows, Mac, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems) launched on March 13th! I’ve been so swamped with making a living that this long awaited development passed right by me and I didn’t even notice. Thank goodness thenextcorner over at Hacker News was kind enough to make a post about the topic. If you’re looking for a reliable (no-cost) means of audio editing. Audacity is well worth exploring.
I promptly downloaded and installed Audacity 2.0 and played with it for a little while. I was pleasantly surprised with how easily I was able to import different flavors of audio into the application. I also checked out the built-in help and related tutorials. I think users will appreciate all of the improvements.
Kurt mentions OpenCV in his presentation. What is it? The Wikipedia entry for OpenCV (or Open Source Computer Vision Library) states that it “is a library of programming functions mainly aimed at real time computer vision.”
He also talks about support vector machines (SVM) as a means of analyzing images so as to recognize and distinguish bird shapes from squirrel shapes.
While reading Rian van der Merwe‘s enlightening A Dad’s Plea To Developers Of iPad Apps For Children over at Smashing Magazine‘s site, I spotted an intriguing link and meandered right out of the article. Thanks to Rian’s keen writing and my curiosity-driven clicking, I eventually landed at Harry Brignull‘s illuminating Dark Patterns wiki. What I found was an engrossing presentation about why and how user experience designers sometimes go over to the “dark side” and develop user interfaces that trick people.
I watched the presentation and explored the accompanying links and resources. As I did, I began to think about a number of for-profit educational sites I’ve visited or seen others use. The next time I return to these sites I’ll be looking at their design with new eyes.
Well, you can see what has been consuming all of the hours I usually set aside for blogging. My latest lovable time-sink is a rollicking rotary game called AirScape. Not only do those crafty folks at Scirra make addictive games, they give you access to resources that will allow you to do the same.
I’ve just finished reading Alex Goldmark‘s uplifting article for GOOD, The Next Time You Cut Your Finger, Save a Life. Go read Alex’s work! What makes this story so compelling is how wonderfully simple and powerful an idea be. You’ll also get to know Graham Douglas. Graham has a brother who, despite daunting odds, was fortunate to find a donor match for bone marrow. The treatment helped Graham’s brother survive leukemia. The experience inspired Graham. He focused on how to find even more potential donors. His approach was both unorthodox and brilliant.
Typophile.com is a must-visit site for anyone fascinated with fonts.
Be sure to check out Lettercase, Micah’s minimalist font manager.
During the podcast, Micha mentioned that he was in awe of the work of Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones. Go to Typography.com and you can certainly see why he’s impressed.
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