Savants: 50% are autistic

Very interesting video about savants.

"A fascinating look at the relationship between genius and autism, with particular focus on the phenomenon of savants; a small group of enigmatic talkens with extraordinary mental abilities. Savants number less than 100 worldwide. Some can work out five-digit multiplication in their heads, or recite thousands of books by heart. Others can play a piano melody after hearing it only once. Over half of savants are autistic; others develop these super human talents only after brain injury."

I was especially amazed at the man who could draw a city from a flyover. Interesting piece about him worrying whether he's losing his ability, and whether it's due to working on improving his other skills. Long video, but worth the time to watch it.

Pt 1: Beautiful Minds the Einstien Effect.
Stephen Wiltshire's website

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Wine for the Blind

Very interesting idea. I like the Braille label. The text on the page doesn't tell you much except that it's designed for those who read braille;

"Using the extreme acuity of his senses, a winemaker blind, supported by a team of professionals, conducted the development of sensory Lazaruswine.
Baud was the company selected to represent this project graphically in the product. In the design process, we chose to use the magnificent form of the Braille system for transmitting the particular design and high-end wine."

Lazarus Wine

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Tasting Sight

Interesting article from Gizmodo regarding using the tongue to stimulate visual input. though initially developed the theorized for the visually impaired, in ths article, it's being displayed for purely recreational purposes.

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"Graphic Evidence Against Steriod Abuse"

I'm not one for scare tactics, but wow. If you ever needed to turn someone off steriod abuse, this would be it. It's an article from Wired Magazine and contains some graphic pictures of one of the side effects of steriod abuse, serious acne.

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Banjo Playing During Brain Surgery

"Now you can truly call Eddie Adcock the Bionic Banjo Player --and don't forget Gearhead Guitarist-- as he recovers from some remarkable brain surgeries to control a right-hand tremor.

The three-part surgery, termed Deep Brain Stimulation, involved implantation of electrodes into the brain as well as insertion of a palm-sized battery-powered generator within the chest wall, plus lead wires to connect the two. The technologically-advanced procedure was performed in multiple stages over the month of August in Nashville, Tennessee, at Vanderbilt Medical Center, a teaching and research hospital which is a world leader in neurological studies and surgeries.

Those neurosurgeons were eager to operate on Eddie, with his life-long high level of musical accomplishment and the unique requirements related to his fine motor skills. During the brain-implantation stage of the surgery, he was kept conscious in order to be able to play his Deering GoodTime banjo and assist the team of surgeons in directing the fine-tuning of their placement of electrodes in the brain -- an operating-room 'first'.

According to Eddie, "I came up in music the hard way and learned to be a trouper fast. Some of those early days were pretty rough, and I've been stomped, cut and kicked; but I never went through hell like this -- it was the most painful thing I've ever endured. And it was risky. But I did it for a reason: I'm looking forward to being able to play music the way I did years ago prior to getting this tremor. It means that much to me. I'm far from being done!"

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Blind Leading the Non-Blind; Dialogue in the Dark

More than disability awareness, Dialogue in the Dark appears to give sighted people the experience of some of the more unique aspects of being visually impaired.
"Spend one hour in complete darkness, maneuvering through city streets and markets, relying only on a walking cane and a guide who is visually impaired. That's the premise behind Dialog in the Dark, a sensory exhibit that made its U.S. debut in late August in Atlanta...Dialog in the Dark, founded 20 years ago in Germany, opened at the Atlantic Station Exhibition Center on Aug. 30. It requires visitors to navigate through five familiar environments. They must complete routine tasks, such as selecting a pineapple at the market or purchasing a soda at a café, relying only on scents, sounds, temperatures and textures.

The first gallery visitors explore is a park — complete with a waterfall, creek and ground that turns from gravel to wood chips."

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Breast Cancer Benefit Dinner Saturday 10/25

I would like to encourage everyone who reads this to attend this dinner or donate to this amazing young woman. She is my cousin and is a genuinely good person who spent her summers and school vacations doing service projects such as Habitat for Humanity, supporting environmental causes and raising political awareness. Support as much as you can, she is truly worthy of your support. Thank you. Tickets are available via Ebay or at the door

"Local Benefit for Young Newlywed Battling Breast Cancer Kaitlin Janssen and Kevin Osborne grew up in small Maine towns neighboring each other, but it wasn’t until the summer of 2005 that their paths crossed and they fell in love. On June 7, 2008 Kevin and Kaitlin, both 25 years of age, married at St. George’s Lake and celebrated their nuptials at Bar Harbor for their honeymoon. Three weeks after the celebration of their new life together, Kaitlin was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer. Since her diagnosis, she has undergone surgery and begun chemotherapy...As breast cancer awareness month comes to a close, Kaitlin is one of the thousands of women diagnosed annually. She also demonstrates that the disease affects more young women, under the age of 35, every year. On, Saturday, October 25, 2008, the couple’s family and friends are hosting a spaghetti dinner and raffle in their benefit to help raise money for mounting medical expenses. The benefit will be held at the Boynton-Webber American Legion Hall in South China from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The hall is located just past the intersection of route 3 and route 202. The raffle will include prizes such as handmade quilts, breakfast for two, movie rentals, oil changes, massages, and much more. Tickets for the dinner are $10 per adult, $5 per child under 10, and $25 per family of four or more. Online ticket purchases will be available for pickup at the door. Raffle tickets are $1 each or $5 for 6 tickets are also available online. Also, if anyone is interested in making a contribution to Kevin and Kaitlin, they can send donations of their choice to any Bank of America banking center c/o Kaitlin and Kevin Osborne Benefit. "

Tickets via Ebay

See also Kate's Platypus and Life's not fair

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