Stuff Mike Likes

What is a Leap Year?

2012-02-29T08:29:00.000-08:00

Facebook Parenting: For the troubled teen.

2012-02-12T05:56:00.000-08:00

Your iPhone Was Built, In Part, By 13 Year-Olds Working 16 Hours A Day For 70 Cents An Hour

2012-01-16T03:24:00.000-08:00

Die Hard, Interrupted

2011-12-31T07:52:00.000-08:00

Visual effects in movies

2011-11-21T07:24:00.000-08:00

Floppy music DUO - Imperial march

2011-11-06T20:37:00.000-08:00

occupy protest protest How to really annoy the banks and finance compani...

2011-11-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

Halloween Light Show 2010 HD - Thriller

2011-10-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

YES, this is the same house in Riverside, CA that EVERYBODY is talking about the 2011 "Party Rock Anthem" display. Enjoy last year's show!

Parenthood - Writers Roundtable: On Asperger's - Video - NBC.com

2011-09-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

Parenthood - Writers Roundtable: On Asperger's - Video - NBC.com

How to Recognize an Aspie

2011-08-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

You Might Be An Aspie If...

2011-08-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

You Might Be the Parent of an Autistic Child If...

2011-08-16T17:48:00.000-07:00

You Might Be the Parent of an Autistic Child If...

A Humorous Look at Autism and the Autistic Child

Danielle Crofford Fetters, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Jan 14, 2010

As the mom of a thirteen year old autistic child I've had my share of struggles, tears, frustration and just plain old anger. And who wouldn't, Autism is one of the most puzzling and difficult to understand of all of the disorders. There is currently no known cure and what helps one child doesn't help another and no one knows why.

However over the years as I've met other parents of autistic children and shared experiences one thing has become perfectly clear to me, there is humor even in Autism. Although our children are all very different there are certain things that every parent of an autistic child can relate to and even find funny. Call it a common bond between us if you will and know that...

You Might Be The Parent Of An Autistic Child If...

You walk into your child's room and every single toy car they own is lined up in a perfect straight line.

On a hot day at the park your child removes all their clothing and runs around naked and you're not surprised.

ABA, IEP, GFCF, and PECS are more than a bunch of random letters in your world.

Your child can tell the difference between a Cheese Nip and a Cheez It by smell and runs around screaming if you try and substitute one for the other.

You go through at least three VCR's or DVD players a year. They just can't hold up to that constant rewinding and fast forwarding and neither can you. There's only so many times you can hear Barney or Tigger say the same phrase before you go crazy....

Read more at
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2581077/you_might_be_the_parent_of_an_autistic.html?cat=25

How Star Trek artists imagined the iPad... 23 years ago

2011-07-24T05:44:00.000-07:00

One interesting characteristic of Star Trek: The Next Generation—one that separated it from the original series and most of the early films—was its widespread use of smooth, flat, touch-based control panels throughout the Enterprise-D. This touch interface was also used for numerous portable devices known as PADDs, or Personal Access Display Devices. These mobile computing terminals bear a striking resemblance to Apple's iPad—a mobile computing device largely defined by its smooth, flat touchscreen interface.

To understand the thinking that led to the design of the Star Trek PADD, we spoke to some of the people involved in production of ST:TNG (as well as other Star Trek TV series and films), including Michael Okuda,Denise Okuda, and Doug Drexler. All three were involved in various aspects of production art for Star Trekproperties, including graphic design, set design, prop design, visual effects, art direction, and more. We also discussed their impressions of the iPad and how eerily similar it is to their vision of 24th century technology, how science fiction often influences technology, and what they believe is the future of human-machine interaction.

Drexler said that to him, the iPad is "eerily similar" to the PADDs used in Star Trek. "We always felt that the classic Okuda T-bar graphic was malleable, and that you could stretch and rearrange it to suit your task, just like the iPad," he said. "The PADD never had a keyboard as part of its casing, just like the iPad. Its geometry is almost exactly the same—the corner radius, the thickness, and overall rectangular shape."

"It's uncanny to have a PADD that really works," Drexler said, unlike the non-functional props made for the TV series and later films. "The iPad is the true Star Trek dream," Drexler told Ars.

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/08/how-star-trek-artists-imagined-the-ipad-23-years-ago.ars

NASA - Reflections

2011-07-08T06:01:00.000-07:00

NASA - Reflections

This image of space shuttle Atlantis was taken shortly after the rotating service structure was rolled back at Launch Pad 39A, Thursday, July 7, 2011. Atlantis is set to liftoff today, Friday, July 8, on the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Cat gets caught barking by a human and resumes meowing

2011-06-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

Frank McCourt loses last lifeline, as Bud Selig shows he thinks Dodgers deserve better

2011-06-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

He rejects Fox deal because he says he thinks McCourt is a lousy owner he can't trust, joining list of fans who want McCourt gone. When it plays out, Selig should learn and choose next owner wisely.

Frank McCourt loses last lifeline, as Bud Selig shows he thinks Dodgers deserve better

The Stanley Cup Holds 14 Beers, and Other NHL Trophy Facts | Hockey Playoffs and Championships | Life's Little Mysteries

2011-06-14T11:38:00.000-07:00

No other sport's championship trophy is as steeped in history or is as loved by its players (and fans). The Cup itself has been through quite a lot since Governor General of Canada, the Lord Stanley of Preston donated it in 1892.

Standing just over 35 inches and weighing almost 35 pounds, the Stanley Cup makes quite an impression when presented.

The Stanley Cup Holds 14 Beers, and Other NHL Trophy Facts | Hockey Playoffs and Championships | Life's Little Mysteries

Proposed Revision of the Diagnostic Criteria for Autism

2011-06-10T10:49:00.000-07:00

The American Psychiatric Association’s Proposed Revision of the Diagnostic Criteria for Autism

As many of you may already know, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has recently released their proposed revision of the diagnostic criteria for autism, which forgoing further revision, will appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 5 (DSM-5) projected to be published in May 2013. The proposed criteria differs from the APA’s current diagnostic criteria for autism, as described in the DSM-IV, in several ways, the foremost being the inclusion of Autistic Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), and Asperger’s Disorder under the all-encompassing category, autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevisions/Pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=94

Solar Flare Sparks Biggest Eruption Ever Seen on Sun

2011-06-08T11:58:00.000-07:00

Solar Flare Sparks Biggest Eruption Ever Seen on Sun

Dodgers fans are going, going . . .

2011-05-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

With fans presented with a host of reasons to stay home or tune out — unpopular ownership, a brutal beating in the parking lot, the Dodgers' lackluster performance — one of baseball's most storied franchises faces an uncertain future....

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-dodger-fans-20110531,0,1986849.story

Sheriff Provides Proposed Alternative Budget Plan for Next Fiscal Year

2011-05-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

heriff Sniff met with senior county staff on Tuesday afternoon, 5-24-11, and proposed a budget option for the Sheriff's Department for FY 11/12 in stark contrast to the county Chief Executive Officer-proposed budget that would force the department to lay off at least 500 fulltime staff, dismantling special teams and task forces, mothballing sheriff's stations, and gutting jail capacity.

http://www.riversidesheriff.org/press/admin11-0525.asp

2011-2012 TV season scorecard

2011-05-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

a quick reference guide to what's in, what's out & what's left to air:

Guide | TheFutonCritic.com - The Web's Best Television Resource

Netflix Now The Largest Single Source of Internet Traffic In North America

2011-05-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

Netflix video streaming is now the single largest source of peak downstream Internet traffic in the U.S., according to a new report by Sandvine. The streaming video service now accounts for 29.7 percent of peak downstream traffic, up from 21 percent last fall.

Netflix Now The Largest Single Source of Internet Traffic In North America

Month child conceived, autism risk linked

2011-05-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

Month child conceived, autism risk linked: "A study involving 6.6 million California children in the 1990s and 2000s linked the month a child is conceived and the risk of autism, researchers say. The study, published in the journal Epidemiology, found children conceived during winter -- for the study considered to be the months of December, January and February -- had a significantly greater risk of autism."

Truth in Advertising: Toilet Paper

2011-05-10T10:37:00.000-07:00

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