Re: Fwd: The Geek Syndrome

From: Terry Egan (tegan@ix.netcom.com)
Date: Sat Dec 15 2001 - 11:45:03 MST


        Thank you for all of the links, Eric!

        I had read the original article in the paper-tree version of
WIRED, and I wondered how long it would be before Extropians picked up
on it. I checked WIRED's website a couple of days ago and the article
had not appeared; checked it again just now, and lo and behold, there
it is.
        
        When I read the article, I thought it sounded like someone I
knew; myself. I took the test and scored a 31, although I could not
answer all the questions. I have not attempted to obtain a
professional diagnosis, as I am not sure what good, if any, it could
do. Oh well, I guess I'm outed now.

        Since I read the article, I have been examining my memories of
the people I have met in my life to see if I could identify any others
with a possible diagnosis of Aspergers syndrome and any commonalities
they share. The ones I came up with are:

        - Computer professionals, especially ones who prefer
interaction with machines to people
        - solitary
        - indifference to 'popular' activities such as team sports,
religion and mass media

        So far, this sounds like a repetion of the magazine article.
Here are the commonalities that may apply to Extropians as well:

        - Libertarian ( possibly the more 'strict' or 'radical'
variety )
        - Science fiction readers ( the 'harder' the better.
Broadcast SF seems like so much 'soft' fantasy to me. )

Am I way off base here?
-
Terry Egan
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm
not sure about the universe. " --Albert Einstein



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