Rilbur

I'm sorry, but that sounds too much like ... ROFL!

The only way to make that more twisted... would be to take your 'significant other' there with you for some 'fun'. Overall, a good laugh.

Yeah, that was fun too. I loved it... and I'll probably 'check it out' again sometime soon.

I don't know what my real first words were, but I do knew very well the first word out of my mouth that my Dad ever understood. Apparently I had a really bad case of baby-talk, so my Dad never understood me. Until one day my mother got him a birthday present, and the first word out of my mouth when I saw him was 'Camewa!' Talk about ruining the surprise, eh?

You have some fairly good arguments, but I could throw in a few more. Some references to Farenheit 451, and questioning why the (relatively inaccurate, if rather poetical) King James translation is the 'true' word of God, but you hit a bunch of the real high points. Overall, you probably did better than I would! Oh, and remaining restrained is good, it makes you sound less like a lunatic, and their maniacal raving the insanity it really is.

Type, any day of the week and twice on sunday. I loath manually writing things down. Short notes, maybe, anything long? TYPE IT! Of course, it helps that I have a minimum typing speed of around 60, and can peak as high as 120. (I learned that in my high school and middle school and elementary school typing classes... yeah, I had to go through it three times, I suppose that's why I'm so good and so fast with such a low error rate. Especially when transcribing and not writing my own documents.)

Looks good, but I like my own e-reader... if nothing else, I've sunk too much cash into books for it to change quickly and easily

Hey, speak for yourself... Well, OK, so there are some people I wouldn't 'do', but... still!

That's pretty much SOP, and it boils down to brick and mortar stores needing the 'help' to survive competition.

I use Mobipocket with my Palm SmartPhone, and love it. Please note that my choice was influenced by readily available books off of Baen CD's (they have a habit of throwing CD's full of e-books in their hardcover editions), and my previous ownership of a Palm Tungsten (PDA, not phone). You'll want to check which reader has access to the books you want to read (different publishers have different policies on which E-books they support, leading to tragedy in book selection), but personally I love my Mobipocket e-reader, and my mother loves her Sony e-reader. It's quick, it's easy, it's convenient.

I generally find using my watch more convenient / quicker than my cell, which I have to 'dig out' first. But for casual uses, the cell is coming to take over more and more...

I think the song was originally done by another artist, but Declan sings it so well. (Same for tears in heaven, he has a version of that too...) -- If you can find it, try the original ACM one. I defy anyone to stay dry eyed at the end, when the women and children of the fallen soldiers are revealed. I'm Already There By Lonestar. I have an audio version that has clips, messages for the troops in the field that's even more tear-wrenching, but no way to share it. Skin -- You have to listen to the end to really get the impact. The song as a whole is sad; the ending is... beautiful. Beyond words. When she reaches out... and touches just... skin... I hope you Dance Have you Forgotten These are a little less likely to make others cry, but they touched me in various ways: Depnding on the mood, this one can produce something of laughter or tears... or both. A girl whose own mother is forced, out of desperation, to turn her into a prostitute, because there were simply no other options left. And that girl took it, and ran... This one isn't likely to get as many of you, but... it spoke to me. Probably my favorite version of this song. And with that, I think I've posted more than enough... And FYI: my already overclogged sinuses (allergies suck) hate you all!

Whats the big deal about this guys 'special resin'? Is it more effective than normal resins? ./innocent face

If Earth Abides isn't available, something is wrong. It's a good book, well worth reading.

No zombies? But... skeletons are just so passe in comparison! I'll have to think about this; I have a story that could be 'post apocalyptic', but... it's not time to write it yet!

I'm 25 and have yet to even start getting over said freeze. That said, if you want a different example, how about condolences? Other than simply saying "My condolences" or something similar over a loss, I don't know how to talk to someone in need of support. Listen, sure, (and occasionally ask helpful questions) but... there are times when all you want to do is call someone up, and give them a great big verbal hug and I can't. And my attempts are pathetic and awkward when I try.

Wait, they aired a new series? Dangit!

I didn't take it as trivialization, just misinterpretation.

That matches me too! LOL

You don't get it: without the rules, I freeze. I can't act. I dither. I become non-functional. Actually, yes there are. They're just internalized. Even I know most of those though... for example, you don't go down on someone within 5 seconds of starting the date. And you don't go straight for the kiss-with-tongue as as another example.

There is a difference between mild and coping well. All I have to do is get into unfamiliar territory (like dating) and I collapse (usually I 'freeze, and just dont' move forward). I don't know the rules for dating; how do I ask someone out, where do we go, etc. etc. Things other people take for granted sometimes I slip on (I know to wrap Birthday and Christmas presents; I don't automatically apply that to graduation presents). Yes, I'm functional... but only to a degree. And the fact that I know the rules intellectually but rather internally means I screw up with stuff easily, and with no clue how I did it.

An interesting quote, and it definitely 'fits' -- I'll have to remember it. I'm surprised at some of the things the article glossed over / didn't mention, though maybe Clay doesn't suffer from Aspergers in quite the same way I do. When it comes to social interaction, most people simply intuit their way through the rules -- oh, they might need to spend some time learning about them as kids, but they can then apply them relatively easily once they've learned a few 'guide posts'. Me, I have to intellectually analyze just about everything. I do it almost automatically, trying it into my urge to revise everything to make me look better as a suppression mechanism (i. e. I think and review what I've written to make sure it's socially acceptable as a way to suppress my habit of trying to make myself look better at the cost of shading, or breaking, the truth), but I have to think my way through things. I don't simply 'understand' them. And that can lead to... real problems. I don't know if the whole revisionism urge is tied into Aspergers or not; I know the one other person I've ever met who suffers from Aspergers does it to, to an even worse degree. In him, it's a lot more clearly an effort to be accepted, included, but... he's never really learned to control it (or most of his other symptoms, I swear!) whereas I have. The other interesting effect of Aspergers is my tendency to associate myself with 'superiors'. I want to hang around the alpha (fe)male, for whatever reason. IRL, I've channeled this into always showing respect and courtesy to teachers, bosses, etc etc, but... it's there. And that one is a recognized symptom of Aspergers. As for my personal fascination... I think I somehow channeled that into computers. But I've never had it as strongly, as powerful, as that guy! I guess I'm just thankful that my Aspergers is relatively mild / I've learned to cope well. Hell, while I'm uncomfortable with actually dealing with people on a personal level, I've got charisma by the bucketload for interview type situations! (Something I suspect I gained because Aspergers made me think in terms of rules, and I got taught, hard, the 'rules' of public interaction for stuff like speeches and interviews)

I've used my cell as a light on more than one equation... in pitch black conditions, it emits a heck of a lot of light, even with the screen set to 'low'.

I like my Zune. Good battery life, and it was built like a fricken' tank, so it can take the punishment I give it. It's charge lasts for a while, too, and it's got the radio which the iStupids lack (I'm not a Mac person, and between durability and lack of radio, iPods were completely out). Disadvantage is movie / music formating (it has a relatively restricted range), it's screen doesn't work as well in bright light as you describe (mind you, I spent most of my time with it outdoors, so...), and pricepoint. The new HD ones were pretty expensive last time I looked.

Hey guys, seeing as how this thread is supposed to be a three-day warning, perhaps someone should mention that it's now "D-Day"... send your e-mails today, or not at all! May the best man... Er... Sorry Neph... writer win!