Vianne Rocher, in Joanne Harris’s magical-realist novel Chocolat, is fated never to settle for long in one place, always moving on with her daughter (and her mother’s ashes) when the North Wind tells her it’s time to go. That seemingly inevitable pull of a new beginning is something I can relate to all too easily.
Eight Mastodon apps for iPhone
In a complete departure from my usual meanderings, I’m going to present an in-depth comparative review of eight iOS Mastodon/Fediverse apps. Given that I’m not alone in moving to Mastodon from Twitter at the moment (whether tentatively or bridge-burningly), I’ll also draw comparisons with the official iOS Twitter app, noting points of comfort and familiarity as well as things that might jar a little at first. But please bear in mind that Mastodon isn’t meant to be a clone of Twitter.
Live (almost) from Behind the Mask: Scottish Autism conference 2022
Earlier today, I live-tooted from Scottish Autism’s 2022 conference, Behind the Mask, the first conference the charity has held since 2019.
Are you Aprilness-aware?
It is, thankfully, nearly the end of another month with Aprilness. Another Autism Awareness Month – or as the ever-so-slightly-more enlightened have started to call it, Autism Acceptance Month. These are not labels chosen by the Autistic community (and I use a capital A here intentionally). This month of awareness- or acceptance-raising isn’t something any of us asked for.
Welcome to the Fediverse
This is a very short post to check that the ActivityPub plugin I’ve just installed is working properly, and to invite you to follow my rambling blog from the comfort of your home in the Fediverse (for example, a Mastodon instance). It’ll be good to see you – and my hope is that this will… Continue reading Welcome to the Fediverse
Self-preservation
(Great) Cumbrae, as featured in a two-night holiday I had with my son last week My blog is a little tired, so I hope to refresh it soon with better organisation, a new look (using WordPress’s Full Site Editing) and perhaps a more regular content schedule (but that’s probably just wishful thinking!). I’m also a… Continue reading Self-preservation
Lonely and bored
Well it was either that or stay on Twitter and be anxious and depressed instead. I decided to take a few days off Twitter, and here I am just before bedtime, writing an unpost. I’m going to try and be even more stream-of-consciousness than usual, by dictating this to my phone and hoping it comes… Continue reading Lonely and bored
Daniel Geschwind on autism
This is my transcript of Dr Daniel Geschwind’s opening speech at a hearing of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on 25 June this year. Daniel Geschwind (UCLA) is co-principal investigator, alongside Simon Baron-Cohen (Cambridge) and Matthew Hurles (Wellcome Sanger), of Spectrum 10K, a hugely problematic study of the genetics of autism in… Continue reading Daniel Geschwind on autism
Transmisogynistic framing in BBC interview with Lorna Slater
Following the announcement of a draft power-sharing deal between the Scottish Green Party and the Scottish Government, Lorna Slater was interviewed by Justin Webb for BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on 21 August 2021. The first half of the four-minute interview introduced the topic, and covered three very broad questions: how close are the Greens… Continue reading Transmisogynistic framing in BBC interview with Lorna Slater
Five years of Pride
Today, 8 August 2021, is the culmination of the week of the first Neuro Pride Ireland, fittingly ending on 8/8, which with a little imagination can be read as ∞/∞, the infinity sign being a symbol of the neurodiversity movement. (Also 8/8 = 1, and we come together as one.) But as important as Neuro… Continue reading Five years of Pride