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I came across a very interesting post on Digg this morning . It dealt with Asperger's Syndrome and its apparent prevalence among the tech set.

Asperger's is a mental disorder in the same family as autism. In fact, it is closely so closely related to autism that until very recently, Asperger's Syndrome did not even have its own diagnostic criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Instead, sharing the diagnostic criteria with autism only appearing in a foot note as a diagnosis for a person with all the criteria for autism except any cognitive disability (other than developmental problems with social skills). People with Asperger's are otherwise intelligent (often times having above average IQs) capable persons who suffer from problems with social skills and have a tendency toward very narrowly defined (and more often than not, highly technical) interests that border on obsession.

The computer industry (especially the programming end) is coincidently well suited to people with Asperger's Syndrome since many jobs require little social contact and often embrace eccentricity (which Asperger's may appear to be). The industry is the focus of several studies that aim to determine if this draw is the cause of the boom in autism and Asperger's diagnoses among children of the tech set. Scientists hypothesize that because the computer industry is a haven for people with Asperger's and also attracts people with a preference toward systematic professions (who have a high chance of carrying a genetic predisposition towards autism), people are meeting like minded individuals and having children. Which is resulting in the current boom in the number of diagnosed cases of autism and Asperger's among the children of Silicon Valley.

Wired also has a great article on the subject as well as a simple screening test to see if you may have some of the traits of Asperger's Syndrome. The test asks you a series of questions and then gives you a score. The average score of a "normal" person is around 16, people who score 32 and above have a possibility of having Asperger's, though diagnosis by a professional is required to actually tell if you have Asperger's Syndrome.

Tech Fields A Haven For Some [via Digg]
The Geek Syndrome
Take The AQ Test [via Digg]

Technorati Tags: geek medicine psycology autism Asperger's Syndrome

The geeks shall inherit the Earth, a phrase that has long been a personal favorite of mine. Forever Geek takes a good look at 4 reasons why this play on a biblical phrase (Psalm 37:11 and Matthew 5:5 for all of you Christian geeks out there) may just ring true in our society. I have always felt that geeks drive the world (at least from my prospective). Just look at electricity, air travel, the personal computer, automobiles. All things that the world depends on to function smoothly (for better or worse) all given to the world by geeks.

Four Reasons why the Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth [via Forever Geek]
Technorati Tags: geek

Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple, seen above in his pre-Apple days) has what may be one of the strangest (and coolest) hobbies on earth, collecting phone numbers. Recently Wozniak was able to complete one of his long time goals for his hobby, collecting a phone number that consisted of only one digit. After getting 888-8888 assigned to his cell phone, Steve discovered that the number was completely unusable. The phone would ring constantly, and when he answered there would be no one on the line or only faint background noises. There was no possibility that someone would mis-dial by hitting the same number 7 times, at least that was what Steve thought until during one call he heard a female voice say "what are you doing with that?" and the receiver was hung up. Wozniak was able to deduce his mystery callers were babies playing with phones and hitting buttons repeatedly because of the noise they made. A practical joker himself, Wozniak was on the receiving end of "baby's first prank call".

BONUS: Gmail invites to the first 10 readers who correctly identify the item (not the phone) Wozniak is holding in the picture. Email your answers to geekingear@gmail.com.

The Best of Wired on Apple [via Digg]
Technorati Tags: news geek humor Wozniak