I’m Autistic, And Believe Me, It’s A Lot Better Than Measles

Read the whole thing: Vaccines don’t cause autism. But even if they did, is being like me really a fate worse than death?

Excerpts:

The autistic brain is not particularly good at understanding irony, and yet most people I’ve met on the autism spectrum have, over time, developed a pretty strong grasp of the concept. Many of us have even managed to teach ourselves how to wield it. I’ve begun to suspect that this is due to our constant hands-on experience.

Having an autism spectrum disorder in an ableist world means that you’re constantly exposed to cruel irony. Most frequently, this cones in the form of neurotypical (i.e. non-autistic) people who tell you, incorrectly, that you can’t or don’t feel empathy like them, and then stubbornly refuse to care about your feelings when they claim that you’re lost, that you’re a burden, and that your life is a constant source of misery for you and everyone who loves you. There’s also my current favorite: parents who are willing to put the lives of countless human beings at risk because they’re so afraid that the mercury fairy will gives their kids a tragic case of autism if they vaccinate. Gotta protect the kids from not being able to feel empathy — who cares whether other children live or die?

Woman wins $1.5M after car crash turns her into a dominatrix

A woman claims a car crash changed her personality — transforming her from a star student to a lusty dominatrix — and now she’s getting $1.5 million in damages for it.

Alissa Afonina, 23, of Burnaby, British Columbia, said in court papers that she was a bookish teen at the top of her high school class until a pickup truck she was riding in ran off the road and she bumped her head.

The resulting brain damage caused a loss of “impulse control,” turning her into a sex-crazed wild child — and leading her to sex work, say the court documents, filed in British Colombia Supreme Court.

“I find that it is the brain injury that has led to her post-accident lack of ability to cope in the normal way, and it is the brain injury that has prohibited her from generating sufficient economic resources to support herself,” Justice Joel Grove wrote on Jan. 7.

“Alissa’s work as a dominatrix supports the finding.”

More at NY Post

Friday links

It's that time of year again: beer and wine pairings for all those Girl Scout cookies you're buying.

Laika and Her Comrades: The Soviet Space Dogs Who Took Giant Leaps for Mankind.

100 Years Of National Geographic Maps: The Art And Science Of Where

Happy World Nutella Day! Here's a canonical list of Nutella recipes.

Why Google Maps tells Americans they're in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

A roundup of links of animals getting drunk or high.

ICYMI, Monday's links are here, and include lots of Groundhog Day stuff, the history of snow removal, a map of every goat in the U.S., a tour of a 1964 fallout shelter home, and the problems involved with having real superpowers.

Fallen behind on Walking Dead, or want a refresher before midseason premier? All 5 seasons recapped

One for Walking Dead fans: it's by College Humor, so it's more entertaining than accurate. I haven't seen a more serious recap yet, but will post it if I find one:

Related:

Eat your hearts out, zombies - Atlas Missile Silo turned into Luxury Survival Condos.

This guy has spent a LOT of time planning the hand-to-hand aspects of surviving a zombie attack.

Picking The Right Vehicle For The Zombie Apocalypse.

The "Mayan Apocalypse" is ancient prophecy, if by "ancient" you mean "from the 1970s" and if by "prophecy" you mean "shroom trip".

The Viking Apocalypse: Norse myth predicted world would end February 22, 2014.

Fallen behind in your Walking Dead watching? Here's all 4 seasons in 4 minutes.

Want more? Check out the roundup of links at the end of this post:

A new video zombie survival guide made by zombies for zombies, with bonus roundup of zombie links.

Now there's a video game controller you can control with your vaginal muscles (if you have them)

You should definitely watch the brief video below - it's OK for work.

Tom Chen, a physicist and game designer out of Beijing, China, has created a new device intended to strengthen vaginal muscles via video game play. So it’s essentially like Wii Fit… but for your lady parts.

The SKEA, or “Smart Kegel Exercise Aid,” fits into a woman’s vagina and by tightening her kegel muscles, or the muscles that control the uterus, bladder, rectum, and small intestines, she will be able to play video games without lifting a finger. 

The prototype game for the SKEA, called “Alice In Continent,” allows players to help Alice avoid obstacles in the game by contracting their kegel muscles around the device, which sends signals to the game and controls Alice’s actions.

The product came out of a Kickstarter campaign that raised $52,021. It was inspired by Chen’s wife’s urinary problems–or incontinence (hence the above game title).

More at  RedOrbit and Alternet, H/T Dave Barry.

Distraught Because Amazon Pulled Rob Gronkowski Erotic Novel "A Gronking To Remember"? It's Back!

Boston Globe:

Just when it looked like “A Gronking to Remember” might become a major bestseller — OK, maybe not a major bestseller — the erotic novella about Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has suddenly been removed by Amazon.

Actually, it's back, with a new cover, and there's also a send entry in the series, entitled A Gronking to Remember 2: Chad Goes Deep in the Neutral Zone.

Here's Gronk reading it on Jimmy Kimmel:

"I haven't read a book since ninth grade," Gronk tells Kimmel. "A Mocking to Remember or whatever? A Mockingbird to Remember?" Kimmel eagerly tells the audience that Gronk attended the University of Arizona. "Number one party school in the nation!" Gronk exclaims.

via Esquire.

Believe it or not, this is not a SciFi movie: Trucks hauling bees, frozen chicken collide, catch fire

For anyone who loves honey-glazed chicken, it was the tastiest crash ever.

A big rig hauling 20,000 pounds of frozen chicken that rear-ended a truck carrying live bees burst into flames leaving charred chicken strewn on the ground and swarms of bees buzzing in the air near Coachella, CHP officials reported.

The fire completely destroyed the chicken-hauling truck's trailer and a beekeeper was called to help officials round up the flying bugs, Hamilton said.

In other news, there's a place named Coachella, apparently in California.

Groundhog Day links

Groundhog Day links, both the meteorological event and the movie: the history of weather predictions and Candalmas (Groundhog Day), how often Punxsutawney Phil has been correct (39% of the time since 1887), how long Bill Murray was stuck (8 years? 34 years?), and more.

Scenes From the History of Snow Removal. Related; Do You Want To Build a Snowman? Physics Can Help.

Why did the panda’s ancestors ditch meat for bamboo?

Here's a Map of Every Goat in the United States, with bonus goat-related links.

Science: What Spider-Man Would Need to Eat for Breakfast in Order to Swing Around New York. Related: The Problem With Actually Having Superpowers.

Take a Tour of a 1964 Underground Fallout Home.

The best corn casserole (aka corn pudding) ever

I'm regularly asked to bring this to pot luck occasions (like the Super Bowl party I'm going to today), and also frequently asked for the recipe. Rather than continuing to send it out as an email attachment, I figured I'd post it and make it more easily accessible.

Works well for potlucks because it can be served at room temperature.

Corn Casserole

1 can cream style corn

1 can whole kernel corn

1 8-1/2 oz Jiffy (or whatever) corn muffin mix (or slightly over a cup from a larger box)

1 medium onion chopped

1 green or red pepper chopped

2 fresh chopped jalapeños (optional- I scrape out the seeds because I'm a wuss)

¾ cup chopped ham or turkey ham (optional)

8 oz sour cream (I use light)

2 eggs

Grated sharp cheddar cheese for top

Preheat oven to 375.

Saute ham, onion and pepper in about 2 Tablespoons of butter until the veggies are soft; cool slightly. (I make extra - this makes an excellent omelet filling. Add cheese when you make the omelet.)

Add sour cream and set aside.

Beat eggs, add cans of corn (liquid included) and stir, then add in corn muffin mix. Mix well and pour into buttered 8” x 8” casserole or 9” pie dish. Top with the sour cream mixture (drop spoonfuls all over the surface - you can't spread it). Finish with grated cheddar cheese (more cheese is always better).

Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Notes: 

Doubles well, but the cooking time will be longer. Start at 30 minutes and keep checking, or bake in two 8” square pans.

To modify this for fresh corn - go by volume and mash up some of the kernels to replicate the creamed corn. The canned stuff is 14.75 ounces, or just under 2 cups, so a slight cup of whole kernels and a slight cup of mashed up kernels should work.