Commented 4 years ago2020-08-11 12:37:51 UTC
in journal: Welcoming a New FriendComment #102864
I am saddened by Scott's change of attitude toward me as a teenager. He used to look up to me and we did everything together. Now he doesn't even want to talk to me sometimes. Everything I do is annoying to him, and I don't know anything, according to him. It breaks my heart.
I know this is temporary, but it doesn't make it any easier now.
The COVID-19 situation remains pretty dire in Los Angeles, and we remain in pretty strict lockdown. Life during this summer hasn't been easy, and I am still working a lot because babies still need their shots and kids have not stopped injuring themselves from doing silly stunts.
Commented 4 years ago2020-07-25 21:01:54 UTC
in journal: TragedyComment #102805
I am so sorry. When you're grieving, some moments are easier than others. Remembering those fond memories is hard, but they are also the most precious.
I am sorry. No one knows the future, but we can spend the present moment the best way we can. Make it meaningful; connect with one another; be kind to everyone.
Commented 5 years ago2019-09-06 12:38:15 UTC
in journal: TibetComment #102251
We were told not to discuss politics during the trip, but all we did was talk about politics, with the Tibetan guide and other fellow travelers.
The Chinese government forces the Tibetans to display a portrait of the Chinese president in each household, and there were patriotic banners all over the country (both within Tibet and outside). Everywhere there were evidence of the Chinese propaganda machinery.
There were yaks everywhere, including in the middle of the street. Sometimes yaks would decide to take a nap in the middle of a busy street. There were yak dung everywhere too.
Tibetans are very friendly and gracious. We were invited to various household for meals by random strangers. We shared many meals with monks at monasteries.
The Tibetan houses are gigantic, because they usually house the entire extended family of about 20 people. Despite the size and exterior grandeur, many houses lack runny water.
The scenery was simply breathtaking. You can browse through hundreds of photos here.
I am just catching up on everyone's posts, and I am a bit late to the discussion.
I can understand why you might worry about her future. People on the spectrum can often be misunderstood by others who are apathetic, ignorant, or simply cruel. Supporting her is the easy part, but changing other people's behavior and attitude is nearly impossible, but we shouldn't stop trying.
I work with autistic children nearly daily, and I learned to see the spark in each one.
After working with children and their families for over twenty years, I've come to realize that parents are almost never to blame for anything. People are quick to judge, especially the parents themselves. Feeling guilty is part of being a good parent, but we should never allow guilt to consume ourselves. Parents seldom give themselves credit when something beautiful happen to their children, but they need to do that more often.
As for the anti-vaccine tirade, I will try to contain my rage. Ignorance is the origin of all bad decisions. There hasn't been any thiomersal (the mercury-based preservative) in any childhood vaccine since 2001. Vaccines do not cause autism; vaccines cause adults. Without vaccination, we would have an increase in the number of dead children.
I highly recommend the book Neurotribes by Steve Silberman. It lends a different perspective on autism, and helps those who don't yet understand it to have a greater appreciation for different types of mindsets.
We are all humans, and all humans are unique. Instead of wasting time to layer judgement on the differences, we should appreciate the virtue of our uniqueness.
Commented 5 years ago2019-06-10 00:11:49 UTC
in journal: Gaming PC for my sonComment #102077
Thanks for all the help.
I solved the problem by re-seating the graphics card. It bothered me that the first time I installed the card, I never felt that satisfying confirmatory click. Now that I have, everything is running finally.
Commented 5 years ago2019-06-09 11:42:50 UTC
in journal: Gaming PC for my sonComment #102072
I narrowed it down to a memory issue (at least that's what I think based on the four short beeps during the POST attempts).
I didn't install the speaker before, but it's very helpful from a diagnostic perspective.
I will re-seat the memory modules (2 x 8 GB).
ADDENDUM: Okay, after re-seating the RAMS, it still doesn't POST, but now it has five short beeps. It's an AMI BIOS, by the way. This usually means a CPU error, which gives me a sinking feeling in my heart.
Commented 5 years ago2019-06-09 02:36:30 UTC
in journal: Gaming PC for my sonComment #102070
Well, it boots to a blank screen. All the fans are running, including the CPU, but nothing is on the display. No beeping, and no error message.
ADDENDUM: Okay, update. The graphics card fan is not turning, so it seems that there's no power going to the graphics card. I double-checked the PCI-e power connector, and even unplugged it and re-plugged it back, but still no go.
Commented 5 years ago2019-06-04 14:35:43 UTC
in journal: Gaming PC for my sonComment #102062
The death of AMD can be traced back to the birth of Intel's Core 2 Duo back in 2006. AMD never caught up, and acquiring ATI didn't revive the brand either.
Commented 5 years ago2019-06-03 23:24:56 UTC
in journal: Gaming PC for my sonComment #102056
Yep, he's turning 12 next month, and this is for his birthday.
He's going to build it himself (with my supervision, of course).
I've swapped out the graphics card as many of you recommended, and I also swapped out the mobo to this Gigabyte one. I think this motherboard does not support 3200 MHz RAM modules.
The long-term plan is to add another EVO 500 GB when it's even cheaper, perhaps in two years (it might be around $25 by then).
He picked out this case himself. His favorite color is green.
The only downside is that this case does not allow a DVD-ROM drive, but that is fast becoming unnecessary in today's computing world.
Commented 5 years ago2019-06-03 12:58:43 UTC
in journal: Gaming PC for my sonComment #102051
Thanks for the great advice.
I am unfortunately prejudiced against AMD. I did have an AMD CPU in the past, but I am afflicted with blind brand loyalty. Intel has treated me so well for decades, and I own Intel stocks too.
I'll let you know about its capacity to run VR. I don't want to spend an arm and a leg on his first PC.
As for the SSD, we're thinking about getting the Samsung 860 EVO 500 GB. It's only $83 now, which is an incredible deal compared to how much it cost a few years ago.
He already has a gaming keyboard and mouse, and we're going to use his existing 23" LCD.
Commented 5 years ago2019-06-02 22:54:58 UTC
in journal: Giant DumpComment #102044
I am late to the discussion, but I am here--better late than never.
Sorry to hear about your recent plights. Life is never easy, but sometimes it's harder than others. I know things will get better, because that's also how life goes.
I am a behavioral pediatrician who helps kids with ADHD and autism. I just attended an autism convention that specifically addresses adults with autism dealing with depression and anxiety.
The keynote speaker at the convention was Steve Silberman, and I read his book NeuroTribes many years ago. It provides an updated and more nuanced perspective on autism. I highly recommend it.
Commented 5 years ago2019-03-23 03:21:23 UTC
in journal: Another Brain Surgery?Comment #101931
I am glad that everything worked out well. I wish I had read this sooner. From your original post, it never sounded like something too serious. Doctors usually come up with more creative terms for dangerous things. "Anomaly" is typically reserved for something that's rather innocuous.
Post-surgical sites frequently look "anomalous" on imaging studies. The anatomy is distorted enough to confound the radiologist.
A lot has changed.
I know this is temporary, but it doesn't make it any easier now.
The COVID-19 situation remains pretty dire in Los Angeles, and we remain in pretty strict lockdown. Life during this summer hasn't been easy, and I am still working a lot because babies still need their shots and kids have not stopped injuring themselves from doing silly stunts.
We just got a resin 3D printer. We're still trying to come up with ideas of what to model and print.
Did he live alone? It's a difficult time to die because traditional funerals are not allowed at this time.
Stay safe and healthy.
Unless you're living with your parents, you should NOT visit them. Check in on them via video chats instead.
We had multiple Zoom meetings with friends yesterday, and we played charades over the video with another family. It was quite fun!
The groceries shortage was amusing at first, but now it's just annoying.
The tricky part is getting through those bad days without dragging yourself and others around you down.
The Chinese government forces the Tibetans to display a portrait of the Chinese president in each household, and there were patriotic banners all over the country (both within Tibet and outside). Everywhere there were evidence of the Chinese propaganda machinery.
There were yaks everywhere, including in the middle of the street. Sometimes yaks would decide to take a nap in the middle of a busy street. There were yak dung everywhere too.
Tibetans are very friendly and gracious. We were invited to various household for meals by random strangers. We shared many meals with monks at monasteries.
The Tibetan houses are gigantic, because they usually house the entire extended family of about 20 people. Despite the size and exterior grandeur, many houses lack runny water.
The scenery was simply breathtaking. You can browse through hundreds of photos here.
I say no thanks to Everest.
Happy belated birthday.
I'd say bite the bullet and take the train. You never know when you might get another opportunity.
I don't want to hijack Urby's journal for such inane debate.
By the way, I forgot to mention that she is such a beautiful princess. Leia's got nothing on her.
I can understand why you might worry about her future. People on the spectrum can often be misunderstood by others who are apathetic, ignorant, or simply cruel. Supporting her is the easy part, but changing other people's behavior and attitude is nearly impossible, but we shouldn't stop trying.
I work with autistic children nearly daily, and I learned to see the spark in each one.
After working with children and their families for over twenty years, I've come to realize that parents are almost never to blame for anything. People are quick to judge, especially the parents themselves. Feeling guilty is part of being a good parent, but we should never allow guilt to consume ourselves. Parents seldom give themselves credit when something beautiful happen to their children, but they need to do that more often.
As for the anti-vaccine tirade, I will try to contain my rage. Ignorance is the origin of all bad decisions. There hasn't been any thiomersal (the mercury-based preservative) in any childhood vaccine since 2001. Vaccines do not cause autism; vaccines cause adults. Without vaccination, we would have an increase in the number of dead children.
I highly recommend the book Neurotribes by Steve Silberman. It lends a different perspective on autism, and helps those who don't yet understand it to have a greater appreciation for different types of mindsets.
We are all humans, and all humans are unique. Instead of wasting time to layer judgement on the differences, we should appreciate the virtue of our uniqueness.
By the way, I am legally blind without my prescription glasses. ;P
Be sure to download the DCH version (driver signed by Microsoft) of the Nvidia driver to avoid the obstacle.
How can a driver installation be so difficult? I tried for two hours!
I solved the problem by re-seating the graphics card. It bothered me that the first time I installed the card, I never felt that satisfying confirmatory click. Now that I have, everything is running finally.
My son is so happy!
This is his first build, but my fourth.
I am going to reseat the graphics card next.
I didn't install the speaker before, but it's very helpful from a diagnostic perspective.
I will re-seat the memory modules (2 x 8 GB).
ADDENDUM: Okay, after re-seating the RAMS, it still doesn't POST, but now it has five short beeps. It's an AMI BIOS, by the way. This usually means a CPU error, which gives me a sinking feeling in my heart.
ADDENDUM: Okay, update. The graphics card fan is not turning, so it seems that there's no power going to the graphics card. I double-checked the PCI-e power connector, and even unplugged it and re-plugged it back, but still no go.
Any ideas?
Let the build begin!
He's going to build it himself (with my supervision, of course).
I've swapped out the graphics card as many of you recommended, and I also swapped out the mobo to this Gigabyte one. I think this motherboard does not support 3200 MHz RAM modules.
The long-term plan is to add another EVO 500 GB when it's even cheaper, perhaps in two years (it might be around $25 by then).
He picked out this case himself. His favorite color is green.
The only downside is that this case does not allow a DVD-ROM drive, but that is fast becoming unnecessary in today's computing world.
I am unfortunately prejudiced against AMD. I did have an AMD CPU in the past, but I am afflicted with blind brand loyalty. Intel has treated me so well for decades, and I own Intel stocks too.
I'll let you know about its capacity to run VR. I don't want to spend an arm and a leg on his first PC.
As for the SSD, we're thinking about getting the Samsung 860 EVO 500 GB. It's only $83 now, which is an incredible deal compared to how much it cost a few years ago.
He already has a gaming keyboard and mouse, and we're going to use his existing 23" LCD.
One specific question is whether this rig is powerful enough to support most VR hardware.
Sorry to hear about your recent plights. Life is never easy, but sometimes it's harder than others. I know things will get better, because that's also how life goes.
I am a behavioral pediatrician who helps kids with ADHD and autism. I just attended an autism convention that specifically addresses adults with autism dealing with depression and anxiety.
The keynote speaker at the convention was Steve Silberman, and I read his book NeuroTribes many years ago. It provides an updated and more nuanced perspective on autism. I highly recommend it.
But they could serve as melee weapons in a pinch.
Post-surgical sites frequently look "anomalous" on imaging studies. The anatomy is distorted enough to confound the radiologist.
https://youtu.be/hY19NK7qBCU
47 is a prime number too.
That's what I specialize in, and if you have difficulty sustaining attention and completing tasks, you may have ADHD.