I thought the same thing. The language is at least fluffy, if not bizarre. The document is peppered with odd sentences like this:
"The older members of the data communications research community spent some of their formative years in the time when data communications was being revolutionized by the creation of a new paradigm: packet switching."
I am a research professional in the areas of data communication and semiconductors, and I find this document very confusing and, well, wierd and perhaps even silly.
Compare this document against the ITRS Semiconductor Technology Roadmap:
Transcutaneous communication is not a new idea. It has been around perhaps for decades as part of systems to communicate with implanted devices, such as pacemakers. There are dozens of academic papers on the subject, dating back possibly to the 70's. Microsoft's patent is (I hope) probably some narrow implementation strategy, protocol, or specific device specification. The idea itself (of communication across the skin) is not new or patentable.
"You don't think that perhaps the people that judge the value of your communication based on the tone of your voice or how long you hold eye contact rather than the actual content of what you're saying are the ones with the problem?"
Keep in mind that we are talking about children as young as 5 or 6 who begin to experience social problems related to this "syndrome". If some kid has a problem, do you honestly think you can help him by saying "Why do you want friends anyway? You'll be rich some day and they'll work for you." That is nonsense.
I remember when I first noticed my problem. I couldn't learn baseball. I kept asking very precise questions that the other kids wouldn't bother answering. I kept making mistakes. I played a few games, messed everything up. Soon no one would play with me. Then I started to get beat up. That can be very sad for a six-year-old.
It just isn't enough to say "it was their problem." It wasn't. They just wanted to play the game, not explain things to me. It was my problem. Both the kid and the parents have to accept that before it can be solved.
It is not presented as a "disease" but more as a learning disability. Most of us know someone who had a learning disability and rose above it. Yay. But by identifying a very common constellation of symptoms, along with specific, effective methods to help children get past that hurdle, much good can be done.
It isn't an issue of "being different." The problem faced by children with Asberger's is a sometimes crippling uncertainty about what others expect in social situations. Basic greetings, smalltalk, social formalities, subtext and nuance are all difficult for these children to grasp. The problems easily follow them into adulthood.
It is useful to identify this condition because it is possible to help children with Asbergers. Through special instruction, they can be taught to interact confidently and successfully with other children. They can still be themselves, but they can learn to interact more gracefully with their peers.
I agree that the condition seems quite common. I'm certain it describes me, and it probably describes many if not most of my friends. I was always very depressed as a child about my own inability to function socially. My "differentness" wasn't what depressed me. I just never knew how to act. It was something I couldn't do. It took me until high school before I figured out enough to even make close friends.
Now I read that kids can overcome this. The therapies I've read about simply explain the social graces in laborious detail, with rehearsals and thorough explanations. I think its a great idea. I wish I had that.
I'm not a psychologist, but there is a lot of information on the web concerning Asberger's Syndrome, a social learning disability which often occurs in gifted children. See this site, for example:
Asbergers syndrome is a severe disorder typified by difficulties in social interaction, restricted interests, and unusual patterns of behavior. Like autism, boys are more likely to suffer from Asbergers syndrome than girls. Although the children often have well-developed verbal skills, they are severely lacking in social skills. Their ability to interpret social cues is impaired, as is their ability to empathize with others. Even though they can describe the emotions of others and the gists of conversations, they are unable to act upon this knowledge in an intuitive, spontaneous fashion. They often have clumsy, stiff body language, use inappropriate facial expressions, and may speak in a monotone. Some talk incessantly, but usually about a topic of interest only to themselves, so they bore the listener.
Although they may appear to be rude, this is a neurological disorder and not insensitivity. In fact, children with Asbergers are keenly aware of others around them, and become anxious in social settings. Because they tend to be "nerdy," these children often are subject to social rejection by their peers. This, in turn, frequently leads to anger, depression, and withdrawal, compounding the problem even more. Like their peers, children with Asbergers syndrome want to be accepted, but their disability makes this difficult. These children do well with logical, sequential thinking, so they tend to be successful academically and even have superior skills in an area of interest to them. However, holistic thinking is different; they often cannot deal with metaphors, puns, and creativity. Holistic thinking is required to be successful at reading social situations and responding appropriately.
Since the child with Asbergers syndrome primarily has problems with social skills, especially relating to peers as opposed to adults, the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis are very different than for classical autism. Psychotherapy and treatment in a program for the emotionally disturbed tend not to be helpful. (In fact, one school of thought regards Asbergers syndrome as a nonverbal learning disability as opposed to a mild form of autism.) One therapy that has been effective is Computer Aided Emotional Restructuring (CAER), which greatly reduces the anger, anxiety, and depression brought on by the social rejection these children usually experience. As they become more relaxed in social settings, these children become free to learn to effectively read and respond to social cues, and social skills training becomes more successful.
It would be interesting if universities required students to place papers in some kind of international repository. This would be searchable, and could be read (and used as a reference). It would also serve as a marvelous plagiarism detector.
The problem is how to protect the content. You don't want it to be too accessible, because it might become a big source for people who want to plagiarize. I like the idea of locally managed data on a locally administered server which accepts search requests from trusted sources. In this scheme, outsiders never have direct access to the content, but can still use it to check for plagiarism.
Having said all of this, personally I'm not a fan of web based plagairism detection services. I would much rather have a local tool that can check submitted assignments against themselves and a search engine, so that the University maintains control of the assignments.
Would it be acceptable if the University maintained a local server to store its student papers? Perhaps a peer-to-peer distributed search through local University servers would provide the same results without losing control of the students' content.
Slashdot Mirror
I thought the same thing. The language is at least fluffy, if not bizarre. The document is peppered with odd sentences like this:
h tm
"The older members of the data communications research community spent some of their formative years in the time when data communications was being revolutionized by the creation of a new paradigm: packet switching."
I am a research professional in the areas of data communication and semiconductors, and I find this document very confusing and, well, wierd and perhaps even silly.
Compare this document against the ITRS Semiconductor Technology Roadmap:
http://www.itrs.net/Common/2004Update/2004Update.
When juxtaposed against a thorough document such as the ITRS report, the e2e-vision does look a little bit randomized.
Transcutaneous communication is not a new idea. It has been around perhaps for decades as part of systems to communicate with implanted devices, such as pacemakers. There are dozens of academic papers on the subject, dating back possibly to the 70's. Microsoft's patent is (I hope) probably some narrow implementation strategy, protocol, or specific device specification. The idea itself (of communication across the skin) is not new or patentable.
Keep in mind that we are talking about children as young as 5 or 6 who begin to experience social problems related to this "syndrome". If some kid has a problem, do you honestly think you can help him by saying "Why do you want friends anyway? You'll be rich some day and they'll work for you." That is nonsense.
I remember when I first noticed my problem. I couldn't learn baseball. I kept asking very precise questions that the other kids wouldn't bother answering. I kept making mistakes. I played a few games, messed everything up. Soon no one would play with me. Then I started to get beat up. That can be very sad for a six-year-old.
It just isn't enough to say "it was their problem." It wasn't. They just wanted to play the game, not explain things to me. It was my problem. Both the kid and the parents have to accept that before it can be solved.
It is not presented as a "disease" but more as a learning disability. Most of us know someone who had a learning disability and rose above it. Yay. But by identifying a very common constellation of symptoms, along with specific, effective methods to help children get past that hurdle, much good can be done.
It isn't an issue of "being different." The problem faced by children with Asberger's is a sometimes crippling uncertainty about what others expect in social situations. Basic greetings, smalltalk, social formalities, subtext and nuance are all difficult for these children to grasp. The problems easily follow them into adulthood. It is useful to identify this condition because it is possible to help children with Asbergers. Through special instruction, they can be taught to interact confidently and successfully with other children. They can still be themselves, but they can learn to interact more gracefully with their peers. I agree that the condition seems quite common. I'm certain it describes me, and it probably describes many if not most of my friends. I was always very depressed as a child about my own inability to function socially. My "differentness" wasn't what depressed me. I just never knew how to act. It was something I couldn't do. It took me until high school before I figured out enough to even make close friends. Now I read that kids can overcome this. The therapies I've read about simply explain the social graces in laborious detail, with rehearsals and thorough explanations. I think its a great idea. I wish I had that.
It would be interesting if universities required students to place papers in some kind of international repository. This would be searchable, and could be read (and used as a reference). It would also serve as a marvelous plagiarism detector. The problem is how to protect the content. You don't want it to be too accessible, because it might become a big source for people who want to plagiarize. I like the idea of locally managed data on a locally administered server which accepts search requests from trusted sources. In this scheme, outsiders never have direct access to the content, but can still use it to check for plagiarism.
Having said all of this, personally I'm not a fan of web based plagairism detection services. I would much rather have a local tool that can check submitted assignments against themselves and a search engine, so that the University maintains control of the assignments.
Would it be acceptable if the University maintained a local server to store its student papers? Perhaps a peer-to-peer distributed search through local University servers would provide the same results without losing control of the students' content.