civil rights issues, gizmonaut.net site updates and other news by Panda Mery
Today in Sindang-dong (during the walk “Hipdang-dong” – Exploring the history and gentrification of Sindang-dong organised by the Royal Asiatic Society Korea and led by Matt VanVolkenburg) I encountered two tomasons (or Thomassons): Last year I posted on the Fediverse about my discovery of the words Thomasson and tomason. Today’s encounters make it a good occasion to share here what I wrote…
The content of this website, words, photographs, html, etc. was authored by a human, the human writing this very post. (One way to assert ‘your commitment to avoid AI-generated content’ is to follow the human.json protocol. I have done so. If you have the same commitment and we know each other, email me and I'll vouch for your site.) A month ago I gave a presentation on GenAI to a local group.…
Four years ago to the day, my change of first name was authorised by the French central registry office and I officially became Panda. In 1931, my paternal great-grandfather, and his family, were also authorised to change their name –their family name- and they officially became the Méry family. It was the pen name he had chosen when he had created the weekly paper Le Sourire (transl. The Smile).…
If you’re considering getting involved in the controversial Spectrum 10K research project you need to know what the researchers have signed up to, not just the marketing material appearing on the project’s website. I have now received that document, eleven months and three days after having asked Simon Baron-Cohen for it. It took a further two freedom of information requests to the University of…
Spectrum 10K (S10K) claims to be ‘the largest study of autism in the UK’. Many autists have had serious concerns about this project. It has published a promotional website , but not the detailed grant agreement so details are unclear. I tried to shine some light by initially requesting the grant agreement from Simon Baron-Cohen by email on 2021-09-12: There’s so much about S10K that is being…
EXE Magazine , initially .EXE Magazine , the UK software developers' magazine, ran from 1986 to 2000. I joined it in June 1994 as a feature editor and became its editor in October 1995 until the end of 1999. I scanned all the copies I had and uploaded the PDFs. You can find and download all the issues from July 1994 to March 2000 and the June 1988 issue here .
D inah first suggested we meet in 2014 initially to discuss the Autistic Space Kit app. One aim for that app was to help prevent Autists being wrongfully arrested. This was the beginning of our deep friendship. I n that same year we wrote our first joint letter, with other Autistic activists and friends (about our concerns with the National Autistic Society). I discovered that Dinah was a prolific…
December We do not want to be better served by the justice system, we want a better system ‘Why a European autism research program has sparked fears of eugenics’ (*) : community repair for neurodivergents">About spoons and spudgers (*) : community repair for neurodivergents November An Auternative research questionnaire September Autism Innovative Medicine Studies-2-Trials project FAQ August…
AT-Autism’s annual conference on ‘ Rough Justice? How is the justice system serving autistic people? ’ was distressing for many of the autistics attending (and some had to leave because of it). Most of the presentations were about tinkering on the edges of the system: improving prisons, the Broadmoor high secure psychiatric hospital, probation services, etc. Very little was said about changing a…
Joe Lo, a London-based freelance journalist has written an article looking at some of the concerns the autistic community has about the disturbing Autism Innovative Medicine Studies-2-Trials (AIMS-2) European research project. The article, titled Why a European autism research program has sparked fears of eugenics , was commissioned by The Establishment , an American ‘multimedia site run & funded…