Friday, April 30, 2010
Gorgeous Contemporary 3D Art!
Contemporary digital art impresses by its originality and variety of ideas and colors. And it’s hardly possible not to admire the amazing and gorgeous works of the contemporary artists. This blog post is an interesting collection of 3D images gathered all over the Internet. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy it and find something new and exciting for you. * * *Title: Ice Age Premonition or Infinite
A Flash of Inspiration Comes from Here – The Most Gripping 3D Male Models!
You might get tired of waiting for a new portion of impressive 3D models that were gathered by us from all over the Internet. This time we have concentrated on 3D male models and created this 3D art file. So, nestle in an armchair, loosen your tie, take a sip of a streaming coffee and enjoy! * * *Author: Maruko HirohumiLocation: JapanSoft: 3D Studio MAX Very impressive and artistic!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Who is your neighbor and why should you care?
People get to know each other and begin to care not only about themselves, but also those living in proximity a mindset for causes to improve their world emerges. When like-minded people create churches, entrepreneurial businesses, faith-based civic engagement and vote, the likelihood of violent crime goes down, whether in poor rural or inner city neighborhoods, according to a recent study.
On Bob Smith's WXXI radio interview with a neighborhood researcher yesterday, the researcher told a story, which revealed he did not know his neighbors well. Because he was conducting a survey, he met a middle-aged woman in his neighborhood who was a medical diagnostician. She had diagnosed her own malignant tumor and as a result was not working for awhile, since she was now under treatment. She had physical needs that were hard to meet alone such as shopping for food.
The researcher matched her up with an older woman in the neighborhood. who had plenty of time on her hands and wanted to make a difference. The older neighbor now came to her home, and gladly helped meet some of the needs she had. The researcher was very fulfilled because he was able to put these two neighbors in touch. And the story made me think.... you?
Being a good neighbor makes a difference in our growth as a caring leader and as a spiritually strong person in the varying roles we find ourselves in a given day.
You might be interested to know that these were identified as intelligences by Howard Gardner of Harvard University. When activated in your brain, they can be identified through MRI's. Interpersonal or social intelligence means that you interact and communicate and exchange ideas easily with others. For many it is very natural from a young age. Today much of these is with family and friends only. What if you also took time to introduce yourself to a neighbor you don't know well and invite that person [or family] to a picnic this spring?
On the other hand, the Intrapersonal intelligence is your sense of who you are - your emotions, spiritually, self-worth, ethics, values, confidence and caring for others are part of this intelligence. In many ways this part of your brain is the hub for choices, actions, and is the essence of your personality that others see daily. Interestingly, the more you stretch yourself through new actions, the stronger you become in each. Each time we act on something, more neurons for that action are created in specific regions of the brain.
Building both a strong interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence is key to creating the kind of world around us that is rich in spirit.
Who is our neighbor and why should we care?
Tip of the Day
Do you know:
Recent studies have shown that couples who have sex regularly will look younger by 10 years than those who don't; this does not concern your particular age.
Recent studies have shown that couples who have sex regularly will look younger by 10 years than those who don't; this does not concern your particular age.
Choosing the Gender of Our Babies
Is it really possible to determine the gender of our unborn baby during pregnancy, or do we think all these concerns fate? One of the greatest Greek philosopher, Aristotle (a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great) believe that the wind direction will determine the sex of unborn babies. But do we really have to trust Aristotle's philosophy? I personally do not believe in fate for baby genders since I still trust the advancement of science and technology in this context, more than anything else. Why? Few years ago, written clearly on the newspaper, it says that a group of scientist from Malaysia is developing a machine that will allow us to choose our baby genders. I do not really know how this machine work because their project was aborted by the Malaysian govenments.
Caption: babies
There are various child-gender prediction methods available, but is there any science behind them? It all depends on how you trust these philosophies. Very briefly, any pregnancy mothers who do not suffer from morning sickness will usually expect a baby girl. However, the opposite is also considered as true. Mother's who usually suffer from severe pregnancy sickness will more likely have a baby girl. However, in Sweden, there is a research analysing many pregnancy womens suggested that womens who suffered from sickness (approximately 44 per cent of them) giving birth to baby boys compared to other 56 per cents. In separate studies, they found single mothers (who suffered from divorce/death of their husband) have greater possibility in giving births to baby females. The result of the research has proven that mothers who lived with their partners will have a 5 per cent greater chance to give birth to baby boys. In other words, pregnant mothers who suffer from mental illness (not happy) should have the same outcome.
Caption: pregnancy mother
There is a traditional and simplistic method used to predict the baby's gender; that is by measuring their heart beat. If the fetus's heart rate exceeded 140 bmp (beats per minute), then the baby is more likely a female. Alternatively, a baby boy's bmp is usually below 140 per minute. However, medical sciences had proven that the heart rate decreases by mid-pregnancy and increases again at 8to 10th week, rapidly (usually exceeding 170 bmp). On the other hand, a study also reported that a group of research uses the ultrasound technology to measure the fetus's heart beat and found that the average heart rate of girl was around 151 and 154 for guys. So, I believe the heart beat measurement will only work during early pregnancy?
Caption: fetus
Though there were no concrete evidences from sciences proving that eating habbits can change the baby's gender, thus mothers usually have bigger appetites. So, if they are carrying a baby boy, they will usually eat more than usual when carrying a baby girl. Indeed, the authors of the previous study admitted that the difference in appetite is not striking enough to predict the sex of a baby with accuracy. Some research suggested that the mysterious thing called "female intuition" were also proven effective to predict baby's gender. Ridiculously, either gut feeling or a dream, 60 per cent of the women from the previous study were able to predict the sex of their babies. Some predicted from the shape of their tummy during pregnancy; if the shape is sharpen plus oval, then the baby is predicted to be a female.
Caption: eating habbits
Eating habbits are important. It will not determine the babies gender, but at the very least, it will contribute in assisting your body to conceive the baby gender that you prefer, and I believe a 50 per cent rate for this. Recent research suggest that breakfast are particularly important. For instance, foods rich of potassium will contribute in helping the mom to deliver a baby boy. Here is a list of foods rich of potassium: bran wheat, soy, dried mixed fruits, tomato puree, figs, papadums, raisins, baked potato and skin, and wheatgerms. Banana's are considered as fruits rich in potassium. Experts suggests that mothers who NEVER skip breakfasts will delivered more boys than those who skipped breakfast. I personally suggest breakfast cereals. They are not only healthy, but also considered as food rich of potassium. Some articles also written clearly that mothers who consume more meat (potassium) will have a chance of delivering baby boys, than those who consume more vegetables. Acidic foods that will raise the chance for mothers to conceive a female baby are: asparagus, olive, green pickle, brazil nut, white rice, lentils and peanuts. This also means that well-fed mothers will give birth to males and less well-fed mothers delivering females. This was proven when researchers conducted some experiments with hamsters, and the conclusion suggested that underfed hamsters tend to deliver more females while hamsters not restricted on diet do not.
Caption: sexual intercourse
Other approaches involves the timing of sexual intercourse. An article reported that having sexual intercourse as close as possible to ovulation will allow the maleness sperm to fight meeting the egg. The second alternative approach is douching with water and vinegar to produce an acidic environment for the female for a female baby, and by douching with water and baking soda to make the environment more alkaline for a male baby. We now understand that males referred to alkaline whilst acid referred to females. According to the Cambridge dictionary, douching means to put a liquid, usually water, into the vagina in order to wash it or treat it medically. Lastly, adopting various sexual positions may also increase the chance of conceiving a baby boy, i.e. rear-entry sexual position for having a baby boy and missionary position for producing girls. Missionary position refers to a position for having sex in which a woman lies on her back and her partner is above and facing her. If unsure with the positions, then do check it out on google for a picture of those sex positions mentioned above.
Caption: babies
There are various child-gender prediction methods available, but is there any science behind them? It all depends on how you trust these philosophies. Very briefly, any pregnancy mothers who do not suffer from morning sickness will usually expect a baby girl. However, the opposite is also considered as true. Mother's who usually suffer from severe pregnancy sickness will more likely have a baby girl. However, in Sweden, there is a research analysing many pregnancy womens suggested that womens who suffered from sickness (approximately 44 per cent of them) giving birth to baby boys compared to other 56 per cents. In separate studies, they found single mothers (who suffered from divorce/death of their husband) have greater possibility in giving births to baby females. The result of the research has proven that mothers who lived with their partners will have a 5 per cent greater chance to give birth to baby boys. In other words, pregnant mothers who suffer from mental illness (not happy) should have the same outcome.
Caption: pregnancy mother
There is a traditional and simplistic method used to predict the baby's gender; that is by measuring their heart beat. If the fetus's heart rate exceeded 140 bmp (beats per minute), then the baby is more likely a female. Alternatively, a baby boy's bmp is usually below 140 per minute. However, medical sciences had proven that the heart rate decreases by mid-pregnancy and increases again at 8to 10th week, rapidly (usually exceeding 170 bmp). On the other hand, a study also reported that a group of research uses the ultrasound technology to measure the fetus's heart beat and found that the average heart rate of girl was around 151 and 154 for guys. So, I believe the heart beat measurement will only work during early pregnancy?
Caption: fetus
Though there were no concrete evidences from sciences proving that eating habbits can change the baby's gender, thus mothers usually have bigger appetites. So, if they are carrying a baby boy, they will usually eat more than usual when carrying a baby girl. Indeed, the authors of the previous study admitted that the difference in appetite is not striking enough to predict the sex of a baby with accuracy. Some research suggested that the mysterious thing called "female intuition" were also proven effective to predict baby's gender. Ridiculously, either gut feeling or a dream, 60 per cent of the women from the previous study were able to predict the sex of their babies. Some predicted from the shape of their tummy during pregnancy; if the shape is sharpen plus oval, then the baby is predicted to be a female.
Caption: eating habbits
Eating habbits are important. It will not determine the babies gender, but at the very least, it will contribute in assisting your body to conceive the baby gender that you prefer, and I believe a 50 per cent rate for this. Recent research suggest that breakfast are particularly important. For instance, foods rich of potassium will contribute in helping the mom to deliver a baby boy. Here is a list of foods rich of potassium: bran wheat, soy, dried mixed fruits, tomato puree, figs, papadums, raisins, baked potato and skin, and wheatgerms. Banana's are considered as fruits rich in potassium. Experts suggests that mothers who NEVER skip breakfasts will delivered more boys than those who skipped breakfast. I personally suggest breakfast cereals. They are not only healthy, but also considered as food rich of potassium. Some articles also written clearly that mothers who consume more meat (potassium) will have a chance of delivering baby boys, than those who consume more vegetables. Acidic foods that will raise the chance for mothers to conceive a female baby are: asparagus, olive, green pickle, brazil nut, white rice, lentils and peanuts. This also means that well-fed mothers will give birth to males and less well-fed mothers delivering females. This was proven when researchers conducted some experiments with hamsters, and the conclusion suggested that underfed hamsters tend to deliver more females while hamsters not restricted on diet do not.
Caption: sexual intercourse
Other approaches involves the timing of sexual intercourse. An article reported that having sexual intercourse as close as possible to ovulation will allow the maleness sperm to fight meeting the egg. The second alternative approach is douching with water and vinegar to produce an acidic environment for the female for a female baby, and by douching with water and baking soda to make the environment more alkaline for a male baby. We now understand that males referred to alkaline whilst acid referred to females. According to the Cambridge dictionary, douching means to put a liquid, usually water, into the vagina in order to wash it or treat it medically. Lastly, adopting various sexual positions may also increase the chance of conceiving a baby boy, i.e. rear-entry sexual position for having a baby boy and missionary position for producing girls. Missionary position refers to a position for having sex in which a woman lies on her back and her partner is above and facing her. If unsure with the positions, then do check it out on google for a picture of those sex positions mentioned above.
Blog Abandoned!
Dear readers, sorry for not updating my blog for more than a week. I have some serious time management problem due to both work and studies. I will update the blog as soon as possible. So, please stay tuned!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Come up Smiling ! Amazing 3D Charactors
This collection of amazing 3D characters is especially for you. I hope that you will get a real pleasure viewing these creative works. Let’s start! * * * Title: Little Cute GirlAuthor: Eduardo Martin JulveSoftware: Maya, mental ray, Photoshop This cute little girl is having fun and it is seen from her face that is shining. Her face expression, bright color scheme and the background of
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
A Good Laugh Bursts from the Soul
"A smile starts on the lips, a grin spreads to the eyes, a chuckle comes from the belly; but a good laugh bursts forth from the soul, overflows, and bubbles all around” ~ Carolyn Birmingham
Laughter's good medicine... Mirthful laughter
Hope you enjoyed a good laugh with a friend today.
- helps decrease cortisol, leading to stress reduction
- increases production of antibodies
- enhances mood through increased endorphins
- lowers bad cholesterol and systolic blood pressure
- raises good cholesterol
- decreases inflammation in diabetics
Hope you enjoyed a good laugh with a friend today.
The Ugliest and Cutest 3D Creatures, Aliens and Monsters Ever
Attention! The following post is not for the faint-hearted! Goose-bumpy side effect was detected! In case you are dare-devil, this cherishingly created selection of 3D creatures is just for you. Hope it will amaze, dazzle, scare and make your hair stand! * * *Title: Bobby BubbleAuthor: Patrick BeaulieuLocation: Quebec, CanadaSoft: 3ds max, Photoshop, VRay, ZBrush Fantastic cartoony
Beautiful Bella Swan’s Different Styles at Different Places
Top Entertainment Lobby has collected some pictures of the Twilight Actress, Kristen Stewart. She is really an awesome girl. She was born in Los Angeles on 9 April, 1990. She has acted in more than 20 films till now. Her first film was The Thirteen Year (1999) when she was only 9 years old. She maintains herself very well that you can see it below.
Closeup Tornado pictures and Facts about Tornados
This is the Scariest Tornado and biggest tornado i have ever seen in my LifeI received these photos in an email and thought I would pass them along. The first tornado picture has to be one of the most impressive tornado pictures I have ever seen. Lori Mehmen of Orchard Iowa took the photo from outside her front door. The funnel cloud came close to the ground and then suddenly went back up into
Monday, April 26, 2010
Photographs That Changed the World
The Atomic Bomb August 9, 1945 The picture was taken from one of the B-29 Superfortresses used in the attack on Nagasaki. The Fat Man mushroom cloud resulting from the nuclear explosion rises 18 km from the point of impact. Over 50 million people died in the Second World war, but, the atomic bomb left humanity fearing the next world war could be utterly devastating.
World's First Full Face Transplant Performed in Spain
The very first full face transplant was completed, giving a lucky patient a new complexion.An unnamed man recieved the first full face transplant, claims surgeons at Vall d'Hebron Hospital in Spain. This computer generated image is, in a nutshell, what the surgeons did.It took a full 24 hours for surgeons to complete the grueling task of attatching on a new face to a severely injured young
BT Softphone on IMac
Anybody having problems with trying to work BT softphone on imac. This is how you do it !
First thing is you should by now know that bt softphone software is not compatible with OS. so you will have to download a 3rd party VoIP soft ware. There are several available
X lite is free and can be downloaded at http://www.counterpath.com/x-lite.html. I use this one
Isoftphone is another and available at http://www.call4mac.com/
Download and install it.
Then you have to configure your account as shown below
Protocol - SIP
*User ID - Last 10 digits of your phone number with 44 prefix (44**********)
*Authorization name- Last 10 digits of your phone number with 44 prefix
*Display name - What ever you want
It is important to type 44 infront of the 10 digits otherwise IT WONT WORK.
*Password - go to this page: https://service.btbroadbandvoice.bt.com/bbv/online/consumerConfig
Put in your BBTalk phone number & your plain text password
click 'Next'
On the page that appears, click "Configure hub/router"
A little pop-up should appear with a button labelled "Configure"
Right-click on that button and select "Copy link location"
Open a text editor and paste (cmd-v). A long line of text appears.
Look for the string "SIPPassword1="
Copy the next 15 characters (those between the '=' and '&' characters).
Paste that into the X-Lite SIP account password field.
(curtsey of Malcolm_Herring at http://community.bt.com/t5/BB-Out-About/Softphone-settings-for-Mac-users/m-p/4884)
On Tophology tab;
Tick the "Use local IP address " box (Important)
Try this. If it doesnt work you may have to configure your BT HomeHUb to opent ports 5060 and 8000-8005 (for xlite) as well. Here is how you do it
http://portforward.com/english/routers/port_forwarding/BT/BTHomeHub/X-Lite.htm
Good luck. Ask me if there are any questions.
MAIN THING IS IT WORKS ! BT PEOPLE WILL SAY NO. BUT IT WORKS. I USE IT EVERYDAY !
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Runaway Train
Still got shades of your heart left in my soul
I'm struggling to let this love go
I stole the taste of your lips left in my mouth
I know you more than anyone could know
My eyes are on you woman but I'm a runaway train
Heading for the distance and I'm losing my way
Stone me, Stone me 'til I feel again
There's nothing you can do
I've already started, started, started
To unwrite every song I ever wrote about you
And as you lie to my heart, my heart, my heart lies there bleeding, bleeding
But as the wounds heal it makes this thing so damned easy
My eyes are on you woman but I'm a runaway train
Heading for the distance and I can breathe again
My thoughts are with you woman but I'm a runaway train
Heading for the distance and I'm losing my way
Stone me, Stone me 'til I feel again
My heart is beating like a drum
Though I know I'll carry on
It's getting harder everyday
Though I feel my every pain
I know soon I'll breathe right in
I will never walk this path again
Stone me, Stone me 'til I feel again
My eyes are on you woman but I'm a runaway train
Heading for the distance and I can breathe again
Stone me, Stone me 'til I breathe again
My eyes are on you woman but I'm a runaway train
Heading for the distance and I'm losing my way
Stone me, Stone me 'til I feel again
Jamie Scott And The Town ^_^
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Tengokla Diri Sendiri Dulu
Orang di sekeliling kita hari ini memang suka tegur kesilapan org lain...tapi kesilapan diri sendiri dia buat BUTA ja..Hey, come on la...tidak semestinya ko lebih tua u sudah sempurna. I paling pantang la bila yg mo mengajar tu pun x la sehebat mana. Org jenis mcm ni hanya pandai nampak kekurangan org ja. Enda guna jadi yg lebih tua kalau pandangan org lain x dapt diterima....memang la malu kalau pandangan 2 datang dari yg muda... Jelas la ego tahap DEWA...
Jgn telampau sibuk mo kasi betul diri org lain...tengok dulu diri sendiri 2...kin malu ja kalau CAKAP ORG, DIRI SENDIRI YG LEBIH...
Arrrrgggghhhhh...rimas tul sama urg cam begini...
Jgn telampau sibuk mo kasi betul diri org lain...tengok dulu diri sendiri 2...kin malu ja kalau CAKAP ORG, DIRI SENDIRI YG LEBIH...
Arrrrgggghhhhh...rimas tul sama urg cam begini...
50 Excellent Photoshop Pictures
Escape from Neon City by OmeN2501
Mask by Veprikov
Raevona: Docking Towers by Antifan-Real
Gates to Elysium by Tigaer
STTSTS by Andree Wallin
Follow Me by Omen2501
Territory I by noah-kh
Davey Jones by Antonio Peres
Alice In Wonderland: Madhatter by Michael Kutsche
Humanoid by alesomultimedia
Hide and Seek by Omen2501
Derelict by Rado Javor
Megastructure by Hideyoshi
Malik Shah’s Sanctuary by
Mask by Veprikov
Raevona: Docking Towers by Antifan-Real
Gates to Elysium by Tigaer
STTSTS by Andree Wallin
Follow Me by Omen2501
Territory I by noah-kh
Davey Jones by Antonio Peres
Alice In Wonderland: Madhatter by Michael Kutsche
Humanoid by alesomultimedia
Hide and Seek by Omen2501
Derelict by Rado Javor
Megastructure by Hideyoshi
Malik Shah’s Sanctuary by
30 Spectacularly Painted Digital Environments
In this post, we’ll look at 30 spectacularly painted digital landscapes and environments from a variety of talented concept and digital artists from around the globe. Whether they are rougher conceptual works or highly polished finished paintings, the detail and talent is incredible.
Hopefully you enjoy the works!
VG Concept Theatre by Antifan-RealVG Concept Theatre by ANTIFAN-RealThis is My
Hopefully you enjoy the works!
VG Concept Theatre by Antifan-RealVG Concept Theatre by ANTIFAN-RealThis is My
Friday, April 23, 2010
Sandyh Skouglund's Brilliant Photography
Very a good work of setting in scene by this American photographer Sandy Skouglund, teaching today at the Rutgers University in the New Jersey. A surrealist universe full with colors and winks. More images in the continuation of the article.
Five Shocking Celebrity Deaths
Love or hate Michael Jackson, the entire world was stunned by his death yesterday. Although there have been plenty of celebrity deaths, there aren’t that many that have sent shockwaves of this magnitude across the globe. The deaths of Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix were all tragic, but with their heavy drug use and hard-living lifestyles, they maybe weren’t so shocking. And
Plants Enhance Workplace Well Being
Many recent studies on job satisfaction reveal that workers who spend more time in offices under artificial light, or in cubicles with no outside view, report reduced job satisfaction. Light also decreases stress levels, and plants offer nature's dividends to your work environment.
A manager friend described going to a local nursery, picking out colorful potted plants and putting one on each employee's desk, first thing in the morning. Smiles erupted all around and he noticed more productivity, that day. Fresh potted blooms and plants in your office can your serotonin level. Think of doing this as a serotonin tap for yourself and others, if your manager or supervisor doesn't. The addition of many plants can enhance well-being for all and make people feel better at work.
In particular, Jonathan Kaplan, points out that plants have been shown to...
- Lower blood pressure (systolic)
- Improve reaction times
- Increase attentiveness
- Improve attendance (at work and school)
- Raise productivity (at work)
- Enhance well-being
- Enrich perceptions of the space
- Lower levels of anxiety during recovery from surgery
- Boost job satisfaction
Helps me to think twice about including fresh plants in my office. You?
Indoor plants at work also improve the air quality by removing pollutants, in addition to boosting creativity and productivity, in addition to improving comfort levels according to Smith and Pitt's article published in the Journal of Corporate Real Estate (2009). Smith and Pitt argue that indoor plants have potential to alleviate sick building syndrome symptoms.
I need all the serotonin taps I can get throughout a work day. Hmmm... my next outing is to the nursery!
I need all the serotonin taps I can get throughout a work day. Hmmm... my next outing is to the nursery!
Maafkan Diri Sendiri *_*
Maafkan diri sendiri???ermmm...macam 2? Selalunya kita dengar maafkan orang yg buat silap kepada kita, tapi macam mo maafkan diri sendiri??? Memaafkan diri sendiri akn lebih memberikan kesan yg lebih mendalam terhadap perkembangan seseorang individu. Kesan kesihatan pula x dinafikan.
Let's us start to forgive ourselves, jadikan diri kita sebagai keutamaan sebelum kita belajar memaafkan orang disekeliling.
Apa itu kemaafan?? Ringkasnya ia merupakan perasaan yang menyokong seseorang individu itu untuk menerima sesuatu yang berlaku keatasnya. I think da main word here is acceptance. Terima dan belajar dari apa yang berlaku. Selepas itu barulah individu itu dapat melihat hikmah disebalik apa yang berlaku.
Menurut kajian dari Mayo Clinic, boleh membantu dalam:
- Mengurangkan tekanan dan juga kekerasan
- Menurunkan tekanan darah
- Kemurungan
- Meningkatkan semangat kerohanian
- Dan juga perkembangan sosial
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Project Management - Tools - Tier 1
Common sense tools ready at hand
Word - white paper, memorandum, letter, contract, checklist, to-do list, meeting minutes
Excel - PM resources planning, calculation
Outlook - Schedual
PowerPoint - presentation
Gmail - email / IM
Skype - calls, videoconferencing
OmniPlan ( Mac ) or Merlin2 ( Mac ) - PM software
iPhone - with Notes, voice recording, calculator
Web-based collaboration: activeCollab, Basecamp
Invoicing: Freshbooks
Publicity generation - blog, Twitter, Facebook, newsletter, free e-book, Scribe document sharing, podcast, SlideShare slide sharing
Projector
Printer
Moleskine notebook
Pen - Schneider
Briefcase
Laptop
Dilbert comics for chill-out
Internet limitator ( limiting your internet surfing )
Weekend without phone, PC etc.
New:
Evernote - collage
Google Reader - RSS feeds
Instapaper app - news
Flipboard - social news
Update on December 31st, 2010.
Vision board
VIP Vodafone USB stick
Dropbox - storing large files
Google Chrome - superb browser
Simplenote - note taking
uTorrent - bittorrent files
Audacity - audio recording
iTunes - managing audio files
101 Web Apps to help.
To be continued...
Word - white paper, memorandum, letter, contract, checklist, to-do list, meeting minutes
Excel - PM resources planning, calculation
Outlook - Schedual
PowerPoint - presentation
Gmail - email / IM
Skype - calls, videoconferencing
OmniPlan ( Mac ) or Merlin2 ( Mac ) - PM software
iPhone - with Notes, voice recording, calculator
Web-based collaboration: activeCollab, Basecamp
Invoicing: Freshbooks
Publicity generation - blog, Twitter, Facebook, newsletter, free e-book, Scribe document sharing, podcast, SlideShare slide sharing
Projector
Printer
Moleskine notebook
Pen - Schneider
Briefcase
Laptop
Dilbert comics for chill-out
Internet limitator ( limiting your internet surfing )
Weekend without phone, PC etc.
New:
Evernote - collage
Google Reader - RSS feeds
Instapaper app - news
Flipboard - social news
Update on December 31st, 2010.
Vision board
VIP Vodafone USB stick
Dropbox - storing large files
Google Chrome - superb browser
Simplenote - note taking
uTorrent - bittorrent files
Audacity - audio recording
iTunes - managing audio files
101 Web Apps to help.
To be continued...
Ryan White
Ryan White (December 6, 1971 – April 8, 1990), expelled from his school just because he was infected by HIV/AIDS. A contaminated blood treatment believe to be da reason where he got it from. He was given 6months to live after being diagnosed in 1984. Lack of knowledge was da main reason why AIDS was badly understood anad encouraged people to treat him totaly different as child. He still continued his studies at da same school after a doctors confirmed dat he sat no risk to his school frenzz. Yet parents and teachers gathers against White attendance. White then became da spokesman for AIDS research and also public education.
Micheal Jackson than became a fren of him as both of them spent so much time together as Micheal really concerned about White and his health condition. Micheal also tribute White whit a song called "Gone too soon"
Gone too Soon Lyrics :
Micheal Jackson than became a fren of him as both of them spent so much time together as Micheal really concerned about White and his health condition. Micheal also tribute White whit a song called "Gone too soon"
Gone too Soon Lyrics :
Like a comet
Blazing 'cross the evening sky
Gone too soon
Like a rainbow
Fading in the twinkling of an eye
Gone too soon
Shiny and sparkly
And splendidly bright
Here one day
Gone one night
Like the loss of sunlight
On a cloudy afternoon
Gone too soon
Like a castle
Built upon a sandy beach
Gone too soon
Like a perfect flower
That is just beyond your reach
Gone too soon
Born to amuse, to inspire, to delight
Here one day
Gone one night
Like a sunset
Dying with the rising of the moon
Gone too soon
Gone too soon
Blazing 'cross the evening sky
Gone too soon
Like a rainbow
Fading in the twinkling of an eye
Gone too soon
Shiny and sparkly
And splendidly bright
Here one day
Gone one night
Like the loss of sunlight
On a cloudy afternoon
Gone too soon
Like a castle
Built upon a sandy beach
Gone too soon
Like a perfect flower
That is just beyond your reach
Gone too soon
Born to amuse, to inspire, to delight
Here one day
Gone one night
Like a sunset
Dying with the rising of the moon
Gone too soon
Gone too soon
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
610421
Di lahirkan pada hari Jumaat 21hb April 1961 dan berkongsi hari lahir dengan Queen Elizabeth II,United Kingdom (just additional info...hihihi). Pada 1979 telah mendirikan rumah-tangga di usia 18tahun. Ibu kepada 7 orang anak dan Nenek kepada 7 orang cucu. Keluarga adalah keutamaan-nya. So,I buat kek untuk menghargai Mama di hari lahirnya yang ke 49 tahun. Buat yang simple ja..since mama pun x minat la sambut2 hari lahir ni...ngeee..
Setiap hari mau kongsi masa sama Mama, enda kesah la,kemas rumah ka...masak ka...berbual ka...pegi bejalan-jalan ka..yang penting kualiti masa bersama. Lagi pun I ada Cuti yang panjang sampai Julai sebelum I sambung study lagi, InsyaAllah.
So, I beritahu Rani (Adik Bongsu) masa dalam perjalanan ambik dia dr Tadika yang Mama Birthday. He replied me " Ha...Kakak Dina...Mama pun ada Birthday???". And I said to him...."Mimang la bh...aiya..Rani ingat Rani ja ada Birthday ka???" Then he said "Why, Mama sambut Birthday Kakak Dina? Mama pun Baby ka?? I jawabla...mesti la...semua orang pernah jadi baby tau...Rani pikir urang terus2 ja ka dapat umur 49tahun??? Pas2 Rani mencurahkan lagi MASAM2 soalan...I think budak macam Rani akan terus soal kita yang dewasa ni...tapi masalah timbul bila I cuba terangkan...and he still don't get it.. I said to him..." Rani, no more questions...pulang nanti Big hug MaUa, n ucap selamat hari jadi Ma, ok."...he said "Orite.. Kakak Dina..." (I'm sure one day He will understand)
Selamat Ulang tahun, Ma ^_^
10,000 Promises
once we were lovers and lovers we were... oh... what a life
once we were dreamers and dreamers we were... oh... you and I
now I see you're just somebody who waste all my time and money
what a life... you and I...
Chorus: what about your
your 10,000 promises
that you gave to me
your 10,000 promises that you promised me
once I could handle the truth when the truth was... you and I...
time after time all the promises turned out to be a lie
now I see I'm just somebody who wasted my time and money... what a life..
you and I...
Chorus
you said I'll take you back
but I closed the door
'cause I don't want...
10,000 more...
10,000 promises yeah... 10,000 promises that you gave to me...
Chorus
your 10.000 promises... that you gave to me... your 10,000 promises...
once we were lovers just lovers we were... oh... you and I... what a life...
Monday, April 19, 2010
What Eggsactly Is RDI? Part V
Last month, I started meeting with a group of families in my town who are interested in learning about RDI. We meet every other week and discuss chapters in The RDI Book, and this week we will cover dynamic communication in Chapter 3. As we talk about the early phases of implementing RDI, remembering our journey and thinking about what someone new to RDI might need to know has lead to this series. I promise you this is my final post on what I understand about RDI at the beginning of the fourth year of our journey.
Video You may wonder why I record so many of our activities. These videos document what Pamela can do, clearly and unequivocably. They represent mounting evidence of her growth in dynamic thinking and our growth in guiding her. They also help me see nuances that I missed during the interaction and let me go with the flow because I know I can watch it later. Watching the videos and editing them helps you learn from your victories and from your mistakes.
I skipped uploading one segment where I failed miserably! I had secretly written Pamela's name on an egg in white crayon. I expected her to be surprised and delighted. I was so focused on product (her reaction) that I fell into the trap of direct questions and prompts to elicit the desired effect. Pamela saw her name and wasn't a bit interested in it. It took me about three minutes to get over my disappointment, which I masked in a flood of talking. While watching the video, I scolded, "Badly done, Tammy!"
Recording is a time-consuming hassle, especially when you had the most wonderful interaction, and later notice the video cut off your heads! Moviemaker doesn't like the VOB files from my camcorder, so I must convert them before editing. The sound went out on my computer so, until I get it fixed, hopefully under warranty, editing has a new wrinkle. The thought of uploading it to someone who is an expert in GPR and dynamic thinking isn't easy. Then, I spend a little more time typing my objective, what worked, what didn't work, what questions I have, etc. I have a hard time taking constructive criticism, and my consultant Amy frames it gently to lessen the sting. As inconvenient as it sounds, taking the time to record, observe, process, and reflect is worth the effort.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a mega byte of words.
Framing in Different Stages
Almost anything you do in your daily life, whether routine chores or holiday activities are RDIable (is that a word). The key is how you frame the activity. For example, in Stage 1, we addressed nonverbal communication. I placed all necessary tools and things on the table. Pamela's role was to hand me objects, and mine was to take the next step. I looked at the object (a tablespoon), while she pointed to objects and checked my reaction until she found the right one. In Stage 3, I worked on monitoring me for new actions while she did her role. In Stage 5, which is when children are ready for building friends, I will invite someone over who has about the same level of social competence and let them color Easter eggs together while I watch and scaffold when necessary.
Same-But-Different Thinking of activities in a "same-but-different" point of view helps our children embrace novelty better. Early on, interaction patterns help with this. I take a pile of rolled-up socks and set up an assembly line to put them in the basket: sock-me-Pamela-basket. Once I get a great rhythm, I add a teeny variation (dropping it into her hand, doing an airplane into her hand, etc.). It's not all that different from the silly games parents play feeding infants. The interaction pattern is the same, but the delivery is slightly different. After I move the basket upstairs, I have the same interaction pattern, but a different destination: sock-me-Pamela-drawer. Half of the way through, I do same-but-different pattern by swapping roles: sock-Pamela-me-drawer. If it's a really good day, I try a new interaction: the job of getting the socks in the drawer is the same, but the interaction pattern is different.
For coloring eggs, I used a more sophisticated version of same-but-different. Pamela always got the warm water, but sometimes I poured and sometimes she poured. Sometimes I poured the vinegar into the spoon and she dumped it into the dye, and, at other times, we reversed roles. One color (red) required no vinegar. The biggest same-but-different moment came when Pamela wanted a purple egg in the video clip below. She tried to combine the red and blue dyes, but I stopped her because we would have no more red and blue. I had on-hand food coloring for such a situation. This time she needed boiling water, not warm water. She needed a teaspoon of vinegar, not a tablespoon. This time, she counted drops, instead of using a tablet. Now, she is much less resistance to change and novelty because we set up same-but-different moments in our activities.
Eye Gaze You may notice how well Pamela follows my eye gaze. When I look in a specific direction, she looks there, points, and checks my face to see if she's on track. She learned to do this three years ago. I set up two cups in at opposite ends of a long table. I looked at Pamela, smiled, and looked at the cup. Unfortunately, she thought I was following a pattern: left, left, right, right, etc. She spent about two weeks getting it right half of the time because she was trying to crack a pattern that did not exist. One day, inspiration hit me. I grabbed an empty toilet paper roll to spotlight what I was doing. This time, it clicked! She realized that the direction of my face was the key, not keeping track of a pattern. From that point on, we hunted for treasure, looked for ingredients for baking, found items on my mental shopping list at the store, etc. through eye gaze. Three years later, Pamela does it without thinking.
Monitoring The final process I would like to spotlight is how I made sure Pamela had opportunities to monitor. In this clip, she kept track of the microwave and turned to check the time before thirty seconds were up. She counted the right number of drops of purple food coloring (twenty-five). Not only can she monitor me, she can also monitor other things. I am making sure that she can track two objects in her working memory, which is part of the dynamic interactions in the brain, currently researched to better understand the coordination of attention and action.
Is there more I could say on this subject? Oh, yeah! However, by now, you are probably glad for my restraint . . .
Video You may wonder why I record so many of our activities. These videos document what Pamela can do, clearly and unequivocably. They represent mounting evidence of her growth in dynamic thinking and our growth in guiding her. They also help me see nuances that I missed during the interaction and let me go with the flow because I know I can watch it later. Watching the videos and editing them helps you learn from your victories and from your mistakes.
I skipped uploading one segment where I failed miserably! I had secretly written Pamela's name on an egg in white crayon. I expected her to be surprised and delighted. I was so focused on product (her reaction) that I fell into the trap of direct questions and prompts to elicit the desired effect. Pamela saw her name and wasn't a bit interested in it. It took me about three minutes to get over my disappointment, which I masked in a flood of talking. While watching the video, I scolded, "Badly done, Tammy!"
Recording is a time-consuming hassle, especially when you had the most wonderful interaction, and later notice the video cut off your heads! Moviemaker doesn't like the VOB files from my camcorder, so I must convert them before editing. The sound went out on my computer so, until I get it fixed, hopefully under warranty, editing has a new wrinkle. The thought of uploading it to someone who is an expert in GPR and dynamic thinking isn't easy. Then, I spend a little more time typing my objective, what worked, what didn't work, what questions I have, etc. I have a hard time taking constructive criticism, and my consultant Amy frames it gently to lessen the sting. As inconvenient as it sounds, taking the time to record, observe, process, and reflect is worth the effort.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a mega byte of words.
Framing in Different Stages
Almost anything you do in your daily life, whether routine chores or holiday activities are RDIable (is that a word). The key is how you frame the activity. For example, in Stage 1, we addressed nonverbal communication. I placed all necessary tools and things on the table. Pamela's role was to hand me objects, and mine was to take the next step. I looked at the object (a tablespoon), while she pointed to objects and checked my reaction until she found the right one. In Stage 3, I worked on monitoring me for new actions while she did her role. In Stage 5, which is when children are ready for building friends, I will invite someone over who has about the same level of social competence and let them color Easter eggs together while I watch and scaffold when necessary.
Same-But-Different Thinking of activities in a "same-but-different" point of view helps our children embrace novelty better. Early on, interaction patterns help with this. I take a pile of rolled-up socks and set up an assembly line to put them in the basket: sock-me-Pamela-basket. Once I get a great rhythm, I add a teeny variation (dropping it into her hand, doing an airplane into her hand, etc.). It's not all that different from the silly games parents play feeding infants. The interaction pattern is the same, but the delivery is slightly different. After I move the basket upstairs, I have the same interaction pattern, but a different destination: sock-me-Pamela-drawer. Half of the way through, I do same-but-different pattern by swapping roles: sock-Pamela-me-drawer. If it's a really good day, I try a new interaction: the job of getting the socks in the drawer is the same, but the interaction pattern is different.
For coloring eggs, I used a more sophisticated version of same-but-different. Pamela always got the warm water, but sometimes I poured and sometimes she poured. Sometimes I poured the vinegar into the spoon and she dumped it into the dye, and, at other times, we reversed roles. One color (red) required no vinegar. The biggest same-but-different moment came when Pamela wanted a purple egg in the video clip below. She tried to combine the red and blue dyes, but I stopped her because we would have no more red and blue. I had on-hand food coloring for such a situation. This time she needed boiling water, not warm water. She needed a teaspoon of vinegar, not a tablespoon. This time, she counted drops, instead of using a tablet. Now, she is much less resistance to change and novelty because we set up same-but-different moments in our activities.
Eye Gaze You may notice how well Pamela follows my eye gaze. When I look in a specific direction, she looks there, points, and checks my face to see if she's on track. She learned to do this three years ago. I set up two cups in at opposite ends of a long table. I looked at Pamela, smiled, and looked at the cup. Unfortunately, she thought I was following a pattern: left, left, right, right, etc. She spent about two weeks getting it right half of the time because she was trying to crack a pattern that did not exist. One day, inspiration hit me. I grabbed an empty toilet paper roll to spotlight what I was doing. This time, it clicked! She realized that the direction of my face was the key, not keeping track of a pattern. From that point on, we hunted for treasure, looked for ingredients for baking, found items on my mental shopping list at the store, etc. through eye gaze. Three years later, Pamela does it without thinking.
Monitoring The final process I would like to spotlight is how I made sure Pamela had opportunities to monitor. In this clip, she kept track of the microwave and turned to check the time before thirty seconds were up. She counted the right number of drops of purple food coloring (twenty-five). Not only can she monitor me, she can also monitor other things. I am making sure that she can track two objects in her working memory, which is part of the dynamic interactions in the brain, currently researched to better understand the coordination of attention and action.
Is there more I could say on this subject? Oh, yeah! However, by now, you are probably glad for my restraint . . .
Sunday, April 18, 2010
8 Triggers for Workshop Flops
Presenter gaffes
1. Ike - Incessant talker ... Boredom sets in when folks sit and listen passively. Though Ike finds high stimulation through personal interest and deep research on a topic, does not mean the audience connects similarly. The human brain is easily distracted when people merely listen to someone talk, no matter how famous.
2. Irma - Indifferent Warmth makes a difference in the way people receive Irma messages. A leader's body language reflects how receptive she is to people and their contributions. A roll of the eyes or lack of eye contact distances Irma from participants.
3. Peppy - PowerPoint Wizard One of Peppy's recent presentation included 77 slides with a text overdose. Imagine sitting through that! There's little power and less point.
4. Freddy - Factoid When Freddy leads managers to memorize new concepts or theories on transformational leadership, it does not guarantee they can actually do it on the job. Why? When people learn something new, if they use it or teach it to someone else, it enhances their ability to transfer the skill in many environments. The action of using a skill rewires brain dendrites and enhances memory.
Participant turn-off's
5. Peter - Peacock Takes a leader off topic by introducing a red herring to focus attention elsewhere. Peter is needy. Growth is needed in intrapersonal intelligence, since weakness is apparent in these actions. This is problematic at a workshop and frustrates both presenter and participants.
6. Norma - Know-It-All Announces she knows everything already. Norma is not open to learn and add to what she understands already. Narcissism is the culprit here and a person like Norma often cries for attention both intellectually and status-wise.
7. Tom - Take-Over When people begin to work in groups, without a good plan to give equal time to each person, Tom begins to dominate, perhaps to control or to "show off" what he knows. Others in the group often do not contribute as a result.
8. Sally - Stuck-in-a-Rut Sally's stuck in a "comfort zone," likes her own way of doing things and isn't about to change..
What does it take for a presenter to stir the brain power of each person present? Ellen Weber offers excellent approaches to make workshops win. What would you add?
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Tip of the Day
Do you know?
Smoking can lead a person to dementia? Dementia refers to some serious loss of brain abilities in a normal person. In other words, nicotine contained in cigarettes increases Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease happens when the brain becomes riddled with (1) amyloid protein (increases the production of amyloid protein plaques) and (2) tangles of tau proteins. This means that smoking will subsequently reduce the two important components in human body. Although some previous studies suggested that tobacco helps the reduction of the Alzheimer's disease, however recently studies have also indicated that smoking actually increases the risk of Alzheimer's.
Smoking can lead a person to dementia? Dementia refers to some serious loss of brain abilities in a normal person. In other words, nicotine contained in cigarettes increases Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease happens when the brain becomes riddled with (1) amyloid protein (increases the production of amyloid protein plaques) and (2) tangles of tau proteins. This means that smoking will subsequently reduce the two important components in human body. Although some previous studies suggested that tobacco helps the reduction of the Alzheimer's disease, however recently studies have also indicated that smoking actually increases the risk of Alzheimer's.
Friday, April 16, 2010
What Eggsactly Is RDI? Part IV
Is an autistic child who doesn't speak nonverbal or noncommunicative?
There is a huge difference. Infants are born noncommunicative: their actions and vocalizations express how they feel for they don't intend to communicate with another mind. It takes the average infant about 15 months for horizontal integration (i.e., nonverbal communication) to come online. Even though they may not have any words, they communicate. Not only that, every time they point to something, say Easter eggs, and look back to check their parent's face, they have the desire to know if they share the same feelings. That motivation to share their inner world and learn more about other inner worlds is the foundation for building dynamic thinking.
RDI tries to model this process and redo missed developmental milestones, first, by helping the parents learn Guided Participation Relationships (GPR) and, second, by guiding the parents guiding the child to master nonverbal communication. From March 2007 to May 2008, we managed to learn enough about GPR to guide Pamela from Stage 1 (infant level) to Stage 2 (one- to two-year-old level), lone ranger, with the help of a bunch of dear cyberfriends. Our consultant, Amy Cameron, filled in some gaps in our GPR and got us started with vertical integration, or executive function skills. Pamela is well on her way for she worked up to stage 3 (two- to three-year-old level) in July 2009. At present, RDI has twelve stages in the child objectives.
The brain's boss, the pre-frontal cortex, manages mental processes that control and regulate behavior, attention, memory, language, motor skills, etc. in adapting to ever-changing, real-life situations. People who don't understand executive function expect an articulate, highly intelligent Aspie with impressive static skills (music, art, mathematics, memory, computer skills, etc.) to be successful. Their struggle lies in dynamic thinking, the domain of executive function. The following list of pre-frontal cortex functions explains why ASD adults with great language, high IQ, and solid education struggle to stay employed, live independently, and develop relationships in which both parties find real companionship:
Do you understand the beauty of the elegant dance I just described?
This truly is a monumental shift in dynamic thinking for Pamela!
How did this happen? We slowed down our interactions, giving Pamela time to observe, process, think and do (or not do). While we apply static skills, quickly without thinking, dynamic skills take time and thought. They cannot be rushed. For an autistic person, they require even more time: time to split attention between monitoring another person and doing one's role, time to process that something different has occurred, time to think whether or not it is significant, and time to decide how to respond if necessary.
Reading demonstrates how important both static skills and dynamic intelligence are. Children must learn to learn phonics and recognize sight words automatically, which is why Charlotte Mason endorsed teaching both, a static skill. She also knew that a dreary page full of repetititive words are "one of many ways in which children are needlessly and cruelly oppressed." She made teaching dynamic by starting with nursery rhymes, which provide novelty and productive uncertainty, and by suggesting many activities that offered enough variation to keep attention fresh. She discouraged parents from coming up with nonsensical patterns to practice phonics because reading ought to be a search for meaning. She reviewed word patterns by dictating sentences for children to spell. She suggested that, if a passage had unfamiliar words, the child could leave a blank space, giving them something meaningful to discover in the ensuing lesson. Finally, she let children retell the passage and what they understood rather than having them answer a bunch of static questions requiring little thought. Narrating back a reading involves a sense of story, summary, inference, prediction, etc. Charlotte Mason's ideas were brilliant because she gave children an active role in reading and thinking. She spotlighted meaning in every lesson because she intuitively recognized the link between dynamic intelligence and reading comprehension.
Sensory issues and challenges with vertical integration go hand in hand. When a child is hypersensitive to sensory stimuli, she is monitoring everything, filtering in nearly everything, and filtering out very little. Too much of this overwhelms the brain, leading to meltdown. When a child is hyposensitive or hyperfocuses on something that absorbs his interest, he is monitoring very little, filtering in nearly nothing (except the source of obsession), and filtering out nearly everything. Children with severe sensory issues benefit from sensory integration therapy or HANDLE.
Like many children in the spectrum, Pamela used to fear balloons. Her automatic reflex (static thinking) was to scream and cover her ears at the sight of a balloon. Last May, she started experimenting with water balloons. She enjoyed filling them and tossing them on the brick patio. Her screams were a mixture of joy and excitement. Eventually, she made tiny balloons no larger than a bubble gum bubble and asked me to pop them. She squealed in a happy way. Her residual automatic reaction was still squealing, but she was teaching her brain to a new algorithm for monitoring balloons. They could be exciting and fun, instead of terriying. In time, she worked up to popping larger air balloons by sitting on them and eventually stomping them. She even had me pop large balloons with a pin in her presence. She filled her episodic memory with positive experiences, and her fears are much less than before. She invented this process of desensitization all on her own, another sign of her dynamic thinking.
There is a huge difference. Infants are born noncommunicative: their actions and vocalizations express how they feel for they don't intend to communicate with another mind. It takes the average infant about 15 months for horizontal integration (i.e., nonverbal communication) to come online. Even though they may not have any words, they communicate. Not only that, every time they point to something, say Easter eggs, and look back to check their parent's face, they have the desire to know if they share the same feelings. That motivation to share their inner world and learn more about other inner worlds is the foundation for building dynamic thinking.
RDI tries to model this process and redo missed developmental milestones, first, by helping the parents learn Guided Participation Relationships (GPR) and, second, by guiding the parents guiding the child to master nonverbal communication. From March 2007 to May 2008, we managed to learn enough about GPR to guide Pamela from Stage 1 (infant level) to Stage 2 (one- to two-year-old level), lone ranger, with the help of a bunch of dear cyberfriends. Our consultant, Amy Cameron, filled in some gaps in our GPR and got us started with vertical integration, or executive function skills. Pamela is well on her way for she worked up to stage 3 (two- to three-year-old level) in July 2009. At present, RDI has twelve stages in the child objectives.
The brain's boss, the pre-frontal cortex, manages mental processes that control and regulate behavior, attention, memory, language, motor skills, etc. in adapting to ever-changing, real-life situations. People who don't understand executive function expect an articulate, highly intelligent Aspie with impressive static skills (music, art, mathematics, memory, computer skills, etc.) to be successful. Their struggle lies in dynamic thinking, the domain of executive function. The following list of pre-frontal cortex functions explains why ASD adults with great language, high IQ, and solid education struggle to stay employed, live independently, and develop relationships in which both parties find real companionship:
- Start and stop tasks (or why transitions are hard for our kids).
- Persevere when challenged (or why our kids melt down when the going gets rough).
- Recognize when novel situations are significant (or why someone threw a tantrum because he didn't know that rain meant no beach).
- Develop alternative plans when unpredictable events disrupt routines (or why your reliable teen unloaded dirty dishes after someone interrupted the dishwasher cycle to take a shower).
- Inhibit inappropriate behaviors (or why you nearly died of embarassment when your sweet girl looked at the veins of an elderly lady's hand during the sharing of the peace and said, "Is it old?").
Do you understand the beauty of the elegant dance I just described?
This truly is a monumental shift in dynamic thinking for Pamela!
How did this happen? We slowed down our interactions, giving Pamela time to observe, process, think and do (or not do). While we apply static skills, quickly without thinking, dynamic skills take time and thought. They cannot be rushed. For an autistic person, they require even more time: time to split attention between monitoring another person and doing one's role, time to process that something different has occurred, time to think whether or not it is significant, and time to decide how to respond if necessary.
Reading demonstrates how important both static skills and dynamic intelligence are. Children must learn to learn phonics and recognize sight words automatically, which is why Charlotte Mason endorsed teaching both, a static skill. She also knew that a dreary page full of repetititive words are "one of many ways in which children are needlessly and cruelly oppressed." She made teaching dynamic by starting with nursery rhymes, which provide novelty and productive uncertainty, and by suggesting many activities that offered enough variation to keep attention fresh. She discouraged parents from coming up with nonsensical patterns to practice phonics because reading ought to be a search for meaning. She reviewed word patterns by dictating sentences for children to spell. She suggested that, if a passage had unfamiliar words, the child could leave a blank space, giving them something meaningful to discover in the ensuing lesson. Finally, she let children retell the passage and what they understood rather than having them answer a bunch of static questions requiring little thought. Narrating back a reading involves a sense of story, summary, inference, prediction, etc. Charlotte Mason's ideas were brilliant because she gave children an active role in reading and thinking. She spotlighted meaning in every lesson because she intuitively recognized the link between dynamic intelligence and reading comprehension.
Sensory issues and challenges with vertical integration go hand in hand. When a child is hypersensitive to sensory stimuli, she is monitoring everything, filtering in nearly everything, and filtering out very little. Too much of this overwhelms the brain, leading to meltdown. When a child is hyposensitive or hyperfocuses on something that absorbs his interest, he is monitoring very little, filtering in nearly nothing (except the source of obsession), and filtering out nearly everything. Children with severe sensory issues benefit from sensory integration therapy or HANDLE.
Like many children in the spectrum, Pamela used to fear balloons. Her automatic reflex (static thinking) was to scream and cover her ears at the sight of a balloon. Last May, she started experimenting with water balloons. She enjoyed filling them and tossing them on the brick patio. Her screams were a mixture of joy and excitement. Eventually, she made tiny balloons no larger than a bubble gum bubble and asked me to pop them. She squealed in a happy way. Her residual automatic reaction was still squealing, but she was teaching her brain to a new algorithm for monitoring balloons. They could be exciting and fun, instead of terriying. In time, she worked up to popping larger air balloons by sitting on them and eventually stomping them. She even had me pop large balloons with a pin in her presence. She filled her episodic memory with positive experiences, and her fears are much less than before. She invented this process of desensitization all on her own, another sign of her dynamic thinking.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
What Eggsactly Is RDI? Part III
For years, I believed that Pamela couldn't learn nonverbals for I believed her brain was hard-wired not to communicate in that way. I mainly focused on speech. We worked so hard for every word and every sentence that, when RDI felt like taking taking a step backward to focus on nonverbals. Since Pamela did not have the habit of paying attention to my actions and body language, all she needed to process was words, or text, a script without any stage directions.
To give you an example of what our children might be missing by relying upon only words, I typed up a script of the beginning of the video posted below.
Me: Ooooo! Very nice!
Pamela: Good.
Me: What color do you want to do?
Pamela: Green.
Me: Green. Okay now, with the green, we're going to have to add one tablespoon of white vinegar. We need one tablespoon of white vinegar.
Did you catch everything that was going on? Probably not.
I rewrote the script with different channels. Imagine you have five color-coded wires that carry specific stimuli. In an instant, our brains process information from all five wires into one packet of meaning, which I placed in capital letters. Infants spend the first year-and-a-half of life, learning how to interpret each wire of information and process it all into one packet of meaning. Isn't the brain amazing?
Black = text
Green = actions
Red = head movement/facial expression
Purple = point or other hand gestures
Blue = voice changes
CAPITAL LETTERS = meaning
I follow Pamela's track with my eyes as she carries a cup of water and hands it to me. PAMELA KNOWS I WANT THE WATER. I put my finger in the water TO TEST THE TEMPERATURE. Pamela she watches me with her hands up IN ANTICIPATION. She wiggles her fingers AND FEELS NERVOUS. My voice takes on a high-pitched intrigued tone.
Me: Ooooo! Very nice!
THE TEMPERATURE IS PERFECT. Pamela opens her mouth and drops her hands TO RELAX.
Pamela: Good.
I shrug my shoulders and lay my hand on the table palm up TO INVITE HER TO SIT.
Me: What color do you want to do?
Pamela sits.
Pamela: Green.
I look down TO STUDY THE BOX and pick up the cup of water. Pamela watches my movement. SHE IS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HER ROLE. I pour while I talk so my voice pacing has starts and stops.
Me: Green. Okay now, with the green, we're going to have to add one tablespoon of white vinegar.
I grab the bottle of vinegar and speak slowly. I'M NOT SURE SHE UNDERSTOOD.
Me: We need one tablespoon of white vinegar.
I touch the cup of green dye TO SHOW WHERE THE VINEGAR GOES. I clasp my hands together and stare at Pamela. I'M WAITING FOR HER TO MAKE A MOVE. Pamela stands up to get the tablespoon. PAMELA UNDERSTANDS ME CLEARLY.
One of the broad goals of establishing a Guided Participation Relationship (GPR) is to present opportunties for your child to look to you for information, not pure words, but multi-channel information, and begin to piece together what it all means. At first, this task is incredibly difficult. It may be only possible to focus on one channel at a time: smile versus frown, head nod versus head shake, nah-uh versus uh-huh, happy sound versus sad sound, etc. Picking ingredients already sitting on the table to put in a bowl, shopping for ten items on a list, going on a treasure hunt at the park, looking for lost toys, playing I spy, putting away silverware, etc. are ripe for this kind of broadband communication, or horizontal integration (the brain process sensory information into meaning).
Reviewing elements of GPR from yesterday in this clip, we have some productive uncertainty. I told Pamela to get warm water. Warm is an ambiguous word. She doesn't easily distinguish between fractions of a cup, tablespoons, teaspoons, and fractions of a teaspoon. I didn't realize the clean tablespoon was in the dishwasher, so she searched quite diligently before asking for help. I really don't have any sensory issues, so my helplessness at having wet fingers surprised her. Pamela was slightly annoyed! Pamela's active role was to fetch things. We didn't follow any clearcut interaction patterns, but, in later clips, we randomly took turns pouring water and vinegar.
Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) GPR requires thinkspace. I know where Pamela is in various areas of her development. The key to making uncertainty productive is to know what is within reach for your child. I would not expect a young, impatient child to search through drawers for a tablespoon, only for it to be in the dishwasher! I would have everything needed on the table, ready to go, for wee ones with short attention spans. I would plan a five-minute task and be ready to switch to something else. I would not expect a child with fine motor delays to handle boiled eggs without dropping them. The ideal is to have a child work on the edge of where she feels competent without pushing so hard that she screams and cries out of frustration. Constant dysregulation might be due to working outside the zone too often. The book Awakening Children's Minds by Laura Berk explains ZPD and other elements used in RDI, including references for actual research studies.
Framing In framing an activity, keep in mind the child's ZPD and your objectives. If you are a beginner at RDI, focusing on yourself is more important than what your child accomplishes. In setting up an Easter egg activity, if your child has fine motor delays, you might want to set up an assembly line of scooping a treat into a plastic egg (the child) and then putting on the top (the adult). If you do your productive uncertainty correctly, interest usually lasts longer than expected: suppose you get through three eggs and your child scoops treats into the egg easily, you might make a face of anticipation (the kind you use when playing peek-a-boo) and then grab the wrong color top. Or you pick the right color top, make the face, and drop it. "Uh-oh!" Or you wink, say, "Sh!", and sneak a bit of the treat. Or you switch roles. Variation often extends attention span, but eventually it wears off, so have a second step planned: putting stickers on the eggs to decorate them: you peel and they stick. Have a third step, take turns putting an egg into a basket for the Easter bunny to hide later.
Framing means setting up the activity in a way to spotlight your objective, which in this case would be learning the intricacies of GPR. Even now, once I start an activity, I think about how well I am guiding Pamela. Am I going slowly enough for her to feel competent? Does she have an active role? Am I limiting my words and exaggerating my nonverbals? Am I using declarative language?
Scaffolding While framing is what you do before an activity, scaffolding, another element covered in Awakening Children's Minds, is what you do during the activity. Scaffolding is giving a child just enough support to create productive uncertainty while staying in the zone through warm, encouraging interactions and modeling helpful self-talk. I did not offer to help Pamela until asked. I didn't fuss about failing to find the tablespoon and, while I searched, I modeled thinking out loud to help her see how thoughts guide our behavior. I stayed upbeat, even when I could not find it myself, so that she learns to remain calm and neutral during problem solving. Scaffolding is dynamic because we give more support when walking on the very edge of competency and less support for something nearly mastered. Some days require more scaffolding than others because we all wake up on the wrong side of the bed sometimes!
Social Referencing By the age of twelve months, infants can do some social referencing, which is paying attention to their parents' nonverbal communication when solving a problem. In the visual cliff experiment (click here for the video), parents place their infants on a crawling table set up to look like a cliff. Infants recognize the potential danger, stop, and look to their parents for guidance. If the parent smiles, the infant keeps crawling. If the parent looks fearful, the infant refuses to budge.
Social referencing greases the skids of otherwise awkward situations. A lovely scene in the new production of Emma illustrates this. At her first dinner party at Hartfield, Harriet Smith references the behavior of her guide Emma Woodhouse into Highbury's high society. When unsure how to wear a napkin or spoon soup, she carefully watches Emma for clues. Later, when Harriet believes herself in love for the third time in a year, Emma cautions her to check her feelings and "Let his behaviour be the guide of your sensations." That is really referencing in a nutshell, letting the behavior of people you trust guide you.
It takes time to weave all these elements together real-time on the fly and capitalize on opportunities as they arise. The other day, Pamela and I headed to the post office to mail the census form. I parked parallel to the spot where the blue mail boxes are, only three cars back. Pamela has mailed stamped letters all by herself before, but never metered mail. I was curious to see if (a) she would notice the envelope lacked stamps and (b) she would reference me to solve the problem. Since this situation is in her ZPD and making a mistake would not be the end of the world, I framed it by deciding not to mention anything. Sometimes, deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do. She scampered down the sidewalk to drop off the envelope. I scaffolded her by staying in the car and waiting to see what she would do. Pamela stopped at the box for stamped mail and then flipped the envelope around a couple of times. When she realized it had no stamp, she hesitated and looked at me. My heart leapt for joy. I shook my head, so she stepped to the metered box and mailed the census form. The true test of mastery in RDI is not getting the targeted response in a series of repetitive drills, carefully generalized. It is seeing the child apply the objective in the real world, unprompted, because it just makes sense.
To give you an example of what our children might be missing by relying upon only words, I typed up a script of the beginning of the video posted below.
Me: Ooooo! Very nice!
Pamela: Good.
Me: What color do you want to do?
Pamela: Green.
Me: Green. Okay now, with the green, we're going to have to add one tablespoon of white vinegar. We need one tablespoon of white vinegar.
Did you catch everything that was going on? Probably not.
I rewrote the script with different channels. Imagine you have five color-coded wires that carry specific stimuli. In an instant, our brains process information from all five wires into one packet of meaning, which I placed in capital letters. Infants spend the first year-and-a-half of life, learning how to interpret each wire of information and process it all into one packet of meaning. Isn't the brain amazing?
Black = text
Green = actions
Red = head movement/facial expression
Purple = point or other hand gestures
Blue = voice changes
CAPITAL LETTERS = meaning
I follow Pamela's track with my eyes as she carries a cup of water and hands it to me. PAMELA KNOWS I WANT THE WATER. I put my finger in the water TO TEST THE TEMPERATURE. Pamela she watches me with her hands up IN ANTICIPATION. She wiggles her fingers AND FEELS NERVOUS. My voice takes on a high-pitched intrigued tone.
Me: Ooooo! Very nice!
THE TEMPERATURE IS PERFECT. Pamela opens her mouth and drops her hands TO RELAX.
Pamela: Good.
I shrug my shoulders and lay my hand on the table palm up TO INVITE HER TO SIT.
Me: What color do you want to do?
Pamela sits.
Pamela: Green.
I look down TO STUDY THE BOX and pick up the cup of water. Pamela watches my movement. SHE IS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HER ROLE. I pour while I talk so my voice pacing has starts and stops.
Me: Green. Okay now, with the green, we're going to have to add one tablespoon of white vinegar.
I grab the bottle of vinegar and speak slowly. I'M NOT SURE SHE UNDERSTOOD.
Me: We need one tablespoon of white vinegar.
I touch the cup of green dye TO SHOW WHERE THE VINEGAR GOES. I clasp my hands together and stare at Pamela. I'M WAITING FOR HER TO MAKE A MOVE. Pamela stands up to get the tablespoon. PAMELA UNDERSTANDS ME CLEARLY.
One of the broad goals of establishing a Guided Participation Relationship (GPR) is to present opportunties for your child to look to you for information, not pure words, but multi-channel information, and begin to piece together what it all means. At first, this task is incredibly difficult. It may be only possible to focus on one channel at a time: smile versus frown, head nod versus head shake, nah-uh versus uh-huh, happy sound versus sad sound, etc. Picking ingredients already sitting on the table to put in a bowl, shopping for ten items on a list, going on a treasure hunt at the park, looking for lost toys, playing I spy, putting away silverware, etc. are ripe for this kind of broadband communication, or horizontal integration (the brain process sensory information into meaning).
Reviewing elements of GPR from yesterday in this clip, we have some productive uncertainty. I told Pamela to get warm water. Warm is an ambiguous word. She doesn't easily distinguish between fractions of a cup, tablespoons, teaspoons, and fractions of a teaspoon. I didn't realize the clean tablespoon was in the dishwasher, so she searched quite diligently before asking for help. I really don't have any sensory issues, so my helplessness at having wet fingers surprised her. Pamela was slightly annoyed! Pamela's active role was to fetch things. We didn't follow any clearcut interaction patterns, but, in later clips, we randomly took turns pouring water and vinegar.
Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) GPR requires thinkspace. I know where Pamela is in various areas of her development. The key to making uncertainty productive is to know what is within reach for your child. I would not expect a young, impatient child to search through drawers for a tablespoon, only for it to be in the dishwasher! I would have everything needed on the table, ready to go, for wee ones with short attention spans. I would plan a five-minute task and be ready to switch to something else. I would not expect a child with fine motor delays to handle boiled eggs without dropping them. The ideal is to have a child work on the edge of where she feels competent without pushing so hard that she screams and cries out of frustration. Constant dysregulation might be due to working outside the zone too often. The book Awakening Children's Minds by Laura Berk explains ZPD and other elements used in RDI, including references for actual research studies.
Framing In framing an activity, keep in mind the child's ZPD and your objectives. If you are a beginner at RDI, focusing on yourself is more important than what your child accomplishes. In setting up an Easter egg activity, if your child has fine motor delays, you might want to set up an assembly line of scooping a treat into a plastic egg (the child) and then putting on the top (the adult). If you do your productive uncertainty correctly, interest usually lasts longer than expected: suppose you get through three eggs and your child scoops treats into the egg easily, you might make a face of anticipation (the kind you use when playing peek-a-boo) and then grab the wrong color top. Or you pick the right color top, make the face, and drop it. "Uh-oh!" Or you wink, say, "Sh!", and sneak a bit of the treat. Or you switch roles. Variation often extends attention span, but eventually it wears off, so have a second step planned: putting stickers on the eggs to decorate them: you peel and they stick. Have a third step, take turns putting an egg into a basket for the Easter bunny to hide later.
Framing means setting up the activity in a way to spotlight your objective, which in this case would be learning the intricacies of GPR. Even now, once I start an activity, I think about how well I am guiding Pamela. Am I going slowly enough for her to feel competent? Does she have an active role? Am I limiting my words and exaggerating my nonverbals? Am I using declarative language?
Scaffolding While framing is what you do before an activity, scaffolding, another element covered in Awakening Children's Minds, is what you do during the activity. Scaffolding is giving a child just enough support to create productive uncertainty while staying in the zone through warm, encouraging interactions and modeling helpful self-talk. I did not offer to help Pamela until asked. I didn't fuss about failing to find the tablespoon and, while I searched, I modeled thinking out loud to help her see how thoughts guide our behavior. I stayed upbeat, even when I could not find it myself, so that she learns to remain calm and neutral during problem solving. Scaffolding is dynamic because we give more support when walking on the very edge of competency and less support for something nearly mastered. Some days require more scaffolding than others because we all wake up on the wrong side of the bed sometimes!
Social Referencing By the age of twelve months, infants can do some social referencing, which is paying attention to their parents' nonverbal communication when solving a problem. In the visual cliff experiment (click here for the video), parents place their infants on a crawling table set up to look like a cliff. Infants recognize the potential danger, stop, and look to their parents for guidance. If the parent smiles, the infant keeps crawling. If the parent looks fearful, the infant refuses to budge.
Social referencing greases the skids of otherwise awkward situations. A lovely scene in the new production of Emma illustrates this. At her first dinner party at Hartfield, Harriet Smith references the behavior of her guide Emma Woodhouse into Highbury's high society. When unsure how to wear a napkin or spoon soup, she carefully watches Emma for clues. Later, when Harriet believes herself in love for the third time in a year, Emma cautions her to check her feelings and "Let his behaviour be the guide of your sensations." That is really referencing in a nutshell, letting the behavior of people you trust guide you.
It takes time to weave all these elements together real-time on the fly and capitalize on opportunities as they arise. The other day, Pamela and I headed to the post office to mail the census form. I parked parallel to the spot where the blue mail boxes are, only three cars back. Pamela has mailed stamped letters all by herself before, but never metered mail. I was curious to see if (a) she would notice the envelope lacked stamps and (b) she would reference me to solve the problem. Since this situation is in her ZPD and making a mistake would not be the end of the world, I framed it by deciding not to mention anything. Sometimes, deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do. She scampered down the sidewalk to drop off the envelope. I scaffolded her by staying in the car and waiting to see what she would do. Pamela stopped at the box for stamped mail and then flipped the envelope around a couple of times. When she realized it had no stamp, she hesitated and looked at me. My heart leapt for joy. I shook my head, so she stepped to the metered box and mailed the census form. The true test of mastery in RDI is not getting the targeted response in a series of repetitive drills, carefully generalized. It is seeing the child apply the objective in the real world, unprompted, because it just makes sense.
Amazing Macro Photography
Macro photography, simply put, is close-up photography.This usually requires a special lens that is optimized to focus sharply on a small area. What I love about macro photography is that it allows us see an entirely different world that is filled with an abundance of detail that usually goes unnoticed by the naked eye.
Here is a collection of 40 truly amazing macro photographs from various
Here is a collection of 40 truly amazing macro photographs from various
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Snoopy Dancing, or Guess Who Just Got Nominated for Palmetto Boys State?
Congratulations, David!We are so proud of you for getting nominated--one out of seven juniors from your high school--for such a prestigious camp this summer. Together, we built the foundation through our many years of homeschooling. This year, your first year in high school, you remained true to yourself and maintained your character!
"Only boys with outstanding qualities of leadership, character, scholarship, and loyalty and service to their schools and community should be considered." PBS
"Sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; a character, reap a destiny." Many sources
"'Sow an act,' we are told, 'reap a habit.' 'Sow a habit, reap a character.' But we must go a step further back, we must sow the idea or notion which makes the act worth while." Charlotte Mason
"Provide a child with what he needs in the way of instruction, opportunity, and wholesome occupation, and his character will take care of itself: for normal children are persons of good will, with honest desires toward right thinking and right living." Charlotte Mason
She has resigned
She had fulfill what she had said before the Party Election, that if Soi Lek won it, she will leave the party as she announced on da 28th March 2010. Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun has resigned as Wanita MCA chief on da April 8th, she leaved Wisma MCA in gloominess. She was so confident dat Soi Lek will not lead da party, but He just proof she was wrong. Look at him now, his da head of da most Chinese Party in Malaysia.
Monday, April 12, 2010
BBSRC Science Photo Competition For Best Science PhotoGraphy
Science isn’t just boring equations and such, as these winning photos from the BBSRC’s inaugural Science Photo Competition shows.
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the leading funding agency for academic research and training in the United Kingdom, asked its scientists to share images that are beautiful as they are informative taken in the course of everyday research
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the leading funding agency for academic research and training in the United Kingdom, asked its scientists to share images that are beautiful as they are informative taken in the course of everyday research
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Nickel Growing in Trees
Nickel Growing in Trees
WASTE NUT - These nodules of chrome and nickel build up over time from the process of electroplating bumpers. Photo: Chuck Shotwell.
Electroplating uses electricity to turn dissolved ions into a thin layer of solid metal bonded to a surface. Photo: Chuck Shotwell.
Electroplating makes bumpers shiny and rustproof. It also makes these beautiful
WASTE NUT - These nodules of chrome and nickel build up over time from the process of electroplating bumpers. Photo: Chuck Shotwell.
Electroplating uses electricity to turn dissolved ions into a thin layer of solid metal bonded to a surface. Photo: Chuck Shotwell.
Electroplating makes bumpers shiny and rustproof. It also makes these beautiful
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Gold Nintendo Wii (5 Photos)
This Gadget (Gold Nintendo Wii), was an unusual, glittering gift to the Queen of England.The Gold Nintendo Wii is a gold plated Wii.See the pictures:For more info about the "gift to the Queen of England": (Link)
What Eggsactly Is RDI? Part II
Guided Participation Relationship (GPR) Yesterday, I promised to talk about a Guided Participation Relationship, the process parents study intensely in the first few months of RDI. The following video of Pamela and me opening the egg coloring kit illustrates it well. GPR is how parents help children gain new understanding and skills by working together. We frame and reframe our roles to challenge the child mildly and avoid overwhelming them. RDI helps parents figure out how to guide autistic children into following their lead without commands.
Keep in mind that the ease with which Pamela actively participates with few commands or prompts from me is the result of three years of work. Don't worry if your child can't do this right now! It's okay. Pamela couldn't do it either.
Productive Uncertainty We haven't colored eggs from a kit in ages for a variety of reasons (visiting family, having family visit, creating natural dyes, trying Ukrainian wax, etc). It's been at least six years! Pamela solved several problems, but only one was entirely new: collapsible egg cups. An interaction needs enough uncertainty to challenge without overwhelming her. Too much challenge leads to meltdown, which is unproductive. No uncertainty leaves no problem to solve (also unproductive). One element of GPR is knowing how challenging an activity is to your child and giving the right amount of support to create moments of productive uncertainty.
Active Roles Pamela relied on several strategies that infants master: she trusts me and stays in close contact. All good relationships build on trust! She monitors what I do and gets involved when she can. She pays attention to any instruction I give, whether it's verbal or nonverbal. We don't rely upon heavy-duty commands and prompts, which tends to make children passive: they are waiting for the next prompt. Since Pamela now has toddler-level strategies, I let her take an active role in figuring out the first step. I invited her to sit by moving her chair, and she did. I give her plenty of time to study the box. She confirmed with me our purpose, "Coloring." My first reply was too indirect, she asked again and I replied, "Yes, we're coloring." Wanting to know my perspective is one form of social referencing because I am her compass.
Interaction Patterns Pamela decided to open the box but referenced me first ("Open it"). She pulled the contents and I moved what we didn't need out of the way. I flipped over the bag with the collapsible egg cups curiously and left it alone. Again, I patiently waited for her to decide what to do with the bag. She referenced me before opening it. Another element of GPR is thinking about roles and interaction patterns. In this case, her role was to open the cups and add tablets to them. My role was to punch the perforated circles out of the box to make a drying stand. Basic interaction patterns are assembly line, turn-taking or reciprocating, and simultaneous. Our interaction pattern was doing different, but complimentary things, simultaneously, almost like toddlers do parallel play.
Horizontal Integration You may have noticed the wide variety of communication Pamela understands: gestures, head movement, facial expressions, sounds, and words. Infants become masters of nonverbal communication in the first eighteen months of life by splicing together the separate channels of information into meaning. Something as simple as a wink completely alters what we say. This foundation is horizontal integration, or broadband communication. Children learn to think with their eyes--a term coined by Michelle Garcia Winner whose blog is RDI-friendly, before focusing on higher-level thinking.
Vertical Integration Pamela has learned to monitor my actions for anything different and consider if it's worth taking her own action. When I opened up a collapsible cup and put it to my eye like a spyglass, she turned her full attention toward me until she realized I was being silly. Monitoring people, filtering out fluff, and filtering important information that needs careful thinking is called vertical integration. Children started doing this after they have mastered the basics of nonverbal communication.
Intersubjectivity When Pamela struggled to open the bag of tablets, I paused and she immediately looked up because I was doing something different (more vertical integration). We exchanged glances and nodded to each other agreeing that she needed scissors (more horizontal integration). I checked how closely Pamela matched the tablet to the color of the cup's rim and gave her indirect approval, "I guess that will work." She let me know she was finished by saying, "Good." We took on new roles: I became the reader and Pamela became the collector. I told her what we needed. At first, she disagreed about getting a measuring cup and said, "Without." After I reassured her, she looked in the wrong place. I let her search until she decided it was time to ask for help. I answered her by turning my gaze to that of the cabinet. When I explained the next step, "It says 5 ounces of" and she anticipated me, "Water." I paused dramatically and said, "WARM water." She replied, "It's warm," and headed to the sink. Pamela understands the importance of sharing her thought-life and values what I think, which is called intersubjectivity.
In GPR, adults use tools like productive uncertainty, active roles, and interaction patterns to help children integrate their brains by problem solving. Sometimes we do too much to protect our children from error (ahem, the science fair project too perfect to be the work of a student). The danger of doing too much for an autistic child is creating a world where nothing is out of place, and, with their exquisite eye for sameness, the child demands a more and more predictable world. Introducing unproductive uncertainty, slowly while helping the child calm down when slightly dysregulated, introduces novelty in a controlled setting. Assigning active roles guides them on the path of searching for meaning. Interaction patterns provide a same, but different framework for children to address new problems. When child learns a turn-taking pattern to toss dry clothes in a basket, later she can apply that to many other situations: putting rolled-up socks into a basket and later into a drawer, putting silverware into a drawer, building a tower of blocks, etc. Turn-taking builds the foundation for higher level skills like having a conversation and playing games.
We resist the temptation to create a perfect product (thereby doing too much to make it happen) by focusing on the process, not the end result. Actually, long-term, the hoped-for end result is to integrate the brain vertically and build executive function. During our interactions, I wonder, "Am I giving her enough time to observe, process, and think? Am I giving her enough novelty without flipping her out? Does she find her role important enough to search for meaning and feel good about her contribution? Are our roles and communication balanced so that neither of us are exerting too much control? Am I giving her opportunities to interpret both verbal and nonverbal information? Am I talking too much again? Is she really monitoring me or tuning me out?" Is your head spinning? Mine sure did when I first started learning the intricacies of GPR!
You will see in later clips that we drew on our eggs with crayons. Some of my eggs turned out quite psychedelic, failing to match my vision of loveliness. Pamela's eggs had mainly scribbling and a couple of pictures and words. I dropped one and cracked it, and so did Pamela. Our eggs were not worthy of Ukranian artistry. However, they were good enough for us and we both learned new ideas about coloring eggs.
Keep in mind that the ease with which Pamela actively participates with few commands or prompts from me is the result of three years of work. Don't worry if your child can't do this right now! It's okay. Pamela couldn't do it either.
Productive Uncertainty We haven't colored eggs from a kit in ages for a variety of reasons (visiting family, having family visit, creating natural dyes, trying Ukrainian wax, etc). It's been at least six years! Pamela solved several problems, but only one was entirely new: collapsible egg cups. An interaction needs enough uncertainty to challenge without overwhelming her. Too much challenge leads to meltdown, which is unproductive. No uncertainty leaves no problem to solve (also unproductive). One element of GPR is knowing how challenging an activity is to your child and giving the right amount of support to create moments of productive uncertainty.Active Roles Pamela relied on several strategies that infants master: she trusts me and stays in close contact. All good relationships build on trust! She monitors what I do and gets involved when she can. She pays attention to any instruction I give, whether it's verbal or nonverbal. We don't rely upon heavy-duty commands and prompts, which tends to make children passive: they are waiting for the next prompt. Since Pamela now has toddler-level strategies, I let her take an active role in figuring out the first step. I invited her to sit by moving her chair, and she did. I give her plenty of time to study the box. She confirmed with me our purpose, "Coloring." My first reply was too indirect, she asked again and I replied, "Yes, we're coloring." Wanting to know my perspective is one form of social referencing because I am her compass.
Interaction Patterns Pamela decided to open the box but referenced me first ("Open it"). She pulled the contents and I moved what we didn't need out of the way. I flipped over the bag with the collapsible egg cups curiously and left it alone. Again, I patiently waited for her to decide what to do with the bag. She referenced me before opening it. Another element of GPR is thinking about roles and interaction patterns. In this case, her role was to open the cups and add tablets to them. My role was to punch the perforated circles out of the box to make a drying stand. Basic interaction patterns are assembly line, turn-taking or reciprocating, and simultaneous. Our interaction pattern was doing different, but complimentary things, simultaneously, almost like toddlers do parallel play.
Horizontal Integration You may have noticed the wide variety of communication Pamela understands: gestures, head movement, facial expressions, sounds, and words. Infants become masters of nonverbal communication in the first eighteen months of life by splicing together the separate channels of information into meaning. Something as simple as a wink completely alters what we say. This foundation is horizontal integration, or broadband communication. Children learn to think with their eyes--a term coined by Michelle Garcia Winner whose blog is RDI-friendly, before focusing on higher-level thinking.
Vertical Integration Pamela has learned to monitor my actions for anything different and consider if it's worth taking her own action. When I opened up a collapsible cup and put it to my eye like a spyglass, she turned her full attention toward me until she realized I was being silly. Monitoring people, filtering out fluff, and filtering important information that needs careful thinking is called vertical integration. Children started doing this after they have mastered the basics of nonverbal communication.
Intersubjectivity When Pamela struggled to open the bag of tablets, I paused and she immediately looked up because I was doing something different (more vertical integration). We exchanged glances and nodded to each other agreeing that she needed scissors (more horizontal integration). I checked how closely Pamela matched the tablet to the color of the cup's rim and gave her indirect approval, "I guess that will work." She let me know she was finished by saying, "Good." We took on new roles: I became the reader and Pamela became the collector. I told her what we needed. At first, she disagreed about getting a measuring cup and said, "Without." After I reassured her, she looked in the wrong place. I let her search until she decided it was time to ask for help. I answered her by turning my gaze to that of the cabinet. When I explained the next step, "It says 5 ounces of" and she anticipated me, "Water." I paused dramatically and said, "WARM water." She replied, "It's warm," and headed to the sink. Pamela understands the importance of sharing her thought-life and values what I think, which is called intersubjectivity.
In GPR, adults use tools like productive uncertainty, active roles, and interaction patterns to help children integrate their brains by problem solving. Sometimes we do too much to protect our children from error (ahem, the science fair project too perfect to be the work of a student). The danger of doing too much for an autistic child is creating a world where nothing is out of place, and, with their exquisite eye for sameness, the child demands a more and more predictable world. Introducing unproductive uncertainty, slowly while helping the child calm down when slightly dysregulated, introduces novelty in a controlled setting. Assigning active roles guides them on the path of searching for meaning. Interaction patterns provide a same, but different framework for children to address new problems. When child learns a turn-taking pattern to toss dry clothes in a basket, later she can apply that to many other situations: putting rolled-up socks into a basket and later into a drawer, putting silverware into a drawer, building a tower of blocks, etc. Turn-taking builds the foundation for higher level skills like having a conversation and playing games.
We resist the temptation to create a perfect product (thereby doing too much to make it happen) by focusing on the process, not the end result. Actually, long-term, the hoped-for end result is to integrate the brain vertically and build executive function. During our interactions, I wonder, "Am I giving her enough time to observe, process, and think? Am I giving her enough novelty without flipping her out? Does she find her role important enough to search for meaning and feel good about her contribution? Are our roles and communication balanced so that neither of us are exerting too much control? Am I giving her opportunities to interpret both verbal and nonverbal information? Am I talking too much again? Is she really monitoring me or tuning me out?" Is your head spinning? Mine sure did when I first started learning the intricacies of GPR!
You will see in later clips that we drew on our eggs with crayons. Some of my eggs turned out quite psychedelic, failing to match my vision of loveliness. Pamela's eggs had mainly scribbling and a couple of pictures and words. I dropped one and cracked it, and so did Pamela. Our eggs were not worthy of Ukranian artistry. However, they were good enough for us and we both learned new ideas about coloring eggs.
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