Gimpy Geek 1.0

I highly recommend this article on Wired.com on new thinking on Autism. The article, The Truth About Autism: Scientists Reconsider What They Think They Know, is very relevant to how many people with disabilities are wrongly viewed as “non-persons” as well.

Much of the article discusses a fascinating and enlightening video done by a lady with Autism discussing how it’s unfair that people like her are not considered intelligent because they cannot communicate in “our language.” This is must-see:

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One of the fathers of fantasy roleplaying games, E. Gary Gygax, died today at the age of 69 after a long illness. Mr. Gygax, along with Dave Arneson and others, created what became the Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) roleplaying game and the TSR game company. D&D over the last 4 decades plus has entertained millions of gamers, spawned magazines, books, movies, and video/computer games, and basically created the paper-and-pencil roleplaying industry. Borrowing heavily from Tolkein’s Middle Earth, D&D expanded on miniature wargames to add the concept of roleplaying a single character working in a diverse group to crawl through dungeons, kill the dra

Mr. Gygax’s name is all over my beloved 1st Edition AD&D books and I wouldn’t sell them for anything, even though I haven’t played that edition in years. Those old boys up in Lake Geneva created something that gave me thousands of hours of fun and bunch of friends from 1981 onwards. I guess he dropped in at Gen Con Indy last year; I wish we’d have gone. Maybe, I could’ve thanked him.

Order of the Stick has a nice special tribute to Gary Gygax issue today. Check it out.

Keep rolling 20s, Gary.

photo credit: Alan De Smet

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Here is a copy of a blog post I just wrote over on Disaboom.com. Look me up as “JesterCMK” over there:

I am 42.  I have always had CP.  I have never walked as an actual means of transportation.  I have always used some sort of wheelchair preferring powered scooters since 1981.  So, yeah, maybe life hasn’t been terribly easy, but I still went to school, graduated college, got into radio broadcasting, switched to computers and web accessbility for the past 14 years, got married (and divorced), got married again, own my own house, and am raising 4 kids.  There are difficulties related to my CP in accomplishing all of these things, but all are things I can get around with a bit of creativity, technology, or a friend or loved one’s assistance.  CP hasn’t stopped me.

And, I still think things have not been that hard besides being a quad.  Why?  My only disability is my visible one.  The CP never got me from the neck up so I talk (constantly).  And, while I’m no genius, I have no learning disabilities that I know of.  No communication issues and no hidden issues.  I have for a long time maintained that if you can read, write, and talk, you can manage our society, be successful, get a job, have a family, etc.  But, in our world, if you cannot hear or speak, if you cannot read, or if you learn in a diferent way, society will be filled with barriers to you.  If I had a speech impairment to go with my CP, I would be treated much differently.  I’m convinced of it.

Joelle Browner recently wrote an op-ed piece for “The Olympian Online” entitled Cruelty less likely to those with visible disabilities where she eloquently tells the story of a man with learning disabilities who struggles with success and acceptance due to stigmas associated with his impairments. I recommend it as a prime example of how hidden disabilities carry stigmas as damaging as any other prejudices in our society.

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And, you thought Bluetooth technology was only for headphones, mice, and keyboards! Check out “Double amputee walks with Bluetooth legs” on Dvorak Uncensored. Ain’t technology great? When do I get my hover scooter?

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OK, we all know I’m not big on the “inspiring gimp” stories because I feel we’re all just people who happen to have some different abilities. But, check out this: KarmaTube: Choosing Life — Story of Jim Maclaren. Jim is a guy who has had not one, but TWO catastrophic accidents in life and has not let it stop him. Good story. One quote that stuck with me and hit a chord:

“I may not be able to do all of the things that we associate with being a man, but I am a man!”

Right on.

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This is definitely a story that does not get enough attention in the media. A scarily large number of people who were Ground Zero first responders on 9/11 in New York are suffering from various physical ailments including cancer as a result of being exposed to the construction materials of the Two Towers. Too many of these folks cannot afford their medical expenses. (Who can afford medical expenses?) Well, there is at least one man who wants to do something about this. Former New York Giants football player George Martin is literally walking across the country from New York to San Francisco to raise money for these heroes. Mr. Martin has covered over 1,000 miles since September and has raised about $1.5 million of his $10 million goal. Peter King devoted the first half or so of his Monday Morning Quarterback column today to this awesome story. I urge you to read it and check out the A Journey for 9/11 Home Page to donate. Great story and a great cause. Way to go, Mr. Martin.

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Now, we all know that Bruce Campbell is one of America’s leading movie/TV actors, right? (You don’t know that? You Primitive Screw-head.) Bruce is back playing his greatest role since Elvis: himself.

In the upcoming straight-to-DVD movie “My Name Is Bruce” Bruce plays himself being recruited to save a bunch of college “geniuses” from a Chinese demon they released. Fellow B-movie actor and buddy Ted Raimi co-stars. (Ted being a younger brother of “Spiderman” franchise director Sam Raimi. Bruce, Ted, and Sam all got their starts making the cinematic classic “Evil Dead” movies, but I’m sure you know this. You should, anyway.)

The Bloody Disgusting website has the trailer at www.bloody-disgusting.com/bdtv/Player.php?id=1517.
It looks a bit gross but seems to hark back to Army of Darkness horror-fun.

“Hail to the King, Baby!”

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