Rebuilding Me

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Nick

The last year has been a tumultuous ride through a lot of personal and professional trials. I know I have come out on the better side of things at this point. I am focused on building my life, both personally and professionally. I am happy and starting to thrive with a new found comfort with myself.

I have struggled a lot with trying to define myself and figure out who I am. After years of not understanding why my mind works so differently from most people, my diagnosis with Asperger’s Syndrome also known as a high-functioning Autistism (DSM-V definition). I have a better idea of what makes me tick and why, and my comfort with being me has reached an all-time high. It is still quite the adventure of discovering all of the interesting and wonderful things about myself and being an Aspie, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

One of the things I need to focus on is being more willing to put myself out there and share what is in my head. I know I have a mind full of ideas, solutions, musings, and interesting stuff. The challenge that I am presented with is pushing all of that out where it can be shared.

It is time to put myself out there in every way possible and see what happens.

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Book Review: The Manga Guide To Relativity

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Nick

The Manga Guide To Relativity by Hideo Nitta, Masafumi Yamamoto, and Keita Takatsu is a surprisingly good read. I honestly was not expecting much in the way of depth on a scientific subject from a manga, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book. If you enjoy manga and science, this is definitely a book you will enjoy reading.

The scientific information is spot on with excellent examples and the proper amount of depth to give you a good understanding of relativity. The book also does a nice job of detailing some of the history and people involved in the formulation of the theory of relativity. There are full pages of text interspersed throughout to help better explain concepts and principles. Although these can be a bit distracting from the flow of the manga, I see no other way the authors could have presented some of the deeper information. All in all, the full text pages add value to the overall book.

The artwork is well done in a traditional manga style. It definitely feels that the authors and illustrators knew that the artwork was as critical to the presentation of the subject matter as the scientific correctness. The pages are pleasant to look at and convey the material very well.

If you are looking for a book that takes a very serious subject and makes is a little less dry to read, then The Manga Guide To Relativity is for you. In a mere 196 pages, you will have a reasonable understanding of the principles of relativity while probably not nodding off during the entire read.

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Coming Back to Your World

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Nick

It has been a while since I have done any writing here. I took some time to explore my world and what I want to do. It has been a really interesting fall and winter working through the process of beginning to get a grip on my disability. I have made some progress and increased my overall happiness with who I am and where I am going.

The who I am part is extremely complicated. That is something I have known, and now that I am starting to dig around in it, I have found that the depths of who I am are starting to make String Theory look like child’s play. Trying to unwind this mess of what I am, how I got to be where I am, and who I want to be is challenging at best.

Where I am going is a bit simpler. My goals in life are well defined now. I want to move into academics and research in information technology. I am currently working on my MSIT in Enterprise Software Architecture. I am working on a couple of journal articles and scribbling down some ideas for research projects. I already enjoy the time I spend teaching and mentoring others in the workplace, so teaching at a college level will definitely be rewarding.

The biggest challenge in getting there is keeping myself on track and starting to put myself out there. Although I have said it before, I need to start blogging more regularly and interacting with my peers more. I really hope to start generating some useful material and feedback. My goal is to start making at least two posts a week on any topic. The feedback hopefully will come as become more prolific.

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