Kate's secret haven

on survival

"if you can't cite your sources is it really a special interest?"

yes. "special interest" does not mean the same thing as "expert" or even "knowledgeable". it refers to a certain type of emotional relationship an autistic person has to a subject area (e.g. can't stop thinking about the thing, is emotionally soothed by the thing, etc). many autistic people may struggle to remember facts and figures for any number of reasons, but may still experience a special interest. honestly, these kinds of misinformation about what a special interest even is feels like a reinforcement of the savant stereotype, and I really do not like that

"who is this post even aimed at?"

this post is about two related phenomena I have seen both in online and offline spaces:

someone is asked for a source for a piece of information -> "source? it's my special interest". this is unhelpful because it does not provide any additional information, and is also a really easy way for misinformation to spread

autistic people saying things like "I don't really have any special interests because I don't really know anything". this is sad to me, because it is a sign that people are denying themselves the joy of a special interest just because they'll never have encyclopaedic information about the topic. your special interest is still special even if it isn't expertise

"what if I use my special interest as motivation to become an expert (i.e. receive xyz qualification)?"

well now you are an expert! congratulations! this should also provide you with enough information to know that "it's my special interest" is not the same as a citation. however you should also be aware that not all autistic people will become experts in their special interests, and you should not hold them to that standard

Can you use a greatsword in one hand? Can a zweihänder be an einshänder? Does a claymore clayless?

If you have a google account, first go to gemini.google.com/extensions and turn everything off.

Then you need to go to myactivity.google.com/product/gemini and turn off all Gemini activity tracking. You do have to do them in that order to make sure it works.

Honestly, I'm not sure how long this will last, but this should keep Gemini off your projects for a bit.

Click the hamburger menu at the top left:

Click “Settings & help” in the left sidebar:

Click “Apps”:

Once you're there, you might need to scroll down to find the toggles.

Bonus step: disable Smart Features

There are "Smart Features" for most Google products, which accesses your data and uses AI to "improve" your experience. You can turn it off on any Google product, but I'll just share the steps for Gmail.

On your Gmail homepage, click the Settings icon in the top right, then "See all settings":

Search (Ctrl+F for Windows, Cmd+F for Mac) for the word "workspace". Under "Google Workspace smart features", click the "Manage Workspace smart feature settings" button:

if you only have one person in your life that you trust, you probably are always going to turn to that person when something shit happens. as well as whenever something good happens. or anything else. this is not inherently a bad thing, and it’s really beautiful to have someone in your life that you trust so much

but if that person is suddenly busy or going through something difficult themselves or doesn’t have emotional capacity for a while, suddenly there’s a problem. not necessarily through any fault of your own, you don’t have anyone to turn to with as much regularity as you did before

this is true of any kind of relationship. this is true of any kind of coping mechanism, also. the problem is not that you trust that person. the problem is not that you use that coping mechanism. the problem is not even that there’s something wrong with you and that it’s all your fault. the problem is that nothing can be everything

no, unless he's a young father, that's not a dilf, that's a hunk. If you want to call a childless man a dilf, at least make him middle aged

no, that's not a bear, that's a hunk. Bears must be fat and hairy

no, that's not a himbo, that's a hunk. Himbos must be dumb, beefy and kind simultaneously, if he's just dumb and beefy that's a hunk