Scott Adams--1337 h4xx0r

[Drakon]

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Scott Adams hacks his brain to restore his speech

Dilbert creator Scott Adams lost the ability to speak 18 months ago. He has something called Spasmodic Dysphonia. His doctor told him that nobody with this condition has ever regained the ability to speak.

But yesterday, Adams reported that he hacked his brain and can speak again!

The day before yesterday, while helping on a homework assignment, I noticed I could speak perfectly in rhyme. Rhyme was a context I hadn’t considered. A poem isn’t singing and it isn’t regular talking. But for some reason the context is just different enough from normal speech that my brain handled it fine.

Jack be nimble, Jack be quick.
Jack jumped over the candlestick.

I repeated it dozens of times, partly because I could. It was effortless, even though it was similar to regular speech. I enjoyed repeating it, hearing the sound of my own voice working almost flawlessly. I longed for that sound, and the memory of normal speech. Perhaps the rhyme took me back to my own childhood too. Or maybe it’s just plain catchy. I enjoyed repeating it more than I should have. Then something happened.

My brain remapped.

My speech returned.


source




This rocks.

Disclaimer--This claim has not been confirmed by medical authorities.

 

[Outsiderzedge]

boingboing.net?

 

[Drakon]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=18&ObjectID=10407712

http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2006/10/good_news_day.html

 

[Outsiderzedge]

Cool story.

A side note:

It doesn't matter how many legitimate stories they run, simply by using that domain name, the webmasters at "boingboing.net" have basically forfeited any chance of ever being considered a serious news source.

 

[Man-Thing]

1337 h4xx0r

^^^what does that mean? I've been curious for about 4 years now.

 

[Man-Thing]

leet hacker???

 

[Drakon]

I agree, Outsiderz. That's like being thrown out of a bar by a 6'2", 325lbs ape name Binky.

And yes, Man-Thing. It translates to "Leet Hacker"/

 

[The Amazing Lee]

Do you think he got a sense of humour as well?

 

[Dew k. Mosi]

In adductor spasmodic dysphonia, sudden involuntary muscle movements or spasms cause the vocal folds (or vocal cords) to slam together and stiffen. These spasms make it difficult for the vocal folds to vibrate and produce voice. Words are often cut off or difficult to start because of the muscle spasms. Therefore, speech may be choppy and sound similar to stuttering. The voice of an individual with adductor spasmodic dysphonia is commonly described as strained or strangled and full of effort. Surprisingly, the spasms are usually absent while whispering, laughing, singing, speaking at a high pitch or speaking while breathing in. Stress, however, often makes the muscle spasms more severe.

In abductor spasmodic dysphonia, sudden involuntary muscle movements or spasms cause the vocal folds to open. The vocal folds can not vibrate when they are open. The open position of the vocal folds also allows air to escape from the lungs during speech. As a result, the voices of these individuals often sound weak, quiet and breathy or whispery. As with adductor spasmodic dysphonia, the spasms are often absent during activities such as laughing or singing.

Mixed spasmodic dysphonia involves muscles that open the vocal folds as well as muscles that close the vocal folds and therefore has features of both adductor and abductor spasmodic dysphonia.

The cause of spasmodic dysphonia is unknown. Because the voice can sound normal or near normal at times, spasmodic dysphonia was once thought to be psychogenic, that is, originating in the affected person's mind rather than from a physical cause. While psychogenic forms of spasmodic dysphonia exist, research has revealed increasing evidence that most cases of spasmodic dysphonia are in fact neurogenic or having to do with the nervous system (brain and nerves).

 

[Jerry]

Breaking news story: Scott Adams head just exploded. See, poetry kills. Burn all of Walt Whitman's ****ty poems.

 

[Darthphere]

Jerry has metrophobia.