I had to write code for Androids, and so I 'used' them quite a bit while testing. To this day, every time I have to use an Android phone, I want to claw my eyes out, mainly over the lousy touch response, and somewhat-stupider UI. I fully understand they're still good iPhone knock-offs and more than adequate for many. But as someone who now uses my phone as my primary computer (and for me iOS is now only just barely adequate for this), I honestly don't know how y'all do it.

Thank you so much for writing this.

I would say the opposite. From experience, a 'social services' office will not help, but will make his life more difficult. On the other hand, genuine kindness at least has a chance.

One reason you might donate would be if you have compassion. Compassion doesn't need to be deserved in a Puritanical sense.

Some find this type of labeling helpful. Some find it unhelpful. At any rate, we should probably tread carefully.

People with mental illness need jobs as much as, if not more than, those who pass for normal. I know. I have suffered from serious mental issues for 18 years. In that same time, I have enjoyed a long, exciting, and storied career; and I know that my employers have been grateful.

My intention wasn't to label anyone. Xah has been a disruptive and counterproductive presence in the emacs community, but I think it's because he needs help he's not getting. He spent his time in poverty fighting flame wars on usenet -- he needs to get his priorities straight. I buy he's a smart guy who can get a lot done, but he's not employable in his current state, and I don't think the right solution is to give him money so he can continue to live like he does.

"Diagnosing" people when you're not a doctor and when your only contact with that person is written stuff on the Internet is stigmatising.

It keeps people with mental illness out of work (because employers illegally consider that person to be a riskier hire) and it does little to help the person being discussed who might just be an asshole rather than being someone with a diagnosable MH illness.

1 ) Perhaps this could be the start of Xah Lee learning some social skills. If so, good on him. He'll go a lot further with them.

2 ) Surely someone in this community can offer him a job writing documentation, at the least? Think of it as charity if you must, but he will probably deliver good value, and he would probably be happy to work cheap, if you're into that sort of thing.

3 ) I will donate $, since that's what I can do from where I am.

On the issue of Google (and especially G+) and privacy, if one is only being even medium-dramatic, that's hardly a criticism.

Eminem has spoken about how much he enjoys playing with words. One of the techniques he's mentioned is taking two words that don't rhyme and bending the sound of each about half way towards each other.

There isn't a doubt in my mind that if someone came along and said what the actual grand structure and meaning of reality is, most people on the Internet would dismiss it as college stoner thoughts out of hand.

He could work for a corp that is small enough that it still seems like it is made of decent human beings.

My interview experience with G was more than enough to ensure I never seek to work there again.

And, the trauma of having all my media accounts force-Hoovered into G+ left me little choice but to revoke the last little bit of admiration I had for this once-cool-as-beans company.