As promised, I'm back with answers to the rest of the questions.
Do you tell people that you have ASD or only a select people when it's necessary?
Generally I don't bother to tell anyone that I have Asperger’s unless I feel that it is relevant (For instance, if I were at an interview for a job in which my ASD might give me difficulty, I would let them know about it so that they would be aware that I might take more time to adjust to the job, etc., than some people). I don't try to hide the fact that I have Asperger's, but most of the time I just don’t see much point in mentioning it. I’m not especially good at explaining what exactly Asperger Syndrome is, and how it is significant. More importantly, I don’t like the idea of using my condition as an excuse, or a cushion to fall back on when I’m faced with something challenging (For instance, I would never want to imply something like “I’m having trouble doing this; I need more help because I have Asperger’s”). I also don’t want to come off as begging for sympathy (“Be extra nice to me, because I have an ASD”), though I do like others to be aware that I am more sensitive and socially awkward than the average person. For instance, almost four years ago, in an English class during my first year of college, I was being (playfully) teased while standing up in front of the class. I was feeling embarrassed, so I announced then and there that I had Asperger Syndrome and was more sensitive to teasing than most people. In retrospect, I suppose you could argue that to have been a sympathy plea,
but I felt that it was a better, more substantial reason for others to not tease me than just saying “I hate being teased” or “I’m very easily embarrassed”. After class the instructor told me that it had been very brave of me to share that I had Asperger’s. It didn’t seem like that big of a deal to me at the time, as this was not all that long after I had first learned about Asperger’s and that I had it, and I was not yet aware that there are (unfortunately) some people out there who don’t believe Asperger’s is a real condition, or worse, consider people who have ASDs to be mentally handicapped or inferior; this is another reason I am hesitant to tell people up front that I’m an Aspie. And, of course, the fact that I have trouble opening up to people and engaging in spontaneous conversation is a factor as well.
Also, if you were able to go to the zoo, would you perhaps have been able to take photographs? No worries, if you haven't. If you did, it would be great to see them.
Oh yeah.
I take photographs almost every time I go to the zoo. I've got so many that if you want to see them, I might start a thread in the “Show us…” section to post them in. (It might be a little while, though, seeing as I've got so much else going on at this time. :unsure:)
So, how's the book on ceratopsians 
?
Thank you for asking.
So far, it’s fantastic. The book,
New Perspectives on Horned Dinosaurs, is essentially a collection of scientific literature on ceratopsians, with chapters (each a separate research article) divided into four parts: Systematics and New Ceratopsians (articles on ceratopsian classification and descriptions of new species); Anatomy, Functional Biology, and Behavior (basically, what the horned dinosaurs were like in lifeóit’s the section I’m most interested in
); Horned Dinosaurs in Time and Space (the times and places in which ceratopsians lived, and their roles in those ecosystems); and History of Horned Dinosaur Collection (the shortest sectionóonly two chaptersówith the most self-explanatory title
). Overall there are over 550 pages, with 35 or 36 articles (the number depending on whether or not you count the Overview
:), all on threehorns and their relatives.
Just by skimming through it and reading a few pages, I’ve learned some very interesting things. For instance, I just read some parts of a fascinating chapter on
Protoceratops, which suggested that it may have been nocturnal, having adaptations for good night vision and binocular vision, and possibly used its hind legs to dig hollows or burrows in the ground to shelter in during the day. Following it was a study of
Psittacosaurus that suggested that it might have been semi-aquatic :blink: (I’m a little iffier on that one). Another chapter described a theory regarding
Triceratops that I don’t think I’d ever heard before: that its horns were used to help cool and stabilize the temperature of its brain (Apparently goat horns have the same function, though they obviously have other purposes as well, which was probably also true of
Triceratops). There’s also a chapter I haven’t read much of yet, which describes the shape and positioning of the horns and frills of chasmosaurines like
Triceratops. It seemed to conclude that many ceratopsians engaged in head-pushing contests like some lizards (It included simple pictures showing how the horns of different species would lock together to ensure a steady push while causing minimal damage to the frill). It looked extremely interesting, and I’ll be sure to read it in depth later.
Threehorn fans such as yourself should know, it's an extremely scientific book, and challenging to read even for me. You might have an easier time understanding some of the technical jargon than most people due to your knowledge of anatomy, but there are plenty of terms that you’d probably only recognize if you had studied dinosaur skeletons (which I have not
). It's very expensive as well; the list price is $110, though on
Amazon, where we got my copy, you can get it for considerably less. Still, at roughly $75, it’s a bundle.
If you’re interested I hearing more about this book, I’d be more than happy to discuss it further with you by PM, or in further questions on this thread.
The forum should now be back up and running. Please don't hesitate to let us admins know if you run into any issues.