Regarding autism, vaccines, and correlations, I use this example in class:

[link]

Heh.

It reminds me that the guy who invented the Flying Spaghetti Monster noticed there's a negative correlation between the number of pirates and global warming.

Can someone talk down to me and explain why IO9 is so sure everyone's had this hallucination: [link] If I have, I've certainly forgotten (I've had a few, and wonder if tinnitus counts, but never reached for the phone when it wasn't ringing...)

IME tantrums can continue into the school age years, but parental tolerance usually peters out around preschool.

I've had it (heard phones ringing), and long before the era of cell phones. Also: hear my name being called, feel my phone vibrate when it's not, see people moving on the sides of my peripheral vision.

Er, is that a problem? As a kid I thought it was a problem, now I just think it's how my brain works.

Also: hear my name being called, feel my phone vibrate when it's not, see people moving on the sides of my peripheral vision.

Me too. Although the peripheral thing is smaller for me -- I definitely think there's a mouse in the corner sometimes. And the name-calling thing, for me, is more like wishful thinking -- a lot of words kind of sound like my name.

Can someone talk down to me and explain why IO9 is so sure everyone's had this hallucination

The talking-down answer is that the study showed no more than 80% had it, but SEO and click-bait rules require them to say "EVERYONE."

I've had parents tell me that crying kids don't bother them as much now that they're parents--empathy and all that--do you find that's true?

Er, is that a problem?

I think they're trying to normalise it, but I just don't see their grounds for it. Sweeping statement is sweeping. Due to tinnitus I have heard noise 100% of the time for the last 20 years, and can't chalk it up to phantom phones in any of that time, or before.

eta:

The talking-down answer is that the study showed no more than 80% had it, but SEO and click-bait rules require them to say "EVERYONE."

Har. I'm sure those same rules are why so much is "stunning" for them. After a while they just start looking stupid, if they're stunned by so much.

I don't think I've ever heard a phone ring that wasn't a ringing phone (or at least a ringing something). I feel my phone vibrate when I didn't get a call, but I get a LOT of alerts for various things and the phone vibrates for many of them. Can't be bothered to figure out which are the ones I'm habitually ignoring and turn them off.

Movement in my peripheral vision I don't worry about. Peripheral vision is really sensitive to movement, after all, bound to be false positives. Hearing my name creeps me out, but it doesn't exactly worry me. If it escalated I might worry, but it hasn't yet.

I've had parents tell me that crying kids don't bother them as much now that they're parents--empathy and all that--do you find that's true?

For me, kinda. Depends on the kind of crying. If the kid is still tiny and is crying as communication, I'm cool with it. If the kid is older and there is bad parenting involved in the crying, it bugs me even more. Judgey McJudgerson here.

Though sometimes letting a kid cry is good parenting. The other day parents in Target in the cashier line had a kid crying for a toy. Grabbing it, putting it in the cart and crying when the parent put in back. "No, no no" he'd sob everytime the parents put the toy back. They ignored him and put in back anyway. They were not going to let their kid sob or tantrum his way into reversing their decision. Looked like good parenting to me