 |
|
|
|||||
When Dr. Wendy Ross logged on for a Zoom meeting in early 2024, she wasnt sure who to expect on the other side of the call. It was a digital writers’ room, Ross tells Fast Company, “and in the upper left-hand cornerI’ll never forget itwas Noah Wyle. Ross, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician and the director of Jefferson Center for Autism & Neurodiversity in Philadelphia, had received a request to lend her expertise to the writers of a new medical seriesbut they told her only that it was set in an emergency room and would potentially feature an autistic doctor. I had no idea what was going to happen, but I thought it sounded kind of cool, she says. That show went on to become HBO’s hit drama The Pitt, which won three Emmy Awards and averaged 10 million viewers an episode in its first season. Wyle is an executive producer and a star of the show, making his return to medical dramas 30 years after his breakout role on ER. (Ross recalls that show airing at the same time she was first studying medicine: In my fangirl world, we went to medical school together, she saysthough when meeting him over Zoom, she kept her cool.) From the get-go, Ross says, The Pitts writers were very serious about not portraying a stereotypical situation regarding autism. “That was in the original request that was posed to me,” she says. Her advice eventually helped shape fan-favorite character Dr. Mel King (played by Taylor Dearden), a bright-eyed resident new to the ER in the show’s first season. [Photo: HBO] Mel exhibits many autistic-coded traits, like self-soothing, the occasional dropped social cue, and a knack for repetitive, focused tasks. But notably, shes never confirmed on the show to be diagnosed as neurodivergent. Instead, viewers get to see many sides of Mel as the season unfolds: her compassion as she comforts a child losing her sister, her earnestness as she befriends her fellow doctors, her eccentricity as she calms herself by repeating Megan Thee Stallion lyrics like a mantra. The decision not to confirm a diagnosis onscreen was a recommendation from Ross. I suggested that it not be clear whether or not this character knew she was on the spectrum, but that some of these characteristics unfold subtly and naturally, as they do in real life, she says. Autistic women are often diagnosed later in life than autistic men; Ross even points out that many women dont receive diagnoses themselves until their children are diagnosed, prompting them to recognize shared traits. Mel stands in for these women, whose autistic traits could pass for neurotypical if unexamined. You see her sometimes do these quirky, unexpected, very enthusiastic things that are kind of subtle, Ross says, but for people who know, you know. A difficult reality The year prior to being tapped by The Pitts writers room, Ross co-authored an article on the experiences of autistic doctors in the workplace in collaboration with Autistic Doctors International. The data in that article was very disconcerting and, frankly, a little bit sad, she says. Ross and her fellow researchers found that of the 225 autistic doctors surveyed, 77 percent had considered suicide, while 24% had attempted it. 80% of respondents said theyd worked with another doctor they suspected was autistic, but only 22% had worked with a doctor they knew was autistic. There’s a lot of anxiety and depression related to being an autistic doctor, Ross says. Part of it is, its a don’t ask, dont tell kind of situation, because people are afraid of the stigma, and by the time they do disclose, they’ve had so many challenges that things quickly become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Banishing stereotypical mythology Ross work with autistic doctors caught the attention of The Pitt‘s development team, who contacted her through the University of Southern Californias Hollywood, Health & Society program, a service that connects the entertainment industry with experts in medicine and safety. “I think that this is an extremely sincere group of people that is motivated by more than the popularity of a show, and I think that’s really special, says Ross. Ross advised The Pitt to avoid overused tropes of autistic characters on televisionparticularly, what she calls the stereotypical mythology of autistic people being savants. While there are some autistic savants, many autistic individuals have varying levels of cognitive abilities like the rest of us, she says, noting that their actual super strength is in dealing with other neurodivergent individuals in stressful situations (like being in an emergency room). Its really important that we understand all kinds of minds, that we understand that everyone has strengths that they bring to the table,” Ross says. “They don’t have to be savants to provide added value.” Ross also recommended that The Pitt cast a neurodivergent actress in the role, which she says lends a level of authenticity to any portrayal of autism. [Photo: HBO] The Pitt did so in casting Dearden, who shared that she has ADHD after the first season aired. Dearden, for her part, has shared the importance of bringing authenticity to her performance as Mel: Im really sick of what people usually do on TV, she said in an interview with Variety. I feel like every time its ever been portrayed, its usually complete robots or completely dysfunctional and cant survive at all. Its ridiculous. The value of authentic representation Now airing its second season, The Pitt has garnered massive critical acclaim not only for its portrayal of Mel, but for tackling themes like gun violence, substance abuse, and burnout in the healthcare industry. Beyond its stellar cast and writing, Ross attributes the shows success to its focus on empathy. “That’s a pervasive theme that expands well beyond the autistic characters, she says. This idea of having authentic representations of people, of accepting all kinds of people, and understanding that we all have strengths and challenges that we engage with is really critically important. Ross hopes that on-screen portrayals like The Pitts can inspire the real-world healthcare industry to do better by neurodivergent folksnot only patients, but doctors and other healthcare professionals. She compares it to the implementation of ramps for wheelchair users: Though designed for the needs of a specific demographic, they improve the lives of all people with mobility issues. The strategies that we deploy for this population are things that all of our patients and colleagues benefit from, Ross says. This kind of care is the kind that some people really have to have, but that all of us ultimately deserve.
Category:
E-Commerce
Artificial intelligence chipmaker Nvidia on Wednesday announced another quarter of astounding quarterly growth as investors try to decipher whether technology’s latest craze is overblown hyperbole or a springboard into a new era of prosperity and productivity.The results for the November-January period blew past the analyst projections that shape investors’ perceptions, as has been the case since Nvidia’s high-end chips emerged as AI’s best building blocks three years ago.Nvidia’s fiscal fourth-quarter revenue surged 73% from the previous year to $68.1 billion while its profit nearly doubled to roughly $43 billion, or $1.76 per share.“No quarter has had more riding on it than this one,” said Jake Behan, head of capital markets for the investment firm Direxion. “The AI trade needed some positive news and Nvidia’s earnings report brought plenty of it.”The Santa Clara, California, company also provided a forecast exceeding analyst projections while its CEO Jensen Huang reinforced the demand for the company’s chips is still “skyrocketing.” That description feeds into Huang’s thesis that the AI boom is still in the early stages of a buildout that will reshape society. If Nvidia hits its revenue target for the February-April period, it will translate into a 77% increase from last year a sign that the company’s already phenomenal growth rate is still accelerating.“AI is here, AI is not going to go back,” Huang said during a conference call with analysts. “AI is only going to only get better from here.”Despite the stellar results and still-rosy outlook, many investors still evidently are worried about a jarring comedown after a three-year boom that has seen Nvidia’s market value soar from $400 billion at the end of 2022 to nearly $4.8 trillion now. After initially rising 4% in extended trading after the latest quarterly numbers came out, Nvidia’s stock price backtracked and was slightly down following Huang’s upbeat conference call.Nvidia has regularly cleared the bar set by analysts in the past three years, often by a wide margin, but that hasn’t always been enough to satisfy investors who have become increasingly skeptical about whether AI will justify the trillions of dollars that are being spent to develop the technology.After Nvidia delivered a stellar performance that far exceeded analyst forecasts in its last quarterly report, its stock price still fell by 3% during the next day’s trading.The AI fervor has escalated again during the past month as the four companies leading the AI charge Amazon, Microsoft, Google parent Alphabet and Facebook parent Meta Platforms collectively made commitments to spend about $650 billion this year ramping up their AI computing power.A significant amount of the money is expected to be earmarked to buy more Nvidia chips required to power their AI factories, just as has been the case for much of the past three years as Nvidia’s annual revenue soared from $27 billion to $216 billion. Analysts expect the chipmaker’s revenue to surpass $330 billion during the company’s next fiscal year, a more than 50% increase from the past year.“We want to take the great opportunity that we have as we’re in the beginning of this new computing era, this new computing platform shift, to put everybody on Nvidia,” Huang said. Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer
Category:
E-Commerce
There are few things that unite the world like animal videos. There are also few things that are so readily commoditized. Both have occurred in the case of Punch, a baby monkey at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan. Punch captured hearts around the world after a viral post showed him hugging a stuffed orangutan toy after being rejected by other monkeys. E-commerce sellers act quickly with monkey merch Now, the young Japanese macaque and his stuffed friend are available as everything from toys on Etsy to adecide for yourself if its AIchildren’s book on Amazon. Theres also an official Punch Monkey store with products like stickers, shirts, and mugs. Some of the merchandise even contains hopeful sayings, like Small, but brave, alongside imagery of the pair. In fact, the original plush orangutan doll is available for $19.99, as its one of the Djungelskog soft toys from Ikea. The Swedish retailer has gone so far as to make an advertisement based on Punch and shared to its social channels. In it, a stuffed monkey holds the orangutan while real monkeys appear in the background. The copy reads, Sometimes, family is who we find along the way. It then refers to the stuffed toy as Punchs comfort orangutan. View this post on Instagram Fast Company has reached out to Ikea for more information on the retailer’s orangutan soft toy sales. We will update this post if we hear back. Meanwhile, a new video appears to show Punch having made some progress with his fellow monkeys. But the young creature has already reached the same status as its fellow infamous animals like Moo Deng, the pygmy hippo.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||