Episode 28: Alisdair Gurling

Welcome to episode #28 We’re thrilled to be joined by Alisdair Gurling today.Alisdair is a PhD candidate at Monash University’s Emerging Technologies Research Lab where he investigates personalized assistive technology to help neurodivergent students. Outside his research, Alisdair works as a learning designer for Nextia designing assistive technology for people with dyslexia, dyspraxia, and other conditions. A man of many talents, he also does freelance web design.Welcome to the show Alisdair!

Questions JN: Can you tell us about your experience with neurodiversity? When did you realize that you weren’t neurotypical? What challenges did you face? What is it like now?Feels lucky To be diagnosed at this timeIn the past it would have been tougher In-depth discovery Family was proactive Siblings had learning difficulties. How to best adapt the differences between neurotypical and neurodivergent.Was the only kid  with a laptop. One of the first kids in the UK to be able to speak their exam (speech to text) Good timing. JC: What "work" projects are you concentrating on?Research into strategies for personalizing assistive technology for neurodivergent people  Extending consciousness into technology: singularity Digital prosthetics Alternate learning strategies brute forcingSpend 4hrs reading Leapfrog the problem Speech-to-text instead of handwriting Listen to audiobooks instead of reading Speechify Joey uses @Voice Emphasizing: Literate vs literaryLearning design JN: How about the rest of the time? What do you enjoy doing in your off time?Reading Initially struggled to read Being able to read (at 8-10) was startling Mainly listens to audiobooksWide varietyPhilosophy Public speakingGood for advocating for himself. JC: What does your morning routine look like and how has it evolved over time? No tech that interfaces with the outside world Go to Yoga studio (body doubling) - 1hr Nice and calming ClassPass Encourages trying itFind a studio that fits the vibe. JN: What do you do to optimize productivity during your working hours? Body double with colleagues Tries a bunch of different strategiesBut make sure it’s worth the jump (e.g. the learning curve). Leapfrogging Notion - locks in thoughts. Speech-to-text (otter). Allows Searchability (later) Presence (in the moment) Purpose-built AI notetaking devices (Not used yet) Text-to-speech. Understand what’s pulling you out of your work Services that sync your music with your heart rate - https://endel.io/ And solve each problem until you get well-focused. Brain FM COMMERCIAL BREAK JC: What is one habit you'd like to remove from your life (either a bad habit or one that takes up too much time)? Consuming so much news Following news in three countries (UK, US, AU). Often negative, problems without solutions. Future Crunch JN: How do you switch off at night? Morning routine + evening routine are tightly lin