John Elder Robison

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This afternoon it was rainy and 42 degrees. Now it's dark. Temps have dropped to 25, and a hard north wind is gusting 50 mph. Outside, the trees bend and hum a tune you can almost recognise. When the wind shifts, you'd swear you hear voices out there in the dark. The background noise is like a heavy freight train rolling by, but there are no tracks. Every now and then, a sharp crack. Now, for a moment, all is silent. Soon, it starts again. On nights like this, some fly with the Wendigo, never to be seen again. Others go back inside and firmly shut the door. What about you?

It’s a cold grey dawn here in Western Massachusetts. I’m headed to work with the plow on the front of my truck, wondering what the day will bring. Somewhere between two and eight inches of snow is forecast, and we are ready. In another hour, Joe will be out salting the parking lot. Austin and Jack have the larger plows ready on their trucks, and they’ll start clearing as soon as snow starts to accumulate. Jose will be watching over the parking lot, keeping it clear as best we can for plowing. The ambulance operations in our complex never close. We never know when they will be called out, and we have to make sure they can get out when calls come, no matter what the conditions. We’re pretty good at handling storms now. Having our own equipment and a good staff makes all the difference. We have three heavy duty pickups with 8 foot plows ready. Two John Deere tractors have snow blowers mounted for sidewalks and snow piles. A larger John Deere is ready with a loader and a bigger blower, but no one expects us to need that. There are salt spreaders and several pallet loads of snow melt in the shed. Lots of people with equipment like ours hire their crews out to the City, but I don’t want to beat our stuff up plowing roads. It’s enough to clear our three acres of yard, the street around us, the short street we live on and our driveways. So often, I read about “our great people,” as if people single-handedly handle snowstorms and whatever else life throws at us. They (we) don’t. We would be nowhere without machines. With workers alone, it would take days to clear a six-inch snowfall, and it would be backbreaking work. With the right machines, it’s a few hours work from the comfort of heated cabs. If your machines are well-maintained, you can drive into a storm like this and be confident your equipment will do its job. Properly maintained gear does not break down or fall apart when things get tough. Before we owned plows and blowers we were at the mercy of hired contractors who generally arrived late and did a less than stellar job. Now, thanks to our equipment, we decide when to work and how to do it. Machines make the life we take for granted possible. So as you watch the plows go by, tip your hat to all the workers out there keeping the roads clear and as safe as they can be. But don’t forget that we’d all be home shoveling without modern equipment.

Just so you know, all posts from @johnrobison are my own words, and are posted by me from my devices here in New England, USA where I live, or elsewhere when I am traveling.

I talk about Ace Frehley today on Channel 3 news westernmassnews.com/2025/10/17/amh…

Bikers in a Cage. Last week at @TheBigEFair

In a cage with some motorcycles and a four-wheeler at @TheBigEFair

Music at @TheBigEFair this weekend

@katiewr31413491 @PsychToday I agree your son's problems are more than social. While I cannot know what's inside his mind, having read of his expressions of frustration that lead to injury, it's reasonable to characterize that as observed suffering.

I understand yr concern John, but DEI was like a monster strangling freedom of expression. When I said I had a son severely affected by autism, I was attacked 4 making pejorative statements! The truth is real, whether one likes it or not. Additionally HF ASD people who never even spent time w/ an ASD child like mine attacked by characterization of him as “suffering.” They insisted the problem was social stigma! Christian covid not care less about what others think! He suffers b/c he can no longer talk or communicate & is plagued with GI pain.

What happens to #neurdiversity in a country without #DEI? My thoughts are on @PsychToday and I welcome your comments . . . psychologytoday.com/us/blog/my-lif…

With a new book in the works, and a non-autism/neurodiversity topic, I have a new Substack and welcome your thoughts . . . getting2onepercent.substack.com/p/welcome-to-m…

I've decided to drop the Twitter Verified status, as I have not found it very useful, and I've not enjoyed engaging here for some time. It's still me, just no blue check mark.

With the elimination of DEI and Special Ed there is an opportunity to make those supports universal. Let me know what you think . . . this is from @PsychToday psychologytoday.com/us/blog/my-lif…

Autism and hearing loss have disabling effects that often overlap. The threat both pose as we age is considerable—but hearing loss is far more treatable. Here's why that matters, by @johnrobison psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/my-l…

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Check out my latest article: Hearing Loss, Neurodiversity, Isolation and the threat of cognitive decline. Advances in hearing aid technology show how engineering can help. linkedin.com/pulse/hearing-… via @LinkedIn

Thanks for the coverage @timesunion A Best Bet for sure. Hope to see you all Monday 10/7 at 7 pm Page Hall @ualbany for @johnrobison discussing neurodiversity & his remarkable life on the spectrum @NYSIDSpeaks @keybank cosponsors. nyswritersinstitute.org Free & open. Just show up

Devastated to hear Steve Silberman has passed away. He was a brilliant writer, and had a huge heart. His book Neurotribes was an incredible contribution to the field of neurodiversity and a legacy for autistic people. My deepest condolences to his husband. I will miss him

I’m heartbroken to hear about the death of Steve Silberman. He had such a positive impact on the public perception of autism and was always so kind and supportive of me and my work. Just an all-around wonderful human being. I’ll miss him dearly.