Something that came across strongly from the feedback from the first Reading Geek Night was that we should encourage a wide mix of topics - do the deeply geeky stuff, but also tackle some tangential subjects. So, on that note I'm looking forward to hearing Pete Doyle speak. When Pete is not encouraging people to play Rock music, he volunteers in a local autistic school. On Monday night he is going to outline an opportunity for the talented geeks of Reading to put their skills to good use...

Pete says...

Currently it is estimated that 1 in 100 people have autism in the UK..Men are 4 times more likely to show signs of autistic behaviour than women.  Kids on the autism spectrum need specialist care to do everyday things that we take for granted. So why is it then that in some cases autistic people have a superior intellectual skill? The talk will focus on autism, and challenge Reading Geeks to answer two questions... "How could technology make a difference?" and "What can we practically do to make that technology a reality?"

Now if that's not a thought provoking topic... I don't know what is. Come prepared to think and act.