Introduction
I have a confession to make. This may sound strange, but pondering human thought and behavior is one of my favorite things to do. I think it's always been that way for me. I've wanted to know what makes people tick. Because of that, I've gone down a few interesting roads of study, from music, to religious studies, to magic and misdirection, to social engineering, to training as a street hypnotist and theatrical mind-reader, to taking classes in pickpocketing, to learning the ins and outs of public speaking and influence tactics, to graphic design, and more.
In all of this, I think I've actually been trying to understand why I do the things that I do and think the things that I think. You see, I've always felt a bit different. And that difference was confirmed to me late in life when I was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome (a neurological difference also known as autism spectrum disorder, or ASD). In many aspects of life, this neurodiversity...