Re: Hikikomori: Why are so many Japanese men refusing to leave their rooms?

[Robert <http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert>]

 > From: Flora  <http://profiles.yahoo.com/flora>
 > Date: Tue, 9 Jul 2013 18:22:14 -0700 (PDT)
 >
 > He did ride a bike, but fell a number of years ago. He wouldn't bike again, no 
 > matter how much we coaxed him. Tim told me that he did ride one time last 
 > summer. I don't believe that he fell, but hasn't biked since.

That's too bad.  That would've given him some semblance of mobility.

I guess he's going to have to live out his life in an urban area with
public transit.

 > No, I haven't tried researching whether his spatial issue has anything to do 
 > with his other problems. I just remember teachers taking about him bumping into 
 > other children and falling off his chair.

It definitely sounds like there's a neurological issue involved.

Do you know any neurologists?

 > You should talk to Xander. Certain things that he does, the way that he talks, 
 > the choice of words that he uses, and his interests remind me a lot of you. I'm 
 > not sure if you are aware how interested in artificial intelligence he is. 

Actually, I'm interested in machine learning myself, and would like to do
more.

 > Maybe you could guide him in his choices for the future.

Is he doing any internships this summer?

I used to work with a guy (Leonid Leibman) who apparently now works at
MITRE in Bedford, MA.  He does machine learning research and he may have
some ideas.  It's possible that it's too late for an internship, however.

 > Talk to you later,
 > Flora