I kinda' stopped reading the article at that sentence. It makes me feel dirty to do so...but you have to draw a line somewhere.

You are wise to realize your current situation is untenable. As a fellow non-socialite I have the following suggestions.

1.) Stick to what you know. Make yourself go on outings with workmates or others who share your professional interests.

e.g. - I make myself go to social events with other physicists, even if my first choice would be to stay home and program/game/read. Help organize and/or participate in outings to see the latest Star Trek movie (or whatever). This is a great way to meet fellow geeks provided that your acquaintances are invited to bring their friends and it will cultivate relationships that will get you invited to other stuff, provided that you...

2.) PRACTICE not being a geeky asshole.

Yes being with people is hard work. PRACTICE being nice to them. Pick a role model that you think is suave and awesome: mine is Captain Picard (yes, I am embarrassed). Right before you roll your eyes and explain in childish terms to your acquaintance the differences between TCP and UDP (and GOD how could ANYONE not know this!) think to yourself: would --insert role model here-- do this?

3.) Go places and do stuff (examples below).

It's so simple but so often overlooked. What to know where I met my girlfriend? I audited a German class *three* years ago at a university. At the time she was in a relationship - *1.5 years ago* I saw her at a bus stop and asked her (in German) if she had been practicing the language. Instant relationship. The take-away message? Invest in your future. Join a book club, join a table top gaming club, go take guitar lessons at a place that does group lessons, join a choir (ok, maybe that's pushing the envelope...but I did it), go to craigslist>groups and see if something there interests you...do SOMETHING to get out and do things you like with others. Keep it up and it will pay off. The biggest dork I know goes to public dance nights every weekend. He found a fellow Linux T-shirt wearing girlfriend there -- and learned how to dance pretty well, to boot.

4.) Wash your clothes, wash yourself, lose a bit of weight, brush your teeth.

Yes, these physical processes matter, whether you want to admit it or not - and if these are things you have failed to do in the past, then the resulting change in your bearing will be noticeable to others.

5.) Be patient.

A relationship isn't something you can pick up at Kroger. It may take time for something to develop. Enjoy whatever events you chose in response to item #3 and allow this enjoyment to be satisfaction enough for you - for the time being. But always keep your eyes open for an opportunity to make an acquaintance into a friend - or a girlfriend! Keep in mind, the more good friends you make, the larger your social cross section becomes. You don't have to be Barack Obama to get a girlfriend - but it sure don't hurt.

Well, that's pretty interesting and I didn't know those things. I am not an expert in neuroscience, but the things you cite as potentially damaging (gaining conscious or functional control of one or several brain waves) seem to me to occur quite often in normal humans that never suffer ill effects. The obvious example might be an experienced meditator. You yourself mentioned a highly intelligent polymath. Intense concentration would probably be another brain state that fits the bill. Yet we aren't warned by the surgeon general that "Concentration may be hazardous to your health" and Tibet is still populated by seemingly normal monks...so I don't yet understand how these brain states would differ from potentially hazardous ones.
If you could provide a link to further information (or journal manuscripts) about potentially damaging brain states of the type you described, I would be very interested to take a look at it.

What!? Ok, you are going to have to explain your reasoning to me. This device works off of EEG technology, which is basically a fancy voltage measurement. To my knowledge the toy isn't exactly pumping signals into your brain. It's my understanding that the "neurofeedback" this toy provides is simply the visual feedback you receive when you make the ball rise. So, it seems to me that unless you are terrified of voltage meters, and possibly batteries, you probably shouldn't run for the hills when this thing hits the stores.

The Parent's points make about as much sense as saying that auto repairmen need a firm grounding in Thermodynamic Mechanics. What doctors need to know are the facts: DO these drugs interact. Yes or no. Leave the organic chemistry to the MD PhDs. ---- A counter example: An architect builds buildings, which are important, and the quality of them can be a life or death matter. Should all architects be fully versed in Solid State Theory? After all, how will they understand the nature of the very materials that they are building with...?