Musings Report #38 9-19-14 Accidental Genius
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Accidental Genius
Of the human mind's many quirks, few are as strange as its potential for Accidental Genius. This Scientific American article describes how a blow to the head can sometimes unmask hidden artistic or intellectual gifts--if the blow doesn't wreak irreparable damage.
The mechanism is not completely understood, but the author's working hypothesis is the higher-level control functions of the brain (typified as left-hand brain, neocortex-centered) are rendered inactive by the injury, allowing unfiltered right-brain functions to reach the conscious mind.
This opens up a fascinating possibility: that every human mind has genius-like activity bubbling beneath our awareness that some future development might release by disabling the control layer that blocks unconscious activity in the vast majority of humans.
This potential also raises interesting questions about our ability to consciously open access to this blocked activity. Albert Einstein famously characterized his early insights as being visual rather than mathematical. Other famous thinkers (Bertrand Russell comes to mind) have stated that their method of solving difficult problems is to consciously think hard about the problem and then direct the mind to work on it during sleep.
Since various sleep cycles inhibit or relax higher-level control of what seeps into our awareness, this subconscious / unconscious problem-solving is somewhat akin to the access created by head injuries in accidental geniuses.
Dreams can summarize not just an emotional conflict or worry, but visual narratives that offer solutions or clues to solutions. Once again, this dream-state access to insights and awareness that are not consciously accessible strongly suggest that disabling the high-level blocking/editing function of the mind, even briefly, enables intuitive poblem-solving and insight to seep into our conscious awareness.
Can we train our minds to become more open to the mental activity that is blocked other than during certain sleep cycles? Can we direct our minds before we fall asleep to apply its innate intuitive problem-solving abilities to specific problems?
Many creative thinkers employ this ability, and what makes the hypothesis so interesting is that it is one we can test ourselves.
Summary of the Blog This Past Week
My Sexploitation Foray: Bare Naked Breasts Galore! 9/19/14
Which Global Hegemon Is on Shifting Sands? 9/18/14
Why the Dollar May Remain Strong For Longer Than We Think 9/17/14
Janus Yellen and the Great Transition from Risk-On to Risk-Off 9/16/14
Is Risk-On About to Switch to Risk-Off? 9/15/14
"Janus Yellen" was coined by CNF, and it thought it extremely clever and apt. Every once in a while I tire of the financial charade and take a stab at humor--hence the sexploitation entry....
Best Thing That Happened To Me This Week
Fresh ahi (fish) and poi--yummy.
Market Musings: Breakdown--Another save by China/the Fed: reversal?
Why are we not surprised that China issued another "monetary stimulus" package in response to their rapidly deteriorating shadow banking and real estate sectors, and that the Federal Reserve issues another "save" of the stock market by promising nearly free money for another 6 months?
Nonetheless, this "saved at the bell" rally doesn't pass the sniff test. There is something suspect about a rally that takes the SPX to a new high and then immediately reverses. The VIX dropped to 11.50 on Friday and also reversed.
Judging by the financial media and measures of sentiment, Bullish confidence and complacency are once again at extremes. Bull markets need a "wall of worry" to climb, and there is no visible worry that the market could reverse. I notice that the options chain on volatility (for example VXX) show a preponderance of puts--bets that volatility will decline further. That reflects complacency and confidence.
Though complacency and confidence would seem to support a bullish advance, they are typically set-ups for reversal.
From Left Field
The headwinds return (via U. Doran)
Ten years ago, developing economies were catching up with developed ones remarkably quickly. It was an aberration
"Be sure to let the short video at the beginning load (3:30 min). A short trip down a river in China."
Martin Wolf: The World Economy Is 'Even More Fragile and Prone to Panic Than Before' -- not according to the mainstream media...
U.S. Firms Feel Unwelcome in China, According to Survey
A survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in China released on Tuesday shows that 60% of companies feel less welcome in China than before, a sharp increase from 41% in the previous poll a year ago. In a new question for its members, 49% of respondents believe that foreign firms are being singled out for attack.
Looking Beyond China, Some Companies Shift Personnel (via Maoxian, who confirms this from Beijing)
Bikini mud-wrestling boosts travel to scenic Central China -- scenic indeed....
"Clerisy" class does the bidding of tech oligarchs to detriment of the middle class. -- the class I call the Upper Caste...
Pollution and Health in China: Confronting the Human Crisis -- very under-appreciated in the West...
Don’t Take Your Vitamins -- few studies find any benefit--it's all about eating real food with nutritional value...
What your 1st-grade life says about the rest of it -- more confirmation of the importance of social and human capital in the home and community....
One Woman's Lessons From Living On The Street -- find a safe place to sleep...
How I Rebuilt Tinder And Discovered The Shameful Secret Of Attraction -- interesting confirmation that we're attracted to potential mates within our social-economic class....
What We’re Afraid to Say About Ebola (via John D.) -- viruses mutate faster when the host population expands, so a mutation to airborne ebola becomes more likely as the disease spreads....
"A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad." Theodore Roosevelt
Thanks for reading--
charles |
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