An incredibly interesting article regarding fMRI imaging of Outlier brains. It also explains the difficulties that can arise due to the massive amounts of hypersensitivity (neurological, not necessarily emotional) of the brain. A must read.
Brains On Fire
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Tra La La Skipping Right Along
Here at The Capable Genius, we are a big proponent of grade skipping. Most of the fears that are encountered regarding grade skipping are wholly unfounded, and those that might have some merit can be mitigated.
Truly the main, but not only, root of balking for acceleration is not for the benefit of the child as much as it is the "We've never done this before" fear of the educators. Skipping a child does not fit neatly into a system that is based on arbitrary rules (organizing by age, not by ability), and regulations. While we truly understand that administrators and teachers are overworked and structure helps them, we also have to understand that children are actually the clients of education and must not be the afterthought.
Below is a link to a list of famous folk who had been accelerated in school and some background on them for your perusal
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/grade_skipped.htm
Truly the main, but not only, root of balking for acceleration is not for the benefit of the child as much as it is the "We've never done this before" fear of the educators. Skipping a child does not fit neatly into a system that is based on arbitrary rules (organizing by age, not by ability), and regulations. While we truly understand that administrators and teachers are overworked and structure helps them, we also have to understand that children are actually the clients of education and must not be the afterthought.
Below is a link to a list of famous folk who had been accelerated in school and some background on them for your perusal
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/grade_skipped.htm
Monday, January 25, 2016
Rewriting the Code
Outliers have a gift: we can often (not always but often) rewrite our own code.
What I mean is that we have the presence of mind, the ability of metacognition, to diagnose, understand, create a solution, then implement the solution for many maladaptive behaviours and thought patterns.
For example, one person I know was crippled with anxiety and could not even leave the house. An understanding about the connection between mind and body, a healthy understanding of "garbage in, garbage out" in terms of stimulating various hormones, the knowledge of how the plasticity of the brain allows "rewriting" via conscious effort of thought, and a good dose of faith and wisdom allowed my friend to go from "housebound" to "fly across the planet".
Don't ignore this ability in you. If you have a problem, analyze it. Understand it. Understand your motives. You know how to do this, you have been analyzing things since birth.
Then create a plan.
Then gather resources.
Then implement that plan. Remember to monitor yourself just as you would any other test subject. Being objective about what you are doing enables you to identify faulty patterns and correct them, but you have to decide which you prefer: the faulty, but familiar, pattern or the more difficult path to the solution.
What I mean is that we have the presence of mind, the ability of metacognition, to diagnose, understand, create a solution, then implement the solution for many maladaptive behaviours and thought patterns.
For example, one person I know was crippled with anxiety and could not even leave the house. An understanding about the connection between mind and body, a healthy understanding of "garbage in, garbage out" in terms of stimulating various hormones, the knowledge of how the plasticity of the brain allows "rewriting" via conscious effort of thought, and a good dose of faith and wisdom allowed my friend to go from "housebound" to "fly across the planet".
Don't ignore this ability in you. If you have a problem, analyze it. Understand it. Understand your motives. You know how to do this, you have been analyzing things since birth.
Then create a plan.
Then gather resources.
Then implement that plan. Remember to monitor yourself just as you would any other test subject. Being objective about what you are doing enables you to identify faulty patterns and correct them, but you have to decide which you prefer: the faulty, but familiar, pattern or the more difficult path to the solution.
Pretzel Basket: A Cosplay By Any Other Name Would Smell Like A Lawsuit....Or Not?
For trekkies, fangirls and boys, and aficionados of anime, an interesting point of note: Is cosplay copyright infringement?
The Supreme Court is (kinda but not really) deciding on this. Two articles for your perusal:
Trouble?
The Rebuttal
The Supreme Court is (kinda but not really) deciding on this. Two articles for your perusal:
Trouble?
The Rebuttal
Friday, January 15, 2016
The Real Deus Ex Machina...Examples From The Video Game Destiny
We are pretty hardcore gamers at The Capable Genius, the two
favorites being Destiny and Halo (all the Halo franchise, but don't get
us started on the lack of splitscreen in Halo 5).
Merits, or lack thereof, of gaming in a spiritual life aside, there are some great analogies in Destiny for the Godly Geek, especially regarding the Cryptarch.
For those who don't play, in Destiny players go do missions, raids, patrols, then bring what they have found to the Cryptarch (there are two, actually, but our fav is Master Rahool at the Tower).
He decrypts all the "engrams", or little shiny baubles, that you get while you fight the bad guys. You never know exactly what you will get, which could be weapons or armor. He also gives rewards for doing a good job.
Consider:
1) There is Always a Crowd but He Always Has Time for Each Player. Just like with the Cryptarch, I don't have to wait for others, perhaps "more holy" folk, to clear out of the way so I can see God. I am not last, I am not first, I am not 3rd from the bottom or 4th from the top. My access to God is immediate as soon as I come close to Him. I might see a lot of folk, but really it is just down to Him and me. (Kierkegaard has some cool stuff to say about this)
2) I Can't Compare Myself to Other Players. I can see their gear and their armor and might be tempted to compare myself ("Why haven't I gotten The Last Word?"), but that would be foolish. I have different skills and armor and weapons and different classes. The Titan can't do what I do, and I can't do what he does. The point is to be the best Hunter I can be, not look at any other player.
Even among Hunters, there is difference. Skyridersam is also a Hunter who has been playing longer and is a "run and gun" type player. I am the team sniper and think my way through maps. So while his style of play is good, so is mine, and both of us together make an excellent team.
Also, mine is the only controller on our team that is Inverted Southpaw. That is what works best for the way my brain is wired. That does mean the other players can't do my work for my character. I have my own work to do my own way. When there is a hard part, I have to get through it, not let other people do the work for me. Just like IRL, each person has their own job to do with the way they are made. No one else can live their life and do their work, each has his own.
We each are given a set of skills, in real life, to do the work the Lord has for us. The goals are the same in each life: love God, love others, do the best with the talents you have in the situation you are in, but each person has different skills to do those. No one (should) look down on the lowly level 8, carrying his two green engrams--he did the best with what he had and that was enough, just like the servant who doubled his 2 talents was just as highly praised as the servant who doubled his 5. (Matt 25:14-30)
3) There Is Plenty For All--the Cryptarch has plenty of help decoding engrams, plenty of rewards. You are rewarded for what you have done, and he won't run out of anything. The Lord, too, never runs out of blessings for us. He could choose to give every one of His children a million dollars and the ability to fly and it would not be the least bit stretch for Him, and it would be done in an instant.
4) He Is Glad To See You-- no matter if you are a level 40 needing a bunch of legendary engrams decoded, or a newbie level 7 who has his first green (lower level) engram. The Lord, too, does not discriminate against persons--if you come to Him, He welcomes you, no matter how bad you were playing the life game til you came to Him. He helps you with your level and is there for you at all times. Even if you failed a "mission" 7 times, He does not kick you out of His fold.
A few more analogies:
You will run into false Guardians--those who seek only for themselves and would probably be on the evil team if they could. Now, we could say they are just playing, that is not the person, but a person practices what they desire.
I ran into a couple of Kinderguardians (new players) who were eager and rambunctious, but harmless (and kind of fun to have hanging around). I also ran into a creeper who was exhibiting very disturbing behaviors through his character. Even though he wore the clothes of a Guardian and had the moves of a Guardian, he was not one in his heart. Not every one who has the appearance of goodness is good.
Merits, or lack thereof, of gaming in a spiritual life aside, there are some great analogies in Destiny for the Godly Geek, especially regarding the Cryptarch.
For those who don't play, in Destiny players go do missions, raids, patrols, then bring what they have found to the Cryptarch (there are two, actually, but our fav is Master Rahool at the Tower).
He decrypts all the "engrams", or little shiny baubles, that you get while you fight the bad guys. You never know exactly what you will get, which could be weapons or armor. He also gives rewards for doing a good job.
Consider:
1) There is Always a Crowd but He Always Has Time for Each Player. Just like with the Cryptarch, I don't have to wait for others, perhaps "more holy" folk, to clear out of the way so I can see God. I am not last, I am not first, I am not 3rd from the bottom or 4th from the top. My access to God is immediate as soon as I come close to Him. I might see a lot of folk, but really it is just down to Him and me. (Kierkegaard has some cool stuff to say about this)
2) I Can't Compare Myself to Other Players. I can see their gear and their armor and might be tempted to compare myself ("Why haven't I gotten The Last Word?"), but that would be foolish. I have different skills and armor and weapons and different classes. The Titan can't do what I do, and I can't do what he does. The point is to be the best Hunter I can be, not look at any other player.
Even among Hunters, there is difference. Skyridersam is also a Hunter who has been playing longer and is a "run and gun" type player. I am the team sniper and think my way through maps. So while his style of play is good, so is mine, and both of us together make an excellent team.
Also, mine is the only controller on our team that is Inverted Southpaw. That is what works best for the way my brain is wired. That does mean the other players can't do my work for my character. I have my own work to do my own way. When there is a hard part, I have to get through it, not let other people do the work for me. Just like IRL, each person has their own job to do with the way they are made. No one else can live their life and do their work, each has his own.
We each are given a set of skills, in real life, to do the work the Lord has for us. The goals are the same in each life: love God, love others, do the best with the talents you have in the situation you are in, but each person has different skills to do those. No one (should) look down on the lowly level 8, carrying his two green engrams--he did the best with what he had and that was enough, just like the servant who doubled his 2 talents was just as highly praised as the servant who doubled his 5. (Matt 25:14-30)
3) There Is Plenty For All--the Cryptarch has plenty of help decoding engrams, plenty of rewards. You are rewarded for what you have done, and he won't run out of anything. The Lord, too, never runs out of blessings for us. He could choose to give every one of His children a million dollars and the ability to fly and it would not be the least bit stretch for Him, and it would be done in an instant.
4) He Is Glad To See You-- no matter if you are a level 40 needing a bunch of legendary engrams decoded, or a newbie level 7 who has his first green (lower level) engram. The Lord, too, does not discriminate against persons--if you come to Him, He welcomes you, no matter how bad you were playing the life game til you came to Him. He helps you with your level and is there for you at all times. Even if you failed a "mission" 7 times, He does not kick you out of His fold.
A few more analogies:
You will run into false Guardians--those who seek only for themselves and would probably be on the evil team if they could. Now, we could say they are just playing, that is not the person, but a person practices what they desire.
I ran into a couple of Kinderguardians (new players) who were eager and rambunctious, but harmless (and kind of fun to have hanging around). I also ran into a creeper who was exhibiting very disturbing behaviors through his character. Even though he wore the clothes of a Guardian and had the moves of a Guardian, he was not one in his heart. Not every one who has the appearance of goodness is good.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Personality vs Overexcitabilities
An interesting observation about personality traits and overexcitabilities, which are often present in Outliers: Overexcitabilities can often, we think, mask as personality traits.
I always presumed I was an ambivert--gathering energy from people until I didn't, then gathering energy from solitude.
However, as I discussed with a fellow Outlier, I realized that I always gain energy from solitude, and people and events can excite me, but often leave me drained, even if I gained energy in the short term. Since that is not the definition of extrovert, there must be another explanation and we believe it might be that I am an introvert with overexcitabilities when it comes to the input of people and new things.
Something to consider when analyzing one's personality either for personal knowledge or professional choices.
I always presumed I was an ambivert--gathering energy from people until I didn't, then gathering energy from solitude.
However, as I discussed with a fellow Outlier, I realized that I always gain energy from solitude, and people and events can excite me, but often leave me drained, even if I gained energy in the short term. Since that is not the definition of extrovert, there must be another explanation and we believe it might be that I am an introvert with overexcitabilities when it comes to the input of people and new things.
Something to consider when analyzing one's personality either for personal knowledge or professional choices.
Friday, January 1, 2016
Our Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey Argument
We had an incident over the holidays. I was taking our daughter to an appointment and called home when we were fixing to leave. My sweetie told me that he had finished a run for my chickens and he and my father and son had moved them.
Then he mentioned the blood. Lots of blood.
Now, this is where things get interesting. Not only was I mom/wife/daughter to someone who might be injured, but I am also the house medic and my background was emergency management. I needed details. Now. But the more I asked, the longer he seemed to take, laughing and pausing. I was furious and desperate. Was my son bleeding? Did the rooster catch him in the face or in the eye? Was my father injured? Was it a puncture wound that would require close watch for infection and perhaps a tetanus shot? How much blood? Were stitches required? Was he needing instruction or information on how to properly clean the wound?
Finally, after what seemed like several minutes of foolishness, I demanded that he stop playing around and just tell me who got hurt right now. He got frustrated and said that he was trying and I was not letting him speak. I got angry in return and said he had plenty of time to speak and was messing with me.
After a quick "No one is hurt, the rooster just nicked his comb on the fence and is fine." we hung up. I was still angry and upset at my husband's dawdling, feeling sure he was just being a jerk. It was "obvious" that he was just covering his patoot claiming that I was not letting him speak, and I was angry at him for trying to put this on me. I drove home in a very dark mood.
Something wasn't right, though. My husband is never cruel or taunting. He is never cavalier with injury or my feelings. He can be a toad at times to play, but not to this extent. I analysed the events and still found the same, disturbing, conclusion that he was deliberately being obtuse, but I also knew it was a false conclusion.
I prayed. The Holy Spirit showed me that we were both right in our perceptions: he really was taking a long time in my eyes, and I really was not letting him speak.
I think fast. I think really fast. I finish other people'ssandwiches sentences, and in fact sometimes finish the entire conversation for the other person. I often zone out because I know what people are going to say, or they are taking entirely too long to say it. (Do not even get me started in how long it takes for someone to press "play" on the remote.)
I rarely make decisions fast if I have the luxury of time to ponder (as an INTP, I want to mull and consider every possible facet and only utilize a perfect decision), But I do think quickly and can make decisions quickly when the situation demands it. When someone is injured, I think even faster--much more so than even my very intelligent husband.
At the thought that someone could need medical help, my brain kicked into hyperdrive and stretched out microseconds to minutes and minutes to hours. Truly my perception was correct--he SEEMED to be taking a long time to speak. Couple that with my "mama bear" protective instinct, and he did not stand a chance.
But his perception was correct too. Still in normal time, he was not getting a word in edgewise with my impatient questioning.
It was an eye opening experience for both of us. Sometimes I have wondered if being a genius actually has any true difference with others besides making me seem off beat and odd, with the occasional "great idea" thrown in. This incident, however, showed that there is a great deal of difference in pace of thought.
Interestingly, the Lord also showed my husband the same thing as he wondered why a normal conversation skidded off the track so quickly. Thankfully, he is a good-natured man and was more bemused at the revelation than wounded in ego. He is a very intelligent man and an Outlier in talent and ability, but I edge him out on IQ.
If you are a genius, your mind works differently. It might not work as quickly depending on how your mental engine runs, but it definitely works differently and those differences are not imagination. They are palpable. They are obvious at times. This means that you and I have to be wise and aware--remember, our intelligence does not make us better people any more than being able to run fast makes a runner a better person than someone who can sing but can't run.
If you find yourself bewildered by interaction with even the bright humans around you, understand that they might be completely accurate in their assessment.....and you might be as well. Be patient, be thoughtful, be slow to become angry, and work to understand others and your interaction with them. That is our responsibility as we have the ability to do so.
Then he mentioned the blood. Lots of blood.
Now, this is where things get interesting. Not only was I mom/wife/daughter to someone who might be injured, but I am also the house medic and my background was emergency management. I needed details. Now. But the more I asked, the longer he seemed to take, laughing and pausing. I was furious and desperate. Was my son bleeding? Did the rooster catch him in the face or in the eye? Was my father injured? Was it a puncture wound that would require close watch for infection and perhaps a tetanus shot? How much blood? Were stitches required? Was he needing instruction or information on how to properly clean the wound?
Finally, after what seemed like several minutes of foolishness, I demanded that he stop playing around and just tell me who got hurt right now. He got frustrated and said that he was trying and I was not letting him speak. I got angry in return and said he had plenty of time to speak and was messing with me.
After a quick "No one is hurt, the rooster just nicked his comb on the fence and is fine." we hung up. I was still angry and upset at my husband's dawdling, feeling sure he was just being a jerk. It was "obvious" that he was just covering his patoot claiming that I was not letting him speak, and I was angry at him for trying to put this on me. I drove home in a very dark mood.
Something wasn't right, though. My husband is never cruel or taunting. He is never cavalier with injury or my feelings. He can be a toad at times to play, but not to this extent. I analysed the events and still found the same, disturbing, conclusion that he was deliberately being obtuse, but I also knew it was a false conclusion.
I prayed. The Holy Spirit showed me that we were both right in our perceptions: he really was taking a long time in my eyes, and I really was not letting him speak.
I think fast. I think really fast. I finish other people's
I rarely make decisions fast if I have the luxury of time to ponder (as an INTP, I want to mull and consider every possible facet and only utilize a perfect decision), But I do think quickly and can make decisions quickly when the situation demands it. When someone is injured, I think even faster--much more so than even my very intelligent husband.
At the thought that someone could need medical help, my brain kicked into hyperdrive and stretched out microseconds to minutes and minutes to hours. Truly my perception was correct--he SEEMED to be taking a long time to speak. Couple that with my "mama bear" protective instinct, and he did not stand a chance.
But his perception was correct too. Still in normal time, he was not getting a word in edgewise with my impatient questioning.
It was an eye opening experience for both of us. Sometimes I have wondered if being a genius actually has any true difference with others besides making me seem off beat and odd, with the occasional "great idea" thrown in. This incident, however, showed that there is a great deal of difference in pace of thought.
Interestingly, the Lord also showed my husband the same thing as he wondered why a normal conversation skidded off the track so quickly. Thankfully, he is a good-natured man and was more bemused at the revelation than wounded in ego. He is a very intelligent man and an Outlier in talent and ability, but I edge him out on IQ.
If you are a genius, your mind works differently. It might not work as quickly depending on how your mental engine runs, but it definitely works differently and those differences are not imagination. They are palpable. They are obvious at times. This means that you and I have to be wise and aware--remember, our intelligence does not make us better people any more than being able to run fast makes a runner a better person than someone who can sing but can't run.
If you find yourself bewildered by interaction with even the bright humans around you, understand that they might be completely accurate in their assessment.....and you might be as well. Be patient, be thoughtful, be slow to become angry, and work to understand others and your interaction with them. That is our responsibility as we have the ability to do so.
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