Comments on GonzoMaximus - The Lion in Winter: A New Neurophysical Theory

Nice link, Ed. But I don't think I'd classify mys...

2008-06-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

Nice link, Ed. But I don't think I'd classify myself as a Learner. Maybe years ago.

Yeah, Teri (my wife) and I are complimentary although we had little in common when we got married. Over the years I've gotten her to appreciate certain things like some bands, movies, shows....but I've never got her to self-actualize in an area of endeavor that she didn't already have an interest in. The day I come home and find her reading www.space.com I'll drop dead of surprise.

Thanks for the comment. I really think it's a good research area for the right folks, don't you?

Hey Cathy,You're helping me make my point :-)You'r...

2008-06-26T17:22:00.000-07:00

Hey Cathy,

You're helping me make my point :-)

You're smart enough to overcome a disinterest in some subjects but still persevere enough to get a good grade.

Also, you have ample reasons to have an interest in medicine that are inline with my speculation about propagation.

But what I'm talking about are interests that you don't really have to know about for any reason - except maybe to get a gig on Jeopardy.

Unlike you, I *AM* a Star Trek and Monty Python geek. Why? And why are other techies disproportionately so inclined?

Let's look at classical examples:

Albert Einstein was a patent clerk who had no practical reasons to consider relativity (at least at first). Yet he did.

There aren't a lot of Einsteins around but there sure are a lot of very smart people.

I go back to one of my closing statements - is an interest in an area not related to classical survival a genetic defect? Is that why we're not all rushing around memorizing the periodic table and inventing anti-gravity?

Kevin,That's a fascinating approach to education. ...

2008-06-26T17:14:00.000-07:00

Kevin,

That's a fascinating approach to education. I'm glad it appears to working for your family - it sounds to me your two kids are pretty bright. That makes your job a lot easier.

But here's a hypothetical question for you: What happens if you ran into a subject matter that was absolutely critical for college and your kids could not be motivated to engage it? I guess the answer is to tie it into something they are interested in.

Thanks for the insight.

What you are describing seems to be similar to the...

2008-06-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

What you are describing seems to be similar to the 'strengths' concept promoted by Gallup/Clifton. It is described at http://www.gallup.com/consulting/61/Strengths-Development.aspx, but that's mainly in the context of business hiring. It's applicable to all aspects of life, though, and makes a lot of sense, IMO. A basic tenet is that you can only improve your weaknesses to the point that they are not a handicap; you can never turn them into strengths.

In your example, you would probably have 'Learner' as a strength: you like to know about things to a depth that may not be necessary to your job/situation; learning itself is the benefit. Teri, OTOH, would probably not have that strength. Most couples do not share strengths; rather, they tend to complement each other.

Very interesting thoughts. I have always considere...

2008-06-23T07:06:00.000-07:00

Very interesting thoughts.

I have always considered myself smart .. but I have no interest in science or history or geography. I do enjoy learning about medical science and what's possible and what's on the horizon .. but that's about all in the field science.

History and what has happened leading up today completely bores me. I always got A's in those subjects in school .. but they didn't interest me.

Now math .. Accounting .. Drafting .. those all kept me interested. I enjoy solving problems and puzzles (which I guess is why I enjoy programming so much!) But you know me ... I'm not the stereo-type computer geek who enjoys sci-fi, hard rock music, Monty Python, and Star Trek!

But it is an interesting idea to wonder why some people gravitate to some subjects and others gravitate to something else.

I think this is very interesting. We have been ho...

2008-06-23T06:11:00.000-07:00

I think this is very interesting. We have been home schooling our kids for just over a year now and we have taken an approach to schooling called "unschooling". Unschooling is where we provide a rich environment and the kids gravitate to what they are naturally interested in. Yes, there is some encouragement in certain areas such as math and grammer, but for the most part, our kids feed their own interests. It's kind of like college, but just earlier in life. Why force algebra down a kid's throat if they're not ready for algebra?

The kids just took the national standardized tests and my 13 year old is past "13th grade" and my 9 year old is two grade levels above where he should be.

"Areas of interest" just happens. For kids its better not to force things. They'll happen naturally.

Take care.