Entry #1 (Finally) and The Story of The Man With an IQ of 187 (And Why It's
Tough to Be That Smart)
To the millions in the blogosphere who have been
breathlessly anticipating the arrival of these dispatches, my apologies because
I know your wait has been unbearable. To the rest of you who know better, well,
here we are...
I figure I need to accomplish a few things with this blog if it is to have any relevance to anyone. It should, I suppose, provide you with information that has some value to you ... in other words, be interesting or entertaining, or tell you something you didn't already know. And it should be ruthlessly honest, utterly devoid of hype and bull. These two are actually related. Nothing is more useful and entertaining than the unabashed truth.
Should I fail at providing these (and inevitably I will), please drop me a note at six.traits@gmail.com and let me know. The conversation will be far more interesting if it involves voices other than mine.
If you are wondering what the fodder for honest content will be, here are some thoughts.
1. Interesting stories that come up, mostly, for now at least, related to the publication of Thumbs, Toes and Tears. These include stories about some of the people I have been lucky enough to meet or work with from William Shatner to the 2006 winner of the Nobel Prize for chemistry Roger Kornberg with whom I had a delightful conversation a couple of weeks back at a dinner. (It took me five minutes to realize that I was talking to the man who had won the Nobel Prize that very day! But he was so delightful, I didn't even care.)
2. An occasional rant.
3. Thoughts on emerging technological trends and human behavior ... and the connection between the two.
5. Thoughts for writers about writing, publishing, book tours etc. Some one once said that there is a one-to-one correlation between anyone who walks into a book store and anyone who wants to write a book. I am happy to share my personal; experiences about writing and getting published, if you're willing to listen.
The Man With an IQ of 187
My little tour has already introduced me to some fascinating people. I'll mention them as we go along with this blog, but let me tell you about one for now.
I was DC a few weeks ago and spoke at the National Zoo (great crowd). One gentleman asked a question during the talk. He wondered if I thought that the wiring in the brains of people of high intelligence was different, and if that affected their behavior, and could in come ways make life more difficult. He asked if I had come across anything along those lines in my research. I said I thought the wiring in brains of highly intelligent people was was different, probably brain chemistry too. And that there were trade-offs.
Anytime people fall "outside the bell curve," even very gifted people, they suffer in many ways as much as people who are at the other end of the spectrum. They see the world so differently that they too are, in many ways, handicapped. The extreme examples of this are so called "idiot savants," who, like Rain Man are often autistic. Recent studies show that autistics in some ways are an extreme example of the wiring seen in male brains. Male brains are not as interconnected as female brains, especially when it comes to linking with the parts of the cerebral cortex that govern social interactions. This may explain why woman seem more socially "ept" than many men, and why autistics often have difficulty relating socially to others, making eye contact, feeling comfortable in the presence of their fellow humans. They have given up broader interconnections for extremely deep ones which provide them with extraordinary talents in music, or painting or mathematics, but rob them of social skills many of us might take for granted. Their bandwidth is more laser-like, but the price they pay for these remarkable powers is social compatibility, even the ability, to enjoy intimate relationships.
The gentleman who asked the question came up to me afterwards and said he had an IQ of 187 and that all of his life it was very difficult to relate to and talk with people, including talking to me at that moment. I have to say he seemed fine to me, far from Rain Man like and he was clearly not autistic. Given the difficulty he has interacting with people, he must have been an extremely courageous man to first ask a question in public and then come and talk with me afterwards. We talked briefly and I asked him to please get in touch. I'm afraid I didn't get his contact information so I am asking here, if by some chance you are reading this, please get in touch because I would like to talk with you further for my next book (which will deal with the extremes of human behavior as ways to help explain why we all do, feel and act the way we do.)
And if there are others with extremely high IQs who happen to be reading this, I hope you will get in touch as well. It's a fascinating area. I promise I will not reveal your names or any personal information about you without your permission either in this Blog or any other writing I do.
Next time, some thoughts on book promotions and the woman who can't stop laughing (sometimes).
I figure I need to accomplish a few things with this blog if it is to have any relevance to anyone. It should, I suppose, provide you with information that has some value to you ... in other words, be interesting or entertaining, or tell you something you didn't already know. And it should be ruthlessly honest, utterly devoid of hype and bull. These two are actually related. Nothing is more useful and entertaining than the unabashed truth.
Should I fail at providing these (and inevitably I will), please drop me a note at six.traits@gmail.com and let me know. The conversation will be far more interesting if it involves voices other than mine.
If you are wondering what the fodder for honest content will be, here are some thoughts.
1. Interesting stories that come up, mostly, for now at least, related to the publication of Thumbs, Toes and Tears. These include stories about some of the people I have been lucky enough to meet or work with from William Shatner to the 2006 winner of the Nobel Prize for chemistry Roger Kornberg with whom I had a delightful conversation a couple of weeks back at a dinner. (It took me five minutes to realize that I was talking to the man who had won the Nobel Prize that very day! But he was so delightful, I didn't even care.)
2. An occasional rant.
3. Thoughts on emerging technological trends and human behavior ... and the connection between the two.
5. Thoughts for writers about writing, publishing, book tours etc. Some one once said that there is a one-to-one correlation between anyone who walks into a book store and anyone who wants to write a book. I am happy to share my personal; experiences about writing and getting published, if you're willing to listen.
The Man With an IQ of 187
My little tour has already introduced me to some fascinating people. I'll mention them as we go along with this blog, but let me tell you about one for now.
I was DC a few weeks ago and spoke at the National Zoo (great crowd). One gentleman asked a question during the talk. He wondered if I thought that the wiring in the brains of people of high intelligence was different, and if that affected their behavior, and could in come ways make life more difficult. He asked if I had come across anything along those lines in my research. I said I thought the wiring in brains of highly intelligent people was was different, probably brain chemistry too. And that there were trade-offs.
Anytime people fall "outside the bell curve," even very gifted people, they suffer in many ways as much as people who are at the other end of the spectrum. They see the world so differently that they too are, in many ways, handicapped. The extreme examples of this are so called "idiot savants," who, like Rain Man are often autistic. Recent studies show that autistics in some ways are an extreme example of the wiring seen in male brains. Male brains are not as interconnected as female brains, especially when it comes to linking with the parts of the cerebral cortex that govern social interactions. This may explain why woman seem more socially "ept" than many men, and why autistics often have difficulty relating socially to others, making eye contact, feeling comfortable in the presence of their fellow humans. They have given up broader interconnections for extremely deep ones which provide them with extraordinary talents in music, or painting or mathematics, but rob them of social skills many of us might take for granted. Their bandwidth is more laser-like, but the price they pay for these remarkable powers is social compatibility, even the ability, to enjoy intimate relationships.
The gentleman who asked the question came up to me afterwards and said he had an IQ of 187 and that all of his life it was very difficult to relate to and talk with people, including talking to me at that moment. I have to say he seemed fine to me, far from Rain Man like and he was clearly not autistic. Given the difficulty he has interacting with people, he must have been an extremely courageous man to first ask a question in public and then come and talk with me afterwards. We talked briefly and I asked him to please get in touch. I'm afraid I didn't get his contact information so I am asking here, if by some chance you are reading this, please get in touch because I would like to talk with you further for my next book (which will deal with the extremes of human behavior as ways to help explain why we all do, feel and act the way we do.)
And if there are others with extremely high IQs who happen to be reading this, I hope you will get in touch as well. It's a fascinating area. I promise I will not reveal your names or any personal information about you without your permission either in this Blog or any other writing I do.
Next time, some thoughts on book promotions and the woman who can't stop laughing (sometimes).
Posted: Sat - November 25, 2006 at 09:45 AM
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Published On: Nov 28, 2006 10:10 PM
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Published On: Nov 28, 2006 10:10 PM