Two from Scientific American

I am a fan of Mind Maps and other exercises that claim to improve brain flexibility and intelligence.  I think Mind Mapping has real value, although I have read that Buzan, the promoter of it and other exercises, invents his statistics (Foer discusses it in his book, Moonwalking with Einstein).

I specifically mentioned Buzan so let me state that the results described in Scientific American do not apply specifically to him.

In an article titled "Best Evidence for Brain Training Falls Short", various brain games are shown to improve performance in that game, "But the ability to master a game or ace a psych test often doesn’t translate into better cognition when specific measures of intelligence are assayed later."
The article concludes with:

 If you’re doing these tests as part of a personal self-improvement program, maybe consider the piano, Spanish lessons or even Grand Theft Auto 3—The Ultimate Tribute to Liberty. Any of these pose less threat of the monotony that could ultimately undermine the persistence needed for mastery of any new pastime. Seems like a no brainer, in fact.

Next from Sci Am is an article about longevity.  Apparently, people who pursue creative activities live longer.

In other words, creative activities may act as exercises that keep the brain fit. People who exhibit creativity also seem to cope with stress better, finding solutions to stressful situations rather than being overwhelmed by them. And other studies this year have also shown a connection between openness and reduced metabolic risk.

The creative activities do not need to be exhausting or lead to professional-level performance; they do need to be engaging and interesting to the individual.

A commenters asks how to be creative and the author offers some tips.  The tips are very concrete and reasonable and end with the slightly more abstract:

Whatever you go with, the most important first step is to shun criticism, especially from your inner critic. Just turn it off -- stuff it in a box. It's never satisfied and can kill motivation and inspiration, so don't subject your efforts to its withering gaze, and harsh judgment. Learn to ignore it until you feel close to ready to give it the competition of an outsider's judgment.

ISH: links aplenty

ISH: "I'm Still Here"

I set some writing goals recently and didn't type a word for days after that.  Its hard for me to find things worth saying.  So, here are things other people are saying:

Creative thinking reduces stress and improves longevity.

“Individuals high in creativity maintain the integrity of their neural networks even into old age,” Turiano says—a notion supported by a January study from Yale University that correlated openness with the robustness of study subjects' white matter, which supports connections between neurons in different parts of the brain.

Creative work requires hard work and years of dedication.

One can debate the list but Gardner’s foremost conclusion is uncontroversial: creative breakthroughs in any domain require strenuous work and a willingness to challenge the establishment.

The psychology of creativity–both empirical research and popular literature for the lay audience–misses this. It reduces creativity to warm showers and blue rooms, forgetting that the life of the eminent creator is not soothing; it is a struggle–a grossly uneven wrestling match with the muses.

Terrify your audience for better rapport.

Emmanuel Kant spoke often about the sublime, and specifically how art becomes more sublime when beauty mixes with terror. Now research provides some support for this philosophical viewpoint.

more on writing

This image motivated me to get writing yesterday and time will tell if something this trivial will have some endurance.   Found at Memecrunch.

McSweeny has some advice on writing.

LEARN FROM THE MASTERS

Mark Twain once said, “Show, don’t tell.” This is an incredibly

important lesson for writers to remember; never get such a giant

head that you feel entitled to throw around obscure phrases like

“Show, don’t tell.” Thanks for nothing, Mr. Cryptic.

drawing perspective

The right way:

By Dan Piraro, of BizarroBlog.

The wrong way:

From Hogarth and found on Wikipedia.

How would you improve health in a community?

Scientific American reviews an article in Circulation and one suggestion stood out: improve sidewalks.

A professor in an Urban and Environmental Studies class I took in '87 described how to improve bus ridership.  He did not discuss decreased prices but rather suggested vending machines and attendants; his main point was that the local bus service cost local government ...ah, nine million, I think, while maintaining the major highway was twenty-seven million.  Whatever the numbers, the highway sucked up three times what the bus service did.

I like looking at offbeat solutions like these.  My varsity swim coach described his weight problem and how he solved it.  I think his solution was quitting smoking, because he always smoked at a donut shop and while he was there, he had a sugary coffee and donut.  Cutting smoking took him out of locations of high temptation.

So, how would I improve health in a community?  Here in big-city Busan in South Korea, we live in an apartment and I have a nodding acquaintance with some neighbours but I don't have any friends nearby.  My big complaint here is parking and traffic; encouraging people to use public transit or bikes would be beneficial but not as much as it would be in most of Canada.
...
My big and offbeat suggestion for improved health in the community would be to close hagwons (supplementary cramming schools) earlier in the evening, perhaps by eight pm. Kids might be able to get more sleep and spend more time with their family.

I was going to consider  my parents-in-law's village, where the median age is around sixty and most people work at farms.  There are also many foreigners from third world countries doing DDD work for small factories.  The factories have been popping up as farmers retire and sell their land.

It seems presumptuous for me to suggest their health could be improved.  Both parents-in-law work longer and harder than I do and are in their seventies.  They eat farm-fresh food they have prepared themselves and live near extended family members, while children and grandchildren visit and help out nearly weekly.  Physically, mentally, and socially, these are healthy people.

Hmm, the more I think about this, the best way for Canadians to improve their health would be to adopt a lot of the customs of the Korean elderly (not the frequent spitting, though).  Live near family, exercise in the mountains and keep active.

Links aplenty for July 26

Caine Monroy is a remarkable child but I also have to wonder how much of creativity was due to the twin muses of boredom and plentiful building materials.

One summer, his father took him to work frequently (every weekend?  every day?) and Caine had nothing to do.  At his father's business were a lot of empty boxes and he got started building (and a follow up).  Enjoy these videos about the process and a surprise flashmob that visited.

Caine looked at the boxes but saw more than stiff paper receptacles for auto parts.  He saw blank surfaces for coloring and  construction materials.  Scientific American has an article (not about Caine) that discusses how rethinking labels boosts creativity.

Caine made money with his arcade but I think he liked the process more than the financial results.  His 'Funpass" is good for 500 plays and costs only $2.00 after all.  If he were offered more money, would he be more creative?

From Does Money Make Us Write Better?

Let’s talk about money. In his history of world art, E.H. Gombrich mentions a Renaissance artist whose uneven work was a puzzle, until art historians discovered some of his accounts and compared incomes with images: paid less he worked carelessly; well-remunerated he excelled.

The author, Tim Parks, wondered, 

…do I always write as well or as badly as I anyway do regardless of payment, so that these monetary transactions and the decisions that go with them affect my bank balance and anxiety levels, but not the quality of what I do?

---

Not really related: Bruce Schneier discusses how to get a start in security - the business that I, at least, connect with computer encryption.   His advice is good for most fields and boils down to 1) Study, 2) Do, and 3) Show.  The third point describes demonstrating your knowledge and skills.  Blogging, podcasting and commenting on the same are his examples.  I don't know how well I will do with his self-study course in cryptanalysis but the code-making-little boy in me is eager to investigate, if nothing else.

The Friendly Atheist doesn't know how to write

Actually, his blog writing is great and many have recommended I Sold My Soul on E-Bay.

In a recent post on his blog, he wondered how people find time to write and what they wear...

I’ve been writing most of this book late at night when everybody else seems to be sleeping. Fewer distractions. Lots of time to concentrate. I’m better able to focus. And then I just pass out when the sun comes up. (Ah, the joys of being a teacher on break.)

But seriously. I don’t know how other people do it. Especially when they have real jobs and kids and lives.

It is easy to understand that the way to write is to sit down and write. Period.  It is also easy to understand that the best way to diet is to eat less and exercise more.  It sounds easy but most people need a way to trick themselves into getting into the right frame of mind.