Memory, and the workings of brains (of geniuses, of myself, of friends of mine, a bit of men and women)

So Cluney linked me to this article about a "normal" guy and his perspective on obtaining an excellent memory.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/20/magazine/mind-secrets.html?ref=magazine

Also, here is a link regarding how the brains of gay people of one gender work similarly to heterosexuals of the opposite gender.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=study-says-brains-of-gay

I think many people who are geniuses in memory do this sort of thing without being conscious of it. I think that I probably memorised things differently than most people. I don’t know if I still do/if I have since I smoked for the first time. To a large extent, geniuses’ brains simply work in a different manner, as well as most are overactive, re-remembering things to the point of mass exhaustion and redundancy, and relating them to all sorts of barely related things. This is why they grasp things quickly; their mind works furiously to connect seemingly unconnected anythings. Events, ideas, etc. 

I am caged right now.

I can be comfy,
or I can become free.

Art by Paweł Kuczyński

There's this page that I saw with some pretty great art. (imo) They can be thought provoking, sad, and/or funny. This is where it's from: http://capu.pl/node/271
Here are my favorites of them.

Interaction (obvious)

I only just considered that the best way to talk to just about anyone is to express interest in them, make them talk about themselves/what they like, and provide positive feedback, along with insights and anecdotes pertaining to their interests.

I suppose this is very simple. The noteworthy/difficult bit, I suppose, is to know when/how much to talk about oneself. This applies to almost every relationship short of adoration...


I am going to start color coding things such that purple will be the more interesting/less self centered bits. I have to figure out the other colors, but default/light blue is about me as of the last few posts; maybe I'll keep it that way. 
I have to figure out which colors aren't too harsh/unreadable, Typing in white kind of works but it's annoying cause the input field is white so I can't see mistakes too easily.

Realisations, Insights

into myself, but every time something is realised about someone, the same can be said of many people. So I tend to stumble across facets of human nature.

I like writing about myself... I think it's because that I introspect and bring forth things that I know about myself, but never really analyse and consider. I just provided a perfect example of it, even! I knew, but never considered, that I like writing about myself, and only just now figured out why that is. [It's introspection with more than usual thought, that comes unusually naturally (oxymoron, ha) in a chain of thought.] 

It is easier to remember/control/examine one's thoughts when they are expressed rather than kept inside. It is habit to think of something one does as natural, but when it is exposed and compared to the outside world, it can be examined more closely and easily, in relation to being compatible with one's idea of proper/prudent behavior.

(I just realised another reason a diary can be handy...)

This has led to my telling certain people about facets of myself, most often when they have said something that provoked the thought that led to the realisation. I always took this as natural/what I do, but perhaps I should keep more to myself, or leave it less to chance.

I've come to realise I want more human interaction. (I was about to say need, but we'll get to that in a bit.) 

I want to tell someone/everyone when something happens that I think is significant.

I want to tell someone when something affects just me, but people get tired of that, so I tend to keep it to myself or tell one person. (usually a different person every time)

I want to tell someone when I realise something about myself that tends to affect a noticeable part of how I act.

I want to tell someone/everyone else >_> when someone acts/reacts in a way that I find ridiculous, until I get some insight into why they acted that way. 

[Although sometimes I just need some perspective on whether either side actually was being ridiculous, for my peace of mind.]

At the same time, I'm pretty content with not saying much, fairly often/for long periods of time. I suppose I do not like saying anything I feel is insignificant.

I wonder where the line should be drawn between want and need. We only strictly need nutrition and excercise for life. I suppose one can say that one can list needs for flourishing, or for best, happiness, contentment. 
(But I always feel that I only want to use the word need when there is a true need for something.) 
The only exception I make, without even thinking about it until now, is when I say I need to do something, or get something. That's for simplicity's sake to express a perceived obligation, which counts to me, I suppose.

What is the point of Entertainment?

So I will start with how I came to think of this; the experiences that led me to do so. I have been playing DotA, HoN, and LoL for around 1-3 years (depending on which). They are a game based on a formula people call Aeon of Strife.

[In it, one has allied, uncontrollable minions that spawn and attack enemy minions, trying to push down enemy defense towers, and eventually, destroy their base. During the game, one controls a powerful unit (hero) that gains power by being in the presence of enemy deaths, as well as being the one to hit the enemy minion or hero last, which gains money to buy items for more strength]


This formula has proved entertaining enough to me over the time I took playing and reading about these games. After some time, however, I got bored of the formula. Multiple times, actually. What kept me from stopping was a combination of obligation to do things with friends, and adding a few new features, like new items, new characters, switching to HoN, then to LoL, which has new of both, and new graphics. 


[I played HoN about as much as DotA, but by the time I got to LoL, I pretty much stopped wanting to play seriously, and just wanted to win, or have good matches, which are incredibly rare because very very few people play at a consistent level. Which means 9/10-19/20 games are terribly unbalanced. The most fun games are balanced ones, but many games simply involve a weak player on one team resulting in the other team becoming overpowered and winning, as well as the breakdown of teamwork on the team with the weak player.]


The problems with the games only change somewhat when one gets into higher level games, which only happens after about a year of serious playing and improvement. Alternatively, one can find friends, which usually means that there is a team of friends winning many unbalanced games because they have more coordination in a team game.


So anyway, the last thing that kept me playing LoL was novelty, and a feature known as first win of the day. The first win of the day gives extra points with which to purchase champions.
This adds another element of obligation, beyond that of not wanting to disappoint


I find that many online games run on a level of obligation to keep one playing. MMOs encourage grouping, and then to disappoint one's "friends" feels bad. Or to want to get the next feature, whether it be an item, or a character, keeps one working at it. That is precisely what it becomes: work. Sadly, some of the most successful games (like WoW, Farmville) are successful because of this.


After the last vestiges of this have faded, games feel very pointless, hollow. One might feel that they have wasted much more time than they should have, because obligation rather than fun kept them playing.


I wondered; what is the point of playing games? Fun? What is the point of fun, of entertainment? In the end, it doesn't get anything done; it just passes the time. Is this acceptable? For some it may be, but others want something more. (I do) But what more is there? What can one do that is worthwhile in the end? What IS worthwhile? I don't know. I guess that's different for everyone.


Yet, fun seems to be worthwhile. It feels that way to almost all of us. I would at least argue that one should find the greatest degree and variety of this possible, though. In this way,
(so many times, I could close my eyes... :) I like when I think of some songs
one is exposed to a variety of ideas, invoking more creativity. What is useful in this world, if not creation?


[Well, anyway, that's my answer to the question. That the most entertaining things are worthwhile, and once one reaches a point where the things are just okay, one strives to fill the time with creating good or useful things, or interacting with people.]