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Training like Tesla: An Experiment of the Mind

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Re: Training like Tesla: An Experiment of the Mind

#71

Post by solistice »

madaxe wrote: post #59

This is pretty much precisely how I think. If I'm considering a complex issue, be it engineering or otherwise, I effectively stop seeing through my eyes and instead maintain a visual image, either literal or abstract, of that which I'm considering. It's very "intuitive", and can be applied to anything from relativity to simple mechanics to mathematics. Anything which can be boiled down to logical symbology, which is…

That sounds exactly like my process of thought. Except for wild gesticulation, I rather trace the outlines of the object, which is less weird, but still gets me weird looks.

Re: Training like Tesla: An Experiment of the Mind

#72

Post by solistice »

hackinthebochs wrote: post #66
realitygrill wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a well developed spatial sense, but am very weak visually. When I try to visualize, the best I get is impressions of abstract glow-y lines that fade away quickly. I also tried to develop mental visualization but to little effect (I did have a vivid dream once. Only once, though.) obligatory LW link: http://lesswrong.com/lw/dr/generalizing_from_one_example/

This perfectly describes me. Interestingly enough I attribute my great mathematical ability to my ability to "visualize" problems, although I don't literally see objects in my mind's eye. Its almost like my logical circuitry is co-oping my visual processing circuitry to solve abstract logical problems. So while I'm thinking of a problem there is a visual aspect to thought, but its nothing concrete enough that I could…

So you can't see the matrix? Take the red pill (No, that's not Modafil painted red) Neo.

On a more serious note, when do you understand something? For me, it is when I can visualize how the parts of the function interact with each other, for example for Summation, how many little functions (those functions are visual images too) in a long finite line stack on top of each other and create a large something, that might get fed into something else.

Re: Training like Tesla: An Experiment of the Mind

#73

Post by solistice »

klipt wrote: post #57
wilder wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's frustrating when people suggest I can visualize and just don't know it. The way one thinks is the most first-personally obvious thing in the world, and I've been sore about the way I do it since I was in elementary school wanting to imagine strawberries to count with. Despite the literature I never accuse visualizers of the reverse (ie that you only think you have mental images), but when I do challenge incredul…

> "imagine a tiger, how many stripes?" Well, for me imagining a tiger is basically recalling what it's like to look at a tiger (or picture of a tiger). I can have a photo of a tiger right in front of me, and know it's a tiger, yet not know how many stripes it has without counting. I might also not notice how the back paws look if I'm focusing on the front paws. Same thing when it's in my head (except less consistent,…

Are you saying you can't hallucinataste chocolate? The soft melting of a piece of milka, the soft stickiness of your tongue against your teeth, the feeling in your throat, and of course, the sweet cacao taste on your tongue? I don't know why, but if I think really hard about it, I can actually vividly imagine the experience of eating chocolate, but I can't have any other flavour in my mouth at that time. I can mix it with other imaginary flavours though, which is why i roughly know how a sauerkraut hot dog tastes despite not having eaten one ever. (Sauerkraut ufm wurstbrötl? Sapperlot no ma!)

One really curious thing that happens to me though is that when I smoke and smoke gets into my nose, the burn in my nose might trigger one of my taste memories, leading to me tasting some random thing in my mouth, from Apple Juice to seared steak. I do get some weird stares though when I suddenly say that taste out loud.

Re: Training like Tesla: An Experiment of the Mind

#74

Post by [deleted] »

ztratar wrote: post #6
bsenftner wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Try starting with some random nonsense phrase you repeat in you mind for a period with your eyes closed. This clears your immediate references. After a period, you'll drift into an alpha brain wave state where you can willfully enter into a state of lucid dreaming. I got into this via an interest in trancendal meditation (sp?) and continued into other meditation styles. These days, I find that I can use this to visua…

Hmm interesting. Tesla mentions that he would apply a small pressure to his eyes, which would then cause geometric shapes to appear and strange patterns to develop. The patterns put him in a different mindset whenever he saw them. Reading that truly hit me hard, since I did that while I was a kid. I didn't use it for any purpose though... I just thought it looked badass. Thanks for the tips.

[deleted]

Re: Training like Tesla: An Experiment of the Mind

#75

Post by seekr »

wilder wrote: post #7

I have never been able to consciously visualize (meaning: think in visual mental images). All of my conscious thought is in the auditory mode, though I know what it would be like to visualize as it happens occasionally in a dream. I have always wished more than anything to have such experiences while fully conscious (to see my mother's face and so on). There has been a fairly longstanding debate in philosophy and psy…

Just to say you are not alone. Though my internal voice has no accent and does not sound like me. We may well differ in other respects.

I remember the day I asked my English teacher what she was talking about when she described the impact of poetry on your mind...and the expression of pity she showed.

I remember the day I discovered my sister read a novel and imagined a film as she read...this was the first time I was ever jealous of my sister.

They were not good days. People might wonder what I remember. I remember my thoughts-emotions of the moment. So when I say I remember my teacher's expression I remember my thoughts-feelings about the fact that I could see her pity.

However, there are major advantages especially as life as gone on. It seems to have taken me longer to get the hang of life as I have had to develop alternative ways of doing things that are often not as efficient as the visual method. But that has given me a powerful originality of thought and approach that I can increasingly use to my advantage now I am no longer undermined by the basics of life.

Re: Training like Tesla: An Experiment of the Mind

#76

Post by seekr »

wilder wrote: post #69
klipt wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "imagine a tiger, how many stripes?" Well, for me imagining a tiger is basically recalling what it's like to look at a tiger (or picture of a tiger). I can have a photo of a tiger right in front of me, and know it's a tiger, yet not know how many stripes it has without counting. I might also not notice how the back paws look if I'm focusing on the front paws. Same thing when it's in my head (except less consistent,…

I appreciate the vividness of your minestrone, pho and chocolate examples, but I can't seem to do what you describe. I can't imagine smells or tastes -- both are as foreign as the visual modality (though much less missed). When I read the example I hear the words "imagine the smell of soup" I simply hear (in my head) my voice say the word 'soup', then, when asked to elaborate 'minestrone - pho' -- more words. I can s…

It sounds :-) like you may have more sensory representation than me - as you have some auditory representations.

I remember emotions but I don't remember my bodily sensations.

With regard visual images (in response to words) it is like part of my brain sees it but I have no conscious access.

However, I have had one intense conscious dream where in that dream at least I had full sensory representation in every dimension. It was wonderful! I remember playing with my dreamscape and transforming things visually before I woke up...and so I - at least - have some idea of what being able to visualise means to others

Re: Training like Tesla: An Experiment of the Mind

#77

Post by hackinthebochs »

jimmaswell wrote: post #14
ztratar wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow. My experience is drastically different than yours. I've almost always thought of things through mental imagery. It comes naturally to me (which really helped in calculus 3, haha). I can say that with confidence. Thanks for the link. I wonder how many non-visualizers are out there, too.

Reminds me how there's apparently a decently-sized part of the population that doesn't intuitively know left and right. I wouldn't have believed it much if I didn't meet someone with the issue and someone else who claims their wife has it.

I've always had problems immediately referring to left or right. As a kid I had to recall which hand I used for the pledge of allegiance to remember which side was right vs left. To this day it takes me a couple of seconds of thought to pull it out when my mind is not already primed for it.

Re: Training like Tesla: An Experiment of the Mind

#78

Post by qu4z-2 »

hackinthebochs wrote: post #66
realitygrill wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a well developed spatial sense, but am very weak visually. When I try to visualize, the best I get is impressions of abstract glow-y lines that fade away quickly. I also tried to develop mental visualization but to little effect (I did have a vivid dream once. Only once, though.) obligatory LW link: http://lesswrong.com/lw/dr/generalizing_from_one_example/

This perfectly describes me. Interestingly enough I attribute my great mathematical ability to my ability to "visualize" problems, although I don't literally see objects in my mind's eye. Its almost like my logical circuitry is co-oping my visual processing circuitry to solve abstract logical problems. So while I'm thinking of a problem there is a visual aspect to thought, but its nothing concrete enough that I could…

> Its almost like my logical circuitry is co-oping my visual processing circuitry to solve abstract logical problems.

Wetware CUDA, nice.

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