Congratulations from a stranger.

Last week, as I was delivering Ainan to his Biology course on the American Degree programme, at HELP University College, where he is studying, I bumped into one of his fellow students, outside the door to the class.

Ainan and I paused, at the door, unsure whether there was a class to attend, since there had just been a break, on the course.

The other student, was a tall young man, of indeterminable race – of skin too pale to be clearly one or other of the local races. Perhaps he was a mix, or a foreigner. He smiled at me, and nodded, towards the door, as if to indicate that this, was, indeed, the class we sought. It seemed, he had misunderstood our hesitancy as uncertainty about whether we had the right classroom, when it had been uncertainty as to whether there was a class, at all.

He looked from me, to Ainan, and back again and drew a connection, perhaps from our mutual likeness.

“Is he your son?”, he asked, the fact of this, seemingly of some magnitude to him.

I nodded, with a reflexive smile. He seemed impressed, and such emotions tend to buoy one up, whether one wishes them to, or not.

“You did a good job!”, he said, then, with unexpected enthusiasm – and stepped forward to open the door for Ainan to enter.

I waved goodbye to Ainan and watched the two of them pass within the doorway, to the lecture beyond.

It was a small moment, in a way, but one most meaningful because of whom it came from. Ainan’s fellow student had let me know that he thought I had done a good job, as a father, to Ainan, for him to be in his class, at half the age of his colleagues. That young man had no reason to be kind, no reason to be dishonest or filled with false praise: he had no reason for anything at all. That he had paused to tell me what he thought of Ainan’s situation and my parenting, is significant in itself. Clearly, Ainan had made some impression on him. His words, in turn, made an impression on me. It seems that at least one of his fellow students has thought on and come to appreciate what it means that Ainan has come so far, so young. It is true to say that Ainan was born with great gift – but without the great efforts we have made to clear a path for him, that great gift may have had much less chance to grow and express itself.

I walked home then, a little warmer than I had been on walking down to College. It was not the sun that warmed me, but that young man’s unexpected words. It is the first time, anyone has ever stopped to tell me that I had done a good job. All others had been focused exclusively on Ainan and spoke only of the good job that HE had done. All others had forgotten that every child prodigy has parents, whose input is part of the equation that led to them as the answer. This young man, however, understood that. It was a little startling to hear, because no-one else, in the almost four years since Ainan came to the public’s attention, had ever said anything like it.

Thank you, therefore, to that young man for those positive and kind words. In showing such thoughtfulness, he showed, too, that he has his own qualities to recommend him – not least of which is the capacity to understand the life paths others must have led, to get where they are today.

That being said, of course…Ainan has done a “good job” too!

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

There is a review of my blog, on the respected The Kindle Report here: http://thekindlereport.blogspot.com/2010/09/boy-who-knew-too-much-child-prodigy.html

Please have a read, if you would like a critic's view of this blog. Thanks.

You can get my blog on your Kindle, for easy reading, wherever you are, by going to: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/B0042P5LEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284603792&sr=8-1

Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/

Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/

Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

A bioluminescent "green" future.

I was very heartened by some news I read yesterday. It wasn't truly new news, as a quick surf revealed, but it was new to the Daily Mail and new to me.

The development is a simple one: scientists, from Cambridge, have made a "biobrick" of genetic material that can transport the capacity for bioluminescence from one organism to another. This allows organisms that are not naturally bioluminescent - as fireflies are - to become so. They had in mind a rather appealing idea: to make trees bioluminescent, so that they would glow in the dark, then to plant them on roadsides, instead of street lamps, so that they would light up cities AT NO ELECTRICITY COST.

I thought this a brilliant and very hopeful idea. It would also be rather a beautiful idea, too. Should cities begin to glow at night, naturally, they would take on the kind of imagery not seen out of the pages of Tolkien's elven forests (as I imagined them). Cities would become otherworldy places of great nightly beauty. So, too, they would save a lot of the world's electricity. In the USA fully 34 per cent of all electricity used is consumed by lighting. The global average is 19%. Nevertheless the prospect of saving one fifth of the world's electrical power is a very appealing one. The implications for global warming are worthy of note. Not only would the trees save one fifth of global electricity consumption - thereby making it needless to make such electricity in the first place, which would reduce carbon pollution from the (mostly) fossil fuels used to produce it - but, the trees themselves would absorb carbon as they grew, acting as carbon sinks. Thus, there would be a "double whammy" for global warming were this idea implemented globally.

I can, however, foresee a few problems. Would old established trees at the sides of roads be cut down to make way for the new genetically modified ones? I hope not. For if this were so, something terrible would happen: the biodiversity of our tree stock might be reduced, as many different tree types were cut down to be replaced by this new artificial one. That peril must be avoided. I would suggest that any new bioluminescent trees should be planted IN ADDITION to existing trees, and not to replace them. There is usually plenty of space, in most cities between the trees that line roads. Those spaces could be filled with bioluminescent trees.

There are other possible problems with such trees. One would have to be careful where they were planted, because wherever they grow, so would light follow at night. This could lead to considerable light pollution, were they to spread into areas that one would naturally wish to be dark. Consideration might also have to be given to whether the trees were sterile. However, I would prefer them not to be for this reason: I would like this technology to survive any fall of civilization (which may occur in a post oil world), so that there is, at least, lighting at night, in such an unfortunate world. There should, therefore, be no impediment to breeding the trees naturally - such an impediment could be to the considerable detriment of future man.

As I understand it, bioluminescence is possible in many colours. This could lead to the creation of very beautiful gardens and parks that glow at night - and for the building of cities the like of which Man has never seen. It is a beautiful prospect and one I hope comes to fruition.

One other issue though, should be considered: as the trees grow, so would their light. It may be, that trees would grow too bright for their purpose. This, however, is simply remedied with a bit of judicious tree surgery. It seems to me, that it would be far cheaper to manage the growth of the trees, than to be perennially replacing street lamps and maintaining electrical systems...so it would, overall, be an improvement for cities, everywhere.

Another advantage is clear: communities that are "off grid" and have no electricity, could have lighting, at night, for the first time. This would be of greatest benefit to the least developed of communities and the most rural of areas.

It is exciting that this technology could soon be available, for it has the potential to solve one fifth of our power problems, as a civilization, in one single step forward. It is a simple idea, but one which has as much power to transform our lives, as the invention of the electric light bulb did in the first place. That it is also an eminently "green" solution to the lighting problem is another attractive feature.

Incidentally, the same idea could be adapted to create glowing algae which could provide lighting inside homes, at night. Thus, it may be possible, soon, to replace ALL lighting, with bioluminescent alternatives. When the technology becomes available, I would urge anyone and everyone to adopt it, so as to reduce world energy needs, and consequent carbon pollution.

Here's to a glowing future!

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

There is a review of my blog, on the respected The Kindle Report here: http://thekindlereport.blogspot.com/2010/09/boy-who-knew-too-much-child-prodigy.html

Please have a read, if you would like a critic's view of this blog. Thanks.

You can get my blog on your Kindle, for easy reading, wherever you are, by going to: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/B0042P5LEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284603792&sr=8-1

Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/

Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/

Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

Daddy and the King

Today, I asked Fintan to consider a matter of status.

“Who is more important: Daddy, or the King?”, I asked Fintan, as we sat talking together, during lunch.

His eyes considered mine, suddenly curious.

“Which Daddy? Which King?”, he enquired, quickly and pointedly.

“This Daddy.”, I said, gesturing towards myself – “and that King.”, I clarified, pointing in the direction of a palace, that I knew Fintan would know was that way.

Certitude condensed in his eyes. “Daddy.”, he said, as if my name had all the weight in the world, “Because you are MY Daddy!”

His words to me were as the warmest hug. I felt the love he has for me, in his expressiveness – and it was good to feel.

He had no doubt at all, as to whom was the more important. For Fintan, it was clear: no-one, not even the King, could be more important than his own Daddy.

I find this interesting for what it says about Fintan. He is clearly categorizing the importance of elements of the world, in terms of its personal significance. His reference markers are internal, not external. I am important to Fintan in a way no impersonal, unknown King could ever be, no matter how much social and political status he might truly have in the world.

Yet, there was another voice in the background, that had piped up, when I had asked the question of Fintan, seven. Tiarnan, my four year old son, had also answered the question. His answer, however, was not so reassuring: “The King!”, he had said.

So, Tiarnan, is Fintan’s opposite. For Tiarnan the external social value of a person is what matters. In those terms, I cannot match the significance of a King, because society values a King, more than it does me (even if, in truth, I am a more intellectually valuable person, than any King is likely to be). Tiarnan is taking his cues from the external world, not from the personal one. Yes, I am Tiarnan’s Daddy, but Tiarnan is measuring my importance, not by my value to him, personally, but by my value to the world, or, more precisely, how much the world values me.

Fintan’s view is more touching but, perhaps, Tiarnan’s view is more truthful to the society, as it is. At this time, in this era, the particular King in question, is valued more than I am. Tiarnan sees this and says it, without pausing to reflect that I might not wish to hear such a sentiment. Yet, Tiarnan is being honest and open in so doing, so I have to respect that. He is also making it clear how he comes to value judgements: he is thinking more like a scientist, in that he is trying to be objective. Fintan is thinking more like an artist, in that his view is subjective and tied inextricably to the personal.

Who is right? Fintan, or Tiarnan? Am I more or less important than a King? Well, the world, now, would say that the King is more important…but posterity is likely to take a different view. In time, the importance of a particular King, passes and fades. When a King dies, so does their power and influence. All that they did and were, becomes history…and, after a time, it comes to be seen to be less and less important. However, I am a creative person. I am engaged in creating various types of intellectual product. The value of these products will outlast me. They will not fade so much, nor will they be superseded, so much, since they will still have value as part of the history of ideas, or creativity, in the domain created. Thus, it is that the “importance” of a creative person, may be maintained, as I see it, in a way that the importance of a King is not. Indeed, a creative person may grow in importance, over time, even long after they have died – as has happened with many historical figures, who were creative.

Then again, time is not needed to determine the relative importance of King and creator, or King and Daddy. The true, absolute relative importance, should be clear. Anyone who creates, even in a little way, is more important and more valuable to Mankind, than any King, who does not create. This is an eternal truth: the creator outshines the King, in history, for the creator makes history in a way that the King never can. A creator changes the world, by opening up new possibilities and understandings, Kings usually do nothing of the kind. Their domain is that of power and influence, social status and prestige – but, generally, what they do does not change the world in a fundamental way. Kings are replaceable and interchangeable in a way that creators are not. It is possible that the role of a King might be performed, were it allowed, by any moderately adequate person – but the role of a creator, may be so demanding, depending on discipline, that no other person is truly suited to creating those particular works, in that particular domain. Creativity is unique, Kingship is not.

The question, of course, was not whether a creator was more important than a King…but whether Daddy was. It just so happened, that this particular Daddy creates, so I have had to extend the question, to answer it fully.

In practical terms, however, Fintan is right, of course. To any child, their Daddy is more important than a distant King. The King does not love the child, does not nurture them or cherish them. The King does not sustain the child, teach the child, or raise them. The King is a distant figure, of social meaning, but no personal meaning, to a child. Only a child like Tiarnan, who is looking out into the world, and ascertaining what society thinks and values, could ever say that their Daddy was less important than a King.

I am not a King. Nor am I ever likely to be a King (unless the world changes significantly in how it operates!). I do not have a Palace, nor kingly wealth. However, I have much that the King may not. I have three sons, who are very special to me, and special in themselves. I have a wife, who is most definitely unusual in her own way, and agelessly beautiful. Then again, I have my own personal gifts – the ability to write, to think and to create. The King has none of these things. I know whom I would much rather be. I would not be a King, if it meant giving up what I have and what I am now. I would much rather just be Daddy, to my three sons and Hubby to my wife. That, to me, seems like a good fate to have. If only the King knew, he would be jealous of the “riches” that I have. As for him: I am not jealous at all, for he has nothing of substance, that I would want…or that anyone who actually thought about the situation, meaningfully, could ever want either.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

is a review of my blog, on the respected The Kindle Report here: http://thekindlereport.blogspot.com/2010/09/boy-who-knew-too-much-child-prodigy.html

Please have a read, if you would like a critic's view of this blog. Thanks.

You can get my blog on your Kindle, for easy reading, wherever you are, by going to: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/B0042P5LEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284603792&sr=8-1

Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/

Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/

Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences - ICELD 2010

I don't spell "behavioural", as "behavioral", however, Elsevier do and they have just published the latest issue of Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences. This issue concerns the ICELD 2010, International Conference on Learner Diversity, at which I presented a paper. My paper is published in this journal.


http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18770428


The link above takes you to the journal page on Science Direct at Elsevier. My paper is number 78 on their listing, entitled: "The synaesthete, a new type of "gifted" student and how to teach them." In Malaysia, at least, it is downloadable in its entirety, for free. I hope it is where you are, too. So, please have a read. The paper was well received, in person, when I gave it at the conference.


I have a number of forthcoming papers nearing publication in the next three months or so. I will keep you informed about them, in case anyone should be interested in reading them.


Thank you.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

There is a review of my blog, on the respected The Kindle Report here: http://thekindlereport.blogspot.com/2010/09/boy-who-knew-too-much-child-prodigy.html

Please have a read, if you would like a critic's view of this blog. Thanks.

You can get my blog on your Kindle, for easy reading, wherever you are, by going to: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/B0042P5LEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284603792&sr=8-1

Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/

Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/

Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

Analyzing Hollywood's social rules.

About six weeks ago, or so, Tiarnan was watching a TV series, with us. It was a fairly tame and "safe" programme, for our children to watch, with us, largely speaking. However, one dramatic moment led to an interesting series of observations from Tiarnan, four.

A young man and woman on the screen suddenly kissed each other. It wasn't a long kiss or an overly emphatic one, but Tiarnan had already learnt the rules of the house and knew that what might follow was not for him to watch.

He piped up then, in his high little voice: "I knew that was going to happen.", he declared, looking up at his mummy, on whose lap he sat.

"Why?", she asked, softly, knowing that his reasoning is likely to be far more interesting than his observation.

"Because there was a boy and a girl alone in a room, together.", he said. "They always kiss."

He was very serious as he spoke, his analytical mind at work, assessing the onscreen behaviour of Hollywood "people".

"What if a girl and a girl are in a room, then?", asked Syahidah, without the smile she no doubt felt like making.

"Oh. Then they just talk.", said Tiarnan, with certainty.

"How about a boy and a boy?"

"Just talk.", he repeated, with a nod.

We both found the way he had summed up Hollywood character behaviour rather interesting. For a start, he was right: out of all the shows he had seen - been allowed to see - that was precisely the pattern of behaviour of the characters on screen. He had not seen any gay characters, of either sex. So, the laws of behaviour that he had derived are accurate. What is also of interest is that Tiarnan had developed the ability to predict what was going to happen on screen, from the elements of the scene: who was in shot, in relation to who else was or was not in shot. To my mind, this is very revealing of how he is coming to understand the social world. Tiarnan is actually inferring and deducing laws of behaviour. He is constructing social patterns, from his Hollywood experiences. Given this, of course, I am led to feel an even greater responsibility over what material he watches - because I would not want him to start inferring incorrect rules of behaviour, or ones that reflected too much a poor set of values with which I don't agree.

Another lesson from this conversation is that Hollywood is influential in much more subtle ways than whether it shows sex or violence. Children might be learning such things as social behaviour from Hollywood films - or how adults are supposed to interact. Thus it is one needs to be even more watchful over the kinds of viewing experiences they have. What they might be learning from the shows, might not be what is obvious at all. Tiarnan is learning about the rules of the social world, from Hollywood fiction: I wonder what else he is learning from it?

I will have to watch and listen to him with care, on the matter. Perhaps there are more surprises to be found.

Analyzing Hollywood's social rules.

About six weeks ago, or so, Tiarnan was watching a TV series, with us. It was a fairly tame and "safe" programme, for our children to watch, with us, largely speaking. However, one dramatic moment led to an interesting series of observations from Tiarnan, four.

A young man and woman on the screen suddenly kissed each other. It wasn't a long kiss or an overly emphatic one, but Tiarnan had already learnt the rules of the house and knew that what might follow was not for him to watch.

He piped up then, in his high little voice: "I knew that was going to happen.", he declared, looking up at his mummy, on whose lap he sat.

"Why?", she asked, softly, knowing that his reasoning is likely to be far more interesting than his observation.

"Because there was a boy and a girl alone in a room, together.", he said. "They always kiss."

He was very serious as he spoke, his analytical mind at work, assessing the onscreen behaviour of Hollywood "people".

"What if a girl and a girl are in a room, then?", asked Syahidah, without the smile she no doubt felt like making.

"Oh. Then they just talk.", said Tiarnan, with certainty.

"How about a boy and a boy?"

"Just talk.", he repeated, with a nod.

We both found the way he had summed up Hollywood character behaviour rather interesting. For a start, he was right: out of all the shows he had seen - been allowed to see - that was precisely the pattern of behaviour of the characters on screen. He had not seen any gay characters, of either sex. So, the laws of behaviour that he had derived are accurate. What is also of interest is that Tiarnan had developed the ability to predict what was going to happen on screen, from the elements of the scene: who was in shot, in relation to who else was or was not in shot. To my mind, this is very revealing of how he is coming to understand the social world. Tiarnan is actually inferring and deducing laws of behaviour. He is constructing social patterns, from his Hollywood experiences. Given this, of course, I am led to feel an even greater responsibility over what material he watches - because I would not want him to start inferring incorrect rules of behaviour, or ones that reflected too much a poor set of values with which I don't agree.

Another lesson from this conversation is that Hollywood is influential in much more subtle ways than whether it shows sex or violence. Children might be learning such things as social behaviour from Hollywood films - or how adults are supposed to interact. Thus it is one needs to be even more watchful over the kinds of viewing experiences they have. What they might be learning from the shows, might not be what is obvious at all. Tiarnan is learning about the rules of the social world, from Hollywood fiction: I wonder what else he is learning from it?

I will have to watch and listen to him with care, on the matter. Perhaps there are more surprises to be found.