Don't be shy.

It is odd. Yet, ever since I posted about there being a "new silence" on this blog, in the form of a reduced number of comments, since I blocked anonymous comments, there have been no comments at all, on this blog. It seems that I have been misunderstood. That, of course, is the peril of written communication: there is only the word to inform us, without expression, gesture or clear intent. This can make one misinterpreted.

Anyway, perhaps I used the wrong words. It hasn't been "silent" since I blocked anonymous comments - but it has been quieter. It has, however, been actually silent since I referred to the phenomenon. So, don't be shy. If you have a thought worth communicating in the comments, please do so. I know you have to sign in...but that should be fair enough, since you all know who I am too. A conversation with an anonymous person, is a one sided affair. I prefer not to have them anymore.

So, I hope to write to the less shy among you, in due course. Thanks.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 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.

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.)

The new silence in the world.

There is a new silence in my blogging world - and, in a way, it is a good silence. Ever since I implemented the "no anonymity for commenters" policy, there has been a notable reduction in the number of comments. Though this might seem like an unwelcome development, in a way it is not - for it tells me something. It tells me that a significant proportion of commenters do not have the courage to stand by their words and put their name to them. That is fine by me - for I have no wish to converse with someone who has no wish to let me know who they are. How often do we stand for conversations in real life, without some kind of introduction? So, too, should it be on the net: it should be basic courtesy to provide a name and an identification, before beginning a conversation. Now, of course, I have required such an identification it is very interesting to see who and how many people are willing to stand by their own words. Not as many as one would think...

So, I would like to thank those who have the courage and decency to identify themselves before they write comments...that, to me, shows a certain worthy character. As for those who no longer comment: they fall into three camps. Firstly, those whose comments were extremely unpleasant, and for whom identifying themselves could lead to negative consequences in their own lives; secondly, those who feel unable to stand revealed as authors of their words, perhaps because they don't wish to be known for certain opinions, even if they don't fall into the third category - and lastly, those who do not have any form of online ID and either do not know how to get one or do not wish to get one.

Whatever is the case, however, I am much more comfortable corresponding with people willing to let me know who they are. It always seemed strange to me that the net was full of people who wanted to say something, but who didn't want you to know that they were saying it. It seemed, somehow, abusive of the basic laws of human conduct. So, I am pleased, at the change, even though it is quieter on the blog. That quietness signifies an improvement in the QUALITY of discourse, since, now, those who know that they could not possibly leave a clue as to their identities without finding trouble for their words, have ceased to write. That is good.

So here is a thank you to those who remain to comment: it is good to see some who are willing to put a name to their own words. It is a pleasure to read them. Cheers.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 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.

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 first step towards civilization.

I have been silent for a week, as I said I would be. I write now, not out of any particular motive to write, but because I promised to have a decision in a week - so a decision I must post.

I have decided to take an interim step towards improving the experience of writing this blog. From this moment forth, there shall be no anonymous comments on my blog. It is my hope that this step, alone, will be enough to restore sufficient civility to the comments I have been receiving. Should it not do so, I will strengthen the limitations on who can post, on my blog, and even who can read it.

From now on, anyone with a blogger account or an OpenID can post on this blog. I am sorry if you have neither and you wish to post - you will just have to get an ID. For four years, I allowed all readers the privilege - and it is a privilege - of posting anonymously, out of a misguided belief that some people might have sensitive things to say, that required them to protect themselves with anonymity. However, the opposite thing happened. People with INSENSITIVE things to say, abused the privilege to hurl invective, spite and sheer nastiness whenever I wrote something they disagreed with. So, it has to stop. If you have something to say...you must now do so, in the open, with a name and an ID.

Now, should the unpleasant remarks not stop with Open ID and blogger, I will restrict the permissions further, to just blogger members. If that doesn't work, then I will restrict the READERSHIP, to invited people only. If that doesn't work, I will have a private blog, readable only by the author.

I am tired of reading abusive comments from often less than perfectly sane readers - or less than perfectly pleasant, anyway. I hope that this first step towards achieving a civil blogging experience will be enough to attain it. If not, I have already outlined the successive steps I will take to gradually restrict access to commenting on this blog and eventually to even reading the blog. I would prefer not to have to restrict the blog further, but I shall do so, if the net nastiness continues.

I hope to have a better blogging experience, from now on. We shall see.

Thank you to all those who wrote letters expressing appreciation of my writing (under the previous post) and asking me to continue. I have weighed those words and decided that I should take this minimal first step towards restoring "civilization" to my blog, before taking any more drastic steps. Let's hope it works. Thanks.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 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.

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.)

Is it worth writing a blog?

I am led, today, to ask whether it is worth writing a blog. Now, this might seem like a funny question from someone who has written about 1400 posts...but it is one that has been prompted by the experience of the past few week or so.

I have been receiving enormously offensive, hurtful and spiteful anonymous comments - which I have not posted - on some of my recent articles, in particular the one about Singapore's Intellectual Class. The venom in these comments is so intense, so violent, so disgusting, that it has brought me to the point at which I am considering not writing anymore, on the internet.

Whilst the internet affords many opportunities for positive self expression, it also allows the worst people in the world, to attack others, anonymously. I am very tired of it. I write, always, for a positive purpose. I am trying to achieve some good in the realm of ideas, understanding and social development. Yet, sometimes, I am viciously attacked for it - in an extraordinarily abusive fashion. It isn't right.

Now, I must say, I do enjoy and have enjoyed my correspondence with many interesting, intelligent, thoughtful, and even kindly people around the world. Yet, so intense is the unpleasantness of some of my recent anonymous commenters, that I am thinking of foregoing these pleasures, so that I never have to endure the insanely hostile comments I have been receiving, ever again.

I realize that I have two choices I can make: the first is to stop writing altogether, never post again and turn off all comments so that I never have to receive any more hate mail. The second choice, is a "halfway house" - and that is to turn off anonymous comments, and see if that improves the tone and civility of the comments I receive.

I shall decide in one week from today. So, please, if you are a civil anonymous commenter, feel free to comment in that period. Thereafter, please secure yourself an online id, if I decide to continue blogging and receiving comments, with identification. (4.53 pm I am enjoying our correspondence, so please get yourself an online ID, if you wish to continue...)

I will add this: if all my readers could see the unpostable anonymous hate mail I have received over the years, you too would not want to write anymore. You would also have a very low impression of that portion of "humanity" that would shelter behind anonymity to hurl hate, spite and insult, at another human being, who is simply trying to express ideas in a way that they can be understood.

I have some thinking to do on this matter. I would like to thank everyone who has commented intelligently, benignly, productively or humanely. I have had many enjoyable internet conversations, through you. Thank you very much. As for the hate mailers: why are so many of you American? (Many of the others are Singaporean). Just what is wrong with those two countries that they can breed so much hate? Given the kind of sentiments I have seen expressed by a minority of commenters, from those two countries, I really don't think I could ever live, in either place. I would not be comfortable, living there, knowing that there are people in the society around me, capable of writing such things, to people they have never met. It is loathsome.

Thank you to all those who are worth thanking. As for the others, I hope fate gives you what you deserve. I shall decide soon. Either this blog will fall silent, forever, or there shall be no more anonymous comments permitted.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 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.

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.)

On my blogging regularity

Accessing the internet, from Malaysia, has certain quirks. Sometimes, I just can't do it.

I have both a Maxis connection and a Streamyx connection. I must say that, of the two of them, the Maxis connection is better. However, both have a problem. Sometimes common sites display broken links. By this I mean that it is not possible, often for hours or a day or so, at a time, to connect to particular sites. These are sites as well known as yahoo.com and blogspot.com. This means that sometimes, I can't check my mail. It also means that not infrequently, I cannot post to blogger, when I wish to. Thus, please be patient if I haven't blog posted for a while. It could be that I am not able to from my computer. This phenomenon has, in fact, prevented me from posting on several days, now.

So, my intention is to post regularly. However, this may not be possible, at times. So, just check back another time. The post will come eventually.

Thank you.


(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 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.

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.)

On having readers.

It is a privilege to have readers. That is something that is easily forgotten. I am fortunate to have readers from all over the world. Some are dedicated readers who visit every day. Others pop by once in a while, and perhaps leave a comment. Then there are those who stumble upon my blog, read the one or two articles that exactly fit their interest, then move on. For all of them, I am grateful, for having a reader allows one to communicate thoughts.

What I find most interesting about readers in the Internet age is that they are all voluntary. They are voluntary in a very special way: they CHOOSE to be on a particular web page. Most of my traffic arrives through the search engines. The searcher is looking for material on particular terms and the only reason they are directed to my page, is that my page is relevant to those search terms: I have written something relating to their search. I find that amazing. We live in a time in which only the most relevant material to our concerns is brought to our attention. That means that we only get to read what we really want to read. Thus, though I may not have the number of readers that a newspaper attracts, at least each of my readers has specifically decided to read the particular web page they find themselves on. That is the not the case with a newspaper, in which a random selection of stories is served up, many of which will not be of real interest to the reader.

We thus live in an age in which the right reader finds it easy to find the right writer. Whatever I write will appeal to a small segment of the world's population - but that small segment is now able to find what I write, should they so wish. That is most refreshing.

Since I started this blog over two years ago, I have had almost 183,000 readers. That may not sound much, to some people, compared to the millions that might read a daily newspaper, but it is a lot when you consider that each of those readers is a relevant reader: they are reading precisely because they want to read the particular post I have written.

I am grateful that the Internet connects the right writers with the right readers in this way. It means that whatever I write will one day find the exact people who might wish to read it. Now, that may only be a small number of people compared to the world's population - but it will be those who actually would appreciate a particular piece of writing so, in that sense, those readers are the only important ones. The others, the vast majority of others, don't search using the right terms and never find my web pages, precisely because their content doesn't match their interests. It is best, therefore, that my words don't trouble them - I would rather be found only by those who are likely to appreciate what I have expressed.

It is clear, therefore, that the Internet age provides an ideal medium for the distribution of the written word. In it the right thoughts go to those most receptive to them. No-one's time is wasted reading material that is irrelevant and writers are actually enabled to find the few readers who will appreciate their own particular brand of thought.

If you have read this page, you have done so because, in some way, it fits your interests. Thank you, therefore, for stopping by and taking the time to read what I have written. It is possible that other posts, here, will prove of interest, too...so have a look around.

Cheers.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to:http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency, that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. If you need such services, or know someone who does, please go to: http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication prohibited. Use Only with Permission. Thank you.)

On the need for civil discourse.

Once upon a time, discourse between people in public was conducted with civility. At least, this was the ideal. However, this no longer seems to apply, in the modern world, particularly on the internet.

Recently, I wrote a post about the experience of native English speakers, encountering Singlish. It was a distillation of the experiences of many native English speakers that I have known in my life, from all walks of life, and from all the major English speaking countries. All confessed to have been baffled by Singlish at times - and all thought, basically, that it would be better if a more standard version of English were current, from the point of view of effective communication. Only one liked Singlish, a Canadian, who thought it was "funny". Basically, Singlish made him laugh, so he liked it.

Now, one would have thought that getting an external perspective on the local linguistic situation might be of interest to Singaporeans. However, this has not been the case. The post has been greeted with great hostility in some quarters - such hostility that I wonder if it is even worth engaging such people in conversation, in any form.

One poster, in particular, whose comment I posted, went on to write on his or her own blog in a defamatory fashion. Their post is filled with ad hominem attacks (personal attacks) upon me. It seems to be motivated by a lot of anger and quite a bit of spite. It is a most unpleasant post and one that is, actually, libellous in several instances. This is not what I call civilized discourse.

When I grew up and received an education, I imbibed the idea that when engaged in intellectual discourse that one should never attack the bearer of an idea, and only to argue with the idea itself. That notion doesn't seem to be understood in the Singaporean blogosphere. It seems that Singlish is a minor communication problem, here - the greater one is the lack of respect for civil discourse.

A nation that speaks a corrupted version of English, I can accept, though I would advise that they be conversant in standard English, as well, for purposes of international communication - but a nation that has lost - or never had - an understanding of civil discourse really is unnacceptable. When Singaporeans indulge in uncivilized attacks on others, instead of engaging in well-behaved discourse to come to an understanding of ideas, they show, ultimately, what is lacking, in some people here: an appreciation of what it means to be a civilized being, in a sophisticated world.

I didn't fully appreciate how lacking some Singaporeans are, in basic civility, until I saw the reactions to my post. It has been enlightening...it has also lowered, somewhat, my opinion of the element of society responsible. One got the impression that the posters were the kind of people who would engage in lynchings, in other times, and places.

I have to give some thought to this: perhaps it is not worth trying to engage local people in any kind of discourse at all. A civilized conversation is only possible with those who have learnt what it means to be civilized. One poster, in particular, most certainly has no idea what that means. Some others are not far behind.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency, that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. If you need such services, or know someone who does, please go to: http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication prohibited. Use Only with Permission. Thank you.)

All quiet on the Blogosphere front

Some of the commenters on my Xiaxue post, have remarked that the Singaporean Blogosphere has quietened since the NLB announced its remarkable choices for archiving. Some notable bloggers have, it seems, set their keyboards aside, in a mute protest at being thought unworthy of selection - at least, it seems that way. Either that, or their sudden silence is an inexplicable coincidence.

I am somewhat surprised at this reaction. My own thinking on the matter is that if an external body, handing out approval and recognition - which is what the NLB is doing in this case - does not approve or recognize one's work, the proper response is to plow on and continue to write. The writing itself is its own justification - and it needs no official approval to make it worthy.

I can understand that it is disheartening to see others of lesser worth - some might even say, utterly worthless, in fact - to be chosen, when one's own carefully chosen words are ignored and considered not worth noting. However, one should not be disheartened. Those who do not choose to recognize one's words say nothing about those words - their action speaks only of themselves, and their values. Through the NLB's choices, is the nature of the NLB's criteria revealed. So, by their choice, we learn of them. We do not learn of the merit or otherwise of a particular blogger. The blogger remains as good as the blogger actually is. So, I would not fall silent, simply because an authority failed to notice one's efforts. I would urge all those bloggers who have fallen silent, to resume writing and express once more, the thoughts that, before the Blogosphere, would not have been known.

The Blogosphere is here to allow you to speak your mind - so do so.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and one month, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and six months, and Tiarnan, twenty-three months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)

The Author's Purpose in Writing

One of my readers has observed that not all of my posts are on giftedness. This is how I intend it to be. Yet, their comment led me to think I should explain why I write what I do.

My first purpose in writing is to communicate my understanding of giftedness and what I learn and observe from my children (and from my own life), as examples of this phenomenon. I think this helps young parents faced with their first gifted child get to grips with some of the issues they will face. So, in that sense, my writing fulfils a social objective of supporting others in a similar or somehow analogous situation. All giftedness leads to varying degrees of the issues discussed on my blog pages and so any parent of a gifted child can better prepare themselves for what lies ahead by coming to know what one parent of gifted children has had to go through.

That is clear and probably understood without stating it - but I thought it better to make it explicit. There are, however, other purposes in writing. I wish to record my children as they grow up, so that I might enjoy their childhood many years from now, when, perhaps the details would otherwise have been lost to my, then, aging mind. It is, therefore, an investment in my future contentment at the parenting life I have led.

A further purpose is to explore and record the personality of my children - so not just looking at their giftedness, but recording anecdotes which show them as they are, which reveal something of their personality aside and apart from their giftedness. This was not understood by the reader who mailed me. He expected all posts to illustrate giftedness - but this is not so - and why should it be? There are more aspects to a gifted child than simple giftedness: there is their developing personality, funny moments, sweet acts, thoughtful deeds, developmental milestones, their interests and hobbies, their outlook and viewpoints, their friends, their loves and their lives (all later on, one would think).

A gifted child is so much more than a gift - and so a blog about gifted children - as mine is, should also be so much more than just about giftedness - and so it is. In some posts, a broader view of my children is evident. Glimpses of their personality and individuality are to be seen. It is these, in some ways, which are more important to capture. It is these aspects of them which make them unique.

I also wish to write in a more scholarly fashion, at times, looking at the literature on giftedness, genius, prodigy, intelligence, creativity, left-handedness, child development and the like. My purpose is to distill the essence of this work to make it readily digestible to all, so that my readers might be better informed of the scientific understanding of all things gifted.

On other occasions, I write of issues that seem to have some social importance, not just to gifted people, but to society in general. This is an important function which allows me to express my views on wider matters in the world. Elements of myself are to be found in such posts.

I also write of countries that I know personally - these include Singapore, the UK, Ireland, and the USA - the four countries with which I am most familiar. My view on all such matters, is that I would always like to see improvements in each society - so if I discuss one, it would usually be to address something which could be done better.

I take no political views, in this blog, but that doesn't mean I can't comment on something a politician does or says. There is no intent to take a political stand in doing so.

I hope that goes some way to explaining what I write and why.

Happy reading all.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged seven years and eleven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and four months, and Tiarnan, twenty-one months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)

The importance of creativity

Yesterday, an old friend asked me: "Are you still writing that blog?" His intonation seemed to say: "Why bother?"

"Yes." I answered, simply, ignoring the message of his tone.

"I don't see where you can go with that.", he replied.

That hurt. I had spent a year writing this blog, day by day, for the purpose of expressing my thoughts on matters of what, to me, are some importance - but that isn't necessarily clear to others. For him, there was no purpose to writing, perhaps because it didn't produce any observable financial return. Yet, there are more reasons for doing something, than money alone.

Without creativity, a life is not fully lived. Each of us has an individuality that will never come again into this world. I believe that a person has somehow failed if they don't express their own essential nature, in whatever way best suits them. For me, one of those of ways is writing. If my friend had actually taken the trouble to read my blog, he would seen that I have poured much thought and feeling into these 550 pages or so. I feel that there is much of value, there, for anyone who takes the time to read it.

I hope that some of you agree.

As for his remark: such words tend to silence creativity - they tend to make a writer fall silent. It has, therefore, been a struggle today to write this entry. I hope to resume my former momentum tomorrow.

Best wishes all.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged seven years and ten months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and three months, and Tiarnan, twenty months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)

First Anniversary of Prodigy Blog

A year ago, today, on September 19th 2006, I made my first posting on The Boy Who Knew Too Much: A Child Prodigy.

I had chosen a simple self-explanatory title for the blog - and the same for the domain http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com.html/

I began knowing nothing of the medium but came, in time, to appreciate its flexibility and the facility it gives anyone, with something to say, the means to communicate it to others. The Blog is changing the way people relate to others all over the world. It has dissolved the barrier that separated the common man, from playing any role in the media. Blogs are a new media that are truly accessible to all who are likely to be able to use them ie. those who can write, think or comment on the work of others, if they are not able to create their own.


It is difficult to believe that it is a year since I began - but that is what the date on the first posting says, so a year it is.

Since then I have posted 523 times, my blog has been visited by 33,095 visitors, reading 105,687 pages (which can include a whole week's postings per page), as of 8.45 pm on the first anniversary of first posting.

My peak readers hit over 3,000 in one frenzied day - when the story of Ainan hit the world's newspapers - and after the first few months in which I began to build both an audience and posts, visitorship has rarely dropped beneath a hundred readers in a day.

I have regular readers from various parts of the world, particularly in countries where English is a first language, like the USA, Canada, Australia, Ireland, Singapore and the UK. I also have what I call "deep readers". These are people who chance upon my blog and then spend several hours reading it. Typically these readers spend two or three hours doing so - but some are much longer - up to over five or six hours at one reading, if memory serves me right. This is, to me, an indication that I am writing in a way which a certain kind of reader, at least, finds rewarding - otherwise why would they spend a large chunk of their day reading?

I have noticed that there are cycles in readership with some periods attracting more than others. It is clear, too, that I have had readers from everywhere on Earth - even, believe it or not, in parts of Africa, where one would expect few internet connections.

Even the people of small islands in the middle of nowhere have popped in to look around.

I haven't counted the number of comments on the postings exactly but it must be well into four figures, when all are added up. Most comments have been kindly, supportive, interesting, or informative. A few comments didn't make it to posting since they appeared to have been written by people with "issues" over giftedness (mainly spiteful, sometimes mad). All in all, though, if a typical reader is represented by the typical comment, then the typical reader is well-informed, thoughtful and not infrequently insightful. It has been a pleasure to relate to you all, through this medium, this past year.

I have surprised myself by how much and how often I have written. I did not know what I would say before I began...just that it would be good to say some of the things I think about. I hope it has been of some use and interest to you all.

I am pleased at the readership that I have garnered, to date, for there are over 70 million blogs in this world and it is difficult to see how they can all get readers when the number of people connected to the internet is, as I read some while back, only about 10 times that number. That indicates a ratio of ten possible readers for every blog, if they are spread out evenly. So, set against that kind of statistic, I have quite a healthy readership. Yet, it would be good if, in the year ahead, the readership could expand. Thus, I have a suggestion. If you like any of the articles here, or appreciate the blog in general, then why not link your site (if you have one) to mine, or the posting in question. Then others could get a chance to enjoy it too.

Looking ahead to the second year of my blog, I have, at the beginning of that time, the intention of continuing to blog regularly. I will continue to cover giftedness in all its manifestations and child prodigy in particular. I may choose to expand into other areas - but at the core will be the issue of human excellence and giftedness of all shapes and sizes. It is a subject I know well, and is one I feel important enough to give some time to, regularly. The gifted are a minority - and like all minorities they need people willing to speak up and speak out, lest people forget that they have needs, too. Perhaps, to some degree, my blog helps to that end.

So, if you have enjoyed any of my postings, why not spread the word - and see if, at the end of my second year of blogging, my total readership can exceed the 100,000 mark. I just have to do twice as well in my second year as in my first. That is my goal. I would appreciate your help in achieving it. Thanks all. Happy reading.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged seven years and nine months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and two months, and Tiarnan, nineteen months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)

A reflection on blogging: an inexhaustible life

I have surprised myself with how, each day, I find something to write about. When I began blogging, I did not know whether that would be possible. Now I do.

What is it that allows me to write daily? Well, I have found that my children provide abundant material. I have three kids and a careful eye upon them reveals many interesting things which I can relate, daily. It is my hope that this will prove to be an inexhaustible source of interesting anecdotes relating to the lives of gifted children, as exemplified by one family, the Cawleys of Singapore.

I wish to keep this online account going indefinitely. I do not know, however, how long it is possible to keep seeing new things in one's children. That in itself is an interesting question: is there an infinite variety of things to observe in a single family? Perhaps there is. It would certainly be rewarding to think so.

I would like to thank those of you who have interacted with me through responding to the material posted. If you have a thought to share - just comment and I will reply too.