Pre-Ramble:  Last Sunday’s New York Times Magazine ran a story about highlighters and how they have evolved into the school/office staple that we know and love today.

(You know I totally highlighted that article in preparation for this post … )

“Before the highlighter, attentive readers relied on a combination of underlining and marginal notes.”

Actually, when I review a document for pertinent points, I employ the triple-threat of information organization – highlighting, underlining AND written notes in the margin.  Well, and, as every Word processor knows, along with an underline and “comments” function, there is an electronic equivalent of the highlighter - available in a rainbow of different colors.

Like so many innovations, the snappy neon highlighter is the result of a series of contributing discoveries. It all started with the invention of a felt-tipped pen that delivered water-based ink in a smooth uniform line.  The next iterations were: translucent ink; ink that wouldn’t bleed through paper; and finally, a formula for the eerie fluorescent colors that dominate the current text-marking industry.

“Just as important as the ink’s smooth, even application was its color: see-through yellow and pink, which both drew the eye and neatly delineated a piece of text without obscuring it.”

High points – As a concept articulation specialist and writer, my work is all about taking information from a wide variety of sources and synthesizing it, boiling it down into its most meaningful sound bites.  The function of the highlighter is critical to this endeavor … it transforms the flat terrain of a body of text into a topographical view … bringing out important ranges of information … the high points.

The Take-Away:  Two things: 1) Innovations, particularly those that are so subtle and useful as to be ubiquitous, are fascinating; 2)  All input is not created equal.  Moving through the barrage of our complicated, uber-information-overload world, you need a way to separate the important/meaningful stuff from the mediocre and useless drivel.  To highlight the concept of the highlighter is to recognize that its value is greater than physical neon trails of ink.  A mental highlighter in your day-pack can help you keep top-of-mind the awareness that you can tag the interesting, important, inspiring stuff that comes your way and let the rest of the noise and clutter recede into the background.

Post-Note:  Along a visually similar line, I wish that the Minnesota skies had not been so cloudy these past few nights so we could get a better look at the spectacular auroral lights (sample shown below) that have been stirred up by a recent series of solar flares.

“NASA says the outburst sparked an M3.2-class solar flare, as well as a stream of electrically charged particles that is due to interact with Earth’s magnetic field on Saturday. M-class flares are capable of causing brief radio blackouts near the poles as well as minor radiation storms, but it’s unlikely that this one will disrupt communication or power transmission networks.  As the sun approaches the peak of its 11-year activity cycle in 2013 or so, we can expect to see more powerful solar outbursts … “Viewers can be on the lookout for increased aurora.”

Does that look like a giant green highlighter flourish, or what?!

Pre-Ramble: Well, another Halloween has come and gone, and Rats — another year, caught with no trebuchet.

Last year, I promised myself that I would stay on top of things and be more proactive about pumpkin management preparedness.

Somehow, the whole thing got away from me.

If you weren’t an avid reader in 2009, you may have missed my post “Let it fly” (10/29/09) which discusses the “trebuchet” (example shown right) in the context of increasingly popular “punkin’ chuckin’“ events. You may know these Medieval machines as “catapults,” … either way, they are ridiculous looking contraptions that,

“… use the mechanical advantage principle of leverage to release a sling and arm mechanism to propel a stone or other projectile towards a target with great force.”

Well, so, in lieu of purchasing your own backyard trebuchet — which can involve a number of potentially problematic issues including general bulkiness and high costs of transport and materials, not to mention local zoning regulations — you will be relieved to know that there are rental opportunities:

Craigslist:  Surprisingly, no trebuchets listed here.

eBay:  77 results, mostly small wooden models (assembly required) … like the Tabletop Trebuchet  … Perfect for home or office. A steal at $24.99.

Independent company:  A Google search came back with Yankee Siege Rental located in “picturesque” Greenfield, New Hampshire. Yankee Siege rents a contraption that can throw a maximum 300 pound object close to 1000 ft. (?).  (The falling pumpkin effect on their home page is truly inspired.)

“ … We are now available to help “catapult” your business or product! … You bring the object, we’ll find a way to throw it! … Free consultation!”

Good news … On-site rental of the unit, including a 4-member crew, rigging, castle, etc., runs just $3000 per day.

The better news …  For an additional mileage and set-up cost, Yankee Siege can also travel to your site!  No fuss no muss; use it just when you need it.

And, more good news … Yankee Siege also has a giant 14 foot diameter Mace Ball weighing 10,000 pounds … “This ball can be lifted with our crane and dropped on the object of your choice.”

And, as if that weren’t enough, the fine folks at Yankee Siege go the distance, promoting their website as a public forum for information about all things trebuchet.

“I hope that there can be an open discussion of problems, solutions and new ideas.”

The Trebuchet Take-Away:  Ok, that’s a noble goal … I can certainly see where a discussion around problems that result in the world of the trebuchet are warranted.  But, really, the giant, crudely built implement has been around since Medieval times … are we actually going to see any meaningful innovation happening here?  … Go for it.

Best trebuchet-related quote: “Catapults are similar to boats, in that you always want one that is just a few feet bigger.”  So true.

Best related item found:  A t-shirt featuring illustrated depictions of your most celebrated “Medieval Headwounds” … as inflicted by Axe, Cannon, Crossbow, Sword, Trebuchet, etc. Great holiday gift for the trebuchet enthusiast in your family. Black, 100% cotton, Beefy-T; $24.99 … free shipping. (You know you hope it comes flinging out of the FedEx truck into the side of your house.)

Pre-Ramble:  It’s a bird, … it’s a plane, … no … it’s a German satellite, potentially headed for a backyard near you!

The satellite, known as ROSAT, was launched in 1990 by the German Aerospace Agency, DLR. The agency estimates that ROSY (far less menacing with a cute nickname), packing a combined mass of 1.7 tons, is likely to fall from space at speeds of up to 450 kilometers per hour somewhere between Oct. 21 and 24.

Apparently, there are currently more than 22,000 pieces of space debris orbiting the Earth (map shown at right), with bits and pieces entering the Earth’s atmosphere on a weekly basis — !?  DLR scientists put the risk of being hit by a stray piece of ROSAT at 1-in-2,000 (i.e., the probability of someone on Earth getting injured is one for every 2,000 “de-orbit events” … ).

The Take-Away:  Well, one thing’s for sure – if big hunk of burnin’ German love ”de-orbits” into in my yard, I’m going to keep it and make it into a coffee table.

Post-Note:  If you want to keep tabs on ROSAT’s orbit in real-time, go to n2yo.com.

Another Post-Note:  If you’re into space junk, you’re bound to be bowled over by the curiously striking beauty of the Binary Low Table (shown below). According to its creator, BRC Designs, the table was “inspired by pallets of obsolete computers and electronics that were collecting dust in a local warehouse … The surface is completely covered with a collage of motherboards, computer chips, led screens and hard drive discs … “ (… And, there’s a matching chair!)

Pre-Ramble:  Here’s a noteworthy and potentially paradigm-shifting event (and one big nasty story-problem) …

If physicists at a giant particle accelerator near Geneva, fired a beam of neutrinos toward a detector that was 454 miles away in Gran Sasso, Italy, only to discover that the neutrinos seemed to be reaching the detector 60 nanoseconds faster than light, does that mean that Einstein’s theory of relativity which says that the speed of light in a vacuum (approximately 186,282 miles per second) is the ultimate speed limit — nothing in the universe can travel faster — is all wet?

The speed of light is a big deal … It shows up everywhere …

“… from estimates of the size and age of the universe to the radius of black holes to the power generated by nuclear reactors. Over the years, experiments have rigorously and repeatedly tested relativity and quantum mechanics and found no discrepancies — until now.”

Einstein’s theory of relativity, “a pillar of modern physics” has been called into question here … Any nanosecond now, physicists everywhere will be scrambling to replicate this daunting-if-true phenomenon, the fall-out from which would represent a scientific revolution of unfathomable magnitude. Most scientists believe it still too early to call, but if the CERN experiment is independently verified, the evidence would represent a big fat “X” in the “oops, never mind” column for our celebrated genius.

Take heart, dear Einstein … a recent WSJ article supports, in fact promotes, the role of failure in the active pursuit of creative and innovative solutions.  University of California, Davis psychology professor Dean Keith Simonton advances the idea that successful innovators are those who aren’t afraid to take risks, and in doing so, experience failure on a regular basis …

“Many people succeed at producing innovations because they churn out a very large number of ideas, both good and bad … The most successful people tend to be those with the most failures.” 

It is interesting to note that Dr. Simonton has authored over 500 studies and articles and 12 books on creativity/innovation.  Based on his own risk theory, we can assume that either some percentage of this work would be considered a failure, or that he has an even more prodigious pile of stinkers to account for the successful lot.

Luckily for Einstein and Dr. Simonton, the article suggests a variety of tactics born out of the “failure as a key to creativity” school of thought that employers can use to foster an innovative work environment.  Here is an adaptation of those ideas for use in your own personal environment:

• Make innovation a priority and build the expectation into the structure of your day
• To that point, schedule “free time” where you can meander around, day-dream and otherwise work on creative pursuits
• Play a game
• Take a nap
• Go to an art museum or gallery — or add some new pieces of original artwork to your personal collection
• Draw, paint or sculpt something fabulous yourself
• Build an atrium in the middle of your house — natural light can inspire enlightened thinking (I just made that up, but I know I think better when I’m working in a nice sunny spot)
• Take a hike — natural light is even better outside!
• Meditate — while I’ve not really gotten into this, the experts swear by the capacity of meditation to open up creative valves in the brain
• Run around the block or ride your bike — like meditation, physical exercise loosens up new pathways in the brain
• Listen to new kinds of music
• Take risks — try new stuff, ask potentially stupid questions, look at things from different perspectives, try on different hats, etc. (I keep a tiara by my desk, just in case I need a change in perspective … “What would Queen Katherine do??“)

The Take-Away:  It’s okay, Einstein, … if this whole theory of relativity thing goes down, look on the bright side … It will free you up to try a new creative approach.  Get yourself one of those fancy new super duper particle accelerators, roll it out onto the sunporch, put on some Black Eyed Peas – and see what pops!

Pre-Ramble: I can barely stand it. The new and improved ”food icon” designed to replace the current out-of-favor “Food Guide Pyramid” was revealed today at 10:30 EST … live-streamed at www.usda.gov/live … (or, if you were in the USDA’s Jefferson Auditorium, USDA South Building, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., you heard the announcement live).

I’ve aired my beefs around the relative user-unfriendliness of the Food Pyramid in previous blog posts. The first rendition of food consumption guidelines was introduced in 1958 and has been “updated” several times over the years to reflect various advances in nutritional science. The most recent version of the chart, released in 2005 with a staircase up one side to signify the exercise component, has been much-maligned by nutritionists who claim that it is “hopelessly complicated, impossible to teach and requires the use of a computer.”

According to Fox News online, (“USDA Scraps Food Pyramid for Plate” … LOVE that headline!), the spiffy new design (shown above right) features “a dinner plate cut into four sections – red for fruit, green for vegetables, orange for grains and purple for protein – with a separate section resembling a cup on the side for dairy … ” (At first glance, I was sure that spot was designated for a cupcake.)

WebMD nutrition director Kathleen Zelman, RD calls the new MyPlate symbol ”an icon that works” …

“We now have an easy-to-understand layout of what constitutes a healthy meal … Whether you are grocery shopping, packing lunches, or assembling a meal on a plate, the new food plate icon will serve as a constant reminder of the essential ingredients for a nutritious meal — five easy pieces.

The icon makes it clear that fruits and veggies should make up half of your meal, while protein is the smallest part of the plate. The grain portion is a bit larger and still offers the advice to “make half your grains whole … ”

The Take-Away: I’ve got some reservations about the ability of the MyPlate icon and campaign (there’s bound to be an app for this) to produce real change, but overall, Yay! … Any strategy that can bring awareness and healthier eating habits to our nutritionally challenged nation is a great thing. I’m just glad they didn’t trade out the pyramid for a pie chart, which would have sent the totally wrong message (see French Silk Pie Chart below).

Pre-Ramble: In my last post, I gave a few overview details about the Learning and the Brain conference that I attended a couple weeks ago.  One of the big themes was the concept of “flow” … specifically, being in it and the remarkable performance boost that comes from this relaxed, yet heightened state.

No-show conference presenter, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined and defines “flow” as “the optimal experience” … one where an individual takes part in “activities that stretch their capacity and involve an element of novelty and discovery … they experience … an almost automatic, effortless, yet highly focused state of consciousness.”

In his research, Csikszentmihalyi identified nine elements that seemed to characterize the flow experience for everyone he interviewed, regardless of the subject’s activity or demographic …

1. the process is clear (you don’t have to “think about” what to do “next”)
2. there is immediate, in-the-moment feedback in response to action (… a sense of, “Yay – you’re doing it right!“)
3. there’s a balance between challenge and skills (not too easy, not too hard … just right)
4. action and awareness are merged (there’s focus)
5. distractions are excluded from consciousness (intense focus causes a kind of “tunnel-vision” to kick in)
6. there is no worry of failure (everything is clicking and that’s the over-riding vibe)
7. self-consciousness disappears (see “everything is clicking” above)
8. sense of time becomes distorted (“Wow – how long have I been writing this blog post??“)
9. the activity becomes “autoletic”  ( self-rewarding … worth doing for its own sake)

MC suggests that “place” is an important factor in creative endeavor/flow as well. The optimal confluence of information, stimulation and resources ($$$) greatly depends on the environment in which a pursuit or experience takes place. Silicon Valley is a great example of the value of “place” to innovative, creative outcomes.

Speaking of place, I had another experience of flow while in Chicago for the conference — more like synchronous happenstance that just makes you shake your head and think “What are the odds?”

Well, so, I had wanted to take my conference buddy to this really great Thai restaurant that I had been to while in Chicago a couple of years before. Saved that for the last night we were in town … go out with a big hoorah, blah, blah … But when I went to look up the address online, I discovered that the place had closed — !!?

Well, great. NOW what were we going to do?  In a state of hungry frustration (the worst kind) I suggested that we just “walk toward the big bean and see if we could find a good spot.”  Could that plan have been any less of a plan?

So, we walked down Michigan Avenue (tulips were unbelievable!) through Millennium Park and eventually found ourselves on a narrow aluminum walking bridge up to what looked like a museum or field house of some kind.  Great, yeah, whatever … Not a restaurant in sight, but, hey.  Almost to the top, we were approached by a uniformed security guard who politely, but firmly, informed us that the rest of the bridge was closed and we needed to turn around and make our way back down.

Now even more hungry and ornery, I casually leaned in toward the guard and asked, “So, where should we have dinner? … Can you recommend a good place around here?”

He looked at me like I was from Mars and then pointed randomly across a nearby street and said, “Well, I don’t eat around here, but folks seem to like that place over there … (he actually said, “dat place over dare”) … and gave me a faint smile, still shooing us off the bridge.

Long story short, (well, … less long) …  my friend and I went over to dat place and it turned out to be a hip, happening, packed bar/restaurant, hopping with hip, happening Chicago urban professionals meeting up after work on a Friday night for some fun. The wait for a table was 2 hours, so we decided to take a seat in the bar area and watch the lively scene.

Not only were the French fries divine (French fries are experiencing a resurgent status as an “it” food, you know), but we struck up a conversation with a gentleman and his companion who were seated across from us at the long communal table, only to discover that he was involved in international education and communications initiatives in Third World countries … precisely the subject area of a project I had just finished working on.  We had a total “flow” conversation and may find a project of mutual benefit in the future.

The Take-Away: Sometimes the best things happen when you just “go with the flow” … it could even become autoletic.

Pre-Ramble: Just back from the Learning & the Brain Conference sponsored by The University of Chicago – and my brain is PACKED with new, fascinating ways to look at learning and performance through the lens of cutting-edge advances in neurological research.

This three-day “interdisciplinary forum” brought together researchers, clinicians and educators who provided insight – both heavy on the research and in a user-friendly practical realm – into the dynamics of motivation and focus in academics, athletics and all-around achievement. This was the perfect storm of psychologists, teachers and regular folks, exchanging ideas in a number of different break-out forums.

The line-up of speakers was varied and impressive:

• Sian Beilock, Director of the Human Performance Lab at UC set the tone with a presentation on performance under pressure. Whether you’re hitting the wrong note, dropping the ball, or choking on a test – her research on the brain reveals the how and why and offers lab-tested strategies to improve performance. (Her book - Choke, 2010)
• Author, Daniel Siegel, MD, gave an experiential explanation of how practice (lots of it) and mindfulness (meditation) can make a staggering difference in the ability of the brain to support excellence, and how stress physically diminishes the brain’s capacity to perform. (His most recent book - Mindsight, 2011)
• Psychologist, Ben Bernstein, PhD, provided an entertaining take on the mind-body connection using a three-pronged approach – calm, confident and focused – to mitigate any type of stress. His “seed packet” analogy was particularly powerful, underscoring the importance of “vision” of an end state in pursuit of personal, professional or educational goals. (His book - Workbook for Test Success, 2010)
• Journalist, Daniel Coyle (could the guy look and sound any more like Tom Hanks?) In researching “talent hotbeds,” Coyle came across a Russian tennis club called Spartak that had produced more top-20 women players than the entire U.S. … “on a single club with one crummy indoor court, in a freezing climate.” That plus a deep inquiry into the behavior of the myelin sheath structure in the brain went into The Talent Code, his recent book about “getting really good at sports, art, music and anything else.”  (Where do I sign up??)
• Sadly, one of the scheduled keynote speakers, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, PhD, researcher and author of several books on creativity ( … he was the first to identify and expound upon the concept of “flow”) … was unable to attend the conference. The only person I felt sorrier for than my disappointed self, was the woman (his close colleague) who was sent to speak in his place.  She actually did a very nice job, (and effortlessly breezed through pronunciation of Mihaly’s last name several times).

The Take-Away: In addition to the realization that you need to write a book if you’re going to be a presenter at these elite conferences, there were many interesting and memorable take-away concepts.  In spite of the fact that it is finally spring, the one which I will leave you with here is Daniel Coyle’s comparison of mental processes in the brain to a snowy sledding hill.

As he describes it, each thought or action is like a sled going down that hill, making a “track” in the snow. The more times you think or do the same thing, the deeper and more entrenched that pathway becomes; and the stronger and faster it becomes as well. If you repeat the action enough times (10,000 is the estimate), it becomes pretty much your default zone.

Apparently it’s all about practice habits. Skill circuits are grown and maintained through deep practice. And, it turns out, the most valuable part of deep practice is mistakes; they point right to the next piece of skill that needs to be mastered in order to progress! Viva la mistakes!!

Post-Note: Chicago was decked out in full spring regalia … Planters of lush tulips bursting with color lined Michigan Avenue and Millennium Park (and the “big chrome bean” shown above … which is actually a nice representation of the inner workings of the brain … I thought … ) were a sight to behold as well. This location was a total value-add for the conference experience.

Pre-Ramble:  Nothing fires me up more than an article titled, “How to Fire Up U.S. Innovation” (WSJ, 4/12/11) … As an adult-onset geek, the mere thought of things being innovated makes my heart beat a little bit faster. 

In the piece, Vinton Cerf, chief Internet evangelist (?) at Google, lays out a few key dynamics that factor into a highly functioning innovation “ecosystem” including freedom to pursue ideas, freedom to fail, freedom to access information, and also the freedom to “keep attracting the best talent from abroad” (in a good way).

In addition to singing the praises of tight, innovation-spawning relationships between academia and the marketplace, Cerf also suggests that a significant retooling of U.S. K-12 education around the STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and an increase in the rock-star status of engineering and science are crucial elements in the quest to get the homefires of innovation started.

“The American public focuses more on sports and entertainment figures and less on the scientists and engineers whose innovations make our lives easier, safer, healthier and more productive … Our successful scientists and engineers should be made more visible and their voices heard more often …

… [And, we need to] refresh and invigorate interest in and regard for science and engineering in our youth … Young people should understand and experience the thrill of science and discovery.

Like many, Cerf advocates for a comprehensive, collaborative effort to expand school and extra-curricular opportunities for young people in math, engineering and science.  He cites success stories like the FIRST robotics program, NASA’s 50-year partnership with the National Science Teachers Association, and Google’s own recently launched global Science Fair. Each of these programs is part of a critical education pipeline that provides opportunities for students to work with experienced scientists and engineers and allows them to learn first-hand.

“We need to help [children] do real science, not just read about it, through collaborative tools that help mentors and students to interact … children learn best by seeing and doing … ”

The Take-Away:  Sounds like a plan!  However, as Chief Cerf and his colleagues are well aware, expanded school and extra-curricular opportunities for young people that’s heavy on “seeing and doing” will take more than a snappy website and a box of rose-colored goggles.  At least part of the innovation equation includes: 1) a winning strategy; 2) a couple of relevant, high-profile champions; 3) a force of infectiously fabulous teacher/mentors; and, 4) piles of money.

Post Note:  While we’re at it, let’s innovate a way to motivate kids to be fascinated by the world around them.  Is there an app for that?  As Cerf suggests, maybe we need a little PR push to Twitter-up some action …  Wonder if Snooki’s agent is available?

Pre-Ramble:  I love hearing stuff about kids who are crazy good at science. Yesterday’s NY Times   Magazine (Sunday, 2/27) featured ”Youth.”  Two of them, Matt Fernandez and Akash Krishnan, friends from Portland, Oregon, had built a computer program that can recognize “feelings” in human speech patterns for their high school science fair.

In a nut-shell, the very cool algorithum that they came up with determines emotion in spoken words by measuring 57 different aspects of an audio signal as compared to a signal that has been pre-defined as a specific emotion - such as ”fear, anger, joy and sadness.” 

“Computers have become very good at parsing an audio signal into specific words and identifying their meaning. But spoken language is more than just semantics… it’s far from clear what elements in an audio signal indicate happiness or anger as a quality of voice. Trying to figure that out quickly consumed them. Matt stayed up late reading research papers, ignoring his other homework … Akash was up until 3 a.m. many nights reading and programming… The research paper they submitted for the [science fair] was 30 pages of code and 60 pages of writing to explain it.”

Matt and Akash ended up taking first place at the science fair; went on to represent their school at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in San Jose; entered the Siemens Competition (one of two premier science competitions in the country); won the team grand prize at the national competition in Washington; and their program has been linked to practical applications such as a way to help autistic children recognize emotional cues in speech, and to provide emotion recognition capabilities for cell phones and other interactive devices. 

Nice going, boys!! …

But, I digress … The work of these gifted young scientists harkens me back to reflect upon the efforts of another young scientist … less brilliant perhaps, but toiling away nonetheless in her Environmental Living 101 class at the University of Michigan in the late 1970′s. 

As you can imagine, in this nearly pre-historic time, there were no computers … no internet … really no “technology” to speak of, unless you want to count calculators (ha!).  We were practically using the stone and chisel.

The scientific challenge was to create a “parabolic reflector” (an umbrella lined with aluminum foil, poked upside-down into the grass to catch the sunlight) which would harness solar power in amounts strong and focused enough to cook a standard cupcake.  (I blame my parents for the selection of this particular research topic, as I was never allowed to have an Easy Bake Oven … Curiously, years later, when faced with this scenario with my own young daughters, I forbade them from owning or consuming the disgusting packets of chemicals that foamed together under the heat of a light bulb as well.)

The archived project notations are sketchy, however, as I recall, the strength of the sunlight in early April in the northern Midwest left much to be desired, (not even a boost of global warming to help it along).  Due to either the ravages of radiant temperatures in the precisely calculated “hot spot” of the reflector, or simply drying out in the air, the cupcake (chocolate) ended up being barely edible. 

The Take-Away:  My point here, is that there are lots of curious, talented kids out there just waiting for an opportunity to explore some odd notion that crosses their mind.  Matt and Akash were obsessed in their quest to get to the bottom of the emotion recognition challenge … Every kid, even the ones who aren’t pre-inclined to math and science geekiness, has to be wondering about something?  Whether their inquiry results in a patent-worthy method of digital emotion recognition or a petrified cupcake, we, as a society, need to foster both the curiosity and the opportunity for kids to engage in exploration of ideas. 

Post-Note: I want more of my tax dollars to go into the “curiosity and opportunity”/education bucket and less to go into the “get involved in another foreign war” bucket.

Pre-Ramble:  I have always admired, … no, more than that, … I have always revered people who could get by with very little sleep … folks who could presumably get more awesome things done in a day because they weren’t drooling on a pillow for seven or eight hours a night.

Somewhere I read that geniuses don’t need a lot of sleep — folks like Albert Einstein, Leonardo daVinci, Steven Jobs … Presumably, these guys have more hours in a day to spend on meaningful activities like dreaming up theories and inventing things. I’m sure Steven Jobs has been up these last few nights festering over this and that. 

Well, so, if you’re not sleeping, it is a pretty safe bet that you are also not dreaming.  Which, according to dreaming experts means that you are missing out on a whole other way to think and “find solutions to things that confound us during waking hours.” Research suggests that dreaming, which happens in the state of sleep known as REM (Rapid Eye Movement), has been around for 220 million years and plays an active role in our evolutionary history.

In his book Dream Language (2005), founding director of the DreamScience Foundation and past president of the International Association for the Study of Dreams, Robert J. Hoss describes the brain functions suspected of instigating dreams:

“The brain stem and limbic system act as “activators” of the REM state of sleep we typically associate with dreaming and arouse us into the pseudo-consciousness of REM sleep whereupon the amygdala modulates the internally generated cortical input, thus activating the emotion-related processing that stimulates the dream.”

ZZZzzzz…….

Once thought to be a result of “neurons firing randomly,” dreams are now believed to be “mash-ups created by the subconscious mind as it processes, sorts and stores emotions from the day.”  Rosalind Cartwright professor of neuroscience at Rush University Medical Center and author of a new book titled “The Twenty-Four Hour Mind,” explains that the dreaming mind will recall something that happened during the day and connect it with bits and pieces of older memories that are somehow related … “old memories and new memories Scotch-plaided into each other.”

Harvard psychologist Deirdre Barrett, suggests that the “highly visual and often illogical” quality of dreams is “simply a different form of thinking” and an avenue by which the brain can engage in out-of-the-box thinking and problem-solving. Barrett has documented the phenomenon in her extensive study of problem-solving in dreams,

“In one experiment, [she] had college students pick a homework problem to solve … Students focused on the problem each night before they went to bed. At the end of the week, about half the students had dreamed about the problem and about one-quarter had a dream that contained the answer.”

Barrett also reviewed scientific and historical literature to find examples of the types of problems most likely to be solved in dreams. Many of these involved problems that required individuals to “visualize something in his or her mind, such as an inventor picturing a new device.” 

The Take-Away: It’s great to know that a few extra hours of shut-eye can actually serve a useful purpose … and that those of us who enjoy 7 or 8 hours a night aren’t automatically relegated to the sloth heap. Sounds like dreamtime can be busy and productive. (Personally, I prefer to use mine to fly.) Steve Jobs might want to tuck himself in early this week and reset the dream-dial to something like “rubber-baby-buggy-bumpers” … And, maybe if Einstein had slept in once in a while, he may have been able to work out that whole Theory of Relativity thing.

Post-Note: Talk about a dream-sequence … check out recently released film, “Inception” written, directed and produced by Christopher Nolan and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The plot features a thief who enters the minds of individuals through their dreams to steal – or plant – information. No sleeper, this action packed film is layered with nuance and meaning, lots of shoot ‘em up action, and Leo is looking dreamy.