[quote=Lori H.]
Lori,
I highly recommend Macrae's Biography of John von Neumann. Macrae spends a lot of time comparing geniuses and what makes them tick. He comes to the conclusion that the thing that allows some to transcend (Feynman, Neumann, Fermi ) is whether they can laugh at the world. He gives examples. Its a very interesting book.
http://www.amazon.com/John-Von-Neumann-Scientific-Deterrence/dp/082182676XThanks. I'll have to add that to my next book order. My husband, son and I just got back late last night from another pun-filled trip to Dallas to help my daughter who was having computer trouble. Knowing from experience that this could end up costing us money, and wanting to make sure we had enough money available to help her without putting ourselves in debt, I told my husband that I wished I had checked to see how much our son's "brace" was going to cost and from the backseat we heard "Mom, you're just going to have to "brace" yourself.
My adult daughter, who definitely has the intelligence necessary to draw very well, needed help from the computer geeks in the family who don't draw as well.
My husband said he thought he knew what the problem was and he could fix it but we had to get back home that same evening so we had no choice but to buy a new computer for her and set it up so she could apply for jobs online to replace the job she lost a few months ago. She is having trouble finding another job that pays well enough to pay the rent, she has had a bad cold and was feeling really down, and we knew it was just one of those times we would have to help. Her drawing ability and her exceptional ability to color in the lines is not, for some reason, helping her find a job that pays well enough to pay the rent.
My son, who doesn't normally volunteer to practice math, decided to practice mental math for me by telling me how many games or books or restaurant meals we could have bought for what we spent on his sister's new computer. I have a feeling he will practice this type of mental math for me for a while. I am still hearing about how much better Gamestop stock is doing compared to what I invested his college savings in. He likes his sister and he is really just kind of kidding around about the money issues but he just loves to point things out that I might not have noticed. His dad is the same way. They both tell me they can't help it. They say what they think especially if they think something is funny. No control over it. If it is slightly inappropriate but the humor factor outweighs the inappropriateness which in their minds almost always does, they are going to say it. I is terrible because they make me laugh when I shouldn't and I can't stop myself.
