MA: Not just perception, for their are many species with tools for perceiving the world that are superior to ours, sonar, heat sensors, extraordinary vision etc.
James it is the ability to time travel with our mind that has made all the difference.
J: Huh?
MA: We time travel with our mind. We look back over events and we see patterns, we then look forward in time and extrapolate those patterns to the future.
Almost all giant steps forward are creative leaps done within some deep thinkers mind and then transposed into our physical world.
Easy as pie. We use an ability that educators call abstract reasoning. For example, you are given a drawing on a piece of paper and asked if you fold this drawing here and here what do you get?
You fold that paper in your mind and look at the result. Abstract reasoning. A scientist sees a series of data points, correlates them in his mind and postulates about future outcomes. Nothing magical too it.
All our recent evolutionary advancements have been made possible by the prehensile mind.
Perception James. And like most abilities it is subject to the rules of intermediate expression. God's big sine wave.
Some individuals will be extraordinary mathematicians from an early age with a true gift for numbers, some will be largely unable to comprehend complex problems and most will fall in the middle.
It is the way of life. Perception is no different. We all have examples among the people who surround us. Some are highly perceptive of many things and some are not.
It is all science and it is all real.
“...prehensile mind...” —I love it!
J: Fair enough. So you are saying that you were the first to post about SARS because you had a “feeling” that this would develop into a large problem?
MA: Yes
J: And this feeling, is it about lottery numbers, weather, elections etc.
MA: (Laughing), no James it is just about science. However I know where you are heading with that lottery business. I thought you had cut down on your gambling?
J: I have MA a lot. My first trip here to Nevada taught me some very expensive lessons.
J: How about you, do you still play the nickle slots?
MA: Religiously. And I have been doing quite well lately, thank you very much.
J: How much can you win with a nickel?
MA: Well it actually takes 5 nickles to be eligible for the jackpot. If you hit a royal flush then it is usually 2 to 3 hundred dollars, depending on how long it has been since it hit.
J: That is decent money.
MA: It is great fun for us old ladies and there is nothing better for clearing the mind. But in all honesty James, there are those times when I almost know that I am going to have a very good day on the slots.
J: I know that when I am unhappy I never win at poker.
MA: I understand.