Wired online is carrying a thought-provoking piece discussing accelerating increases in intelligence levels. It’s a few pages long, and didn’t seem overly relevant to what I blog here until the end. From the article:

The best example of brain-boosting media may be videogames. Mastering visual puzzles is the whole point of the exercise – whether it’s the spatial geometry of Tetris, the engineering riddles of Myst, or the urban mapping of Grand Theft Auto.

After my posting over on the SL Salon website, and some additional comments and responses to other entries, I’ve given additional thought to the potential of VR as a teaching tool. Especially because I recall so vividly how my ability to visualize concepts three-dimensionally saved my ass in college, while other students who completely outclassed me in other academic areas failed and subsequently dropped out of the engineering program altogether. I don’t suppose it’s really worth trying to explain VR’s potential as a “tool” (even a minor one) to people who can’t seem to wrap their head around the idea that just because it can’t solve the world’s worst problems (e.g. the genocide in Africa), doesn’t mean it isn’t worth pursuing. I need to try viewing the world like they do sometime: a caricature of outrageous juxtapositions that turns the world black and white. “You’re either with us, or against us”. I wonder if parts of my brain will permanently downsize…