Saturday, August 11, 2012

Memory - Remembering Names

I have often wondered what relationship existed between memory and intelligence.  Clearly there is a perceived correlation.  Memory impacts the ability to quickly and easily retrieve and apply stored information in situations when you need to solve a problem.  The faster an individual is able to do that, the higher their perceived intelligence is.  The fact is, there as many as 9 types of intelligence and 3 stages of memory with 6 types of memory that stem off of long term memory.  

My focus here is to accumulate a number of tools to help increase the "working memory" and try and develop some skills that will enhance my long-term procedural, semantic and episodic memory.

Types of Human Memory: Diagram by Luke Mastin





The first technique I want to start out with is remembering names.  This will have an impact on all aspects of our social life.  It is a fundamental building block for establishing relationships, both business and personal. 


Remembering Names

Three Things You Need to Remember Anything

  •     A place to put the information (a peg, a hook, mental file folder, etc.)
  •     A vivid picture of what you want to remember
  •     Mental glue holding the picture on the peg (action! action! action!)



This video does a good job at explaining the principles of this technique.

Remember Names Game
http://elliotwaite.com/remember-names-game.php

This is a great site to get practice using this technique.


1. FOCUS – The first step is being focused. It sounds obvious, but surprisingly most people aren’t focused when hearing a person’s name for the first time. Think about it, how many times have you shaken hands with someone as they told you their name while you were off in neverneverland thinking about something else? You need to focus. That is honestly half the battle. Tell yourself mentally, before you meet a person, “what is this person’s name?” or “I WANT to know this person’s name”; it makes a world of a difference.

2. PREPARE – Once you are in the right mindset to learn a person’s name, you need to analyze them. Pick out the most distinguishing feature you notice immediately from their face: curly hair, cute dimple, acne, big forehead, buck teeth, scar, etc. (obviously keep this information to yourself!). This step can be extremely easy or extremely hard, depending on the person. If someone has a unique feature that is obvious, then you can latch on to it quickly. Others who have generic faces or nothing special going on, it can be hard to find something. But, something is ALWAYS there. All it takes is a bit of practice in order to get better at picking out those things quicker. With time, it will become second nature.

3. LISTEN – Next, almost as important as the first. Listen! Make sure when you ask for the name, you actually hear it and understand it in the first place. Another common mistake when learning a person’s name is that when one asks for the person’s name it’s actually neither properly heard nor understood. You need to be adamant about making sure you’ve heard the person’s name properly. So, if you didn’t get the name the first time, ASK FOR IT AGAIN! What’s the big deal about asking for it once, twice, or even three times more? It’s probably more embarrassing to forget a person’s name entirely. Also, I’ve learned not to be embarrassed when asking foreign people for their name numerous times (I even ask for them to repeat it to me slowly and phonetically). I figure, they know their name isn’t common and that a lot of people have trouble with it, so whats the big deal? I want to know your name!

4. NAME TO IMAGE – Finally, once you’ve heard the name, you need to process it. You first need to convert the name into an image, and then associate it with the distinguishing feature you picked out in step 2. There are numerous ways to turn a name into an image. The most important piece of advice I can give is to go with the image that strikes you first, without thinking. To come up with an image, the easiest is to go with a mental image of someone you know that has the same name (famous actor, friend, family, cartoon, etc.). Another way to come up with an image is to break down the name into things that it sounds like (ex: Steve sounds like “stove” or Jessica kind of sounds like “sickle”). It doesn’t have to match the name to a T, it only needs to be enough to trigger the name.

5. ASSOCIATION /Action – Once you have your image for the name, you need to associate it to the distinguishing feature from step 2. To associate one thing with the other, you need to create a mental image that connects the two things. Try to make the connection as vivid as possible (violence, humor, erotica, bizarreness are the best kind of memorable things). Use all the senses. Try using sound, color, or even smell!
Creating the image library
This might be a helpful starting point to start building your library of images for the most popular names.


Ron White uses the following images for common first names. This list is free from his website and might be just a partial list:

Female names
  • Abby – A Bee
  • Abigail – A bee in a pail
  • Adell – A Bell
  • Alice - Lice
  • Allison – Lice in the sun
  • Amy – Aiming
  • Angie – Ants drinking tea
  • Ann – Ant
  • Anita - kneading
  • Annette – A net
  • Annie – Orphan Annie
  • April – A pill
  • Ashley – Ashes
  • Audrey – Laundry
  • Barbara – barbed wire
  • Beatrice – beat rice
  • Becky – horse bucking
  • Belinda – Bee in a window(winda)
  • Bernadette – burn a net
  • Beth – bath
  • Betty – betting
  • Beverly – bed of leaves
  • Billie – billy goat
  • Bobbie – fishing bobber
  • Bonnie – Bonnet
  • Brenda – bent window (winda)
  • Bridget – Bridges
  • Camille – camel
  • Candice- can of dice
  • Candy – candy
  • Carla – car with lace
  • Carmen – car and man
  • Carol – Christmas carol
  • Celeste – stars
  • Charlotte – spider web
  • Cheryl – chair that is ill
  • Chloe – clover
  • Chris – cross
  • Chrissy – cross in the sea
  • Christine – Christmas tree
  • Cicely – sis being silly
  • Cindy – cinnamon candy
  • Clara – clarinet
  • Claudia – cloud
  • Colleen – calling
  • Connie – convict
  • Crystal – crystal vase
  • Daphne – dolphin
  • Darlene – door with beans
  • Dawn – dawn
  • Debbie – dead bee
  • Deborah – dead boar
  • Denise – disease
  • Diana – dying ants
  • Dixie – Confederate flag
  • Donna – Donald Duck
  • Doris – doors
  • Dorothy – tornado (Wizard of Oz)
  • Dottie – dots shaped like ‘E’
  • Edna – head saying ‘ahh’
  • Eileen – eye leaning
  • Elaine – air plane
  • Eleanor – plane landing on door
  • Elise – A lease
  • Elizabeth – lizard breath
  • Ellen – island
  • Ellie – belly
  • Emily – family
  • Erica – ear
  • Eve – Christmas Eve
  • Evelyn - violin
  • Faith – church
  • Felicia – fleece
  • Florence – floor dance
  • Frances – Eiffel Tower
  • Gabrielle – Gabby (talking ) bell
  • Gail – gale force wind
  • Georgia – gorge
  • Gina – blue jeans
  • Ginger – ginger bread man
  • Ginny – bottle of gin on knees
  • Glenda – blender
  • Gloria – Old Glory
  • Grace – saying a prayer
  • Hannah – hand
  • Harriet – lariat
  • Hattie – hat with an ‘E’
  • Heather – feather
  • Heidi – someone hiding
  • Helen – light (what Helen means)
  • Holly – boughs of holly
  • Hope – rope, soap
  • Irene – eye ring
  • Iris – a wrist
  • Jackie – car jack
  • Jacqueline – lint on a jack
  • Jamie – chain on your knee
  • Jan – jam
  • Janet – jam in a net
  • Janice – jeans in a noose
  • Jeanette – jeans in a net
  • Jeanie – genie
  • Jennifer – chin fur
  • Jenny – chinny
  • Jessica – vest with cuffs
  • Jill – pill
  • Jo – sloppy joe hamburger
  • Joan – Joan of Arc
  • Joanne – sloppy joe w/ ants
  • Joy – Joy dishwashing liquid
  • Joyce – juice
  • Juanita – one knee
  • Judith – blue desk
  • Judy – chewing tea
  • Julie – jewelry
  • June – june bug
  • Karen – carrot
  • Kate – gate
  • Katherine – cat that runs
  • Kathleen – cat that leans
  • Kathy – cat
  • Katie – kite
  • Kay – key
  • Kim – swim
  • Kirsten – skirt with a stem
  • Laura – laurels
  • Laurie – lowering an ‘E’
  • Leslie – less than sign ‘<’
  • Lillian – lily with ants on it
  • Lily – lily
  • Linda – window (winda)
  • Lisa – Mona Lisa
  • Lois – lost ‘S’
  • Loretta – lower it
  • Lorraine – low rain
  • Louise – low easel
  • Lucille – loose sail
  • Lucinda – loose cinder
  • Lucy – I Love Lucy
  • Lynn – lint
  • Madeline – mad at lint
  • Mandy – mandolin
  • Marcy – marching
  • Margaret – market
  • Marge – barge
  • Maria – sangria wine
  • Marian – mare with ants
  • Marie – mare with an ‘E’
  • Marilyn – marry lint
  • Marjorie – my jury
  • Marsha – marsh mellow
  • Martha – vineyard
  • Mary – merry go round
  • Marry Ellen – marry a melon
  • Melanie – melon on your knee
  • Melissa – molasses
  • Meredith – mare in a dish
  • Miriam – mirror ham
  • Mitzi – mitt that can see
  • Mona – moaning
  • Monica – harmonica
  • Nan – nun
  • Nancy – nun eating seeds
  • Natalie – gnats
  • Nellie – kneeling
  • Nicole – Nickel
  • Nora – snore ah!
  • Noreen – no rain
  • Norma – normal
  • Olive – olives
  • Olivia – oh liver!
  • Pam – spam
  • Pamela – paneling
  • Pat – act of patting
  • Patricia – pats of butter
  • Patty – hamburger patty
  • Paula – ball with an ‘A’
  • Pauline – pole that leans
  • Peg – peg
  • Penny – penny (coin)
  • Phyllis – philly
  • Priscilla – pass the Jello
  • Rachel – ray shining on a shell
  • Ramona – ram moaning
  • Rebecca – reach for the deck
  • Renee – raining A’s
  • Roberta – robot
  • Robin – bird
  • Rochelle – row of shells
  • Rosa – rose ah!
  • Rosalie – rose on your knee
  • Rosalyn – rosin (bag)
  • Rose – rose
  • Roxanne – rocks in hand
  • Ruth – Baby Ruth candy bar
  • Sadie – saddle
  • Sally – salad
  • Samantha – saw a man
  • Sandra – sander
  • Sandy – Sand
  • Sarah – Sarah Lee cup cakes
  • Sasha – sash
  • Sherry – bottle of sherry
  • Sharon – sharing
  • Sheila – shield
  • Sheryl – chair that is ill
  • Shirley – shirt sleeves
  • Sidney – sit on a knee
  • Sylvia – silver ware
  • Sonia – Sony Walkman
  • Sophia – sew a bee
  • Stacy – stay seated
  • Stephanie – step on knees
  • Sue – suit
  • Sue Ann – suit with ants
  • Susan – lazy Suzan
  • Susannah – snoozing
  • Tammy – tummy
  • Teresa – tree saw
  • Terry – terry cloth
  • Tess – test
  • Vanessa – van wearing a dress
  • Vicky – Vick’s cough drops
  • Victoria – victory
  • Vivian – we win
  • Wanda – wand
  • Windy – wind
  • Yvette – Corvette
  • Yvonne – heave on
  • Zoe – sew an ‘E’
Male names
  • Aaron – air gun
  • Abe – ape
  • Adam – a dam
  • Al – owl
  • Alan – alan wrench
  • Albert – burnt owl
  • Alex – owl that licks
  • Alexander – leg sander
  • Alfred – owl fried
  • Alonzo – bonzo (clown)
  • Alvin – owl wins
  • Andrew – ants drew
  • Andy – ants drinking tea
  • Angelo – angel eating jello
  • Anthony – ants in a tree
  • Archie – archery
  • Armand – arm band
  • Arnold – arm hold
  • Art – art work
  • Arthur – author
  • Austin – cowboy boot (Texas)
  • Barney – barn
  • Barry – berry
  • Bart – dart
  • Ben – bench
  • Benny – bending
  • Benjamin – bend a man
  • Bernard – St Bernard
  • Bernie – burn a knee
  • Bert – bird
  • Bill – duck’s bill
  • Bob – bobsled
  • Bobby – bobby pin
  • Brad – bread
  • Bradford – bread in a Ford
  • Bradley – bread with leaves
  • Brandon – branded
  • Brian – brain
  • Brock – rock with a ‘B’
  • Bruce – bruise
  • Bud – rose bud
  • Ceasar – Julius Ceasar
  • Cameron – camera
  • Carl – curl
  • Carlos – car that is lost
  • Carter – charter a boat
  • Cary – carry
  • Cecil – seal
  • Cedric – red brick
  • Chad – chaps
  • Charles – charcoal
  • Charlie – charred leaves
  • Chester – chest of drawers
  • Chet – Jet
  • Chris – cross
  • Christian – Christ
  • Christopher – kiss furr
  • Chuck – chalk
  • Clark – clock
  • Claude – cloud
  • Clayton – ton of clay
  • Cliff –cliff
  • Clifford – Ford going off cliff
  • Clint – lint
  • Clinton – ton of lint
  • Clyde – Clydesdale horse
  • Cole – coal
  • Colin – calling
  • Conrad – con(vict) rat
  • Corey – apple core
  • Craig – crack
  • Curt – curtain
  • Dan – dam
  • Daniel – van yells
  • Darren – da rent
  • Darryl – barrel
  • Dave – cave
  • David – divot
  • Dennis – dentist
  • Derek – oil derrick
  • Dick – deck
  • Dirk – dirt
  • Dominick – dominoes
  • Don – dawn
  • Donald – Donald Duck
  • Doug – dig
  • Douglas – dug a glass
  • Drew – drew
  • Duane – drain
  • Dunking – dunking
  • Dusty – dusting
  • Dwight – white ‘D’
  • Earl – pearl
  • Ed – head
  • Eddie – eddy
  • Edgar – head gear
  • Edmund – head mount
  • Edward – head ward
  • Edwin – head wind
  • Eli – eel eye
  • Emmanuel – a manual
  • Eric – ear ache
  • Ernie – ear and knee
  • Erwin – ear & wind
  • Ethan – eating
  • Evan – oven
  • Everette – sever it
  • Felix – feel it
  • Fletcher – fetcher
  • Floyd – flood
  • Frank – frankfurter
  • Fred – fried egg
  • Freddy – frayed ‘E’
  • Frederick – frayed brick
  • Garrett – chair it
  • Gary – garage
  • Geoffrey – chef in a tree
  • George – gorge
  • Gerald – chair that is old
  • Gil – fish gil
  • Gilbert – burnt fish gils
  • Graham – graham crackers
  • Grant – granite (rock)
  • Greg – keg
  • Gus – gust of wind
  • Hal – hail
  • Hank – hankerchief
  • Hans – hands
  • Harold – hair that is old
  • Harry – hair
  • Hector – heckler
  • Herb – herb
  • Herbert – herb & bird
  • Howard – coward
  • Hugh – ewe
  • Irv – nerve
  • Irving – swerving
  • Isaac – eye sack
  • Ivan – eye on van
  • Jack – car jack
  • Jacob – Jacob’s ladder
  • Jake – shade
  • James – chains
  • Jason – jaybird in the sun
  • Jay – jaybird
  • Jeff – chef
  • Jeffrey – chef in a tree
  • Jeremy – chair on me
  • Jerome – chair roam
  • Jerry – cherry
  • Jess – chest
  • Jim – gym
  • Joe – sloppy Joe hamburger
  • Joel – jewel
  • Joey – kangaroo
  • John – toilet
  • Jonah – whale
  • Jonathan – toilet that is thin
  • Jordan – jaw of tin
  • Jose – hose
  • Joshua – shower
  • Juan – wand
  • Jud – jug
  • Julio – jewel that is low
  • Justin – justice
  • Keith – keys
  • Ken – can
  • Kenneth – can on a net
  • Kent – tent
  • Kevin – cave in
  • Kirk – kick
  • Kyle – tile
  • Lance – Sir Lancelot
  • Larry – lariat
  • Lawrence – law for ants
  • Lee – leaves
  • Len – lens
  • Leo – lion
  • Leon – lean on
  • Leroy – leaves on a toy
  • Les – less than sign ‘<’
  • Lionel – Lionel train
  • Lou – blue (color)
  • Lucas – low kiss
  • Luke – luke warm water
  • Luther – roofer with an ‘L’
  • Lyle – aisle
  • Mack – Mack Truck
  • Manny – man with an ‘E’
  • Mark – marker
  • Marshall – law enforcement
  • Martin – Martian
  • Marvin – carving
  • Mason – mason jar
  • Matt – door matt
  • Matthew – matt in a pew
  • Maurice – more rice
  • Max – mix
  • Maxwell – mix well
  • Mel – melon
  • Melvin – melt van
  • Michael – bicycle
  • Mickey – Mickey Mouse
  • Mike – microphone
  • Miles – miles
  • Mitch – mitt
  • Morris – Morris The Cat
  • Morgan – organ
  • Nathan – gnat in your head
  • Ned – bed
  • Neal – nail
  • Nick – nickel
  • Noah – no air
  • Noel – Christmas Noel
  • Norman – Norseman
  • Oliver – olive
  • Oscar – Academy award
  • Otis – Otis elevator
  • Owen – rowing
  • Pat – pat something
  • Patrick – St Patrick
  • Paul – ball
  • Pedro – paid to row
  • Pete – Pete Moss
  • Peter – Peter cottontail
  • Phil – fill up
  • Pierre – pier
  • Preston – pressing a ton
  • Quincy – wind and sea
  • Ralph – raft
  • Randall – ram and doll
  • Randolph – ram and dolphin
  • Randy – bottle of brandy
  • Ray – ray of light
  • Raymond – ray on a mound
  • Rex – wrecks
  • Richard – wrench in a yard
  • Richie – dollar sign
  • Rick – brick
  • Rob – robber
  • Robbie – robe
  • Robert – robot
  • Rod – rod
  • Roderick – rod in a brick
  • Rodney – rod in knee
  • Roger – rod in chair
  • Roland – rolling
  • Ron – rum
  • Ronald – Ronald McDonald
  • Ronnie – running
  • Ross – boss
  • Roy – Roy Rogers
  • Russ – rusts
  • Russell – rustle
  • Sam – Uncle Sam
  • Sammy – Uncle Sam on knee
  • Samuel – Uncle Sam on mule
  • Sandy – sand
  • Scott – Scott paper towels
  • Shawn – yawn
  • Seymour – see more
  • Sheldon – shielding
  • Sherman – German shepard
  • Sid – sit
  • Stan – stand
  • Steve – stove
  • Stewart – steward
  • Stu – stew
  • Tad – tadpole
  • Teddy – teddy bear
  • Terry – tearing an ‘E’
  • Tex – Texas
  • Theodore – see a door
  • Thomas – thermos
  • Tim – tin can
  • Timothy – tin of tea
  • Toby – toe and bee
  • Todd – toad
  • Tom – tom cat
  • Tommy – Tommy gun
  • Tony – Tony the Tiger
  • Tracy – tracing an ‘E’
  • Ty – tie
  • Tyrone – tie rowing
  • Tyler – tire
  • Van – van
  • Vince – fence
  • Vern – fern
  • Vernon – furry nun
  • Vic – Vick’s cough drop
  • Vincent – mint fence
  • Wade – wade in pool
  • Wallace – walrus
  • Walt – waltz
  • Walter – wallpaper
  • Ward – ward
  • Warren – warden
  • Wayne – rain



Monday, August 6, 2012

5 Most Common Regrets of the Dying


This was originally written by Bronnie Ware, who spent her life working with elderly people who were close to death.   This is what she learned from that experience.  I had to share it.

http://www.inspirationandchai.com/Regrets-of-the-Dying.html

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.

People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone's capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:


1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.


This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.


2. I wish I didn't work so hard.


This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.


3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.


Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.


4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.


Often they would not truly realize the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.


5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.


This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.

When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.


Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Based on this article, Bronnie has now released a full length book titled The Top Five Regrets of the Dying - A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing. It is a memoir of her own life and how it was transformed through the regrets of the dying people she cared for. This inspiring book is available internationally through Hay House.

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!


Sunday, August 5, 2012

The Pale Blue Dot


 
The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of planet Earth taken in 1990 by the Voyager 1 spacecraft from a record distance of about 6 billion kilometers (3.7 billion miles) from Earth, as part of the solar system Family Portrait series of images. In the photograph, Earth is shown as a tiny dot (0.12 pixel in size) against the vastness of space.[2] The Voyager 1 spacecraft, which had completed its primary mission and was leaving the Solar System, was commanded by NASA to turn its camera around and to take a photograph of Earth across a great expanse of space, at the request of Carl Sagan.


Favorite Quotes

Steve Jobs

Albert Einstein

Vince Lombardi







Kim Jong - North Korea


Where the Magic Happens


This absolutely rings true with me.  I like pushing boundaries and the thrill of being uncomfortable.  When successful, the adrenaline rush of pushing past these self imposed boundaries is amazing.  As we push, our comfort zone becomes bigger.  Then even more amazing things happen.  Take it a step further...

I think of Moore's law of exponential growth when I see this.  Moore's law states that the number of components in integrated circuits had doubled every year from the invention of the integrated circuit in 1958.  His prediction has been very accurate aside from the soon to be realized limitations of silicon.

If we continue to reach outside of our own comfort zone, in how we think, or what we do, that soon becomes our new comfort zone.   

This illustration crudely identifies the expansion of the comfort zone.  If this is repeated, that soon becomes the new comfort zone and we continue to evolve.  Imagine exponential personal growth.  With technology, we can take what was the "old comfort" zones and move them forward even faster.  We have so much access to information and alternate methodologies that this transition could be sped up faster than ever before.

The beauty of this is that everyone can do it.  Once the first step outside of "the comfort" zone is taken, the barrier has been knocked down.  It is much easier to keep the momentum going and I have found that the excitement of these new experiences keep the circle expanding.   

Saturday, August 4, 2012

My favorite 2 minutes on the internet

The Beginning of Infinity - Jason Silva

 
I have stated on many occasions that this is my favorite 2 minutes on the internet.  This is what got it all started for me.  After watching the artistic and enthusiastic delivery of this incredible message I started digging deeper and deeper into the the acceleration of technology and the beginnings of our universe.  

I first heard Jason Silva on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast #183.  He talked a lot about the technological singularity which I am fascinated by, since watching Transcendent Man.  His description of our thoughts literally becoming reality was so familiar based on Buddhism, The Secret, The Law of Attraction and so many other philosophies.  His version made sense to me though.  It wasn't mystical or divine.  It was much simpler than that.  Dreams are real patterns of information.  We conceive of all of these possibilities and bring our imaginings into reality.  Bam!  My mind was changed forever.  Thanks Jason Silva and Joe Rogan (and Redban).