mathoda.com

I’ve blogged about Will Wright (creator of Sim City and the Sims) before, discussing his new game Spore (see One videogame to rule them all?).

Besides being a great game designer Will is, as you would expect, an insightful thinker. Here is the text of a speech Will gave recently which describes many ideas of his on story telling and the mediums of movies and games: http://www.wonderlandblog.com/wonderland/2007/03/sxsw_will_wrigh.html

It is one of most insightful discussions of the nature of storytelling in movies and games I’ve ever read. It definitely should be read by anyone who wants to better understand human behavior, particularly with respect to movie storytelling or game storytelling.

Scientists have figured out how to snip DNA from human cells and insert it into mice embryos to let previously color blind mice see color. Before the mice didn’t grow the right kind of cone cells in their retina; now they do. Eventually I expect this therapy to be available for people.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/22/AR2007032201841.html?nav=rss_nation

Of course it doesn’t have to stop at curing colorblindness. Perhaps people could be given the cells of creatures that sense ultraviolet or infrared light, for example.

Will we be the generation that sees many Science Fiction fantasies turn into realities?

Consider the following proposition: almost every human brain is like a muscle that can be trained to learn anything to a high level of mastery or have any kind of personality. People who seem exceptional have just learned more, often as a result of greater concentration, either purposefully or unknowingly done by them.

Many people don’t believe this proposition, but I have from a very young age. I assumed even if it wasn’t true, it was a good thing to assume to be true, because I’d end up limiting myself less.

It’s nice to finally have some scientific evidence backing up this idea: http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2007/marapr/features/dweck.html