/mentat/ - Mentat's Guild

Goals and aspirations

Pulling from: http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=1643

Extraordinary capacity for conscious information acquisition

Rapid computation skills

Near total recall

Unshakable concentration

Calculates human and social costs without emotion

Wide-ranging analytical talents (social, financial, military)

Pulling from: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Mentat

More than simply calculators, Mentats possess exceptional cognitive abilities of memory and perception that are the foundations for supra-logical hypothesizing. Mentats are able to sift large volumes of data and devise concise analyses in a process that goes far beyond logical deduction: Mentats cultivate "the naïve mind", the mind without preconception or prejudice, so as to extract essential patterns or logic from data and deliver useful conclusions with varying degrees of certainty.

So the Mentat is not a purely "left brain" type of intelligence with only a simplistic-autistic cognition, they are profoundly aware of nuance, subtlety and the kind of "sensitivity to initial conditions" which is studied in Chaos theory. Additionally, they take in information not only through visual media but from every other sense, as well, and their calculations are delivered not as numerical probabilities but as flowing paths, subject to new variations through the influence of new factors.

Extraordinary capacity for conscious information acquisition

I can't be the only one who watched Neo download information in the movie The Matrix and was super jealous. That was honestly one of the top three moments of that film for me. I'm sure my fellow mentats here can relate to the feeling of being the smartest person in your public school.

Rapid computation skills

My hand-writing is terrible simply because my hand can't keep up with my mind. Even typing is too slow (intentionally, go look up the history of your QWERTY keyboard if you don't already know it). I strongly prefer Japanese for its ability to transfer extremely large amounts of information in extremely small packages, as well as naturally avoiding a first person identifier most of the time. English is a terrible amalgamation of too many languages and is, to be frank, retarded as in slowly developing. Japanese is a more mature language in every regard. Visual thinking is supreme above both, though, and is part of the reason why art is an important part of my mentat training. 1 picture = 1000 words.

Near total recall

By far my weakest point at the moment. I don't really bother training in this at the moment beyond second language acquisition. I've allowed myself to externalize these tasks to machines. A database is faster and more accurate than my mind at this point, but knowing this is a weak spot allows me to identify it, target it, work on it, and improve it.

Unshakable concentration

Concentration meditations are absolutely 100% essential to my mentat training. I wouldn't take a dull sword with me into battle. Why take a dull mind?

Calculates human and social costs without emotion

This one is dangerous, as it can be easy to leave the internal emotional setting to "off" (and in fact, men in the west are often encouraged to shut down their emotional self). However, it is very important to be able to use emotions like the tools they are. If I feel nothing, I have no motivation. If I am too emotional, I can't rationally analyze anything. Balance is key.

Wide-ranging analytical talents

Train in analyzing people, situations, interactions (verbal communication, physical communication, body language, micro-reactions, etc). Train in deconstructing everything. Train in reconstructing everything. Train in abstract thought. Understand that everything is a system within a system within a system.

I want all of that. I'd like to speak two human language fluently and without effort. I want to be in physical shape enough that it is a boon and a benefit to my mental capabilities as well as feeling good about the way I look (my emotional balance is key to my mental efficiency, depression is a near total shutdown, mania is peak performance). I'd like to do concentration meditation to the full extent possible. I'd like to train my awareness to be as wide as possible as often as possible, to take in all information, sort it quickly and without effort.

I want to be Bruce Lee meets Spock.

Stage one: corporeal

Walking for cardio health. Cardio health improves blood flow to the brain, increasing oxygen to the brain, increasing the amount of work the brain can handle. Jogging and running are too high impact for me. I would swim if I had regular, cheap access to a pool. Costs $0.

Yoga for stretching and relaxation. Very, very important. I watch videos on YouTube, I'll link them for anyone that is interested. Costs $0.

Weight lifting for general health, mental health. There are a number of scientific studies on the benefits of weight lifting (free weights are MUCH better than machines). I have the weights I need at home in the backyard, same ones I've been using for 15+ years. Costs $0 after initial investment.

Bodyweight exercise, like push-ups. Costs $0.

Intermittent fasting. Costs $0. I actually save money on food this way.

Low carb, high protein. Carbs make me sleepy, and pull blood flow away from the brain. I try to eat as few as needed but don't go crazy with it. Costs $0. I actually save money on food this way.

Good sleep. Naps when I can. Rest that brain! Costs $0.

I currently get my caffeine from drinking coffee. I balance it with L-Theanine from tea (green or Earl Grey). Does cost money, I spend roughly $1 a day on fresh brewed french press coffee and 1 quality tea bag.

Other supplements (sapho juice): Daily men's multivitamin, zinc, fish oil, pygeum, lectithin. Does cost money, but makes a noticeable difference. I'd estimate it at roughly $1 a day.

Stage two: mental

Meditation. There is no substitute and nothing that compares to directly training your brain. If you are here because you want to get the most out of your grey matter, meditate! Costs $0.

Language study. I speak two languages. Costs $0.

TED talks. Another anon had a good criticism about TED talks, but I still feel they are of some amount of benefit. Just because something is easy to consume doesn't mean it isn't worthwhile, that's hubris. I like deGrasse's Cosmos as well, hell, I like educational programming in general. Too much Square One as a kid, I guess. I'm open to alternatives. Costs $0.

Reading. Can cost, but there is so much good stuff to read that is free. I've found that the older I get, the less fiction feels beneficial and the more it feels like filler/entertainment (even stuff like Asimov).

Stage three: immaterial

Art. Art fundamentally changes the way your brain operates. In order to make any real progress in art you have to learn to see things differently, which means you are training your brain to see things the way artists do. There is a reason so many people I respect in history were polymaths and artists.

Yoga. Like art, yoga fundamentally changes the neural pathways in the brain. "Self-control" is a practiced skill, ask any martial artist. Yoga trains your brain to overcome the complaints of the body, clears the mind, etc. I train in all eight aspects: internal moral living, external moral living, body poses, breath control, sense control, concentration meditation, contemplative meditation, holistic meditation.

Moral living. Live frugally. Low karmic impact living. Yama, niyama, basically be good to yourself and be good to others (everything is interconnected).

Meditation. Meditation cannot be stressed enough. It is the direct way to manage my own brain. Reduces stress, make all of the above manageable. Technically a sub-section of yoga but worth mentioning again on its own.

In the future I'd like to see how far I could get myself up the math branch of Khan academy. And I'd like to do more tutorials at codecademy.com. I'm also interested in things like the method of loci, using Anki for more than language memorization, etc.

I'd also like to continue to evolve my analogy between the human brain and an ordinary desktop computer. There are a lot of parallels to be drawn, and a lot we can learn about ourselves in doing so.

Recommended, or I think these are beneficial for a mentat:

Movies: Matrix, Seven Years in Tibet

Books: Siddhartha, Tao of Jeet Kun Do, Prometheus Rising, Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha

Music: Mozart, Aphex Twin, Bach. Anything with lyrics is distracting to me.

Drugs: Pot in moderation, psychedelics in moderation for those who can handle them and get to them legally, coffee, tea, ibuprofen

Not recommended, or I think these are detrimental for a mentat:

Alcohol

Excessive pot

Meth or any other hard drugs (ecstasy and cocaine leave literal holes in your brain)

Poor posture (reduces blood flow to the brain)

Laziness, slothful living (reduces blood flow to the brain)

Smugness, superiority complexes, etc (waste of mental energy, distracting from more serious work)

I'm going to bump my own thread with my daily TED talks. This one seems relevant to my fellow mentats!

Other books: The Power of Habit, Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements, Getting Things Done

Other things to mention:

We want to intentionally manage serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin (as much as we can) and cortisol (as little as possible).

Meditation (again) really gives us the key here. If we can manage our mental state, we in turn manage our brain neuro-chemistry. If we can keep calm and not stress out, we can manage our level of cortisol.

>>11

>First dubs of the board

Niiiiiiiiiiiiice

>>11

Ok, I can see the benefit in that.

Enhancing the plasticity of the brain: Max Cynader at TEDxStanleyPark

Published on Apr 26, 2013

Dr. Max Cynader is Director of the Brain Research Centre, and the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health at Vancouver Coastal Health and The University of British Columbia (UBC). In addition, he holds the Canada Research Chair in Brain Development at UBC and is Professor of Ophthalmology. He is also a Member of the Order of Canada (CM), Member of the Order of British Columbia (OBC), Fellow of The Royal Society of Canada (FRSC), Fellow of The Canadian Academy for Health Sciences (FCAHS), and a Principal Investigator in Canada's Network of Excellence in Stroke.

Dr. Cynader was born in Berlin, Germany in 1947 and obtained his B.Sc. at McGill University in 1967, and his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1972. Following postdoctoral training at the Max Planck Institute, Dr. Cynader held positions at Dalhousie University in Halifax, and in 1979 was awarded the E.W.R. Steacie Fellowship of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council as one of Canada's outstanding young scientists. He attained the rank of Professor of Psychology in 1981 and Professor of Physiology in 1984, and held the position of Killam Research Professor from 1984 to 1988. On arriving at UBC in 1988, Dr. Cynader headed the Ophthalmology Research Group at UBC until 1998, at which time he was appointed Founding Director of the Brain Research Centre.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

Meditation: Change Your Mind, Change Your Life: Bodhin Kjolhede at TEDxFlourCity

Bodhin weaves metaphor and allegory together to explain the importance of meditation. He will deliver several tangible benefits of meditation that would go unrealized without personal experience.

Happy Brain: How to Overcome Our Neural Predispositions to Suffering | Amit Sood, MD | TEDxUNI

Twenty years ago, Dr. Amit Sood, a Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, came to the U.S. thinking he was coming to the Disneyland of the world. He expected everyone here to be very happy. What he saw surprised and shocked him. In this funny, fast-moving, and deeply insightful talk, Dr. Sood shares his journey over two decades and across two continents, finding a way to help us outsmart our neural predispositions to suffering. In the process, he takes us on a back-stage tour of the human brain and outlines the gist of a structured program he is taking globally to decrease stress and improve focus, resilience, and happiness.

Amit Sood, MD, is Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic and Director of Mayo's Complementary and Integrative Medicine program. He is the author of The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living and The Mayo Clinic Guide to Happiness. He is one of the most sought-after speakers at Mayo. He has received several NIH and foundation awards to test and implement integrative and mind-body approaches within medicine. Dr. Sood received the 2010 Distinguished Service Award, the 2010 Innovator of the Year Award, and the 2013 Outstanding Physician Award from Mayo Clinic.

How to control the brain: Michael Okun and Kelly Foote at TEDxUF

The human brain is a supercomputer with networks that control the various functions that make us who we are, and allow us to do what we do. When brain circuits malfunction, debilitating motor and behavioral symptoms may emerge. Direct electrical modulation of malfunctioning brain circuits has tremendous potential to alleviate human suffering in dramatic and sometimes surprising ways.

I'm interested to see what kind of transcranial magnetic stimulation makes it to market. I swear I saw a kickstarter for something like this once. I'd like to have something to monitor my brain in real time while meditating, as well as something I can use to attempt to stimulate certain sections of the brain, maybe improve mood, memory, or the like.

Inside the mind of a master procrastinator

https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_inside_the_mind_of_a_master_procrastinator

Tim Urban knows that procrastination doesn't make sense, but he's never been able to shake his habit of waiting until the last minute to get things done. In this hilarious and insightful talk, Urban takes us on a journey through YouTube binges, Wikipedia rabbit holes and bouts of staring out the window — and encourages us to think harder about what we're really procrastinating on, before we run out of time.

Why fasting bolsters brain power: Mark Mattson at TEDxJohnsHopkinsUniversity

Mark Mattson is the current Chief of the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging. He is also a professor of Neuroscience at The Johns Hopkins University. Mattson is one of the foremost researchers in the area of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Flex your cortex – 7 secrets to turbocharge your brain | Sandra Bond Chapman, Ph.D. | TEDxBayArea

Why is there a stigma associated with our brain's health? Consider that the brain is the most powerful, most staggeringly complex electro-biochemical machine ever created. Above and behind our eyes are 100 billion neurons in a small calcium shell, laced with organic pumps, channels and switches. Until recently, this complicated organ was thought to be static and unchangeable. Far from it. Learn from Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, founder and chief director of the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas seven scientifically-validated secrets anyone can implement to improve brain performance.

Sandra Bond Chapman, Ph.D., founder and chief director of the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair and author of Make Your Brain Smarter, is committed to maximizing human cognitive potential across the entire human lifespan. As a cognitive neuroscientist with more than 40 funded research grants and federal, state and private philanthropic support, Dr. Chapman’s scientific study elucidates and applies novel approaches to build brain resilience, advance creative and critical thinking, strengthen healthy brain development and repair brain function after brain injury or brain disease.

Dr. Chapman collaborates with scientists across the country and around the world to solve some of the most important issues concerning the brain and its health. On the frontier of brain research, her scientific study melds interdisciplinary expertise to better understand how to evaluate and achieve optimal brain performance through preserving frontal lobe function, the area of the brain responsible for reasoning, planning and decision-making. Dr. Chapman is actively studying the informative pathways to brain change in health, injury and disease; identifying brain health biomarkers and novel non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatment approaches, and testing the effect of brain training to exploit brain potential. Dedicated to improving lives today and changing how the public thinks and acts about the brain and its health, Dr. Chapman is committed to promoting brain health fitness, developing futuristic thinkers, and helping individuals, young or old, think smarter.

Neurohacking: rewiring your brain | Don Vaughn | TEDxUCLA

We've all heard of the phrase "life hack". But have you heard of something called a "brain hack"? Don Vaughn gives us the inside scoop on the amazing powers of the human brain.

Don Vaughn is a UCLA PhD Student and DJ.

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This one was mostly fluff, sadly. I don't want to hear what the results of your research are without also hearing about the methodology I can implement on my own!

The magic that makes the brain learn: Kim Bevill at TEDxCrestmoorParkED

Watch this amazing talk by Kim Bevill as she explains how getting kids moving helps their ability to think, process, and focus; that if we get kids physically fit they will get higher scores. With research behind her Kim shows us that the magic is simply to get them moving.

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TL;DR

DO:

Use your brain or lose your brain

Focus on a single task

Meditate

Yoga

Walk/jog/run/swim/cardio

Intermittent fasting

Healthy eating

Get sunlight

AVOID:

Long stretches of sedentariness (couch, office chair, whatever)

Junk food

Overeating

Multitasking

TEDxOrlando - Wendy Suzuki - Exercise and the Brain

An award-winning neuroscientist with a deep appreciation for the rewards and benefits of teaching, Wendy Suzuki discusses her research, and the teachers who inspired her.

Wendy Suzuki holds a faculty position in the Center for Neural Science at New York University, where she also runs an active research lab. Her research focuses on understanding the patterns of brain activity underlying long-term memory as well as the role of aerobic exercise in improving learning, memory and cognition.

Improving working memory capacity | Torkel Klingberg | TEDxNorrköping

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. The two live talks at this TEDxNorrköping event have "plasticity" in common. Capabilities for problem solving and for learning (or progress) have often been regarded as (inherited) components of the personality. Both Carol S Dweck and Torkel Klingberg have made clear, that improvements of such capabilities are supported by systematic use of appropriate training and feedback. Very essential knowledge for any parent, teacher, leader and human being in general.

''Torkel Klingberg's research is focused on the development and plasticity of working memory and the research focus of his group is summarized on the group research page. Recent articles can be down-loaded from the list of publications from the group.

Torkel Klingberg was one of the founders the company Cogmed, but has currently no financial relationships with Cogmed, no stocks, no royalty and no consultancy agreements. He has published popular science books about working memory called “The overflowing brain” and recently completed a second book called "The learning brain".''

A simple way to break a bad habit | Judson Brewer

Can we break bad habits by being more curious about them? Psychiatrist Judson Brewer studies the relationship between mindfulness and addiction — from smoking to overeating to all those other things we do even though we know they're bad for us. Learn more about the mechanism of habit development and discover a simple but profound tactic that might help you beat your next urge to smoke, snack or check a text while driving.