The irony of me having a blog site and communicating with people globally via the World Wide Web.... is that I am a complete techno-phobe.
I totally don't get how it works.
Stupidly, I tried to explain how the internet works to my mother.
"She won't know I'm clueless", I thought.
She knew.
When it comes to computery (shut-up.. it's a word) stuff, I know nothing.
I know less than nothing.
Nothing would be an improvement.
Arrogantly, I like to think of myself as reasonably intelligent but occasionally I get out of my comfortable little box, and my predictable, safe world and I start to discover...I'm an idiot.
I can talk in front of a thousand people but I can't assemble a table from IKEA.
Can I burn a CD?
Nuh.
Can I build stuff like a real man?
Sadly, no.
Excluding my pencil case from year nine.
Got a B.
I digress.
Have you ever wondered why some people can be so 'intelligent' with some things and so 'stupid' with others?
Like the guy who can build a nuclear missile from four coat hangers, an old bath and some gaffa tape, but can't string three words together when he's introduced to a girl.
Or the woman who can speak eight languages, split the atom and recite the Old Testament, but can't understand basic humour.
"Why would someone do that to a chicken anyway?"
I have a friend who is a genius with computers.
In fact, all technology.
No formal training, just knows how to fix stuff.
If he's never seen a phone like yours, he'll re-program it and show you how to cook a roast with it, in two minutes.
But give him a baby to hold for thirty seconds and he'll look like you've just handed him a live grenade.
Ever done an IQ test?
I have.
I came out okay but I don't actually believe they are an indication of anything, other than our ability to do IQ tests.
The question we need to ask is:
Is there a correlation between people who score highly on IQ tests and those who seem to do 'better' (whatever that is) in life?
Typically, the answer is no.
So for the above reasons and lots more, I have decided to create my own Intelligence Test.
One which actually is a genuine indicator of overall intelligence; not just a small component.
Here's how it works:
There are ten types of intelligence (my article, my rules).
Simply rate yourself between 1 and 10 for each type.
A score of one meaning you're complete crap in that area, five to six; you're okay but you could improve and nine or ten... you're a gun.
Here are the categories:
1. Academic Intelligence Traditional Intelligence. School marks, etc. Memory, Recall.
2. Emotional Intelligence Can you and do you, genuinely connect on an emotional level with loved ones? Do tears freak you out? Have you personally cried in the last five years? Have you hugged all of your parents and / or brothers and sisters in the last year? Can you, and do you, tell people how you really feel about them? Do you work on developing yourself on an emotional level? Do you acknowledge and discuss your fears?
3. Social Intelligence Can you, and do, you make people feel great? Can you fit into any social situation? Can you chat with the least interesting person in the room for more than three minutes? Can you read social situations or are you socially inept? Do you always know what's appropriate for the situation you're in?
4. Mechanical Intelligence Can you change a tyre? Can you build a spaceship from coke cans? Can you service your own car? Can you name the bits in the engine thingy? (clearly, I rate poorly in this area).
5. Creative Intelligence Can you solve problems? Are you creative? Do you think outside the box or are you boring and predictable? Can you write, draw, paint, sing, compose, sculpt, play an instrument? Can you create something from nothing? Do you have cool ideas... and act on them?
6. Practical Intelligence (also called common sense). Are you good at 'just getting things done'? When the crap hits the fan, does everybody look to you? Do you instinctively just know how to 'do stuff'? If you were on 'Survivor', could you build a five bedroom house out of coconuts and branches just to show off?
7. Business Intelligence Were you the kid who sold his paper round to another kid for a profit? Do you walk into a business and instinctively know how to improve it?
8. Spiritual Intelligence Do you have some kind of faith, spiritual awareness? Do you ever feel that maybe there's more to things (life) than just what you see? Do you do anything about it?
9. Technological Intelligence Do you struggle to play a DVD, or can you re-wire your computer in the dark?
10. Adaptive Intelligence While everyone else is falling apart, do you just cope? Do you like getting out of your box... perhaps you don't live in one. Do you love challenges and discomfort, or do you like routine and predictable? Can you be in almost any situation and be okay?
After you've rated yourself in all ten categories, add up your total (out of a possible 100) and rate yourself on the scale.
0-50 Like Craig
51-70 Not completely dysfunctional
71-90 Pretty darn clever
91-100 All-round genius
