Who did you see live last?

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, Rayman said:

Glenn Hughes last night at the Ritz in Manchester. Still absolutely fabulous, I love his pick playing, and his voice…. Absolutely mesmerising, still, at 74yrs old. Amazing performance.

 

https://www.earth.com/news/intelligence-peaks-much-later-in-life-than-we-expected/

 

Intelligence peaks around sixty, I suspect musical ability peaks later in life too - as experience (and good taste) compensates for sheer speed.

[Woodinblack]

5 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

https://www.earth.com/news/intelligence-peaks-much-later-in-life-than-we-expected/

 

Intelligence peaks around sixty, 

 

What an odd article - it clearly states what is commonly known but rephrases what it means:

 

The study challenges that belief, showing that while we may think slower with age, we also think deeper, wiser, and more compassionately.

 

'we think slower with age' - yes, i.e. actual intelligence goes down,  "we also think deeper, wiser, and more compassionately." - yes, wisdom and experience go up. 

[Dad3353]

Firstly define 'intelligence'. 

[Hypo199]

On 14/10/2025 at 22:35, ead said:

Saw Nena (99 Red Balloons) in Manchester on Sunday 12 Oct.  Very good, first time in the UK for about 15 years.

 

 

 

I was also at that gig - Gabriele and her band were superb, she's 65 and bouncing around the stage like a 19 year old for almost two hours. 

[FlyStraight99]

Hayseed Dixie at the Old Bakery, Truro last week. Phenomenal. 

[Woodinblack]

8 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

Firstly define 'intelligence'. 

 

The ability and speed of solving a completely novel problem

[visog]

Suzanne Vega... very good but no bassist. Cellist instead. 

[Ed_S]

Sonata Arctica on Sunday, and Battle Beast last night - both in Manchester.

 

Sonata were still very good but I ended up drinking my way through their support bands.

 

Last night was, however, exceptional. If you like cheerful metal and get the opportunity, definitely go and see Majestica, Dominum and Battle Beast.

 

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, Woodinblack said:

 

The ability and speed of solving a completely novel problem

 

Give an example of a novel problem... perhaps a room with twelve buttons and work out how to get out.*

 

All problem solving is on a continuum between prior knowledge or trial and error. Solving a truly novel problem (where you have no prior knowledge ofwhat actions will achieve the desired effect) starts with trial and error

 

Intelligence includes the ability to flexibly modify future behavior in the light of learned experience; anticipating future events; interpreting the behaviour and motivations of others; mapping abstract concepts onto reality and the reverse. And much more.

 

*To be truly novel the solution should not reflect prior experience - something as simple as pressing the right buttons wouldn't be novel.

 

Sorry just irrelevant musing... I'll shut up.

Edited 4 hours ago by Stub Mandrel

[Muzz]

My lad did a Mensa Test (the proper one where you book in and attend, not something shonky off the internet) at 12 (he'd been mithering me for a while, so I took him down one Saturday), and that's always described as an 'intellgence test'.

 

He got his results back (with an invite for Mensa membership) and scored 162 on the Stanford Binet, which is pretty much off the scale, so on paper he's very very very intelligent indeed.

 

In the real world, however, I wouldn't trust him to sit the right way round on a khazi three out of four tries, he's as daft as a brush 90% of the time. There's definitely a limit to the usefulness of some 'intelligence'...

[Woodinblack]

31 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

*To be truly novel the solution should not reflect prior experience - something as simple as pressing the right buttons wouldn't be novel.

 

Indeed - almost like that is what novel means

 

I wasn't arguing on definitions, just what that website was saying, which was stretching definitions to make their point.

 

 

11 minutes ago, Muzz said:

My lad did a Mensa Test (the proper one where you book in and attend, not something shonky off the internet) at 12 (he'd been mithering me for a while, so I took him down one Saturday), and that's always described as an 'intellgence test'.

 

He got his results back (with an invite for Mensa membership) and scored 162 on the Stanford Binet, which is pretty much off the scale, so on paper he's very very very intelligent indeed.

 

In the real world, however, I wouldn't trust him to sit the right way round on a khazi three out of four tries, he's as daft as a brush 90% of the time. There's definitely a limit to the usefulness of some 'intelligence'...

 

Indeed I sat a mensa test and got in (nothing like 162 thought) - that was in my 20s, I doubt I would get closer to my older score now, I feel thicker than I used to be. To be honest if someone has an IQ of 162 I would be surprised that they can cope in modern society, he would certainly need some help.

 

High intelegence isn't a help in society, actually quite a frustration because most of our systems dont require and actively work against it. The average intellegence in prison is higher than in general society, and it should never be confused with what people call 'common sense' (which generally has the emphasis on the common). 

Wisdom helps to tame that.

 

As I said, I doubt my intelegence is anything like it was at 20 but because my wisdom is higher and my patience is higher, I am actaully better at my job now, even if it takes longer to work things out.

 

[Muzz]

Yeah, it didn't help him all that much; we played it down at the time, but he was very frustrated at school because he assimilates things very fast indeed, and then was pretty much coasting (and was bullied badly for that), which didn't help again with his first year at Uni, when suddenly he had to change his methodology and his coasting plan didn't work any more, and his reduced ability to concentrate and slog through a subject he's not gripped by was an issue. He's adjusted OK though (he'll be doing his Masters next year, and is making terrible noises about a PhD after that), but very high intelligence isn't, as you say, the boon some might think it is. Wisdom is the most useful side of thinking, but no-one's born with it, and it takes years of experience to accumulate...

 

As they say 'Intelligence is knowing tomatoes are a fruit, wisdom is knowing they don't go in a trifle'. I spent most of my time with him growing up focussing on that side of things...

Edited 4 hours ago by Muzz

[Woodinblack]

59 minutes ago, Muzz said:

As they say 'Intelligence is knowing tomatoes are a fruit, wisdom is knowing they don't go in a trifle'.

 

Wisdom is knowing that it won't make a triffle nice either way

 

Yes, school is not a nice place if you are in any way different, and having to play dumb so you don't get your head kicked in.