I help seniors in our building and some disabled people with their computers. You know tune-ups, boot-up problems, security setup and remove waleware. Teach them a little.

How true. I work in a hospital.

For example, you said "brain". That is an assumption that consciousness resides in the brain. I found your post very interesting and am just trying to open up the dialogue.

I like you last comment about saving your code. Thanks for the chuckle!

But Troy you are working on an assumption that you know what consciousness is. You don't. Remember the story of the blind men and the elephant. Each had a different perception depending on which part of the elephant they were touching. Try reading some early 20th or even 19th thoughts on science and see how each generation is so presumptious about what it thinks it knows. We have a very, very long way to go. I think 1000 years from now might we might be a little closer. Lay people often ask me about things like artificial intelligence and I tell them the key word is "artificial" NOT intelligence.

Yes you do or you would not be incapable of responding meaning fully with any one else and thus you are not alive.

The question is premature, at least for Western science, as it hasn't even been figured out yet. Though an advanced Buddhist meditator who has studied the Abhidharma(Google it) might have some intersting ideas to relate. So how could you save it if you don't have a clue what it is? Mike

"CCleaner" because it is fast, free and doesn't cause any problems. "Registry First Aid" cost but will actually repair some problems. Don't listen to sour grapes in other responders they obviously have not actually repaired anythingwith them. I've helped many using these types of utilities over the years.

Just a little point. The technique can be learned but the creativity comes from experience.

You have a point but I believe one can learn if one chooses to Do you make a distinction between the "best" and just good, solid design? People can be taught basic, good design - font usage, static or dynamic balance, flow, etc., etc. Every one can bring their own "personl genius" to anything, if they are prepared to do the work. That's what I call style. Do you think that every great scientific discovery was made by a genius? I don't think they were not all "Einsteins". There are lots of good, solid athletes who play professionally for their whole career without being "stars". I believe that if you practice with passion and intelligence you can achieve what ever you desire. You just have to be prepared to make the sacrifice, have the desire, the dedication, etc. In short it is entirely up to YOU. Try it and then contact me again in 10 or 15 years. Check out the biographies of people and you will see that they all had a mentor somewhere in their life or career i.e taught directly or indirectly by example. This is just my observation, and I hope you take no offence, but I think you are, perhaps, a bit fatalistic. I believe that praising others can be a good excuse for not changing or doing something about things ourselves I think the real situation is that a lot of coders are just not interested in design and styling and a lot of graphic designers are not interested in coding. Amongst my friends this has been the case. Regards, M.

I didn't realise we were talking about composing a symphony. I thought it was about designing a good working UI. To comment further: good work is 90% practise/repetition and 10% inspiration or talent.

Of course it can be taught! Where did you get that dreamy eyed nosense? Maybe the belief that it can't be IS the problem.