Conversation with Graham Powell on Issue X of “WIN ONE” with Gwyneth Wesley Rolph, Anna Konnikova, Thomas J. Hally, Claus Volko, Greg A. Grove, Therese Waneck, Beaux Clemmons, Manahel Thabet, Karyn Huntting Peters, Marco Ripà, and Alan Wing-Lun: Co-Editor, “Phenomenon” (9)

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2020/09/22

Abstract

His Lordship of Roscelines, Graham Powell, earned the “best mark ever given for acting during his” B.A. (Hons.) degree in “Drama and Theatre Studies at Middlesex University in 1990” and the “Best Dissertation Prize” for an M.A. in Human Resource Management from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England in 1994. Powell is an Honorary Member of STHIQ Society, Former President of sPIqr Society, Vice President of Atlantiq Society, and a member of British Mensa, IHIQS, Ingenium, Mysterium, High Potentials Society, Elateneos, Milenija, Logiq, and Epida. He is the Full-Time Co-Editor of WIN ONE (WIN-ON-line Edition) since 2010 or nearly a decade. He represents World Intelligence Network Italia. He is the Public Relations Co-Supervisor, Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, and a Member of the European Council for High Ability. He discusses: a different tone; “Biofeedback” by Gwyneth Wesley Rolph, and Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes by Anna Konnikova; “A Brief History of IQ Tests” by Thomas J. Hally; “Feedback on ‘Atheism’….” by Dr. Claus D. Volko; “The Lost Child” by Therese Waneck; “Another Friend Dies From AIDS” by Beaux Clemmons; “As I Recall” by Hally; “A festive poem” and “The Challenge”; “Gödel and the Limits of Computability” by Volko; “Epigrahams” and “The Editor’s Anagdoku”; “X-Test Solutions Finally Revealed!” by Marco Ripà; Alan Wing-Lun published “About ‘Codin’ Code Al Coda’”; “Theme from Love, Injury, Fear, Embarrassment.”

Keywords: giftedness, Graham Powell, United Arab Emirates, WIN ONE, World Intelligence Network.

Conversation with Graham Powell on Issue X of “WIN ONE” with Gwyneth Wesley Rolph, Anna Konnikova, Thomas J. Hally, Claus Volko, Greg A. Grove, Therese Waneck, Beaux Clemmons, Manahel Thabet, Karyn Huntting Peters, Marco Ripà, and Alan Wing-Lun: Co-Editor, “Phenomenon” (9)

*Please see the footnotes, bibliography, and citation style listing after the interview.*

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Issue X set a different tone than the previous issue of WIN ONE. It opens with the quote, “To the tranquil mind, flowers are great friends, radiating beauty without recourse to words.” Why this quote or statement for this particular issue? Who owns the quote? You note the problems inherent in the issues of the early 21^st century with some turbulent times while also acknowledging the benefits in the ease of travel for in-person discussions within members of the meta-society known as the World Intelligence Network. How important was the tenth issue to get right? Once more, you solo edited. What is the workload in terms of hours and level of effort per issue, as the size and scale of the issue began to stabilize?

Graham Powell[1],[2]: Yes, Scott, this Edition took on a new ‘voice’, I think this a corollary of the meeting of minds at the 12th Asia-Pacific Conference on Giftedness, plus the fact that I was in Al Ain at the time, an Emirate that is part of the United Arab Emirates. In the heat of the desert, the mood was reflective. Usually I was walking to the Internet Cafe in temperatures above body temperature. I reflected on the beautiful flowers at my home in Sardinia – the quotation is my own. It was a struggle to get this edition finished, especially as many of the inclusions arrived late, so, yes, repeated treks to the internet cafe took some pluck as the hours ticked by and the deadline got closer and closer. There is a mood in this edition of discussion and, I think, a little remorse; there is poetry and an artistic intensity that is greater than in previous editions. I wanted everything to be right, yes, despite the challenges. The world was in the middle of an economic meltdown and the effects on people’s daily lives were coming through. There is always a kind of backwash to the wave of macroeconomic hardships, which is tough to bear. It strikes homesteads across the world and this was being reflected on people’s faces. I put in a great deal of effort for this edition too, having time to do that, but also because it was the beginning of an era whereby people had other things to concentrate on. Much of this edition came from friends, or via my own hand. I had just met Gwyneth Wesley Rolph (prior to going to the Emirates) and that was great. I am pleased that she has now realised her potential and is pursuing what, at that time, was a dream. Her research on intelligence and related neurophysiology reminds me of the work by Rex Jung, who I admire greatly.

Jacobsen: “Biofeedback” by Gwyneth Wesley Rolph covers the issue of biofeedback as a research topic. The article provides some grand claims about health benefits and the forms of equipment used for the biofeedback, e.g., EMG or electromyography, temperature or thermal feedback, galvanic skin response training, heart rate variability training, neurofeedback through the EEG or electroencephalogram, and others.[3] Does biofeedback still seem reasonable as a practice and valid as a tool for self-knowledge and awareness? You reviewed Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes by Anna Konnikova (Dr. Maria Konnikova) in “A book review.” She writes about the fictional personhood of Holmes. His personality, abilities, and how this ties to modern psychological research with some reference to the work of Professors Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald by you. The most important point, or takeaway for me, comes from the way in which Holmes focused on a goal to filter information, as a means to solve problems before him, as per “Peter Gollwitzer’s 5 Goal-orientated Behaviour traits.” Sections included mindfulness and motivation, interpretation of the world as the world, the DMM or default mode network, the importance of common sense found through deduction or, more properly, induction/abduction described as “systemised common sense,” and knowledge of self. You gave an enthusiastic review of Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes. What was some feedback on the text since the publication of the review? How has Dr. Konnikova’s career progressed?

Powell: Interesting that you ask about this, Scott, because I am involved in neurofeedback at the moment, a new adventure that has taken me back to Dubai. It is, indeed, just that: feedback. In my work, there’s low electrical input, mainly just sensors. People undergoing the feedback monitor their responses alongside the technician and they are ‘rewarded’ via a notification system. This reward system is decided upon via consultation. I have undergone some of the light and sound sessions and it is effective. I have found that my sleep patterns have returned to a healthy rhythm, with theta waves being emitted more than previously. As such, I think the three main goals espoused by Gwyneth are being met: I self regulate, know more about how the brain is functioning, and I am taking the results into my everyday life. I have a hunch that the other forms of biofeedback can have similar effects, hence Gwyneth’s three, generic goals.

As for Maria Konnikova Hamilton (her full name), her writing career has progressed and she has produced several books of note, her latest book resulting in her becoming a gambler in casinos. She is about to move on from that, but, unfortunately, due to a certain amount of fame, she has distanced herself from me these days, so I don’t know in what direction she is about to go.

Jacobsen: “A Brief History of IQ Tests” by Thomas J. Hally talked about the history of low range and normal range testing, and high range testing, of general intelligence with a tip of the hat to Paul Cooijmans, Ron Hoeflin, Robert Lato, Laurent Dubois, Mislav Predavec, Jonathan Wai, Kenneth Ferrell, Jeff Leonard, Jason Betts, and Ivan Ivec. Of course, noting, the test scores do not define the person and the HRT test creators remained all men at the time. This may stay the same into the present. However, as a caveat, as a singular trait pervading aspects of an individual’s life, access to joining societies, access to contribute to and write in journals, and the like, the test scores, at minimum, define part of the person, if defined in an extended sense of “person” as in an extended relational self. What are the issues of high range tests from the most serious to the trivial? What are the benefits of high range tests over low range and normal range tests? How do the politics and personalities of the HRT world impact the dynamics of the societies, the development of tests, and so on? If someone donates money to a high IQ society and to the career of an individual within the HRT world, and if one exists as a member of a society in which a test developer uses individuals for the purpose of increasing the relevant sample size of the tests in development, do these amount to financial conflicts of interest and other forms of conflict of interest? How do these considerations impact the legitimacy of the creation of some tests and some societies in the 3-sigma and higher world of the high IQ?

Powell: Okay, let us break this down, then push people in a direction to learn more. A fundamental issue is said to be the lack of people to provide data, though the current world population is 7.8 billion, which statistically indicates the possibility of at least one person having an IQ of 201, SD16. One in 7.2 billion reach that score. It also equates to one in nearly a million scoring 176 SD 16, (1:982,001), so a quantitative sample of at least 7,385 is possible. This poses the following problem: from where can we find these people? I think a more serious consideration is: how many of these people wish to participate collectively? Having spoken face to face with one such person, the related anecdotes don’t bode well for these people to interact. A further example is an article by Michael Ferguson, who calls them ‘The Inappropriately Excluded’. In a previous round, I cited Hollingworth’s research and the issues of the isolationism of a group which would now, utilizing Gaussian distribution IQ scores, be considered to have an IQ score of around IQ 159 SD 15, or above. Ferguson also refers to this. Generally, the HRTs may identify certain people, but my knowledge about the interactions which take place at the very high IQ level, does not make for pleasant reading. That’s the ‘trivial part’.

As for conflicts of interest, attempting to identify and further research and data collation is necessary. If there is a monetary gain in doing that, I provisionally say that it is fine. In the end, individuals have a choice about whether to participate, or not. At the IQ societal level, I don’t think the funding of individuals occurs very much, at least not due to particular membership of a society. Rather, members of the very exclusive societies can make themselves available for exceptional research and development work – if they so desire. It’s a vicious circle for them, really: the opportunities are there, if they want to run the gauntlet of what may seem banal. As stated before, in the end, many of the plethora of tests are not sufficiently tested to be both reliable and verifiable. In the end, I’m not sure how beneficial all this is to these people anyway. Other factors in life are more important than an IQ score.

Jacobsen: “Feedback on ‘Atheism’….” by Dr. Claus D. Volko provided a short retort to the eighth issue article by Phil Elauria. His critique focusing on the non-need to move to multi-valued logic where classical binary logic suffices to resolve proposed problems in logic. Any thoughts on the retort by Dr. Volko? “The Writer’s Dilemma” by Thomas J. Hally provides an implicitly amusing frolic on the nature of writers, literacy, mathematicians, and other intellectual types. In “Juggler of Day,” a poem by Emily Dickinson, accompanied pictorially by Dr. Greg A. Grove, we discover a new fact: Dr. Grove’s synesthesia or cross-talk between senses. “Emily Dickinson Eats Out” by Dr. Grove was a charming little piece. You wrote “Meeting In-flight.” Where was this a trip towards at the time – other than someone’s lips? Or was this more of an imaginary production? “Not Quite Carbon Copies” by Hally is a delightful, and humorous, observation-bound poem on sex and gender dynamics in general. What made this poem stand out to you? “The Lost Child” by Therese Waneck put forth a one-word poem, in a way, which brought to mind, “Cooked.” What words and images come to mind for you, in this poem? “Dying Dawns” by Waneck brings the sorrow known to and expressed by many elderly friends to me, in intimate conversations. What does this poem evoke for you? “Renewal” by Hally brings forth a strangely depressing but hopeful tale of reflection on the generation and the hope for the metaphysical and spiritual – “transformation” – in spite of the flaws, failures, and follies of the generation. I am ambivalent on an emotional judgment of this piece. What do you think, feel?

Powell: I tried to encourage feedback on the pieces in the magazine, so Claus-Dieter’s was a welcome inclusion within this edition. I recognized the logical sequence that Claus-Dieter proposes, though I had to liaise with him on it at that point in time. It was a steep learning curve for me, so rewarding too. One of the joys of editorship is learning along the way. A curious aftermath was the fact that Phil Elauria took a course in Computer Programming and it is at the core of his career path now, though I’ve no idea if this intervention by Claus-Dieter made Phil consider entering that job sector. All I do know is that Phil is proving successful in his new job.

As for Doctor Grove and his synaesthesia, I knew about it and indeed took part in an experiment involving art. Greg loves music by Scriabin, whose atonal scale was influenced by synaesthesia. Greg also loves the poetry of Emily Dickinson, hence the artwork. Greg would make a fascinating person to interview.

The Meeting In-flight poem is a modern version of Meeting at Night by Robert Browning, though I must confess that it is also based on a real-life experience in Izmir, Turkey. I think Tom Hally and I share a poetic interest in these facets to life, though I am perhaps more of a romantic. That comes out in Renewal, too. Tom is more sardonic in his outlook.

Therese Waneck’s poems always entreat me. Like Emily Dickinson’s, they are bijou expressions, yet pierce to the core. I love Therese’s work.

Jacobsen: “Another Friend Dies From AIDS” by Beaux Clemmons portrays a moving depiction of loss, of death and coping, and moving on, once the shock disappears. Clemmons, as a Christian, comes to confront an apparent injustice with anger at purported love for his Creator. Doubt, anger, and a generally pissed off demeanour seeps through portions of the text, understandably. In a seriocomic stance, Clemmons pretends God is imaginary, not present, and remains unconvinced of the view here in the thought experiment too, which belies a certain agnosticism, implicitly. Clemmons ends on a re-invigoration of strength by putting the feelings to text. What stood out about this piece to you?

Powell: Beau (his actual name) is a devout Christian who I’ve known and, indeed, assisted sometimes for a few years, now. This piece arrived as I was walking through around 45 degrees centigrade to publish the magazine from the internet café in Al Ain. It was a heartfelt piece, one which clearly made Beau question many aspects to life, his sexuality, his beliefs, the seemingly unfair judgement that is bestowed upon us at times. I had to go back through the scorching heat to add his article. Beau expressed that he had to let the emotions go and was keen that I help him by publishing the piece. I think it was a cathartic experience for him, which these occasions often require, whatever your belief.

Jacobsen: “As I Recall” by Hally opens with the psychological knowledge of the most prominent memories tending to be emotional ones. Although, Professor Elizabeth Loftus’s, from the University of California, Irvine, memory research may buffer direct statements about this, especially in regards to Rich False Memories, for example. Hally’s focus is “arousal” and “valence” and “mood” as integral to strong, detailed, and lasting memories. A wonderful, concise, and effective summary of memory research to this point, at an intermediate level. Does educational material, as opposed to that which requires some interpreting, become more easily accepted into the journal? You wrote “A festive poem” and “The Challenge,” which provided some mental food for thought. “WIN Meetings” provide some further context of the relationships between executive members of WIN with visits to Dubai in April and June of 2013 with pictures of Dr. Thabet, Dr. Katsioulis, and Dr. Karyn Huntting Peters. How were the subsequent meetings in person with Drs. Thabet, Katsioulis, and Peters? What have been fruitful dialogues since that time?

Powell: I think people like to learn, yes. I also did a little research and high IQ people are not interested in doing puzzles within magazines. I didn’t realize that at the time, but it seems to be a prevailing viewpoint.

On a different tack, I was pleased to make the interactions of WIN members evident visually, which had been done in an earlier WIN magazine, G2G Manifest. There was quite a lot of interaction while I was in the Middle East, so it was a great opportunity, in that respect. The three WIN members that you cite are at the epicentre of my high IQ experience, even to this day. We continue to change the world, I am sure, in a positive manner.

Jacobsen: Dr. Volko wrote “Gödel and the Limits of Computability.” In it, he describes the ways in which the two incompleteness theorems – 1) incomplete and consistent, or complete and inconsistent and 2) consistent systems cannot be proven consistent within their own formalities – describe the limits of computability. Any further thoughts on the incompleteness theorems for you? Any known additional theorems adjunct to these two theorems? What do these theorems appear to mean for computability and human computation? What stands out about Dr. Volko’s material over the years? “Epigrahams,” clever as well as entertaining as a word, connects to “The Editor’s Anagdoku.” What inspired the tying of these together? Also, what is the image behind the text, the background picture?

Powell: I think you would do best to ask Claus-Dieter about the theorems and the lasting nature of his work. The magazine is largely a snapshot of intellectual considerations at certain moments in time. As I said before, my real-life interactions with the people you mentioned previously are more significant to me now and take up a great deal of my time. The results of that will become clear, I am sure. Please watch the media.

Regarding the Epigrahams, I have kept a journal since April 1983. The Epigrahams were a collection of epigrams from those journals. As I hinted near the beginning of this interview, in the desert, reflections on matters often bring quite original thoughts, with neologisms, if you will. I like anagrams and I also enjoy writing the occasional Sudoku, so some of the anagrams and a Sudoku combined to produce the Anagdoku. The picture behind the text (the watermark) I don’t recall now, though I am sure it is an engraving which is redolent of the work of William Blake, so it is a hark back to the cover of Edition VI, which was very much styled on Blake’s Songs of Innocence.

Jacobsen: “X-Test Solutions Finally Revealed!” by Marco Ripà pulled a first with the exposing and exposition on the solutions to an IQ test developed by the test creator himself. Not too much commentary here in the question other than the unique laying out the solutions to problems on an IQ test, as if Penn & Teller. Any thoughts on the prospect of benefiting from the practice of HRT with provision of the solutions for an educational purpose? You did accept and publish the article after all. Then there were some individual images of famous mostly dead smart people for consideration as parts in a puzzle inside the issue as a whole. Alan Wing-Lun published “About ‘Codin’ Code Al Coda’” in response to the ‘composing’ (I was a bit loose in the language before, sorry, and so partially wrong, in a prior interview part) of the puzzle and the literal zero correct responses sent in about the puzzle, in spite of a competition placed for it. He ends, humorously, on a quote by Oscar Wilde stating, “I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed man.” What comes to mind when a puzzle remains so difficult for the international high IQ community that no correct solutions come into the creator of the puzzle until after a competition and not during?

Powell: I remember that a couple of the items in Marco’s test had been compromised, by unscrupulous people either asking for the answers, or by giving the items as puzzles to solve, thereby gaining insight via other people offering solutions, or by actually giving the solutions. Marco was getting frustrated about this, as one can understand, and he decided that he would submit all the answers and put his X Test into IQ-testing history. We also moved on, with another type of test. It is computer generated and changes each time a person decides to take the test. It was a bold move by Marco and Gaetano Morelli, with a small contribution by me towards the end of the project – what was really a consideration of the best practical way to administer the test, though I did check the workings of it too.

Jacobsen: You composed “Music: ‘Theme from Love, Injury, Fear, Embarrassment’.” Then comes a rapid succession of solutions to puzzles throughout the issue. If you had to guess, how many readers look to the solutions before solving the puzzle? How many get them right on the easier puzzles and on the harder puzzles (excluding the one with zero solutions)?

Powell: As I mentioned before, generally, it seems that high IQ people are not interested in puzzle solving when reading online magazines. Occasionally, people compliment me on the ingenious nature of the puzzles, but I sense that less than 1% of readers do them. The lack of solutions submitted for Alan’s conundrum I feel validates my point. As a point of further interest, the music you cite was composed in 1988 for my play Love Injury Fear Embarrassment, which was performed at the Betchworth Festival, Surrey, England, that autumn.

Jacobsen: Thank you for the opportunity and your time, Graham.

Powell: It was a pleasure, Scott.

References

Clemmons, B. (2013, August 5). Another friend…. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

Grove, G.A., Powell, G., Hally, T.J., and Waneck, T. (2013, August 5). Poetry and Artwork. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

Hally, T.J. (2013, August 5). A Brief History of IQ Tests. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

Hally, T.J. (2013, August 5). As I Recall. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

Hally, T.J. (2013, August 5). The Writer’s Dilemma. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

Ho, A.W. (2013, August 5). Codin’ Code Al Coda Music Score. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

Powell, G. (2013, August 5). A book review. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

Powell, G. (2013, August 5). A Festive Meal (puzzle). Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

Powell, G. (2013, August 5). Puzzle Answers — A Festive Meal, Anagdoku and Famous People Montage. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

Powell, G. (2013, August 5). Epigrahams. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

Powell, G. (2013, August 5). Introduction by the editor. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

Powell, G. (2013, August 5). Music: “Theme from Love, Injury, Fear, Embarrassment”. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

Ripà, M. (2013, July). The X-Test Solutions. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

Rolph, G.W. (2013, August 5). Biofeedback. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

Volko, C.D. (2013, August 5). Feedback on “Atheism”…. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

Volko, C.D. (2013, August 5). Gödel and the Limits of Computability. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

Wing-Lun, W. (2013, August 5). About “Codin’ Code Al Coda”. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

World Intelligence Network. (2013, August 5). Photos of WIN Meetings. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

World Intelligence Network. (2013, August 5). The Editor’s Anagdoku. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

World Intelligence Network. (2013, August 5). The Famous People (photo) Quiz. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

Appendix I: Footnotes

[1] Co-Editor, “Phenomenon” (World Intelligence Network).

[2] Individual Publication Date: September 22, 2020: http://www.in-sightjournal.com/powell-9; Full Issue Publication Date: January 1, 2021: https://in-sightjournal.com/insight-issues/.

[3] “Feedback,” in full, states:

Biofeedback can be used for a variety of purposes, including, but not limited to, the alleviation or reduction of anxiety and stress, muscle tension, high blood pressure, asthma and other breathing difficulties, irritable bowel syndrome and other disorders of the digestive system, temporomandibular joint disorder, back problems, chronic pain, headaches and migraine, insomnia, major depressive disorder, heart disease, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

It can be used by medical doctors, chiropractors, mental health practitioners, dentists and other healthcare providers in conjunction with existing standard health treatment plans, or by specialist biofeedback providers to assist clients with various conditions.

Rolph, G.W. (2013, August 5). Biofeedback. Retrieved from www.iqsociety.org/issues/WIN_ONE_10.pdf.

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