The pan, the spoon, and the imagery

Recently a sleep expert on NPR: Science Friday said that Thomas Edison used to sit and think with a metal spoon in his hand. A metal pan on the floor waited below. Edison, dozing, dropped the spoon. He waked and caught new ideas.

I did a little searching and could not verify the story as applied to Edison. I did find the same story told about Salvador Dali. That story, however, indicated the objective was to get a refreshing, brief nap.

If you try this scheme, you will probably become aware of hypnagogic imagery, something that people usually experience (with little recall) in between waking and sleeping. I can readily see why Dali, a surrealist painter, would have been interested in such dream-like imagery. I can also see why Dali, a great self-promoter, might have made up the story to tell a gullable reporter

I mention this story as a concrete example of cognitive engineering in a simple form. No mushrooms, no Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, no fMRI. Maybe only useful to painters, graphic artists, interior decorators, architects, VR designers, theatrical set designers, and people trying to understand brain function from the insider’s view.

Personally, I think to-do lists and schedules are more generally useful bits of cognitive engineering. But these are too mundane to catch much attention.

For a bit of cognitive engineering that is widely useful but not so widely used, I suggest the Startalittle scheme: When you have something to do, start it right away. But only do a little. About ten minutes is right. Think of it as putting your brain to work on the job. A few hours later, you will have thought of things you didn’t think of in the starter session.

Does it work for you? You won’t know unless you try it. Startalittle scheme.