The Boy Genius of Ulan Bator 163
An anonymous reader writes "A lot of us grew up tinkering with electronics and cherishing the one or two reference books we could find that explained exactly what we wanted to know. Nowadays, with internet access widely available and online educational materials coming into their own, we're going to see a lot more kindred spirits coming out of places all over the globe. The NY Times has a story about one such, a lad from Mongolia who hacked together complex sensors at the age of 16 and was one of the 0.2% of students to get a perfect score on MIT's first Massive Open Online Course. From the article: 'Battushig, playing the role of the car, moved into the sensor's path to show me how it worked, but it was clear he was not entirely satisfied with his design. "The use of the long wires is very inconvenient for my users," he said, almost apologetically, clasping his hands together in emphasis. He realized that contractors would be reluctant to install the siren in other buildings if they had to deal with cumbersome wiring, so he was developing a wireless version. ... Battushig has the round cheeks of a young boy, but he is not your typical teenager. He hasn't read Harry Potter ("What will I learn from that?") and doesn't like listening to music (when a friend saw him wearing headphones, he couldn't believe it; it turned out Battushig was preparing for the SAT). His projects are what make him happy. "In electrical engineering, there is no limit," he said.'"
limits (Score:5, Funny)
"In electrical engineering, there is no limit,"
In real life, there is.
Must we call him a genius? (Score:5, Funny)
Suspicious (Score:4, Funny)
He hasn't read Harry Potter ("What will I learn from that?")
Confirmed for replicant.
Re:Must we call him a genius? (Score:2, Funny)
When we could simply call him "Master"?
Master of Ulan Bator? Only if he's "hands on" ;-)
Re:Must we call him a genius? (Score:3, Funny)
Insecurity has nothing to do with it. I've got an IQ that measures in the 140s despite learning disorders, a head injury and significantly less working memory than average. I've literally never met anybody that's brain functions on the level mine does.
And I still take note of the fact that these prodigies rarely ever maintain that lead for long. Having a high IQ and talents like this is hardly the only factor. The people who wind up leading their fields are typically much broader in their abilities. Sure, they might not be the best in their area, but they've spent enough time with other disciplines that they can tell which way the wind is going and make appropriate plans.