Another confirmation that genius and madness are never too far away from each other and that they usually come together: Van Gogh.
I had never read about his life but now that I have I can understand the tremendous pain he was working under and appreciate his work in a different light. Not only were there some innate traits that made him prone to developing mental problems but also situations in his life (failed relationships) contributed to it. I have new respect for the man and his work.
On another subject, I was surprised to completely by coincidence come across someone recommending Steven Pinker's work. I am completely fascinated by it, especially "How the mind works" and the one that I am reading now: "The Language Instinct". It opens up a new world of possibilities and ways to look at why we act the way we do and at explaining everyday wonders that we usually take for granted.
I saw the movie "Swordfish" last night.... Nothing to write home about although I think it was an entertaining movie and with an interesting underlying theme (which ties in neatly with the content of "How the mind works" -see above-):
"What the eye sees and the ear hears, the mind believes"