Robots are a very clever idea. Talking with one helps you sharpen your perception. If you can’t access the robot hotel pictured at Japan’s Henn Na Hotel, try CleverBot (www.cleverbot.com). It’s an interactive website that allows you to converse with a robot. Most of us communicate with artificial intelligences many times a day – in our phones, cars, and an increasing number of devices. Being extra observant of the reactions you get can help you sharpen your perceptions of the world around you.Talking with a robot you notice:1. Every word is parsed and usually taken literally.2. Robots make connections to their programming that often don’t make sense to humans.3. Where the programming of responses is limited such as warnings that your car needs attention, the communication is valuable.Given this, it’s a chance to see how you are perceived at the most basic linguistic level. So now it’s fun t

Most of us are drawn to people who improve our lives. Humans are different from animals in that sexy to us is in the mind as much as in reacting instinctively. Clever is a compelling trait, and more than intelligence – it’s being able to use your smarts to see how to improve yourself, another person, or a situation. Clever is being quick to get the point or to see a problem or issue from a different vantage point. Clever is a component of intelligence that’s positive. Not all the gifts of intelligence are positive ones. A troubled Ernest Hemingway wrote, “Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.” You may not be able to learn how to be more intelligent, but you can learn how to be cleverer. Practice is one tool. The more you look for the positive and search for clever ideas around you, the cleverer you become. For example, the person who thought of making this ugly carrot look sexy is clever. There is a new trend in making ugly fruit and vegetables look