1. I have been completely stumped by a problem going to bed but woke up in the morning with the solution. It is a delightful experience. I don't think I have a "passive mind". If I hadn't been doing a lot of thinking on the problem trying to solve it the connections that needed to be made to produce the solution in my mind would not have been made. I think that sometimes you have to turn your mind away from a problem in order to realize the solution.
2. You don't have to be superstitious to believe in statistical probabilities. If you were struck by a meteor in you sleep I would say you had a dose of "bad luck".
3. I suggest a dose of Mises "Human Action" for the "beloved socialist" in your life. Not that it would do any good. Perhaps you need to prune your "tree of friends".
No, he just has to make sure he doesn't will his money to the socialist - and he should drug him the night before elections. No need to stop being friends unless a person is dangerous or hostile.
Thinking about a question before you sleep works very well. Those neurons which have been stimulated during the day fire spontaneously at night, and lay down newer or stronger connections during sleep. That is, you learn during sleep.
I'll look into incorporating them into my conceptual framework. Who knows, maybe I'll just sleep on it, which is at least almost as good -- if not better, sometimes ...
