The Theory of Ambient Intelligence
note: Read this at night, wherever you are. It'll help you understand, pokey. Now try to keep up. This is a working theory and subject to revision. Don't bitch at me.
One night in the Norman, Oklahoma cybercafe(RIP), where people mostly cafe'd and rarely cybered, a wise man explained to me the theory of Ambient Intelligence.
Basically the theory states that Intelligence, like any natural resource, is finite. It is also recyclable, but not in the sense of your old toilet seat ending up as the handle in your next toothbrush. It should be considered more like a form of energy/particle wave much like light, which cannot be destroyed, but only rearranged or redistributed. Like most natural resources, the distribution of Intelligence is not uniform, otherwise everybody in Montana would be a genius, which is obviously not the case . So to summarize, the amount of Intelligence available within a given geographical area is limited and may not be the same from place to place.
The available Intelligence is distributed amongst those people who are awake at any time, which tends to account for why geeks regularly display nocturnal behavior, the associated pasty skin tone, and less than ideal eating habits. You try to get real food at the local Quik Chek at 3AM. There's more Intelligence for them if everyone else is asleep, though. Some people's receptivity to Intelligence is higher than others, which explains different levels of ability. There is a natural sense for this energy which tends to make those receptive to it gravitate towards particular areas where they may be better provided with it.
Of further interest is what happens when a group of these people come together in close proximity, and/or over an extended period of time. As the available resources are cycled day to day, person to person, different patterns and even amplifications of the wave are created, to everyone's benefit. Research is being pursued into whether there is a point of critical mass at which this effect might reverse and become detrimental , or if a generalized form of the theory may be applied to other abilities .