Saturday, March 21, 2015

The Nature Of Mind - BRAINTENANCE - Douglas E. Castle

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Thinking about abstractions and examining cause-and-effect relationships are an integral part of intelligence strengthening. The more you utilize your introspective imagination, the greater your ability to conceptualize and to be creative. The mere notion of thinking about the nature of your mind, and of consciousness itself is a wonderful Braintenance exercise.  Give these questions some thought. Some of them require that you think about thinking -- a kind of recursive, "fractal logic":

Have you ever wondered about the nature of your mind? Is the mind separate from the brain or is the thinking, working mind merely a manifestation of the biological brain's self realization?

Do we imagine the existence of our minds?

Does the mind animate the brain? Or does the brain animate (or generate) the mind?

Are the brain and the mind somehow symbionts? Can one exist without the other? If the brain dies, does the mind die automatically?

Can consciousness, as we understand it, exist independent of biology?

Is the phenomenon of mental telepathy real? Is the phenomenon, when it seems to occur, a function of trained superconscious intuition or is it truly shared consciousness? Can we truly broadcast our thoughts and receive the thoughts of others?

Do our thoughts take on substance and live on independently of us? Do such entities as thoughtforms truly exist?

Is there truly a collective consciousness? If so, does it have embedded within it the thoughts of those long deceased? What is its origin (from where or what is it generated)? Does each of us contribute to it? Can any one of us access or "tap into" it? If so, how?

How are the subconscious, the conscious and the super conscious (intuitive) minds interconnected?

Are our minds a projection of someone else's thoughts or consciousness?

Is the mind truly located within the brain? Can the mind migrate and travel outside of the brain? Are astral projection, out-of-body and near-death-experiences genuine, or they more simply explained as a consequence of the chemistry of the brain?

Lastly, how often do you think about thinking?

The above photo bears no relevance to the subject matter of this article. Irrelevance is sometimes an intellectual virtue.

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Thank you, as always for reading me.

Douglas E. Castle for The Braintenance Blog

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http://braintenance.blogspot.com

Braintenance contains articles, resources, exercises, games and specially-designed protocols to improve the power of your brain and your mind in every significant aspect, including memory, cognition, IQ, plasticity, creativity and problem-solving ability.

Key Terms: brain, mind, cognitive enhancement, memory, brain gym exercises, IQ, plasticity, mind expansion, creativity, meditation, altered states, perception, self-hypnosis, self-growth, neuron, artificial intelligence, learning, somatic intellect, mathematics, language, dissonance, individualism, herd mentality, puns and word games, linguistics, genius, emotion, subconscious, unconscious, intuition, instinct, psychedelic, reality, learning curve, probability, collective consciousness

Monday, March 16, 2015

Analogies Are Mind Expanders: Braintenance - Douglas E. Castle

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Analogies Are Mind Expanders

If you'd like to truly sharpen your ability to think associatively and to open up some exciting neural pathways in the bargain, doing exercises involving analogies may be just the think to add to your Braintenance regimen. These exercises even improve you pattern recognition, total cognition and creative thinking. If you'd like to think outside of the box (and keep your mind fresh in the process), analogies are wonderful tools.

An analogy (dog is to puppy as cat is to kitten, or, as it commonly appears on standardized tests, especially in higher grades: dog : puppy :: cat : kitten) is a comparison between two things that are usually thought to be different from each other, but have some similarities. They help us understand things by making connections and seeing relationships between them based on knowledge we already possess.

Analogies are a ubiquitous staple of standardized tests. This type of comparison plays a significant role not only in improving problem solving and decision making skills, but also in perception and memory, as well as communication and reasoning skills. Learning analogies can help with reading and building vocabulary.

Types of Analogies include:
  • Synonym (happy : joyful :: sad : depressed)
  • Antonym (inflation : deflation :: frail : strong)
  • Characteristic (tropical : hot :: polar : cold)
  • Part/Whole (finger : hand :: petal : flower)
  • Degree (mist : fog :: drizzle : tropical storm)
  • Type (golden retriever : dog :: salmon : fish)
  • Tool/Worker (pen : writer :: voice : singer)
  • Action/Object (fly : airplane :: drive : car)
  • Item/Purpose (knife : cut :: ruler : measure)
  • Product/Worker (poet : poem :: baker : pie)
    Different types of analogies are introduced at different levels. Elementary school analogies may be simple, possibly funny analogies; whereas middle school analogies may focus more on analogical reasoning. Analogies practiced in high school delve even more deeply into analogical problem solving.
    Analogy vs. Metaphor
    Students often confuse analogies with metaphors. Both are comparisons, often involving unrelated objects, so what IS the difference? An analogy is a parallel comparison between two different things, whereas a metaphor is more of a direct comparison between two things, often with one word being used to symbolically represent another. "All the world's a stage. And all the men and women merely players." is an example of a famous metaphor. William Shakespeare is directly comparing the world to a stage, with the people playing " roles" as they go about their daily lives. A comparable analogy would be "Players are to stage as figure skaters are to ice rink."
Practice
Here are some examples (without answers supplied, so if you are overly-challenged, you'll need to employ dictionary.com or some other vocabulary resource) of analogies to sharpen your mind and refresh your vocabulary as well... 


JUROR : JUDGE

Your answer:
criminal : sentence
umpire : oust
broom : sweep [this answer is correct]
decision : vacillate
doctor : cure

      1. AUTHENTICITY : COUNTERFEIT

Your answer:
reserve : reticent
mobility : energetic
anticipation : solemn
reliability : erratic
argument : contradictory

      1. TURTLE : REPTILE

Your answer:
snake : rattle
leaf : branch
oyster : clam
oak : tree
snail : shellfish

      1. AGENDA : CONFERENCE

Your answer:
man : woman
executive : employee
agency : assignment
teacher : class
map : trip

      1. EMBARRASS : HUMILIATE

Your answer:
labor : suceed
bicker : fight
reduce : enlarge
spank : whip
pilfer : steal

      1. COT : BED

Your answer:
hand : finger
hotel : motel
tissue : hankerchief
lesson : composition
tea : lemon

      1. CONCOMITANT: ACCOMPANYING

Your answer:
loyal : staunch
rough : texture
separate : attached
hard : granite
tanned : leather

      1. DISORGANIZED : SYSTEM

Your answer:
retired : hope
greedy : money
athletic : intelligence
traitorous : loyalty
conserve : party

      1. FIX : STABLE

Your answer:
mend : torn
fortify : strong
deter : active
captivate : attractive
furrow : productive

      1. INVARIABLE : CHANGE

Your answer:
unfathomable : depth
extraneous : proposition
incurable : disease
ineffable : expression
varied : appearance



I wish you the best of luck, fellow Braintenancers, and I thank you as always for reading me. 

Douglas E. Castle for The Braintenance Blog

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http://braintenance.blogspot.com

Braintenance contains articles, resources, exercises, games and specially-designed protocols to improve the power of your brain and your mind in every significant aspect, including memory, cognition, IQ, plasticity, creativity and problem-solving ability.

Key Terms: brain, mind, cognitive enhancement, memory, brain gym exercises, IQ, plasticity, mind expansion, creativity, meditation, altered states, perception, self-hypnosis, self-growth, neuron, artificial intelligence, learning, somatic intellect, mathematics, language, dissonance, individualism, herd mentality, puns and word games, linguistics, genius, emotion, subconscious, unconscious, intuition, instinct, psychedelic, reality, learning curve, probability, collective consciousness

Monday, March 9, 2015

Your Brain: A Perpetual Motion Machine - Braintenance - Douglas E. Castle

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Your brain is a perpetual motion machine which is operating continuously on various "settings" in order to address certain functions crucial to our physiological and psychological existence. As long as you are alive, your brain is a muscle being applied, tested and, hopefully, strengthened. Despite this, we are constantly told by others to "give our brains a rest," or something similar. Although this is a well-intended suggestion for those of us who have been categorized as either workaholics or obsessives, it is advice that cannot be followed literally.

Having said this, an over-reactive, challenged brain needs rest, even though it cannot cease its operations. Too much cerebration leads to frustration, fatigue and an excess secretion of cortisol, each and all of which are inherently unhealthy. This begs the question: "What can we do to 'give our brains a rest' even though we cannot cease ongoing mental processes?

There is a solution. The key is to re-focus your brain on a different task (i.e., rotational tasking) in order to give the parts of it which were being strained a break while other parts are exercised in a healthy manner. Here are the two keys to re-focusing and resting your mind when it is either running in circles, being "uncooperative" or causing you psychological and physiological stress:

1) Stop what you're doing and engage in a passive activity, such as watching a movie, listening to music, working out or doing something else which is a "rote" exercise; or,

2) Take a brief nap and allow your mind to sort things out subconsciously.

Remember: A tired brain is an uninspired brain. If you have a multitude of things to do, don't get "hung up" on any one item on your list. When you get stuck, skip to the next item on the list and, after you've gotten a sufficient break from the task that you were originally performing, go back to it with renewed vigor and refreshed creativity.

Also: Don't multitask! Use rotational tasking. Multitasking is like texting while you're driving [i.e., you can't do either properly], whereas rotational tasking is like shifting gears or changing lanes consciously.

Always consciously attend to your Braintenance.

Thank you for reading me.

Douglas E. Castle for The Braintenance Blog

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BRAIN TEASERS,
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BRAINTENANCE: Train, Strain And Improve Your Brain. Expand Your Mind.

http://braintenance.blogspot.com

Braintenance contains articles, resources, exercises, games and specially-designed protocols to improve the power of your brain and your mind in every significant aspect, including memory, cognition, IQ, plasticity, creativity and problem-solving ability.

Key Terms: brain, mind, cognitive enhancement, memory, brain gym exercises, IQ, plasticity, mind expansion, creativity, meditation, altered states, perception, self-hypnosis, self-growth, neuron, artificial intelligence, learning, somatic intellect, mathematics, language, dissonance, individualism, herd mentality, puns and word games, linguistics, genius, emotion, subconscious, unconscious, intuition, instinct, psychedelic, reality, learning curve, probability, collective consciousness

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