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

The Blackboard In Your Mind

2012-02-02T17:56:00.000-05:00

When we utilize computers and other visual aids to do arithmetic calculations, several of our cognitive and computational abilities atrophy. We must exercise them in order to keep them strong. The simple process of doing arithmetic in your head allows you to visualize and to memorize. Many studies have shown that this rather simple exercise is one of the best ways to delay the onset of dementia and a number of other physiological manifestations of diminished mental capacity.

Do the following example in your head...no using fingers to draw in the air, or using of any other external physical processes (especially whispering the numbers to yourself0. I'll get you your answer tomorrow. Go ahead. Try this simple one [by the way, you'll actually find it confusing to look at the numbers on this page at the same time you visualize the computations in your head. With practice, this problem can be eliminated by simply taking a mental "photograph" of the numbers, closing your eyes and dedicating your mind to doing all of the work internally.

3 + 8 - 5 + 9 - 2 + 12 - 4 + 13 - 6 = ?

See you tomorrow, Braintenance Barons (and Baronesses).

Subliminal Tapes To Re-Program Yourself.

2012-01-23T19:02:00.002-05:00

Subliminal Tapes To Re-Program Yourself

As promised, and for a wonderful change of pace, I wanted to offer you these FREE subliminal personal re-programming tapes in order to strengthen your self-esteem, resolve, and emotional fortitude. In these three tapes (which you can listen to either with headphones or through your computer's (or other device's) speakers, subliminal suggestions are embedded against a backdrop of gentle sound and binaural beats to maximize entrainment and retention. These tapes were not made by me, and I do not make any guarantees as to their quality or effectiveness -- but I believe that, at very least, you'll find that they make you feel better, generally speaking. And we Braintenance Neuron Knitters are always in need of that!

Simply click on each of the programs below, enjoy it, hit the "BACK" button in your browser, and return to this page. You'll likely achieve the best result by listening to each recording once in the early morning, and once before bedtime. Yep -- this could be a four- or five-day project. Maybe more.

By the way, if you'd like to download a .pdf file (for your repeated use or sharing) of this entire post with live hyperlinks to the programs, simply click on http://bit.ly/2012SubliminalPack.

Here are your Programs:

ONE
http://www.mediafire.com/?p7bsc93myg3mrom

TWO
http://www.mediafire.com/?ue0b2pn4n5nhnec

THREE
http://www.mediafire.com/?6w1xdjcfcdaa9e8

FOUR
http://www.mediafire.com/?p7woyeblmoesm91

Enjoy them, and welcome to the Year Of The Dragon!

Douglas E Castle [http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com] for
BRAINTENANCE [http://Braintenance.blogspot.com]

^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-

Keeping Those New Year's Resolutions?

2012-01-15T21:40:00.002-05:00

We've had more than enough time to start re-evaluating those New Year's Resolutions. This might be a good time to determine which to keep, which to toss, and how to stay on course with the ones which are truly self-motivated and rooted in our own desires for self-improvement and greater happiness.

The article excerpt which follows appears courtesy of BigThink's Daily IdeaFeed, a wonderful source of information on virtually everything of interest to intelligent, thoughtful persons. There...I've just paid you a subtle, subliminal compliment! Read on, then click the "BACK" button on your browser and come back home to your new country... Cerebrainia*
----------------
*CEREBRAINIA is a cleverly-crafted geographical Lingovation devised by cranial commando Douglas E. Castle, your host, author, and occasional abuser.

WILLPOWER
Why You Won't Keep Your New Year's Resolutions

By the end of January, a third of everyone who has made a New Year's resolution
will have stopped.
By July, more than half will lapse. But knowing why could keep you on the right track.

---------------

Without going into a ridiculous wealth of detail and burdening you with the obvious, some of the principal reasons that we fail to "live up" to our New Year's resolutions are summarily listed here:

1) We psychologically frame them on "deprivation," "anticipated unpleasantness," "excessive efforting." Naturally, our subsconscious programs us for failure from the very negative beginnings of these thoughts;

2) We do not engage in any serious, repetitive positive visualization of the wonderful results we seek -- we just bemoan the effort and picture the sacrifices required to get there;

3) We are unrealistic in the goals we set, and the time frames involved in achieving them -- or worse, we don't set clear incremental goals and definitive time frames within which to achieve them;

4) We make "all or nothing at all" resolutions which set us up for immediate disappointment, discouragement, and abandonment of the effort altogether;

5) We make resolutions to please others, as opposed to making resolutions where we personally will derive a direct benefit. These "third-party focused" resolutions are entered into with more than a hint of resentment, dooming us to failure.

There will be more about this later. In fact, I'll help you to keep those New Year's resolutions (at least the ones which are founded in a legitimate, reasonable self-improvement objective) through sharing a series of relaxing and surprisingly effective subliminal self-programming tapes with you. These tapes which employ binaural beats and positively framed generic suggestions, can be listened to through your binaural headphones or directly through your speakers -- either way, you'll find them soothing and beneficial. Please stay tuned, my fellow (and lady) Brainistas!*

Don't touch that remote!

Douglas E. Castle for BRAINTENANCE

[http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com]

[http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/douglascastle]

--------
*BRAINISTAS. There's a fabulously wonderful Lingovation for you. You might have to Google the term "Lingovation."

Math Puzzle - The Missing Sign: PART 2

2012-01-09T14:47:00.000-05:00

Our challenge of several days ago was to use intellectual "brute force" (very rapid, iterative trial-and-error) to find out which arithmetic operations were being performed on the numbers in the equations which follow. Instead of using the common symbols, I had substituted the letter "n" for any operation. Let's crack the code, Oh Braintenancers.

Find the missing signs which are all represented below as the letter "n" in the following simple equations. I'll have answers for you within the next two days. You have plenty of time. Put away the crossword and Sudoku, and give this exercise a whack. Have at it, then. Answers are posted in red.

A) 9 n 3 n 3 = 30 The first n is multiplication, and the second n is addition.

B) 7 n 5 n 3 = 9 The first n is addition, and the second n is subtraction.

C) 12 n 3 n 1 = 5 The first n is division , and the second is addition.

Have fun. By the way, are you doing mathematics, arithmetic or something else. It might be time to take a run at Google or Wikipedia...

Douglas E Castle

Math Puzzle: The Missing Sign

2012-01-05T12:50:00.001-05:00

In performing simple arithmetic operations, a sign is required between two numbers to show what action is intended...you've seen the plus symbol, the minus symbol, the multiplication symbol and the division symbol.

What follows is a quick Braintenance puzzle, designed to help you make use of several of your mental abilities simultaneously. The principal ability most of us default to is a very rapid trial and error -- when this is done with extreme speed by a computer, it is termed "brute force." Yet this brute force, when exercised in Humans (most of our readers are Humans, some are likely aliens monitoring our internet activity from their home planet, as they plan to conquer us -- but let's not get distracted), improves in terms of its speed. It is like Dran-o for the Brain-o.

Find the missing signs which are all represented below as the letter "n" in the following simple equations. I'll have answers for you within the next two days. You have plenty of time. Put away the crossword and Sudoku, and give this exercise a whack. Have at it, then:

A) 9 n 3 n 3 = 30

B) 7 n 5 n 3 = 9

C) 12 n 3 n 1 = 5

Have fun. By the way, are you doing mathematics, arithmetic or something else. It might be time to take a run at Google or Wikipedia...

Douglas E Castle for BRAINTENANCE.

Notice: This article appears courtesy of The International Lingovation Foundation, Division Of Numerical Disciplines.

PACING YOURSELF - The Answer Key!

2011-12-27T11:13:00.000-05:00

In our last titillating post, we briefly discussed the ways in which different runners pace themselves to arrive at the finish line of a 5 Kilometer race. We choose three mathematicians to compete, each one using his own approach to pacing the his way to the finish line. The award for the fastest and first to arrive at the finish (amid cheers, popping champagne corks, autograph requests and other of the accoutrements accompanying a heroic feat) was a free XXL Tee- Shirt (with the event sponsor's name, Tanks-A-Lot Cesspool Cleaning Service, "We Keep You Running". Here we go....
---------------

Since we are Braintenance, we will choose a five kilometer race, in which three mathematicians are competing. Each has a distinct running pattern, strategy or (ulp!) formula for spanning the distance.

The question to answer regarding each runner is simply this: "How long will it take him (in minutes) to reach the finish line to receive his souvenir Tee-shirt?" Of course, these Ts are only available in one size...XXL.

Note: When we speak of percentage increases or decreases, each such increase or decrease is based upon the initial pace. This is not one of Douglas E. Castle's infamous "compound interest meets calculus" problems.

Here's the lineup of our contestants:

Racer 1: This fellow runs (on average) one kilometer every 18 minutes.

He runs at a steady pace of one kilometer (British? Kilometre!) every 18 minutes. The calculation is simple 18 minutes x 5K = 90 minutes.

Racer 2: This fellow starts the race at a rate of one kilometer every 12 minutes, but his pace declines by 10% per kilometer.

This fellow starts out like a soldier with dysentery, but slows down at a constant rate:

1st Kilometer =12 minutes.

2nd Kilometer =13.2 minutes

3rd Kilometer =14.4 minutes

4th Kilometer =15.6 minutes

5th Kilometer =16.8 minutes

If we add the time it took him to conquer each kilometer, his total time was 72 minutes.

Racer 3: This fellow starts the race at a rate of one kilometer every 30 minutes (remember the tortoise and the hare?), but his pace increases by 15% per kilometer.

Here's this fellow's pacing pattern:

1st Kilometer = 30 minutes

2nd Kilometer = 25.5 minutes

3rd Kilometer = 21 minutes

4th Kilometer = 16.5 minutes

5th Kilometer = 12 minutes

If we add up this fellow's time (he's apparently a 'late bloomer'), we arrive at a total time of 105 minutes. It is interesting to note that he ran his last kilometer at the same pace at which the second runner ran his first.

And the winner was runner #2 (ironic, considering the name of the sponsor).

Now that we've learned (unknowingly!) about rates of decay, rates of acceleration and how slow most mathematicians tend to be as runners, we can leave the realm of racism, and graduate to more exciting cerebral challenges.

Douglas E. Castle for BRAINTENANCE
[http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com]

PACING YOURSELF: A Braintenance Cerebrethon* - Re-Posted

2011-12-24T09:45:00.002-05:00

Image (somewhat distracting and annoying) via Wikipedia

Progress, from the starting line to the finish line, can occur in many different ways. Some start the race slowly but speed up toward the end, using reserves of strength; some jog along at a steady, even pace; still others virtually go into orbit at the start and burn out quickly to a vomitous, spleen-gripping, huff-and-puff walk.

Since we are Braintenance, we will choose a five kilometer race, in which three mathematicians are competing. Each has a distinct running pattern, strategy or (ulp!) formula for spanning the distance.

The question to answer regarding each runner is simply this: "How long will it take him (in minutes) to reach the finish line to receive his souvenir Tee-shirt?" Of course, these Ts are only available in one size...XXL.

Here's the lineup of our contestants:

Racer 1: This fellow runs (on average) one kilometer every 18 minutes.

Racer 2: This fellow starts the race at a rate of one kilometer every 12 minutes, but his pace declines by 10% per kilometer.

Racer 3: This fellow starts the race at a rate of one kilometer every 30 minutes (remember the tortoise and the hare?), but his pace increases by 15% per kilometer.

Okay, friends. Let the cerebration begin.

*Cerebrethon is indeed a Lingovation, and should be respected as such. It means "a competition involving the thought processes." Just click on the picture of our dear departed Uncle Albert, below, in order to learn more.

PACING YOURSELF: A Braintenance Cerebrethon*

2011-12-23T11:00:00.000-05:00

Image (somewhat distracting and annoying) via Wikipedia

Progress, from the starting line to the finish line, can occur in many different ways. Some start the race slowly but speed up toward the end, using reserves of strength; some jog along at a steady, even pace; still others virtually go into orbit at the start and burn out quickly to a vomitous, spleen-gripping, huff-and-puff walk.

Since we are Braintenance, we will choose a five kilometer race, in which five mathematicians are competing. Each has a distinct running pattern, strategy or (ulp!) formula for spanning the distance.

The question to answer regarding each runner is simply this: "How long will it take him (in minutes) to reach the finish line to receive his souvenir Tee-shirt?"

Here's the lineup of our contestants:

Racer 1: This fellow runs (on average) one kilometer every 18 minutes.

Racer 2: This fellow starts the race at a rate of one kilometer every 12 minutes, but his pace declines by 10% per kilometer .

Racer 3: This fellow starts the race at a rate of one kilometer every 30 minutes (remember the tortoise and the hare?)

Let the cerebration begin! - Douglas E. Castle

*Cerebrethon is indeed a Lingovation, and should be respected as such. It means "a competition involving the thought processes." Just click on the picture of our dear departed Uncle Albert, below, in order to learn more.

De-Stress, Relax, Defragment: A Braintenance Experiment

2011-12-19T11:01:00.000-05:00

While you look at the above photo with doubt, aren't you just the slightest bit envious?

We defragment our computers. We take our automobiles in for servicing after we've driven them for a while. We have blood drawn and go to doctors for all sorts of tests. Why is it that we each tend to put our own state of psychological and emotional health last on our list of life-maintenance priorities? We need to rest, re-set, re-calibrate and refresh our perspective from time to time... and we actually damage our incredibly complex and delicate inner workings by this 'customary' neglect.

We burn out. We break down. We make bad decisions and say things that we regret. When we fail to maintain our brains, we do damage to ourselves, to those around us, and possibly (to those of you who are excited by theosophy, Rosicrucianism, collectivism, and the Celestine Prophesy sort of thing) even the Collective Consciousness. It would seem that we do a great deal of unintended harm by not tending to our minds. That is something that can, and should be changed. Why not begin today? Give some thought to your thinking (ahem).

De-Stress, Relax, Defragment - A Braintenance Experiment.

A friend and colleague (they are not necessarily mutually exclusive) who shall remain nameless (as his parents thought so highly of him that they chose not to label him with a name which might limit his possibilities and prospects) sent me a collection of fascinating meditation videos, each of which is worth watching and listening to. We should, each of us, take more time to meditate -- to either clear our thoughts, or to re-focus our thinking on things other than those which tend to preoccupy us, and lead us to a state of frustrated exhaustion or a dreary dead end where fatigue sets in and replaces creativity.

Please click on each of the links below, enjoy the audio and visual experience, click the "BACK" button on your browser, and return to click on another. Then repeat the process. Do this when you have a good half-hour to a two-hour interval of truly free time. That means no TV, no texting, no whittling, no eating. Just sit back in a comfortable chair and luxuriate in the feeling of having an external medium free you from your habitual effort of conscious or volitional thought.

At very worst, it may prove a seeming waste of a bit of time -- at best, it will change your pattern of thought formation and put you into a better place, with a better perspective. Here's hoping. By the way, I guarantee that mediation does not ever work when you don't actually attempt to do it. Suspend your natural skepticism and propensity toward disbelief (wrought through the experience of past disillusionment) and let it go. I am telling you, personally [Douglas E. Castle to each and every respected reader and esteemed visitor] that IT WILL WORK.

A word of apology -- since these are YouTube videos, they are sometimes subject to either mysterious disappearance or malfunction. If you should happen upon a clunker, simply proceed to the next.

Pick and click:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iTnR-0tAMA&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjjbVrDNNC8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BntNNnMxJPE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZrBRQn6K0A&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7sHjv6QthQ&feature=related

While your in this neighborhood, I would also recommend another form of self-indulgent escape therapy. Take a few minutes several times every day to listen to a bit of music. It is the ultimate rapid mental flossing for the multitasking manic overachievers that most of us have become. Music has power. I may be slightly biased, but I highly recommend listening to some of the selections on RadioDAZZ, at http://RadioDAZZ.blogspot.com. You might become a fan or make that site a favorite.

Here's to all of you, my friends!

Douglas E. Castle [http://www.linkedin.com/in/douglascastle]

Controlling Objects With Your Mind?

2011-12-08T05:31:00.000-05:00

Telekinesis has long been the subject of scientific exploration, experimentation and some fiction, as well. Not as abstract and as difficult to quantify or evidence as astral projection, ESP, clairvoyance and other fancy stuff, telekinesis is a phenomenon that could be the subject of a controlled laboratory trial. The notion of moving objects with the power of the mind (psycho bioenergetics) is physically measurable. A preferred term for this same phenomenon is psychokinesis. An interesting variation on this theme is mind-controlled or thought-manipulated robotics. There is a great deal of research into this area (like telekinesis, but perhaps with an intervening catalyst or machine) because of its unfathomably vast applicability. We might be getting closer than you'd imagined.

If we are absolutely certain that no other forces are at play (such as gravity, air currents, poltergeists, or an object that has the machinery or mechanism to move itself), we can measure the following Braintenance physical variables:

1) How far the object was moved.

2) How much energy was utilized (a function of the weight or mass of the object and the distance it was made to travel).

3) How much energy was produced by the mover's mind on average per unit of time. Think about this - If you needed a group of telekinetic wunderkinds to move a pyramid or a paperweight - would you choose your team from the ones (on average) who could muster the force to move a two-pound brick six inches in 5 minutes, or from the ones who could muster the force to move a two pound brick twelve inches in five minutes?

You might find the following article excerpt to be of great interest, especially if it is possible that telekinetic ability can be cultivated through exercise:

The article link comes to us courtesy of SmartPlanet:

Video: Control objects with your mind

The BodyWave, an iPod-sized device, can read your mind through the body instead of monitoring directly from your head. The gadget measures brain activity to control 3D simulations on the computer screen, helping to minimize stress and anxiety. Read the full story

The possibilities, assuming a solid validation of telekinetic ability, and the power to train and focus it to become stronger and more efficient are limitless for either Human advancement (repairing decaying infrastructure) or Human destruction (dropping objects on each other's feet).

Douglas E. Castle

Other articles which might be of interest, a few of which relate to the subject matter of this article, and some which are either humorous deliberately or by default.

Trailer: Dork Trio Abuses Telekinetic Powers in Chronicle (wired.com)
Telekinetics? Bed-Bound Patients Move Robots Using Just Thoughts (ponderingtechnology.wordpress.com)
Balance of Mind (teachingsofmasters.wordpress.com)
A Telekinetic Future (danapress.typepad.com)
Control The Flue (dragonintuitive.com)
Popularity of Paranormal Investigations Motivates Mark Russell Bell to Share Insights (prweb.com)
The Utterly Amazing Future Awaiting High-Tech Humanity: An Interview With Dr. Michio Kaku, The Author Of "Physics Of The Future" (3quarksdaily.com)
The Wonderland Effect (theosophywatch.com)
The Subconscious Mind Works Like a Computer (socyberty.com)
Blog posts by RaK (community.humanityhealing.net)
Energy Medicine Course Added to HealthForumOnline's Continuing Education (CE) Resource Library for Health Providers (prweb.com)
Facebook Telepathy (ask.metafilter.com)

I Will Teach You Nothing - You Will Learn Much From Me

2011-12-03T09:08:00.001-05:00

Image via Wikipedia - Rene Descartes: philosopher, mathematician, theoretical physicist, and a fellow with an unkempt but nonetheless fascinating hairstyle.

Most individuals don't actually understand the distinction between teaching (a third-person exercise) and learning (a first-person exercise).

When a wise philosopher [most philosophers are assumed to be wise -- this is principally out of respect, I believe, for any person with the wondrous ability to a) survive without actually having to either earn a living by some sort of work, or b) with the good fortune to be leisurely whittling away at a substantial familial inheritance while pontificating about whatever happens to be on his or her mind] said to one of his disciples (every successful philosopher worth his weight in either hemlock or horse manure must have disciples):

"I will teach you nothing. And you will learn much from me," he was not even stating a clever paradox. There actually is no puzzle or riddle embedded in this preliminarily conflictory-seeming statement. If you don't quite understand why, re-read the first sentence of this post.
If that doesn't satisfy, read on:

We learn by teaching ourselves. No one truly teaches us. We learn by voluntary applying our senses and ability to reason to teaching ourselves. This is what is meant when someone (usually a meddlesome, conceited, self-proclaimed "adult") says,"You can best teach by example," or "children don't learn by what we preach to them; they learn by observing what we actually do."

A teacher is a catalyst, or a source of information, or an inspiration. But we learn by teaching ourselves.

Douglas E. Castle [http://TwitterLinksHubspot.blogspot.com]

Wisdom Is Timeless

2011-11-27T08:24:00.000-05:00

News Versus Wisdom: Transient Versus Timeless

I had actually meant to post this item of possible interest to those of you who might be interested in Asian politics, demographic trends, capital markets, inevitable eastern world domination, Rare Earth Element export restrictions, exotic recipes, FOREX, and so forth many months ago, when I actually received it. It might have been critically important then -- but then again, as I do not read and comprehend any languages other than English, some German and a bit of urban Spanish (either written or spray painted on aging infrastructure), I hadn't any idea what it meant. If it was breaking news, then this post will be seem to be a waste to many of you. Or perhaps, for those of you who may be Braintenance or Sending Signals adherents, it might actually be incredibly thought-provoking.

Before deleting the correspondence, I thought, "What if the message contained in these curious characters is not breaking news, per se? What if it is wisdom?" I realized at that moment that news is time sensitive, and may have limited utility, whereas wisdom is timeless and has limitless utility. News is important, but transient... wisdom is always relevant. This is a very under-appreciated difference. It captures the very essence of why a wonderful book retains its appeal over centuries while yesterday's racing form, stock market tip, or last month's election forecast may be of such short-lived relevance. The original post follows:

---------------

This morning I received the following correspondence, and wanted to share it with my friends and colleagues immediately. If what this person claims is actually true, things could be much better than any of us had originally thought. I offer it here for your consideration. Please be at liberty to write me back with your thoughts on this very serious matter. Whatever it may be. I am hopeful that it will not translate to something socially inappropriate for my general audience:

p.s. It is occasionally considered "bad form" to send spam to people. But, technically speaking, this letter is merely information and an inquiry. Perplexingly, I do not know whether or not the forwarded correspondence is spam -- it may well be a formula for a cancer cure...then again, it could be an ad for cheap Cialis from a pharmacy in Mexico.

http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com

學習記憶法真的要那麼貴嗎?
現在您有更平民化的選擇!!
而且便宜絕對有好貨!!
保證國立大學的師資親自錄製
只賣1600元!!
完全無保留的教學
詳細圖文說明請按此

--------------

Interestingly enough, the above message (I believe it was a response to a post on one of my blogs from some time ago), may or may not be of any significance or utility. It is actually irrelevant to this article.

The importance of this article is by no means dependent upon (or even related to the curious characters in the curious characters above. The importance of this article is that news becomes either stale or irrelevant quickly -- it has a very limited shelf-life. But wisdom, whenever it arrives, remains relevant forever. News is a report. Wisdom is a vastly applicable rule, born of an important observation.

Keep up with the news to remained informed and prepared...but pursue wisdom in order to become the owner of a greater mind. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the news were enriched with more wisdom? Wouldn't it be wonderful if those persons who reported the news [objectively and accurately], could end with an observation regarding the news item that represented some wisdom derived from the news?

Douglas E. Castle [http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com]

Homographs: Right - Left Brain Links... [Hemispheric Integration]

2011-11-22T12:20:00.000-05:00

Homographs, for you ever-curious Braintenancers, are words which are always spelled in the same way but have multiple meanings in varied contexts. Some simple examples are words such as "keys," "lead," and " .". The curious mental magic associated with reading or spelling with these words forces your right brain (the artistic, abstract , conceptualist) to cooperate with your left brain (the literal, pattern-seeking, logical, analytic computer) to solve puzzles, questions or jokes which cause you to simultaneously and creatively access both hemispheres of your brain. In doing this left-right "getting to know you" exercise, your thinking processes will improve in a number of aspects. you will find yourself able to look at every grouping of words in several different ways. It allows you to develop synergy between your imagination and your direct logic.

These words have the advantage of improving your punsmanship, your understanding of double entendres and your deciphering of subtle concealed messages within seemingly simple combinations of words. Your perception of words and meanings will deepen, as will you appreciation of native language:

Just compiling a list of these homographs can be a challenging referencing exercise. Here are a few to start off your list, courtesy of Wikipedia:

Many of these have first syllables that evolved from Latin prepositions, although again that does not account for all of them. Also, some of these words only exhibit the stress alternation in certain varieties of English. For a list of homographs with different pronunciations (heteronyms) see List of heteronyms

Do you know where words are stored in your brain…?

In your temporal lobe!

As you know your brain has two sides (two hemispheres) connected by the corpus callosum. So you have one temporal lobe on each side of the brain. Let's get them to wok together.

If you are right-handed, your language is stored mostly in your left temporal lobe. If you are left-handed, you are not so lateralized and your language is stored a bit on both sides of your brain in the temporal lobes.

Words in the brain are not stored randomly. They seemed to be quite organized. Research has shown that words that are often heard together (such as salt and pepper) or words that share some meaning (such as nurse and doctor) are connected or associated in the brain. Once you hear one, the other is activated.

Here is a brain exercise whose aim is to stimulate the connections or associations between words in your temporal lobe.

In the left column you have a pair of words. Your goal is to find a third word that is connected or associated with both of these two words.

The first pair is PIANO and LOCK. The answer is KEY. The word key is connected with both the word piano and the word lock: there are KEYS on a piano and you use a KEY to lock doors.

Once Again: Key is what is called a homograph: a word that has more than one meaning but is always spelled the same.

Ready to stimulate connections in your temporal lobe(s)? Enjoy! (Solutions are below. Please don’t check them until you have tried to solve all the pairs!)

---------------

Ready to stimulate connections in your temporal lobe(s)? Enjoy! (Solutions are below. Please don’t check them until you have tried to solve all the pairs!)

1. LOCK — PIANO

2. SHIP — CARD

3. TREE — CAR

4. SCHOOL — EYE

5. PILLOW — COURT

6. RIVER — MONEY

7. BED — PAPER

8. ARMY — WATER

9. TENNIS — NOISE

10. EGYPTIAN — MOTHER

11. SMOKER — PLUMBER

— This article was inspired by a piece written by Pascale Michelon, Ph. D., for SharpBrains.com. Dr. Michelon has a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology and has worked as a Research Scientist at Washington University in Saint Louis, in the Psychology Department. She conducted several research projects to understand how the brain makes use of visual information and memorizes facts. She is now an Adjunct Faculty at Washington University, and teaches Memory Workshops in numerous retirement communities in the St Louis area. Douglas E. Castle and The Braintenance Blog graciously offer their thanks to both Dr. Michelon and SharpBrains.com.

--------------------

Here are some of the answers to the questions above: PIPE. You simply have to find the rest of them by clapping those two hemispheres together!

Douglas E. Castle [http://DouglasCastleRSSFeeds.blogspot.com].

Your Creative Orientation: Negative? Positive?

2011-11-15T17:31:00.000-05:00

Creativity is one of the greatest attributes of the Human mind that leads to almost all significant adaptations and advancements. Every product, service, or system is given the first seeds of its existence, its first chance at life, by the creative energy of thought. Metaphorically, the very energy of brain is converted, through a process, into a tangible, physical result -- truly an Einsteinian conversion of energy to matter.

Being innovative is not quite enough. Your Creative Orientation is a major factor in what the outcome of your thoughts will be. By way of example, if your creative process is started based upon a negative premise ("We have a problem which must be solved.") instead of upon a positive premise ("I have a vision for a goal which I long to achieve.") your creative capacity, imaginative scope, and ultimate results are likely to be negatively impacted and limited.

You see, the idea-generation process is immediately constrained by an obsessive focus on problem-solving. This tends to lead to narrower, more introspective, less "outside of the box" parametrized type of thought organization. The very premise which directs your energy is that you "must work to solve a problem." This is inhibiting.

If you commence the creative process with a vision or a dream -- it represents (subconsciously) a creative opportunity with much broader parametric bounds, and a great deal more free-flowing and associative thought.

The secret to building and sustaining a positive creative orientation is to "fool the mind" into seeing problem-solving obligations as as constructive, forward-thinking challenges. If you are successfully able to condition you thought process to viewing any problems as invitations to innovate, you will free your mind to do its highest and best energy work -- because your mind sees this as a means of challenging, creative expression, and not as "work" or a "task' .

Again, a part of Braintenance has to do with be aware of what and how you are thinking, and to change the process as necessary.

-- Douglas E Castle

The Best Memory Improvement Techniques

2011-11-10T15:18:00.000-05:00

Image via WikipediaThose of us at Braintenance Central (make a quick left at the Parietal lobe, and follow the cues) believe that using a mnemonic or other "conscious device or technique" in order to improve some aspect of mind functioning is not against the rules -- in fact, if it helps, we like to encourage it. There are so many wonderful devices and techniques for improving various aspects of mental functioning that it makes one's head spin.

Again, we feature a listing of the most popular memory techniques, courtesy of BrainMetrix:

The Link Method: The Link Method is one of the easiest mnemonic techniques available, yet quite powerful. It is not quite as reliable as a peg technique, as images are not tied to specific, inviolable sequences. It functions quite simply by making associations between things in a list, often as a story. The flow of the story and the strength of the visualizations of the images provides clues to an easy retrieval of the stored piece of information.

The Number/Rhyme System: The Number/Rhyme technique is a very simple way of remembering lists of items in a specific order. It is an example of a peg system - i.e. a system whereby facts are 'pegged' to known sequences of cues (here the numbers 1 – 10). This ensures that no facts are forgotten (because gaps in information are immediately obvious), and that the starting images of the mnemonic visualizations are well known.

At a simple level it can be used to remember things such as a list of English Kings or of American Presidents in their precise order. At a more advanced level it can be used to code lists of experiments to be recalled in a science exam.

The Number/Shape System: The Number/Shape system is very similar to the Number/Rhyme system. As with the Number/Rhyme system it is a very simple and effective way of remembering lists of items in a specific order. It is another example of a peg system.

The Alphabet Technique: The Alphabet system is a peg memory technique similar to, but more sophisticated than, the Number/Rhyme system. At its most basic level (i.e. without the use of mnemonic multipliers) it is a good method for remembering long lists of items in a specific order in such a way that missing items can be detected. It is slightly more difficult to learn than the Number based techniques.

The Journey System: The journey method is a powerful, flexible and effective mnemonic based around the idea of remembering landmarks on a well-known journey. In many ways it combines the narrative flow of the Link Method and the structure and order of the Peg Systems into one highly effective mnemonic.

Because the journey method uses routes that you know well, you can code information to be remembered to a large number of easily visualized or remembered landmarks along the routes. Because you know what these landmarks look like, you need not work out visualizations for them!

The Roman Room Mnemonic: The Roman Room technique is an ancient and effective way of remembering unstructured information where the relationship of items of information to other items of information is not important. It functions by imagining a room (e.g. your sitting room or bedroom). Within that room are objects. The technique works by associating images with those objects. To recall information, simply take a tour around the room in your mind, visualizing the known objects and their associated images.

The Major System: The Major Memory System is one of the two most powerful memory systems currently available. It requires a significant investment of time to learn and master, however once it is learned it is extremely powerful. It is the application of mainly this system that forms the basis of some of the extraordinary, almost magical, memory feats performed by magicians and memory technicians.

Incidentally, the Major System, while requiring significant study and practice (both of which benefit many cognitive abilities simultaneously -- no waste here!) is undoubtedly the best. It is worthy of a dedicated article all its own, and we shall see about doing that. I would strongly advise that you invest some time (for an exceptional ROI) in Mastering The Major Memory Mnemonic Technique. I have personally witnessed some amazing feats performed by persons using it.

Douglas E Castle [http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com]
BRAINTENANCE

Intuition: A Portal To BREAKTHROUGHS.

2011-11-01T13:24:00.000-04:00

Bnet's The Live1 Program features an interview with Francis Cholle, author of The Intuitive Compass. It is very significant to note that Cholle defines intuition as being the "bridge between reason and instinct." While I do not fully agree with his definition (I separate instinct and intuition as two separate abilities, emanating from two different sources), his observations are as applicable to real-world, real-time business as they are enlightening.

His observations account for the enormous success of some bold entrepreneurial enterprises, and his suggestions regarding brainstorming, 'play' and autonomy are worthy of incorporating in any business, project, or problem-solving task. Interestingly, his approach does not discard sound business judgment -- it simply integrates a much greater component of the "gut" feeling and the associative free flow of the individual mind's wandering.

Cholle, who has been exceptionally successful in his business career and is a seasoned business executive, offers some of the best insights I have heard regarding the preferred working environment, approach to business and lifestyle priorities of the Millenials. This is empowering information as generations increasingly mix in the workplace, and where Boomers and Millenials too often fail to understand each other. Greater understanding and mutual accommodation engenders greater productivity.

Two separate links follow for you to watch the interview. While the first is preferred, your equipment (I personally have a somewhat idiosyncratic system comprised of an ENIAC hooked up [with electrical tape and Crazy Glue] to a pre-CBS Fender Deluxe Reverb Amplifier and a food processor) might be more receptive to the second link. Both offer the same programming, but in slightly different formats:

http://i.bnet.com/video/itunes/11b1025a_TLO_GutInstincts_sd_DL.m4v

or

http://www.bnet.com/videos/using-gut-instincts-to-improve-your-bottom-line-the-live-one/6320309?promo=664&tag=nl.e664

Douglas E. Castle

Note: While this article originally was published by Douglas E. Castle in Braintenance, it will be either cross-posted or referenced in several of the author's other blogs. It has tremendous applicability to all aspects of Human activity, undertakings and advancement. Intuition is our birthright as Human Beings, and it should not only be treated as a gift, but it should be exercise and regarded with the utmost reverence and seriousness.

Analogies - The Smallest Thought Units

2011-10-20T10:51:00.001-04:00

Analogies are the tiniest components of thoughts and communications. Constructing good analogies is a skill. Seeing the logic in partial analogies presented to you (i.e., where a term is missing) builds your associative intelligence, pattern recognition skills, cause and effect reasoning and your verbal acuity. Analogies are mental muscle builders.

Here are several simple ones to give you a small jolt of electromagnetic and biochemical stimulation today. Enjoy them!

Fill in each blank with the best possible answer.

1. Century is to __________ as dollar is to dime.

2. __________ is to bottom as up is to down.

3.Hawk is to _____________ as war is to peace.

4. Cat is to kitten as lion is to ______________.

5. Tree is to forest as star is to _____________.

6. _____________ is to stage as chemist is to laboratory.

7. Inventor is to Edison as _________________ is to Columbus.

8. China is to __________ as Canada is to North America.

9. __________ is to moon as day is to night.

10. Hand is to palm as foot is to ___________.

11. Pyramid is to square as cone is to ___________.

12. Bazaar is to bizarre as __________ is to kernel.

13. Star is to constellation as _________ is to sentence.

14. Complete is to __________ as rest is to relax.

15. Chapter is to novel as stanza is to ____________.

16. Water is to _________ as food is to eat.

17. Body is to skin as _________ is to bark.

18. Hero is to ______________ as sculptor is to sculptress.

19. Fast is to slow as fat is to __________.

20. Hat is head as _________ is to foot.

I'm not going to provide answers for you in a subsequent post. You might want to engage some of your friends and colleagues to review or to actually do some of these with you. If may just give you an excuse to socialize and get into discussions about deeper and more important issues.

Douglas E Castle [http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com]

Analogies: Every Thought...Every Communication.

2011-10-17T17:55:00.000-04:00

We Humans (and all sentient creatures, In-Laws included) depend upon the recognition and creation of analogies for virtually every aspect of our thinking, understanding [learning], and communications. They are the smallest common denominator of 'cause and effect' logic and sending meaningful messages to others. The only smaller Messaging Unit or Thought Particle (both quasi-Lingovations) is the singular emotionally-charged word which triggers powerful multisensorial memories with seemingly instant associations.

An carefully-chosen analogy (i.e., one which clearly makes the point and which is appropriate to the probable prior experience - or context - of your audience) is one of the most efficient teaching tools.

Most "Aha!" moments and "NOW I get it!" exclamations follow analogies which hit the spot.

In building your brain power, you will undoubtedly want to include analogy quizzes in your Braintenance exercise regimen.

In fact, I might just offer you several analogy puzzlers with my next post.

Douglas E Castle [http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com]

Texticles: Mythological God Of Texting

2011-10-10T22:37:00.001-04:00

It's wonderful to be creative with language. While I have never actually heard of a resident (in good standing) named Texticles (pronounced: text'-e- kleez) living atop the famed Mt. Olympus (in the same neighborhood as Zeus and the rest of those characters of legend), it would seem to make sense. This is not actually a Lingovation -- it is a comedic mockery of the structure and sound of language. It brings to mind Hercules, Damocles, Demosthenes, but it sounds a tad racy. I don't have to say it - it is funnier when left to the imagination

Speaking of these sound-alikes, I almost fell out of my seat in school when our Philosophy professor mentioned 'Balzac'. It sounded rather similar to something else. This word mimicry ("sound-alikes" seems so juvenile) is a sort of patterning behavior, usually involving the number of syllables and a certain cadence.

If I could do it with a straight face, and if I delivered the message rapidly enough, I could introduce my daughters by ridiculously inappropriate names (remember Tony Orlando's song, "Candida"?). I would say something like, "This is my sixth-grader, a future Olympic gymnast, Chlamydia, and my beautiful twins - Alopecia and Disthymia. Alopecia has to leave to practice her viola now, and I think (eying the other young lady, mischievously) her sister has some homework to do. C'mom, Dee-Dee. Let's get to it." For some reason, the best of these contemporary-sounding phony names tend to be comprised of four syllables, and are usually the names of medical conditions.

A true Lingovation would be texticle, which would mean a very terse text message sent in great haste. But I've misdirected you; I've gotten into something interesting and verbal when this post (which has a deliberately tantalizing title) is a continuation of something dull and mathematical.

Notwithstanding the aforementioned, regarding the previous Braintenance post, I'll provide you with a briefing (a de-briefing would require that you dispense with your underwear) of how I arrived at our answers. More accurately, I'll show you the patterns that I recognized in order to arrive at my answers. Welcome back to Pattern Recognition, Cranial Comrades!

A) 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, ? 21 -- the difference between 3 and 1 is 2; the difference between 6 and 3 is 3; the difference between 10 and 6 is 4, and so forth. The pattern is an increase in the amount of the difference between the consecutive by the addition of 1.

B) 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ? 21 -- Fibonacci Sequence, anyone? Add any two consecutive numbers and you'll find the next one.

C) 1000, 0100, 0010, 0001, 1000 ? 0100 -- This is actually a repetitive "cycling" in the position of the "1" from the left to the right.

D) 1, 4, 9, 16, 25 ? 36 -- Each number is the square of a number in a simple arithmetic series; for example 1x1=1; 2x2=4; 3x3=9, and so on.

E) 200, 3000, 40000, 500000, ? 6000000 -- This one is quite basic. Each integer is following by a number of zeros equal to itself; for example 200 is 2 followed by two zeros; 3000 is 3 followed by three zeros, and so forth.

F) 1, 100, 2, 99, 3, 98, 4, ? 97 -- This one is a curiosity, indeed. It is actually a converging pattern, with the lowest number being 1 and the highest 100. Starting with 1, every other number is just increased by 1. Starting with 100, every other number is just decreased by 1. It is really two intertwined alternating sequences. Sort of reminds me of the double helix structure of DNA (the famed Watson-Crick model).

G) 1.21, 2.32, 3.43, 4.54, ? 5.65 -- This one is best determined by superficial observation, and not by the relationship of each number to the one preceding it. The pattern is visual more than mathematical. Each number is [n]decimal point[n+1][n]. Just increase n by 1 to find the next number at any position in the sequence.
---------------
Douglas E Castle [http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com]

p.s. Stay tuned for some mind-twisting analogies. Braintenance - "Unchain Your Brain!" Braintenance - "Because Grey Matters!"

Pattern Recognition - The Answers.

2011-10-03T21:10:00.002-04:00

In my last post, I made some observations about the nature of intelligence, plasticity, cognition, learning and cognitive enhancement. Toward the end of that post, I left you with a group of simple (what a subjective term that is!) sequences to complete. Here they are again, with the next number (found through pattern recognition) placed there for you in red.

A) 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, ? 21

B) 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ? 21

C) 1000, 0100, 0010, 0001, 1000 ? 0100

D) 1, 4, 9, 16, 25 ? 36

E) 200, 3000, 40000, 500000, ? 6000000

F) 1, 100, 2, 99, 3, 98, 4, ? 97

G) 1.21, 2.32, 3.43, 4.54, ? 5.65

---------------------
I'll let you ponder on those answers for a day or so. If you can't figure out how we arrived at them, don't fret. Some were tough. And I will show you the pattern underlying each of these sequences of numbers.

Observation: In verbal communications, we read between the lines. In numeric or alphanumeric pattern recognition, we must read between the items that comprise the series.

Douglas E Castle [http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com]

Expand Your Mind: Pattern Recognition

2011-09-30T18:38:00.001-04:00

Your mental capacity, plasticity, memory, recall and deductive reasoning are all dramatically enhanced by your ability to recognize patterns and to extrapolate (or generalize) from them. In some cerebral circles, the NICs (nerds-in-charge) refer to this phenomenon as "learning a rule." This notion has great applicability in the world of artificial intelligence (AI), but it is the shining key to a means of improving our own intelligence as well as increasing the actual speed of thought. Imagine being able to think faster because you are able to make 'connections' more rapidly? This skill is valuable to cultivate. Not surprisingly, it is a skill that can be improved by simple exercise.

Pattern recognition skills are involved in every aspect of gaming, athletics, problem-solving and life. The more different (and complex) patterns that we are able to recognize from prior exposure, the easier and faster it will be for us to recognize new patterns. By the way, simple analogies actually involve pattern recognition. To illustrate, in solving the analogy query that follows, an association between things (associations are the building blocks of patterns) is necessary for us to get the right answer:

Horrible but memorable analogy, with multiple choice possibilities:

Fahrenheit is to Temperature, as...

a) Tuna is to Fish;
b) Oral is to Rectal;
c) Length is to Height;
d) Celsius is to Cold;
e) Inches is to Length;
f) Pitney is to Bowes;
g) Antihistamine is to Allergy;
h) Wet is to Rain.

The correct answer, of course, is choice e) Inches is to Length. The reason is that Fahrenheit is a means of measuring Temperature, and Inches is (are) a means of measuring Length.

Perhaps it's time for some practice. If you'll complete the sequences below (i.e., find the next item in each of the series), I promise that I'll have the answers for you by Monday this coming. These don't involve word-based analogies -- they are simply series of numbers. Do these - they're as stimulating as they are beneficial...

Incidentally, I dedicate this post to Technorati 4F3BBD7YKWFZ.

A) 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, ?

B) 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ?

C) 1000, 0100, 0010, 0001, 1000 ?

D) 1, 4, 9, 16, 25 ?

E) 200, 3000, 40000, 500000, ?

F) 1, 100, 2, 99, 3, 98, 4, ?

G) 1.21, 2.32, 3.43, 4.54, ?
---------------------

That's all for now, fellow (and lady) Braintenance Buffs. We'll compare our answers on Monday.

Douglas E Castle [http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com]

TechnoratiMedia - http://technoratimedia.com/

Real Economics Lesson - Growth Rates

2011-09-26T18:38:00.000-04:00

Regardless of what we are always being told by the venerable Pantheon of pedigreed Economists out of Washington, DC, Wall Street, and academia (as well as by the seemingly cynical grumblings of self-professed "Main Street" economists -- I am one of those myself -- and I have growing misgivings regarding the utility of my undergraduate degree in Economics) regarding the state of the our sovereign finances, most of us develop a powerful "feel" for how well the machinery of monetary and fiscal policy are working by our own personal finances.

If my income is increasing, but at a lower annual rate than my ordinary living expenses (including my repayment of the debts which I incurred to either live beyond my means or to purchase investments that my neighbor (a smart fellow) said were "sure things") are increasing, I feel a decline in my sense of well-being. My finances are continuously getting tighter. This seems to make sense (except to people who don't have any ordinary concerns about income and expenses, and such dull pedestrian pastimes as "working for a living.").

This difference in rates of growth between income and expenditure are what wallop us in our respective wallets.

The Facts (which are actually fictional):

John Q. currently earns post-tax income (similar to actual cash inflows) of $80,000.00 per year. His post-tax income grows at a rate of 2% per year, compounded annually.

John Q. has annual expenditures (to cover his living expenses and to service payments on his mortgage and other debts) of $50,000.00 per year. His annual expenditures grow at a rate of 10% per year, compounded annually. He doesn't buy fancy new things, and replaces old, worn-out ones with their equivalents, as necessary. John Q. is a "middle class" sort of chap.

Observations:

Initially, the difference between John Q's Income and Expenditures is $30,000 per year.

The growth rate difference between John Q's Income Growth and his Expenditures Growth is 8%.

Question:

What will be the effect on John Q's quality of life (i.e., his ability to cover his expenditure obligations with his income) over the next seven years?

Answer - Two Comparable Graphs:

Note: Special thanks to Kids' Zone Graph Creator (from Learning With NCES), at http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/default.aspx, for providing me with the tools to create these graphs. Haven't you noticed how much easier it is to explain things and to understand things by using graphs and charts? Graphs and charts are wonderful learning tools -- we should use them more often. They engage more of our senses in the learning experience than just sitting about and listening to unsupported rhetoric.

Answer, In Ordinary Terms:

With each passing year, the margin between John Q's income and his expenditures decreases in real terms. By the end of year seven, John Q's "safety margin" has decreased from $30,000.00 per year to approximately $2,000.00 per year. Things are getting much tighter. John Q. is so worried that he is cutting back on his expenditures wherever possible (this hurts businesses, some of whom employ persons like John Q.) and is living in a state of growing desperation and fear.

Regardless, of what the experts say about recession, recovery, leading economic indicators, monetary policy, fiscal policy and different legislative packages, John is beginning to feel like he is a member of the "working poor." He cannot accumulate any significant savings, and can't find a new job -- it seems that fewer businesses are hiring, and more employees are worried about keeping their jobs.

Conclusion:

The difference between growth rates (or price rates) is the chasm that economies fall into. The less the disparity between growth rates, the greater the grassroots perception of the economic picture. The problem is that some legislative policy makers, mainstream media sources and otherwise well-intended politicians either don't quite understand this arithmetic (let's call it "dangerously divergent rates of growth"), or, if they do they may present inaccurate or irrelevant statistics compiled by incompetent people.

I hope that you enjoyed this lesson in Real Economics, and that you'll forward this article to all of your friends, colleagues and elected officials. As always, thank you for reading me here at Braintenance.

Douglas E Castle

http://TheGlobalFuturist.blogspot.com

http://TakingCommand.blogspot.com

http://TheInternationalistPage.blogspot.com

http://Links4LifeAlerts.com

Updated List Of My Most Popular Blogs - 09.22.2011

2011-09-23T10:52:00.001-04:00

This article is an amended re-post. Previously, it was a combination of friendly self-promotion, news and some compost; that last ingredient is what is spontaneously generated when you try to do things in too much haste. This time, I have included hyperlinks embedded in each of the blue blog buttons (try saying that three times fast), which are hosted courtesy of CoolText, a wonderful graphics and design tool.

If you think that you've seen this post before, you actually haven't -- as they used to say on every package in every supermarket when I was a mere lad, this article is "NEW and IMPROVED!"

I've even added a picture to this article. The subject matter of the picture is irrelevant, but that doesn't make it any less entertaining - and entertainment, like education, is always welcome.

Please visit some of my most popular blogs, and feel free to comment on articles, to link to any of them (and I will reciprocate your backlink with an inbound link to your site), or to re-publish any of the content. You can re-publish without permission, provided that you republish any articles in their entirety, with all images and hyperlinks left fully intact and 'live,' and with attribution given to the author (that's me).

At the end of this post, you'll find a listing of links to related articles that involve various aspects of these search terms, categories, tags, keywords, labels and topics for your reference and use.

As always, I truly appreciate your reading me.

Thank you so much.

Douglas E Castle

Related articles

Word And Tag Cloud-Making Tools: Enhance Your Site And Posts (freetoolsforwebmastersandbloggers.wordpress.com)
How to Analyze Your Link Profile with cognitiveSEO Tools (seo2.0.onreact.com)
Backlink PR: Learn How Gurus Handle Their SEO Link Building Packages Efforts (preciseinternetmarketing.com)
Introduction to Quality Link-building (plus Webinar) (webdesignfromscratch.com)
High ranking web-site via Link-building Organization (bigsexymedia.com)
How to Grow Inbound Links With Guest Blogging Opportunities [@InboundNow #34] (hubspot.com)
3 SEO Lessons From Dreamforce (hubspot.com)
Understanding Your Backlink Profile (searchenginejournal.com)
What is a backlink? (seofreelancingsahmedabad.wordpress.com)
Cheap Link Building Services: Traffic And Ranking Is Not Anymore A Problem (preciseinternetmarketing.com)
Improve Your SEO Success with The Basics (preciseinternetmarketing.com)
Backlink Submitter: Implement Great These Suggestions To Enhance Traffic (preciseinternetmarketing.com)
What Time To And What Time Not To Make Use Of 3 Way Link Exchange (ronmedlin.com)
Backlinks Building: Top Secret Resources To Get More Traffic (preciseinternetmarketing.com)
Begging: Marketing Simplified! (madmarketingtactics.blogspot.com)
Improve Search Rankings with Effective Link Building (hubspot.com)
PR8 Backlink: Great Traffic Assets And Suggestions For You (preciseinternetmarketing.com)
Massive Backlinks: Learn How To Increase Your Site Visitors In Much less Time (preciseinternetmarketing.com)

Tags, Labels, Search Terms, Categories, Keywords and Topics: attribution, Backlink, gurus, Hyperlink, PR Ranking, promotion, expanding readership, social media, reciprocity, inbound links, guest blogging, commenting on posts, original content, re-publishing, link profile, Methods of website linking, quality links, Search engine optimization, increasing traffic, hub-building, blogging resources, PageRank, Douglas E. Castle, Alexa, Google Analytics, CoolText, HubSpot, RSS feeds, communication, experts, messaging, irrelevant pictures, entertainment, education, Braintenance, Lingovations, Slingovations, Technullities, self-growth, business planning, project management, shameless self-promotion, LinkedIn, Zemanta, Link Within, Widgetbox and others...

Question: Is time merely an illusion? If that's true, then I can stay up as late as I want! - DC

Extreme Thinking: Increase Imaginative Capacity

2011-09-22T09:14:00.000-04:00

Your mind is a muscle. The more that you use it, the stronger it becomes. Also, as in a regimen of physical exercise, you must not only increase the resistance (the Braintenance analogical equivalent for lifting progressively heavier weights would be solving more complex problems), but you must "confuse" the muscle (the Braintenance analogical equivalent for this mixing up the order and nature of exercises, or avoidance of excessively predictable patterning, would be to engage in different kinds of thought using different processing skills). For example, instead of doing Sudoku or crossword puzzles every day, you might "mix in" algebra problems, memorization and recall exercises, perceptual challenges, creative multi-sensorial visualization, meditation, acquiring and using new knowledge (vocabulary, trivial facts, historical perspectives, math formulas), mechanical reasoning, cause-and-effect logic, extrapolation and other mental muscle-builders.

In caring for your mind, you must challenge it in diverse ways. The wonderful thing is that your mind will always expand to meet these tests -- and "it," separate and apart from your conscious awareness of its work [your mind actually thinks about itself, without your conscious knowledge or consent!] will hunger for more. Your mind will not explode...no, it will expand itself with amazing plasticity and capacity.

Today might just be a good day to challenge your imagination. Here are some thoughts to ponder. These conundrums all require Extreme Thinking -- the use of your critical faculties and your extrapolative imagination. Good luck. And now, ladies and gentlemen, start your engines, and you may use any research tools at your disposal as well:

1) Is there a difference between the absence of anything and the presence of nothing?

2) If I state that I am a liar, am I telling you the truth?

3) How far can a dog run into the woods?

4) If darkness is defined as 'the absence of light,' what would you call the absence of darkness?

5) If an individual believes that his fate is predetermined, why would he persist in trying to change the course of his life? What would be his incentive for socially responsible conduct, instead of just doing everything for instant gratification?

6) Can you explain to me why zero divided by infinity is zero, while infinity divided by zero is infinity?

7) Can you explain to me why if any number divided by itself equals one, my calculator tells me that when I divide zero by zero, the answer (the quotient) is zero? And how about that error message I see?

Think about these please. They all have answers. Don't all questions have answers, even if we do not know them or can't find or prove them?

Douglas E Castle

http://TakingCommand.blogspot.com

http://TheGlobalFuturist.blogspot.com

http://DouglasCastle1.wordpress.com

PERCEPTUAL RELATIVITY* - How We "Know"

2011-09-17T16:23:00.003-04:00


*Increase Your IQ, Your Memory, Your Problem-Solving Skills and Your Creativity. Ramp up your success. BRAINTENANCE -- because gray matters.*

[Image, "Astral Projection" via Wikipedia]We learn about how to measure things (and even about how to experience feelings) through a process of comparing and contrasting. Intelligence is, in large part, an associative or metaphorical process. Based upon experience or teaching, we recognize patterns and learn how to predict outcomes based upon information. This enables us to respond to changes in our environment, to solve problems...and to survive. Intelligence, when acted upon, is a wonderfully mysterious and exciting tool, although its absolute definition is still a bit elusive.

When it comes to perceptions of measurable things, like pleasure; pain, light; darkness, shallow; deep, too little; too much, how fast; how slow, and the like, we base our assessments (and even our interpretations of experiences -- one person's pleasure is another's pain...) upon what we have experienced. Everything we think or feel is relative, as well as subjective.

I refer to this means of measurement as Perceptual Relativity* (which is a Lingovation). Going a step further, it means that a person's reactions to and feelings about different things are going to be based upon his or her personal experiences, in his or her personal context. Context is very much the same as "frame of reference."

The compare and contrast components of context can be illustrated by these common examples:

You just don't appreciate your mother's cooking until you've spent some time in the military;
You don't know what pleasure is until you've experienced pain;
You can't appreciate the illuminating power of light until you've spent some time living in the darkness;
We often don't realize how fortunate we are to have someone or something until that someone or something is gone from our lives.
Your perception of the passage of time, and the length of time that something takes is very different from that of a person of two years of age if you have lived fifty years -- this really is 'experiential division' -- one year is half of a two year old's total lifetime of experience, while one year for you (old person, you) is representative of only two percent of your entire life's experience. Time seems to "speed up" as you've lived longer. A season can eventually seem like a moment...

In communicating with someone, it is extremely helpful to have some insight into that other person's context. Put simply, I don't talk to Millenials about the Watergate Scandal, The Kent State incident or Agent Orange -- I take care not to use these "ancient" references in illustrations. As a Baby Boomer, I have to take great pains to avoid using inappropriate (i.e., very dated), and obscure refences when speaking with those significantly younger. If I engage in conversation with someone from a very different culture than my own, I have to consciously calibrate my very American sense of humor.

Each of us, as a communicator, has to be conscious of our own context, as well as the context of the individual or group to whom we are imparting information. Part of smart communication involves using the other person's context in choosing and using our own metaphors and other illustrations. If we are not, then we render ourselves, and what we have say, irrelevant or unintelligible.

Douglas E. Castle

http://Braintenance.blogspot.com

http://TheInternationalistPage.blogspot.com

http://Links4Life.com


A fellow from Mongolia might not see the ironic humor in the above photo. An excellent example of different contexts.

Asymptotes - Frustrating Problems With Unsatisfying Solutions.

2011-09-06T12:12:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

In our last posting, we discussed the notion of asymptotes, and I posed two problems for your consideration. One involved the eventual (but unreachable) sum of a convergent series of numbers, and the other involving a ever-more troubling fraction. You can quickly refresh your memory by clicking on http://braintenance.blogspot.com/2011/09/asymptotes-closer-but-never.html, and by then hitting your browser's "BACK" button.

The answers are unsatisfying, but they were promised:

1) In adding the sum of the series 1 + 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8....and so forth, the sum will eventually approach, but never quite reach a limit of 2.

2) In dividing (n-1)/n, as n increases, the value of the expression approaches, but never reaches 1.

There are examples of this type of complex conundrum in nature, in such things as trying to solve 22/7 (which is a never-ending decimal), and in determining the halflives of certain radioactive materials (isotopes), where one half of the material loses its radioactive potency over a certain period of time, but the residual amount keeps getting halved and never quite disappears.

I solemnly promise to offer you something more nifty in my next article. The idea is to tax your brain until it has to expand its capacity in order to solve increasingly complex problems.

Sadly (and speaking about interesting wordplay and punnery), taxing our brains , while making us brighter, still won't make up the federal deficit... Did I hear somebody groaning?

Douglas E Castle

Asymptotes: Closer But Never QuiteTouching...

2011-09-03T01:22:00.000-04:00

Imagine trying to get to a finish line where with each leap you halve the distance remaining between you and your objective. Sounds good at first – but after a short period, you will realize that you can never actually get all the way there. You get closer and closer, halving the distance with each leap, but you won’t quite make it. Close, but no cigar. Your approach to the finish line is asymptotic. A mathematical limitation makes the intuitively simple task into the impossible conundrum.

No matter how assiduously you proceed, you can merely cut the distance in half – even after a (theoretically) infinite number of leaps you cannot bridge that gap. The early leaps are the most productive…however, with each successive leap, your dilemma becomes clearer, and you become more frustrated. You have come up against a limiting mathematical constraint.

The irony of this predicament is that although the objective is fixed, it might just as well be a moving target… retreating in smaller increments as you approach it.

This asymptote paradox is serious business, unlike when we were kids and we would (if there were only two of us) “each want the bigger half of the cake”; it was even more hysterical when there would be three or more of us each requesting an equal half of the cake. It wasn’t like the Miracle of the Loaves and the Fishes (in the New Testament); it was more like a rag-tag confederation of pre-pubescent imbeciles battling for territory with no concept of either the basic Laws of Physics or of rudimentary division or multiplication. As a youngster, I personally helped to put the “ass” in “asymptote.”

Here are two questions to ponder, with answers (I promise – I really do) to follow within the next three days.

A) In adding up the following series of numbers, what whole number (integer) will you ultimately approach asymptotically?

1 + ½ + ¼ + 1/8 + 1/16 + 1/32 + …. + 1/ 2* [where 2* represents 2 to the infinite power]

B) In performing the following arithmetic operation (looks like division) with an increasingly larger number substituted in for ‘N’, what number will you ultimately approach asymptotically?

(N-1) / N

Douglas E. Castle

http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/douglascastle

http://Braintenance.blogspot.com

http://TheGlobalFuturist.blogspot.com

TNNWC Management Consulting Services @ http://www.TNNWC.com

Graphical Illustration Of Asymptotes - Vertical And Horizontal

Fibonacci Numbers: Math Meets Mysticism

2011-08-26T13:55:00.010-04:00

Image Of Sunflower via WikipediaFibonacci (not a real name), translates to "Son of Bonacci." This brilliant mathematician and philosopher was endowed with a natural (or perhaps supernatural) curiosity regarding numerical series and patterns. The Fibonacci Series or Sequence is perhaps the most amazing key ever discovered to the actual design of the world we live in. It is a numerical structure and relationship that somehow underlies the essence of virtually all living creatures and systems. A friend of mine ( a clergyman) once referred to this amazing string of numbers as "God's own creation equation." My graduate school thesis advisor, himself a stunningly brilliant man, stated that [paraphrasing] "Fibonacci unearthed something every bit as important as the Watson-Crick Model Of Human DNA."

As for me, my feelings about this incomprehensibly enormous epiphany, and about the mind which was driven (or directed) to find it, can be summarized thus:

"Einstein developed a Theory, but Fibonacci discovered a Fact."

-- Douglas E Castle

TNNWC Management Consulting Services - "Catalysts For Organizational Growth And Profitability"
---------------

Fibonacci Number Formula

The Fibonacci numbers are generated by setting F₀=0, F₁=1, and then using the recursive formula:F_n = F_n-1 + F_n-2in order to get the rest. Thus the sequence begins: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, ...

This sequence of Fibonacci numbers appears all over mathematics and is pervasive throughout nature -- it is a recurring theme, a mysteriously consistent pattern in the structure of many living things, as if all were designed utilizing the same magical engineering program.

We see this Fibonacci design everywhere, if we know what we are looking for.They are intimately connected with the golden ratio, for example the closest rational approximations to the ratio are 2/1, 3/2, 5/3, 8/5, ... Applications include computer algorithms such as the Fibonacci search technique and the Fibonacci heap data structure, and graphs called Fibonacci cubes used for interconnecting parallel and distributed systems.

The elements of the Fibonacci design also appear in biological settings, as mentioned earlier, such as branching in trees, arrangement of leaves on a stem, the fruit spouts of a pineapple, the flowering of artichoke, an uncurling fern and the arrangement of a pine cone.

The Golden Ratio (computed based upon any number in the Fibonacci Sequence divided by the number in the Sequence immediately preceding it), or the Golden Rectangle (based upon consecutive Fibonacci numbers as the measurements of its sides) are seen in the artwork of Leonardo DaVinci, in the design of numerous architectural structures, and in all manner of painting, sculpture and design.

In nature, it is the most prevalent theme; in art, engineering, science and even economics, Fibonacci Sequence, the Golden Ratio, the Golden Rectangle and the Golden Mean, either due to their embedded existence in the Human subconscious or because they are consciously and deliberately incorporated by us, as a certain standard of balance or beauty, into a system, design or form. It is rather like the obelisk in Arthur C. Clarke's book (later, a movie directed by Stanley Kubrick), "2001: A Space Odyssey."

The actual Golden Ratio (signified by the Greek letter Phi) is approximated at

We can always find the next number in a Fibonacci Sequence, by simply adding the two consecutive numbers in the Sequence that immediately preceded it. But there is a problem...[isn't there always?]

If we wanted the 100th term of this Sequence, it would take lots of intermediate calculations with the recursive formula to get a result. Can there be an easier way? Of course! Would I ask a rhetorical question without knowing the answer? Well? Would I?

Yes, Virginia, there is an exact formula for the n-th term! Before I reveal this formula to you, please know that the letter Phi stands for 1.6180339887, and that "Sqrt" is an abbreviation for "square root," although it does sound like the name of a carbonated soft drink.

The formula follows:

a_n = [ Phiⁿ - (phi)ⁿ ]/Sqrt[5].
where Phi=(1+Sqrt[5])/2 is the so-called golden mean, and phi=(1-Sqrt[5])/2 is an associated golden number, also equal to (-1/Phi). This formula is attributed to Binet in 1843, though known by Euler before him. Mathematicians, unlike Braintenance Bloggers, tend to be egomaniacs.

Even medical research scientists like to have diseases (and even entire syndromes!) named after them...biologists like to have newly-found species named after them. Heck -- there's even a company ("Star Registry") or something like that will officially name a distant star after someone you love, and issue a certificate of authenticity (on fine paper) to you for you to present to the object of your affection.

Some of us are obviously brilliant (and we know who we are) -- others are merely megalomaniacs.

But then, I digress. This article is dedicated to Fibonacci, who discovered something truly magnificent and inspiring; something so great that its implications are felt in every single discipline of course of study...from art, to the financial markets, to theology, and beyond.

Douglas E Castle
[http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com], and [http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/douglascastle].

Nature by the numbers: Fibonacci Sequence animated in mesmerizing video (geek.com)
The Secret of the Fibonacci Sequence in Trees (amnh.org)
What do the Fibonacci Sequence and solar power have in common? (inquisitr.com)
The Secret of the Fibonacci Sequence in Trees (quitespeaker.wordpress.com)
Teenager Uses Fibonacci Sequence to Improve Solar Panels (geeksaresexy.net)
Squee Spree: Fibonacci Swallows (squee.icanhascheezburger.com)
Globe Trotting: Architects Craft Wood Siding Based on the Fibonacci Sequence (curbed.com)
Fibonacci Forex Trading - A Short Introduction To Fibonacci Forex Trading (joeyjardins.wordpress.com)
Most Mathematically Interesting Buildings in the World (7 More) (tripbase.com)
The Golden Mean in Healing - Sacred Nature Meditations (philipcarrgomm.wordpress.com)
The Healing Island of Moy Mell (philipcarrgomm.wordpress.com)
Design for Software: Typography Part 1 (blogs.claritycon.com)
Sacred Geometry, God's Fingerprint (hiddenlighthouse2.wordpress.com)
Solar Power Breakthrough By 13 Year Old By Harnessing the Fibonacci Sequence (stevebeckow.com)
Pi: A magical number (and easier to say than "Phi") (braintenance.blogspot.com)
Ability For Mathematics May Be Inborn (scientificamerican.com)
Alliance begins Phase II of genetic data sharing project (smartbrief.com)
How Fibonacci Introduced The World To Numbers (npr.org)
Fibonacci Numbers: Math Meets Mysticism (braintenance.blogspot.com) - this reference is recursive.
Myriad Genetics plans to launch efforts to stay ahead of the pack (smartbrief.com)
Sex with Cavemen made Humans Healthier (newyork.ibtimes.com)
Synthetic Biologists Use DNA to Calculate Square Roots (wired.com)

Strengthen Your Mind: Word Games!

2011-08-20T15:05:00.000-04:00

Every word has numerous meanings and may be used in numerous contexts. Knowing this, we create puns, spoonerisms, oxymorons, paraprosdokians, paradoxes, riddles and other recreational wordplay.

One of the greatest benefits of this wordplay is the accessing and exercising of multiple parts of the brain. This serves to strengthen our creative and associative abilities, to ward off senile dementia and intellectual degradation and to sharpen our analytic and verbal skills.

As a side benefit, my beloved Braintenancers, we also entertain ourselves and eachother.

Here are some twisted definitions which will be of interest to all, and in particular, to those of us privileged to be Baby Boomers. Thanks to Ms. Jane Portnoy for her contribution to this article.

Let's let 'em roll...

ADULT:
A person who has stopped growing at both ends
and is now growing in the middle.

BEAUTY PARLOR (if you remember this terminology, you’re showing your age):
A place where women curl up and dye.

CHICKENS:
The only animals you eat before they are born and after they are dead.

COMMITTEE:
A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.

DUST:
Mud with the juice squeezed out.

EGOTIST:
Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation.

HANDKERCHIEF:
Cold Storage.

INFLATION:
Cutting money in half without damaging the paper.

MOSQUITO:
An insect that makes you like flies better.

RAISIN:
A grape with a sunburn.

SECRET:
Something you tell to one person at a time.

SKELETON:
A bunch of bones with the person scraped off.

TOOTHACHE:
The pain that drives you to extraction.

TOMORROW:
One of the greatest labor saving devices of today.

YAWN:
An honest opinion openly expressed.

WRINKLES:
Something other people have,
Similar to my character lines.

I hope you've enjoyed this journey into the the world of smart-aleckisms. Next time (sigh) we'll be dealing with a mathematical challenge.

Douglas E Castle [http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com]

Is a Paraprosdokian Always an Armenian? (cherilove.wordpress.com)
Wordplay Wednesday: Bought by Tina Brown edition (ken-jennings.com)
Brain Teaser - Wordplay (librarianbrain.wordpress.com)
Stimulating The Mind With The Addictive Sudoku (prweb.com)
Neuroplasticity Can Prevent Alzheimer's According To This Study (avantrasara.com)
Heat waves and stimulant use (boingboing.net)
Change the Unconscious Mental Programs that are Keeping you Trapped (mpoweredopportunities.wordpress.com)
What Are Affirmations? (studiowithoutwalls.org)
The love of debate (exile.wordpress.com)
Life Is All about Choices. So What Are Yours? (aarp.org)
Writing Exercises (conqueringthealphabet.wordpress.com)
Emotional Exercise 3 (anitaanswersadvice.wordpress.com)
Figures Of Speech: Malaprops & Moronyms. (braintenance.blogspot.com)
Raise Your Intelligence, Lower Your Stress - Braintenance! (braintenance.blogspot.com)
Riddles Build Imagination, Visualization And Creativity (braintenance.blogspot.com)

Figures Of Speech: Malaprops & Moronyms.

2011-08-15T23:44:00.000-04:00

We bloggers (and the occasional speechwriter) use dictionary.com for quick word definitions, etymological stories (there's one below) and for alternate word choices. For this last, we use the Thesaurus feature. It ("Dic," as we chronic abbreviators and vulgar insinuators often call it... for short), is enormously useful, despite the fact that it is so laden with ads, pop-ups, pavilions, flash graphics and other distractions that the quick bit of information which you seek is often hidden ("obscured" would have been a snazzier word choice, but I'm in a rush) on the page.

While some people (mostly 23-year old internet billionaires or Baby-Boomers taking a break from looking for an employment opportunity which they'll never find) think this "word search" or "improve your visual acuity"- type exercise is fun, I detest it, although I wouldn't put that in writing. Being the Baron Of Braintenance (my hobby) as well as the modest Chairman of TNNWC Management Consulting Services (an adult job), I must keep all of my options and resources open. Flexibility and adaptation are crucial business skills.

Today, I needed an alternative for the word malapropism, and stumbled upon Mondegreen, which is defined and discussed below, courtesy of Dic. When children learn things by being encouraged to parrot what they are hearing from adults, they become mondegreen-manufacturers. For example, I remember singing "My country tis a bee, sweet lamb of liver tea, of thee I see..." And I wasn't the only one. It was a pandemic.

This mondegreenation (not exactly a Lingovation, but a grammatical extrapolation) is a product of a) not listening too closely, and b) not understanding the meanings of the actual words. Acquired early, these survive late into adulthood and can be the cause of embarrassment.

As children, we were afraid to run out in the cold for fear of catching "ammonia" and going into a "comber."

I once dated a woman (in her 40s at the time) who asked me if I had "...ever seen the Three Stoogers as a child." I knew that she had intended to say "stooges," but the damage was already done. I responded (smart aleck that I was) by saying "Yes. That was the best way to see them." She looked perplexed, but grinned sweetly. I knew that my overnight bag was going to stay in the trunk of my car.

Collectively speaking, I like to refer to all of these errors in spoken communications as "Moronyms." Whether they are spoonerisms, malaprops, grammatical extrapolations [I invented that] or just dumb things like "Notary Republic," the term moronyms (a legitimate lingovation, and cleverly engineered to look like such real words as homonyms, and synonyms) covers the field.

Enjoy your mondegreens, my cognition-craving, brain-straining colleagues. And be certain to visit these other pleasure stations within the TNNWC InfoSphere for stimulation: http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com, http://TakingCommand.blogspot.com, http://SendingSignals.blogspot.com, and http://Links4LifeAlerts.com.

Douglas E Castle

noun

a word or phrase resulting from a misinterpretation of a word or phrase that has been heard.

Compare eggcorn.

Pi: A magical number (and easier to say than "Phi")

2011-08-12T17:51:00.000-04:00

The number Pi is a mathematical constant. It represents the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. If you divide the circumference of any circle (or perfectly-formed, hand-tossed pizza) by its diameter (the measure of a straight line cutting the pizza in half), you will get Pi, which is equal to 22/7, or approximately 3.14. Now let's review Fabian's quandary, from a couple of days ago...

Background:

Fabian Focaccia (not his real name, which is Sal Monella) is a struggling 'artist' who is working at a neighborhood pizzeria in Brooklyn, New York (not his real location, as he is in the Federal Witness Protection Program, but which is still the best geographical location to make a pizza purchase if you/ youse should ever get around to it) to pay his bills until he can sell one of his paintings. He is faced with a decision and needs your help. He has cardboard boxes for 'take out' pizza (this pizza parlor does a big take-out business -- even for Arizona...oops!) which are each three inches deep (irrelevant for solving this problem) and measure exactly 20 inches by 20 inches square.

The Pizza Box Puzzle (In Two Parts):

1) What is the circumference of the largest pizza (assume that it is hand-tossed and perfectly round) which can be placed in the box neatly, i.e., placing it flat without stuffing it in and distorting its perfect shape?

Answer: This is really just a circle inscribed in a square. Here's a picture:

As you can see, the diameter of the pizza must be exactly 20" for it to fit snugly in the box. If that's the case, then the pizza would have a circumference equal to Pi times the diameter, or approximately 62.8".

and,

2) What is the circumference of the largest individual pie (out of two) which can be placed in the box if two pies of equal size are placed in a cardboard container of the same dimensions as in number 1, above?

Answer: This is very similar to the first question. But this time you've got to put two equally-sized pies in the box without mutilating them. Here's a picture:

The two pies, side by side, can still not have combined diameters greater than the 20" length of the box (some of you were going to try doing this using the hypotenuse obtained by cutting the box into two right triangles, but that doesn't work - ha!). Each of the two pies will have a diameter of 10", and each will have a corresponding circumference of 31.4".

BCNU soon.

Douglas E Castle
(http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com)

Don't forget to maintain that brain! Braintenance! (http://Braintenance.blogspot.com)

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

The Blackboard In Your Mind

Related articles

Subliminal Tapes To Re-Program Yourself.

Related articles

Keeping Those New Year's Resolutions?

Related articles

Math Puzzle - The Missing Sign: PART 2

Related articles

Math Puzzle: The Missing Sign

Related articles

PACING YOURSELF - The Answer Key!

Related articles -- See How Braintenance is going green?

PACING YOURSELF: A Braintenance Cerebrethon* - Re-Posted

Related articles and particles of articles:

PACING YOURSELF: A Braintenance Cerebrethon*

Related articles

De-Stress, Relax, Defragment: A Braintenance Experiment

Related articles

Controlling Objects With Your Mind?

I Will Teach You Nothing - You Will Learn Much From Me

Wisdom Is Timeless

Homographs: Right - Left Brain Links... [Hemispheric Integration]

Your Creative Orientation: Negative? Positive?

Related articles of interest:

The Best Memory Improvement Techniques

Related articles

Intuition: A Portal To BREAKTHROUGHS.

Related articles

Analogies - The Smallest Thought Units

Related articles

Analogies: Every Thought...Every Communication.

Related articles

Texticles: Mythological God Of Texting

Related and unrelated (but somehow interesting anyway) articles

Pattern Recognition - The Answers.

Related articles

Expand Your Mind: Pattern Recognition

Related articles

Real Economics Lesson - Growth Rates

Related articles

Updated List Of My Most Popular Blogs - 09.22.2011

Extreme Thinking: Increase Imaginative Capacity

Related articles

PERCEPTUAL RELATIVITY* - How We "Know"

Related articles

Asymptotes - Frustrating Problems With Unsatisfying Solutions.

Related articles

Asymptotes: Closer But Never QuiteTouching...

Related articles

Fibonacci Numbers: Math Meets Mysticism

Fibonacci Number Formula

Related articles

Strengthen Your Mind: Word Games!

Related articles

Figures Of Speech: Malaprops & Moronyms.

mon·de·green

Related articles

Pi: A magical number (and easier to say than "Phi")

Related articles (having to do with either pizza, Pi, Tau or Phi):