flynn012

BRAINTENANCE borrows from the TAKING COMMAND! Blog ... Dear Braintenanciers [which is how they should be spelling and pronouncing it en Francais ]: It appears that we have opposing views regarding the effects of the passage of time during the course of one's life. On the one hand, many believe that the passage of time gives one a clearer perspective ; on the other, many believe that the passage of time creates distortions. What do you think? The answer, I believe, is a combination of both . Neither view is false, but neither view is complete of itself. Regarding the first view, with the passage of time comes the acquisition of experience and knowledge, and a broader data base upon which to construct comparisons, qualitatively and quantitatively. As this base increases with time, our ability to measure, to understand, to see against a greater backdrop of different and similar experiences heightens. This is a gift of perspective. A person who has lived only five years has a much ...

Image via Wikipedia about brain-scanning (fMRI) technology. Tongue-twisters provide an entertaining way for us to refine and strengthen our elocution . They are also used therapeutically by speech pathologists and others [remember Bertie and Lionel in " The King's Speech "?] help overcome a variety of speech impediments , including the most troubling one of all: a lack of self-confidence. Tongue-twisters are not childish, and they are not merely speech exercises. They are certified (* by some organization which does not currently exist, but which should be formed ) brain-builders. In speaking them, your mind must clearly identify each word and its proper pronunciation, and differentiate it from the rest of the  words. This does several things: 1) It forces the mind to ascribe some meaning or sense to the riddle. It pushes the imagination and creativity; 2) It increases the ability to focus because of the inherent need for precision; 3) It improves visual discernment and...

If you were to ask everyone whom you chanced to encounter if the following two statements were true, you would mostly get answers in the affirmative. And yet, despite conventional wisdom , they are only partial truths: 1. The MIND is the seat of intelligence and learning, and, 2. The MIND controls the BODY. -- Just ask any ordinary person. He or she will likely confirm it (and perhaps even grin gratuitously). One would think that our bodies were robotic; that they are merely slaves to our minds . When meeting a challenge (i.e., running a race, lifting weights, making a presentation in front of a group, somebody's well-intended uncle invariably chimes in with, " You can do it , kid! It's just mind over matter !" If that were completely true (and I'll confess that I believe it to be partially true),   then how is it possible that:  Physical pain profoundly affects how we think and feel?  We can walk down a familiar flight of st...

Is there a God ? And if there is, why is He making me ask this question? There are some wonderful logical and paradoxical questions and sayings that have emerged through Humankind ’s quest for a definitive answer to the troublesome problem of proof about the existence of God. Each of them gives one some pause for thought, and all of them are mind strengtheners. Here they come: 1. “My belief in God is based on faith . With absolute faith, a person can know, with complete certainty, that which cannot be proven. Faith is a God-given blessing.” 2. “If God created the universe, and if every effect is preceded by some cause, who or what created God?” 3. In one of my most doubtful moments, following a great tragedy in my life, I told my college roommate that I had lost my belief in God. My roommate replied, putting his hand gently on my shoulder, “Just because you don’t believe in God doesn’t mean that he doesn’t believe in you, and care about you and love you.” I remember these words being a...

 "Lord...um...excuse me. What's a 'cubit' ? " --------------- Notes of enormous importance : 1 )“Cubit’s Rube” is a sloppy spoonerism for “ Rubic’s Cube .”   2 ) Years ago, when I had a legitimate job in the fascinating field of accounting – fiscal voyeurism – my  boss said to me (in anticipation of a confrontation with a dissatisfied client who had just learned that he owed the Internal Revenue Service a large sum of money), “ Geez , Doug. The ‘ fit is going to hit the shan !” If you cannot figure that one out, you must turn off your computer, go to the supermarket, and purchase a copy of The National Enquirer and a large box of bon-bons immediately. You are exempt from reading any further. Congratulations.   3 ) A friend once asked me (in an attempt to be witty and engaging, despite his chronic halitosis and repellent reptilian skin condition), “Hey, Dougie! What’s the difference between a rooster and a lawyer?” When I failed to answer, he said, grinning, “A r...

We can all safely admit (even to ourselves, if we are not in a confessional or a crowded subway car ) that doing arithmetic computations with eyes closed, from memory and using sheer brain power is a challenge, but one that is a worthwhile undertaking. Here are the answers, as well as some observations, regarding the last posting . That makes this post, which are reading, a post-post posting. Or worse, it could be considered a commentary on a past posting . Alliteration and irony combined tend to produce an excess of spittle...an effect which I enjoy witnessing in others but which I try to avoid inadvertantly engaging in myself. --------------- The following embedded image (although the subject appears wide awake), exemplifies irony: It's now back to the exercise with some answers in RED . Here's a new set of operations to work on in the same manner as you did on the previous set, except that now we will use multiplication and division. Never mind about your third-grade teac...

Image via Wikipedia  In our last thrill-packed episode of Braintenance , we discussed the benefits of doing arithmetic calculations ("chain calculations") without the assistance of computers or any extrasensorial visual aids. The problem in the re-posting of the last show, yielded an answer of 28 [or at least it should have]. Most people's biggest challenges are not the arithmetic at all -- the challenges are 1 ) memorizing a string of data, and 2 ) recalling the string in "pieces" ("fractional recall") when going back to check or reaffirm our computations . One hint which might prove helpful is to visualize the entire string as if it were placed at the top of your mental blackboard for reference, and to do the individual calculations below. In this way, you can trick your mind into having a source of embedded reference to go back to. By doing this, you'll have less problems worrying about 'losing your place,' during the computational pro...

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 ...