flynn012

You can solve any math problem if you know the formula (i.e., the proven shortcut to arriving at the answer without the need for giant chain calculations). These formulas are like keys to unlocking the secrets of arithmetic and mathematical puzzles and riddles. The tougher issues are those of knowing how to conduct a search (knowing the right search engine parameters to enter (hint: a Google search might be a good idea for your first pass at "asking a question " without asking a question) and finding the right formula to apply. This process sharpens your mind in that it requires that you 1 ) identify the problem; 2 ) formulate a question; 3 ) construct an efficient search engine query; and 4 ) glance through at least a small number of sites or articles about the issue which you want to address. Every one of these steps ratchets up a whole menu of cognitive skills to a higher level. Solving the problem is merely the proverbial icing atop the cake [an inexcusably cheap me...

When I was merely a young lad (with very little promise), my elementary teachers would frequently inquire of me, "Douglas -- are you sitting on your brains ?" {for some reason, the the 1960s, each of us had "brains" - plural - but none of us actually had a brain - singular - or half a brain. While we are speaking etymologically, one of my favorites when when a teacher would observe, hands on hips, with bitter sarcasm, " If you had half a brain, you'd be dangerous! " They saw this as a clever way of saying that we (the underachievers, daydreamers and juvenile delinquents ) each had less than half of a brain. I saw it as something different -- to me, I knew that I had a whole brain (albeit impaired in functionality) -- I just thought it axiomatic that if  reduced to half-brain status , anyone might be dangerous. With this logic, I managed to avoid being personally insulted. My teachers likely thought that I was just too stupid to be rightly insulted. B...

Several observations -- and do not look at your watch because you will be wasting valuable, irreplaceable time by the act of tracking it! Since you've been kind enough to stay with me for this length of time, I will attempt to add some "party conversation starting quotation" value to this post, with a quote from my closest associate, Mr. Douglas E. Castle : "Prepare for the future, because the present moment becomes history all too quickly." More Quotes follow, invoking paradoxes or infinitely self-recursive statements which provoke deeper and more expansive thought. The Human Mind, when challenged by a concept that warrants analysis (actually "validation" or acceptable analogy). "You cannot make up for lost time. No matter how expediently and ambitiously you accelerate the pace of your work, the unproductive present moment is permanently gone, except for its persistence in memory." "You cannot change the speed of the passage of time ...

I noticed the article which follows in a recent brief from Big Think , a wonderful informative and insightful resource for articles about the Human Potential Movement and about Global Futurism . Please take a moment to read the article, a portion of which I have extracted below, and then hit the "BACK" button on your browser to come back for some Braintenance commentary and an extrapolation of what this means for the potential development of the Human Species . --------------- Learning to See in 3-D: A Neurobiologist Rewires Her Own Brain Megan Erickson on March 25, 2012, 12:00 AM What's the Big Idea? If the scientific consensus had been right, Sue Barry would still be seeing in 2-D. Barry was born with strabismus , a condition in which the eyes couldn't look in the same place at the same time. By the age of two, she’d undergone three surgeries, but the operations succeeded only in making her eyes appear not to be crossed -- th...

Oxymorons are self-conflicting or self-cancelling combinations of words. They are often humorous, brief, thought-provoking (associatively) and memorable. They also help stimulate our mind's ability to freely associate and visualize with greater speed and clarity. They stimulate imagination and creativity. What's more, they're great fun at parties. We've all heard these: JUMBO SHRIMP, AUTHENTIC REPLICA, MILITARY INTELLIGENCE, HELPFUL CIVIL SERVANT and THE WAR ON TERRORISM (more obscure, but a bit more through-provoking in terms of semantics and shades of meaning). With the following list, read each one aloud in your mind , and when you've finished, visualize the conflicting physical images . Then : 1 ) See how many of them you can easily remember; 2 ) See how many you can remember in the sequence in which they are presented. Incidentally, this is my collection of the best of the worst of these creatures: Stretch those neurons....let them reach out and touch one anoth...

Any mental exercises which require that you arrange things (in the same positions as they were in before, i.e., memorizing and conforming to a map, floor plan or layout), order things (based upon a rule, i.e., smallest to largest) or categorize things (i.e., based upon rules, parameters or attributes) have the wonderful ability [whether you are a file clerk, a S.W.A.T. team member, or a Braintenance philosopher (i.e., unemployed, lazy or on an academic fellowship) can and will: 1 ) improve your memory; 2 ) improve your spacial perception and navigation ability; 3 ) improve your associative intelligence; 4 ) improve your neuroplasticity (the flexibility of brain cells to 'substitute in' for each other or to make adaptations to their functionality); and may ... 5) possibly contribute to new neuronal growth (i.e., brand new brain cells) and an newly-establish neural channels. Following is a wonderful game, courtesy of Brain Metrix, which provides an opportunity to do some ...

Shadow Leaders (puppeteers) and Alternative Governments (secret controllers ) are notions which have now gone beyond the realm of futuristic sci-fi books and movies, 'crackpot' websites, and other forms of either imagination-fueled or paranoia-fueled media and become increasingly prevalent in the headlines and subject matter of articles and posts in highly-respected media and blogs. Such authors as Dan Brown , Vince Flynn , Robert Ludlum , David Icke , and such mainstream television shows as The Unit, StrikeBack, Burn Notice are pressing the notion of secret societies, black-ops government units, private armies, cabals, conspiracies, privileged families pulling strings, and very small, secretive, amoral groups exerting incredible force (without allegiance to any country or cause) over the population and resources of the entire planet. The Warren Commission , Area 51, Roswell, Fort Knox , Ruby Ridge , BP's ecological accident , Stealth Weapons, The World Trade Center Trag...