Brainy Games

Ok, you have become lazy and too relaxed just by watching the movies. Time for some action!

I am sure that most of you just hated math or chemistry or some other class that at some point it became incredibly boring. Well, it might have been only the teacher that you hated or your mood or whatever. But after classes you found yourself liberated and maybe seeking the thrill in a game. Did you knew that everything has a purpose... multifaceted? When you learn anything (and by playing you may learn a lot) you gain the power of abstraction and reuse in different fields that might be not so obvious connected.

You may have heard of brainy games or not, but you should give them a try. I have tested several and I can say that you will see the effect of transferring pretty quick. After you have mastered say two of them, you will become proficient at faster understanding others that you have not yet touched. Ah, and you will be able to faster give change at the store; and you will grow some new connections in your brain that may help you be less depressed; and you will understand math easier; and... :-)

Here are some good starts that provides a good enough balance between fun and learning:

- BrainVersity

- Mindscape's Brain Trainer (aka Oak Systems Brain Workout), but search not the one with "only US" word puzzle version!

- Brain Challenge

- >FlashFabrica's brain< (thank you again, my beloved Aliz! )

- the n-back task having another free example here, flash style ; the most configurable and nicest variant "ever":
>BrainWorkshop<
[update] the latest version (4.8) is better, but not for beginners, while I want you to USE the configurable options and not get lost. So please see the previous (4.7) here: BrainWorkshop History

- the best kept for the last: a great collection of cognitive fun:
>http://cognitivefun.net/<

"Seeing is believing"

Although there is a ton to read on the subject of the demons lurking beneath the surface of your conscious cortex, I am sure that you may find it more attractive to give it a start with a more appealing presentation first.

Both stories will enthrall you into a world that sheds a light upon your own, giving you something to meditate while I am stretching time to write more posts in order to start this blog rolling.

So, only a few quality yet popular leads, but here they are:

- Brain Story; in a show by the neuroscientist, professor and baroness Susan Greenfield, perhaps a more technical approach but nevertheless still popular - a story in six chapters:

1. All in the Mind
2. In the Heat of the Moment
3. The Mind's Eye
4. First Among Equals
5. Growing the Mind
6. The Final Mystery
   

^^ the link is actually to her book, I was unable to lock on the DVDs at this date (2010) so see the bottom line

- another show, somewhat complementary therefore I highly recommend to follow them both, presented by PBS: The Secret Life of the Brain; also has a great site to accompany the experience, where you can see other details including the brain itself.

Also you may want to enjoy a "somewhat connected story", about the creation of collective myths. Maybe not a time for Mircea Eliade yet (we are still in the visual zone) but check this out: Joseph Campbell is a great storyteller himself and exposes the mechanisms that were implied by storytellers over millennia and how the stories were made; and still are, his work is basis to StarWars as well ;-)
Ok - here is the link to Mythos.

I know you can find them on the net, however if you like them and find somewhere to buy them, I am sure you will not hesitate.

Meditate on this

Meditation and music are for everybody but not everyone is willing to pay the time that will do a lot of good in the future. On short it was finally accepted that our minds (including the concept of self) is more liquid than previously thought and that we are continuously rewiring our minds even in hardware. This process is triggered by the things we learn and it is called neurogenesis. The more the merrier you would think but it is of paramount importance that you would rewire them(neurons) intelligently otherwise you will end up with a "broken machine" up there.
So... why not take the chance on meditating at the wrong stuff that may force you to be less happy and start being a more sentient being? :-)

The posts that will follow are here to lend a hand in this direction, I will enjoy throwing at you stuff that matters. Brain matters.