Memrise is an online learning tool with courses for many languages created by its community. Memrise uses flashcards augmented with mnemonics—partly gathered through crowdsourcing—and the spacing effect to boost the speed and ease of learning
_http://www.memrise.com/home/
_http://www.memrise.com/home/
The Trouble With Humanoid Droids
Despite our love of science fiction, this coming trend in robo-aesthetics is a bad idea. By anthropomorphizing their products, robot designers may unwittingly be encouraging needless bloodshed. Because, as recent research shows, the more human a robot looks, the more likely the Homo sapiens at its controls may be tempted to make the droids go Rambo on their foes.
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/03/st_essay_ugly_robots/
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/03/st_essay_ugly_robots/
The Brain: The Mystery of Consciousness
The young women had survived the car crash, after a fashion. In the five months since parts of her brain had been crushed, she could open her eyes but didn't respond to sights, sounds or jabs. In the jargon of neurology, she was judged to be in a persistent vegetative state. In crueler everyday language, she was a vegetable.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1580394,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1580394,00.html
Three Critical Elements Sustain Motivation
Got motivation? Without it, the long, difficult hours of practice that elevate some people above the rest are excruciating. But where does such stamina come from, and can we have some, too? Psychologists have identified three critical elements that support motivation, all of which you can tweak to your benefit.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=three-critical-elements-sustain-motivation
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=three-critical-elements-sustain-motivation
The story of my life
An autobiography of Helen Keller published when the author was still in her early 20's. The narrative reveals how her mind developed and matured until she began her studies at Radcliffe College (Summary by George Cooney)
http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/book/the-story-of-my-life-by-helen-keller
http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/book/the-story-of-my-life-by-helen-keller
11 Free Mind Mapping Applications & Web Services
Mind mapping is a way of taking notes, capturing ideas, exploring concepts and breaking down information into a more readily understood format. It’s a place where visual representations and written representations of things merge to create something that is more natural to the mind; it works with and represents the way we think, where as paragraph-based text is not representative of the thought process at all.
There are huge advantages to creating your mind maps with paper and pen. In fact, though I’ve tried many different mind mapping programs over the years, pen and paper remains my favorite way of creating them. Some would say that it is a part of the process. That said, there are distinct advantages in using software and sometimes you need to decide what the best tool for the job is on a case by case basis. For when that time comes, here are 11 free mind mapping applications and web services.
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/11-free-mind-mapping-applications-web-services.html
There are huge advantages to creating your mind maps with paper and pen. In fact, though I’ve tried many different mind mapping programs over the years, pen and paper remains my favorite way of creating them. Some would say that it is a part of the process. That said, there are distinct advantages in using software and sometimes you need to decide what the best tool for the job is on a case by case basis. For when that time comes, here are 11 free mind mapping applications and web services.
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/11-free-mind-mapping-applications-web-services.html
Moonwalking with Einstein
Moonwalking with Einstein recounts Joshua Foer's yearlong quest to improve his memory under the tutelage of top "mental athletes." He draws on cutting-edge research, a surprising cultural history of remembering, and venerable tricks of the mentalist's trade to transform our understanding of human memory. From the United States Memory Championship to deep within the author's own mind,Moonwalking with Einstein reminds us that, in every way that matters, we are the sum of our memories.
--Interesting book. Great for a brief "introduction" into the world of mnemonics and seeing the human, funny and quirky side of it all.
--Interesting book. Great for a brief "introduction" into the world of mnemonics and seeing the human, funny and quirky side of it all.
Rhetorica ad Herennium
The Rhetorica ad Herennium [English: 'Rhetoric: For Herennius'], formerly attributed to Cicero but of unknown authorship, is the oldest surviving Latinbook on rhetoric, dating from the 90s BC, and is still used today as a textbook on the structure and uses of rhetoric and persuasion.
Read the book online:
http://www.archive.org/stream/adcherenniumdera00capluoft#page/n5/mode/2up
Read the book online:
http://www.archive.org/stream/adcherenniumdera00capluoft#page/n5/mode/2up