Omnigadgets iPhone 4 - iPhone 5 - iPad 2

I am stil waiting for a good deal for the iPhone 4 : The iPad (large iPhone but without the camera's) broke the sales-record last year. The Android phones and devices filled the emptiness (Void) of over 10 week delivery-time of the iPhone 4 last summer. Also the antenna-problems (which obviously was a design flaw) didn't help much either. The new HTC (Desire Z) and Samsung Galaxy S (and Samsung Galaxy Tab) are good alternative candidates.

I now have a Kindle (3G + WiFi) for reading books and my PDF-documents, but the combination of listening to a specific audio-lesson in MP3 and reading the corresponding PDF does not work well. Searching through documents on my iPhone does not work as convenient as my desktop or laptop and (for what I heard the iPad does not do that either, unless you put these documents in Google Docs or a specific app). The fact that Flash is not supported feels a bit like cutting off a large part of the Internet-content. I could use a remote viewing app like Teamviewer to work on my desktop with my iPhone, but this is improvising. Rumors say the iPhone 5 might come out in april 2011 and the new iPad 2 (with camera's) even sooner in February 2011. Since the price of the iPhone 4 didn't drop (it even increased, the 32 GB model including 2 year telecom-services: T-Mobile now to €329 + €29,95 a month, was €269 + €29,95 a month when introduced).
Maybe I will buy the new iPad 2 instead of the iPhone 4 or even wait for the iPhone 5.
Picture and movie editing, visual and speech-recognition, streaming camera recording, stereo-audio recording and a longer battery-life (currently max. 8 hours continuous use) is what I'm aiming for.

Below my initial comments - in concept - of June 30, 2010:
Yes I will also comment about the new Apple iPhone 4. The long awaited new iPhone after the iPhone 3GS was announced just over one month ago and sales skyrocketed in the first days to almost 2 million pieces with the pre-orders.
OK I admit it: I really want one. But why? Mainly for the features I miss on my current iPhone 3G: Good quality pictures, videorecording + editing, multitasking, a compass (which was already included in the 3GS) and Blue-tooth Keyboard support.

I wonder how many people actually use these specific features, but we will find out soon:
Given the new video + editing possibilities on the iPhone 4, this should increase video-blogging: This feature will definitely increase the number of movies on YouTube.com (Although movies and clips can be recorded in HD(ready) quality it gives no guarantee about the value of the published content.
Quality pictures: pictures taken at workshops or seminars currently (with 3G) are often not acceptable enough for archive-use. The new 5 MP (low light support) camera will probably produce better quality pictures. I assume with multi-tasking background support there will be note-taking apps like Evernote that support recording, scribble note-taking and taking pictures at the same time (without interruption of the stereo(?) recording).

Multi-tasking: for what I have come to hear it's a low level multitasking-feature like music or streaming background sound but it's a good start. Background recording or better live Speech-recognition with Dragon Dictate (not yet available in EU) or Dragon Naturally Speaking on my iPhone would be nice.
Live sound analysis like Shazam or SoundHound now does for music with (con)textual information and recognition with GPS combined with personal preferences could be a new killer app. A location based genius-like app for suggested places to go to, attractions to visit and people to meet (a bit like aka-aki, but with live location-based feeds: sort of a "around me"+ app)

Trend Fusion Artist Lady Gaga

At first I must have ignored Lady Gaga's popularity as an artist until it became obvious a few months ago she's one of the most influencial people in performance, music and fashion at the moment (even to the world according to Time May 2010 Time 100). At the moment many fans and artists use Lady Gaga as inspiration for creating their own style. For example: Lady Gaga combines several (known) styles in her performance art video's and clips: she dresses extravagant, sexy, uses all kinds of fashion accessories, Bling-bling (diamonds and sparkling jewelery), extreme makeup, masks, Gothic subculture, spiritual symbols, new wave, avant-garde and Electropop. On sites about Lady Gaga it is said she's influenced by Marc Bolan, David Bowie (both artist in the Glam Rock genre), also Queen, Madonna and Michael Jackson are mentioned as wel as Deepak Chopra in het Times interview, her dress-style is a tribute to Andy Warhol known from his pop-art.

OK this was only my introduction to my point: Lady Gaga to me is an example of an even bigger Fusion-trend in music and fashion using popular items and concepts from the past. The fact Lady Gaga is the most downloaded artist on YouTube (almost 213,000,000 times at the moment for the Bad Romance Video). This specific Lady Gaga video has some common elements with the classic 1982 Thriller videoclip by Michael jackson (13.42 min.); the supernatural, zombie-like creatures, the crawling dance, the world in a world, and struggle for power.

The interesting part about the designs is the link to cultural, cult and fashion-trends. It's very loose and therefore adaptive, which means anybody can join in and reuse the ideas to their own like. Lady Gaga created a movement, a tribal sphere of creatives who are inspired to create their own style. She's a catalist for style innovation and that's why she's setting a trend.

Update June 10:
I just watched the new Alejandro video (Also see YouTube) via the official Lady Gaga website. Well produced but maybe a bit too much erotic and less Gaga style what we know her for. Some interesting new dance-moves to say the least. The eroticism might just be interpreted as a selling tool like Madonna once did but with the difference that it had been done before: is she going for easy publicity? Sure sex sells but is she going mainstream and follow Madonna's path (Gaga even uses similar religious symbols) now that we can see her real face in the video? Is she testing her public? Suggestions and rumors about Lady Gaga posing nude for Playboy are getting heavier and Gaga seems to explore this medium as a way of expression. Below the quotes from Popcrunch.com:

“No-one wants her to do it. Her business people are trying to convince her that it could be seen as being a bit lowbrow and cheesy, and will alienate her fans who like her edgy appeal,” says a spying Bunny close to the rumored Playboy deal. “She thinks it will be an experience, and she’s always looking to grow as an artist. She doesn’t think there’s anything distasteful about it. She sees it as just another form of expression.”

The source squeals: “She’s been chatting with everyone about it all week. She’s always been a fan of Hugh Hefner’s, and his whole sex-as-art kind of thing. She’s always looking to shock and entertain, and something like this would be perfect for her. She wants her shoot to be like nothing Playboy has every seen before. If she doesn’t drop it, her nude shoot will be like nothing Playboy has ever seen!”

We shouldn't forget Lady Gaga is an artist trying to explore (and maybe exploit) every medium and channel to the fullest. The challenge is to continue and top the teasing-climax after publication. What is the next level after full exposure? What if Gaga's erotic videoclips are reduced (in the public minds eye) to a teaser for her posing nude for Playboy? Can she continue to make other (new) forms of visual satisfaction? What new performance dimensions will she explore or develop? Will her "little monsters" (as she calls her fans) stand by her and support her in her exploration at the edge, in nudity expression? Does she dissociate from her fans and cross a point of no return? She is playing with fire since the public expects something extraordinary; an ordinary nude beach-shoot for Lady Gaga would probably be considered artistic suicide.
I sincerely hope Lady Gaga will continue to explore her creative expression as an artist and not reduce herself to just another Playmate or Playboy-Bunny.
[Will probably be continued]

Life is a Game; and the rules are changing

What if you could consider your Life as a Game?
What would be the Rules (general principals, norms & moral guidelines) and Goal of the game?
What kind of incentive and punishment are you giving yourself (You, the Player)?
What activities, interactions and accomplishments would you earn 'points' for?
What kind of points would you like to score?
Would you go for accumulation of Wealth (currently measured in a relative subjective form of Currency: Money) or maybe another value good like: Gold, Clean Water or Energy-units?
Also directly related: What kind of Bad (like waste and garbage) should you avoid or deal with?

On a more Psychological and Spiritual ground you could deal with- or eliminate 'mind'-things that are taking a lot of your time, like worries or unnecessary energy-leaks (resulting in stress): Humans tend to have energy-leaks towards the past or the future. These (often recurring) thoughts about certain people or events are an indication (and opportunity of awareness) that you are not being fully present in the now. You need to accept and forgive to give closure to these (often negative) energy-absorbing thoughts. For the future it is best to be positive (or at least neutral) toward anticipated events. If you sense fear in yourself, you can accept this fear as a signal that you need to prepare or even practice for the anticipated event, like a Fire-drill. As an alternative visualization exercise: If you can accept the worst-case scenario as a possibility you will feel relieved. A generic attitude (by default) with focus on a smooth and positive outcome is best for your body's energy-system and for your health. The stress-level can physically be measured as Heart Coherence (measuring the HRV: Heart Rhythm Variable) with a sensor attached to your finger or ear. This stress-variable can be measured with a portable device and added to your current Life-game.

[Related Biofeedback: Heartmath emWave, Game: The Wild Divine]

The interesting (self-reflecting) factor in your Life as a Game begins when you start thinking about your passions, the things you really like to do (normally: things that give you energy), your natural skills, and your success-variables.

[Changing Rules]
The New Economy, and life within this economy has new rules. The new consumers label themselves as Fans (Apple inc.) vs Customers (Microsoft) which adds a new dimension to Brands. People tend to be loyal to their personality patterns, or put differently: "people don't like to change their common behavior". Brand loyalty can be measured in real life (a tendency to buy one product over the other: ceteris paribus) but in a game-setting these Brand aspects might be described in product-context terms like "Popularity" (based on current sales), or product Quality terms "component or ingredient declaration and Quality" (which is most frequently used), "Industry Standard", "Connectivity & Usability", "Open vs Closed Source", and the Cradle to Cradle (C2C) "Product Lifespan & Lifecycle". I would not be surprised if sustainability and social accountability (like ecological fair trade & treatment of employees) as a Brand value become more important. As an example: the iPhone application (Goodguide.com) scans and checks barcodes with databases revealing the context and lifecycle aspects of the product and Brand. This way you are able to score all aspects of a product (energetic, ecological, ethical, political and sustainable). For example if you want specific info about your ecological footprint you can add these values to your Life-game and make a purchase choice on a product-level.

Web 2.0 (inter-connectivity (RSS), personalized pages, communities) and Web 3.0 (mobile contextual info, meta-tags, and P2P tribes) changes the way we communicate and interact with others. You can see online companies adding interactivity to their communication with terms like dialog-marketing sending personalized mail (harvested by a contest, web-form or social networks). Amazon's personalized and customized recommendations based on previous orders and similarities with other customers in the data-pool are probably the best example.

Given the fact we can communicate and interact relatively easy worldwide with other people on the Internet, a personal challenge with the right social networking coordination can immediately become a collaborative project, multipliable initiative or even a tribal movement. The implications of unlimited scalability through the available technology are enormous and we can only grasp the near future. The power and possibilities of Crowdsourcing, Crowdfunding, tribes, social networks (which are now very measurable) and mobile technology will definitely change our world-view and the way we live.

I hope we will create some real life contexts (domains / arena's) to play with this technology in sandboxes before all newbies and digitally impaired are broadcasting everywhere and (unintended) clogging or even destroy (by overloading) the system. Peer review (like on Wikipedia) might offer a solution, but I seriously see a need for Computer, Media and Internet (Communication Technology) education (Information Literacy) in non-invasive, limited impact controlled sandbox context.

Back to your Life-Game, some final thoughts:

What is your preferred Arena (playing field)?
What are your specific targets (within this context or arena)?
What resources will you use? (information, tools, materials, people, funding)

When have you reached your "level"?

How will you be awarded and how will you share your experience and accomplishments?

How can you document and model your accomplishments as a teaching for others?

Other related info: Game Theory, Moral Psychology, WikiHow: Make-Your-Life-a-Roleplaying-Game, Goalsetting community: 43 Things]

Development of an iPhone-aplication: XS Explorer

Project Proposal: Accessibility Explorer or XS Explorer      
Accessible Europe is a project of Toegankelijk Nederland.nl – draft 1.3

Summary
In order to collect user generated accessibility data about locations (buildings and travel destinations) and use the great potential of a potentially worldwide user database. I propose an iPhone application named Accessibility Explorer or XS Explorer (as a shortened name). With the Apple iPhone you can survey and take pictures of the location directly from inside the XS Explorer application and use it to visualize specific attention area’s. The iPhone touch screen can also be used to draw a sketch of a room or situation and you could link it as comment to a question. You can even record audio comments making this useful as a real reviewing tool. The build in GPS-receiver will be used to place the location on maps and link it to pda, mobile phones (smartphones) and other navigation devices through Points Of Interest (POI’s).

About Accessible Europe
Accessible Europe’s mission is to chart the accessibility and usability of public buildings, attractions and travel destinations. The primary focus is on people with specific disability challenges like being unable to walk (and therefore use a wheelchair), being unable to see (blind or short-sighted using tools to navigate and distinguish visual information), difficulty with hearing (using special hearing devices or totally deaf, meaning alternative means of communication other than audio or voice. Other specific challenges needed adaptations or requirements in buildings are asthma (COPD), obesity, baby-care and being short.

Accessible Europe collects and shares location based accessibility information about available public facilities (for specific disabilities) in and around buildings (objects) like restaurants, libraries, hotels and museums.

Example
If you’re planning a family reunion in a group facility it is vitally important to know beforehand if your aunt in a wheelchair can sit at the dining room table and if there is a wheelchair toilet where she can go to powder her nose. If the meetingroom is on the second floor you also need to know if there is an elevator and if the doors of the elevator are big enough for a standard-size or XL-sized wheelchair.

Become an Accessibility Explorer
With the proposed multilingual iPhone application all iPhone users can become instant Accessibility Explorers or XS Explorers. The idea is adding new objects on the go. Any (public) building or destination you visit can be added. Keep in mind we're looking for accessible locations. After registration (with username, password and email with confirmation) as an Accessibility Explorer you can use the Accessibility Explorer tool (or XS Explorer for short)

Steps:
1.    Stand before the main entrance of the object/location. Press “Add new object”, the current GPS location will be stored while typing in the name of the object. Select the function of the object from the rollbar: (for example Restaurant, Cinema, Public Toilet, Hotel, Retailstore)
2.    When the name and function are saved, the online database is checked if this location (300 meters) or if this name already exists in the database. If location and/or name exists you will be presented with the option to review and/or edit the existing data or add a new object. Used Object-ID's will be stored on the iPhone. Active Explorers will be reminded to review and comment visited locations / objects.
3.    Add general contact info or URL for the object (usually found on folders, brochures, businesscards found at the entrance or reception).
4.    Take a picture of the main-entrance or front of the object. (picture is automatically uploaded in background, after being resized to max. 1024 pixels if needed) Select the categories-types (logo’s) you want to review or chart (default = all); Wheelchair toilet, Wheelchair, Deaf (or bad hearing), Blind (visually impaired), Asthma (COPD), Obesity (extreme overweight), and baby-care (lactation-room and/or diaper changing facility).
5.    Fill in the category questions with a score +, +/-, -, unknown (default), not applicable. comment each question if needed. These scoring is based on the ITC (International Accessibility Codes which are in the contextual help on screen with examples to determine the score. Exact measurements (with / length / height in cm) (of doorways or elevators for example) can also be added if the Accessibility Explorer has a measuring-tool available for this.
6.    Take pictures or draw a sketch at each critical point (entrance, corridor, leverage angle, turning circles, etc.). Registered XS Explorers also have the ability to draw or sketch on top of a new or existing picture. The original pictures are stored in the archive.
7.    Fill in extra info at the notes section. Save all object info on the iPhone.
8.    Review the explored object and upload it to the server. (upload with pictures can also be done later when in WiFi-range). Personal comments and notes can be added to each of the questions, categories or rooms.
9.    Registered Accesibility Explorers could receive Explorer community points for each object they successfully upload. (The system keeps track of all submitted locations and feedback on the information-quality)

After internal checking of the submitted data the owner from the object will receive an automatic message:
Hi,
Your location "[Location name]" classified as "[object function]" on GPS mapped location [GPS object location] was visited by an Accessibility Explorer [XS Explorer Nickname] on [object visit date].
Please review the data online [XSexplorer object URL/Object ID]
If you feel this information is incorrect or incomplete, please register as Accessibility Explorer and edit the object.
You can also change or add more contact information, your opening hours and a description of 2000 characters.
If you score at least one + in the XS Explorer review you may add our "Visited by Accessibility Explorer" Logo and link to your homepage. If a visitor clicks the logo he will go to the review of your location on our webpage. You can choose copy and paste the code or banner from the MyXSexplorer page.
If you want more information on how to make your location more accessible please visit [Accessibility Explorer building tips URL]
Thanks for your support,


The XS Explorer team.

Find accessible object
1. press "search from current location" to check for objects nearby (scalable in "Settings" from 1 km to 50km radius). All accessibility options are selected by default but can be unclicked. The results in unchecked categories will be grey and nearest results with checked criteria with show first. Options to search for object type, name, city, province or radius from current position.
2. Select your location to display Accessibility info and contact info.
3. Click call [name location] to call the specific location.
4. Click Show on map to show the location in the maps application
5. Click Navigate to location to start your navigation application

Extra software features:
·    Accessibility Warnings: A dangerous or critical notification about an object / location. (like Wikango speedcamera warnings app)
·    For larger outdoor objects like theme-parks you can add sub-objects like wheelchair-toilets and continue from step 4 with a new picture.

Database entries:
XS explorer username, object GPS location(s), object name, object function, date and time of initial data collection, date and time of submission (or mutation) [also: keep mutation history], contact information Location question categories: accessibility streetwalk path (bestrating), entrance, entry level (begane grond), elevator, toilet, wheelchair toilet, bathroom, corridor, primary room, hearing , blind / sighted, obesity and baby care questions.

Applications for other mobile platforms like Windows Mobile, Blackberry and Google Android should be added as soon as the basic iPhone app is running. The accessibility database website should have a mobile / pda-version for viewing on a small screen. Primary connections to Google-maps and augmented reality applications like Layar should be implemented from the start. Being an XS Explorer using Interactive augmented reality while answering questions about the object could a cutting edge application and fun thing to do. This could give the Accessibility Database a real boost.

History
ToegankelijkNederland started in 2001 with zipcode based location information using a paper questionnaire; the answers were transcribed on the input webpages connecting and storing it to the central database. The current database was setup with the presentation in mind and is not ideal for collection of GPS based object-data.

GPS
A few years ago pda’s and smartphones became more and more advanced with build-in camera’s and GPS. XS Explorer collects and charts location based information with GPS. GPS-info is used by mapping and navigation devices. For exchange and connectivity between systems it is more logical to use GPS as a general identifier than zipcodes. It is still highly recommended to also collect the formal address and object information like name and contactinfo (such as telephonenumber, email and URL). The iPhone app is focused on easy data collection and location based retrieval.

Costs & Investment
The initial XS Explorer application for charting Accessibility should be free from the Apple App store to promote the XS Explorers community. Advertising from featured Accessible locations could pay for the community. Integration with other applications or adding other personal location based info could be sold as a paid iPhone application XS Explorer Pro. Spin-offs or combinations with desktop-syncing applications like Evernote are ways to monetize this app.
This app can easily be modified and used for adding meta-info about any GPS-location (like an external addon for MotionX GPS) or object and any questions can be added.

Option 1: Low Budget: An initial investment with a programmer-auction site like Elance.com or rentacoder.com could be around EUR 3500 for the app, database and basic CMS with a monthly cost for hosting and maintenance of around EUR 200.
Option 2: Adaptation or sponsoring by a software-development company showing high valued real useful application of their technology. This is a win-win situation since the company created a new service for a potential group of 15-35% of all people who use one or more accessibility tags for objects. A wheelchair accessibility tag usually means strollers with babies or small children will most likely also fit.
The only condition for sponsoring or Joint Venture is that usage of the accessibility-database is non-exclusive and should be open to anyone. (Also for other application builders).

A new database and community website should be developed for this Accessibility Explorer application. An API for search, import / export and object-mutation requests could be made to facilitate synchronisation and connections between other databases and applications.

Context
AccessibleEurope (ToegankelijkNederland.NL) is currently (December 2009) in the final phase of testing a new accessibility website made in the CMS Joomla. Instructed volunteers from the different disability-organisations will visit specific object locations (like restaurants, hotels, public service buildings and theatres). These volunteers will measure and test accessibility and usability by answering a basic set of questions for their specific disability in all (or most crucial) functions (and/or room-types) in an object.

Data example
Normal wheelchair accessibility for example requires a minimum passage with of 80cm including enough space for a a turning circle of the wheelchair; this is scored as +/-. For an extra large wheelchair you should have a minimum of 100cm and a larger turning circle; these entries and passages are scored +. Examples of other measured aspects are height-differences (should be minimal), toilets, (bathrooms / showers), elevators (is it big enough and can it be operated from within the wheelchair?), reception or service-desks (can it be used from within the wheelchair?), lockers (within reach), usable table height, and available exits.

I need help setting this up. If you have experience with building iPhone apps or like this project please contact me for more info.


Toine Fennis.
toine@accessibilityexplorer.eu

Identify Roadblocks - Don't Give Up on Change

I came across a good article by Marshall Goldsmith about roadblocks or traps you can fall into, and how to prepare for them. Very useful for the 4D NLP base-model (Current Situation, Wanted (changed) situation, Blocks and Resources) checking for congruence, future pace and especially realistic / SMART goalsetting.

Question for Ask the Coach:
Change is hard. It takes forever and I don't even know if it's working. Any tips for making this process easier?

Change takes longer than we think and the process is difficult. Acknowledging these facts can make your attempts more successful. My co-author Dr. Kelly Goldsmith, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, and I researched why people give up on their goals. We discovered that there are five common reasons. Understanding these roadblocks will help you apply some preventive medicine — and increase the odds that you won't fall into the same old traps.

1. Ownership
"I wasn't sure that this would work in the first place. I tried it out — it didn't do that much good. As I guessed, this was kind of a waste of time."
The classic mistake made in leadership development, coaching, and self-help books is the promise that "This will make you better!" After years of experience in helping real leaders change real behavior in the real world, I have learned a hard lesson. Only you will make you better.
To have a real chance of success, you have to take personal ownership and have the internal belief that "This will work if, and only if, I make it work. I am going to make this work."

2. Time
"I had no idea that this process would take so long. I'm not sure it's worth it."
Goal setters have a chronic tendency to underestimate the time needed to reach targets. In setting our goals for behavioral change, it's important to be realistic about the time we need to produce positive, lasting results. Habits that have taken years to develop won't go away in a week. Set time expectations that are 50% to 100% longer than you think you will need to see results — then add a little more.

3. Difficulty
"This is a lot harder than I thought it would be. It sounded so simple when we were starting out."
The optimism bias of goal setters applies to difficulty as well as time. Not only does everything take longer than we think it will, but it also requires more hard work than we anticipate.
In setting goals, it's important to accept the fact that real change requires real work. Acknowledging the price for success in the beginning of the change process will help prevent the disappointment that can occur when challenges arise later.

4. Distractions
"I would really like to work toward my goal, but I'm facing some unique challenges right now. It might be better if I just stopped and did this at a time when things weren't so crazy."
Goal setters have a tendency to underestimate the distractions and competing goals that will invariably appear throughout the year. A piece of advice that I give all of my coaching clients is: "I'm not sure what crisis will appear, but I'm almost positive that some crisis will appear."
Plan for distractions in advance. Assume that crazy is the new normal. You will probably be close to the reality that awaits.

5. Maintenance
"I think that I did actually try to change and get better, but I have let it slide since then. What am I supposed to do — work on this stuff the rest of my life?"
Once a goal setter has put in all of the effort needed to achieve a goal, it can be tough for him to face the reality of what's needed to maintain the new status quo. When one of my high-potential leaders asked his boss, the CEO, "Do I have to watch what I say and do for the rest of my career?" the CEO replied, "You do if you plan on ever becoming a CEO!"
Here are the cold, hard truths. Real change requires real effort. The "quick fix" is seldom a meaningful one. Distractions and things that compete for your attention are going to crop up — frequently. Changing any one type of behavior won't solve all of life's problems. And finally, any meaningful change will probably require a lifetime of effort.

[The original Ask The Coach article 'Don't Give Up on Change' by Marshall Goldsmith was copied from: Harvard Business.org]

47 Ways to Fine Tune Your Brain

47 Ways to Fine Tune Your Brain (by Steven Aitchison)

Your brain is a complex organ. It is the controller of your body, your thoughts, your state of mind and your ultimately your life. There are some who abuse it, some who underuse it, and some who overuse it to the point of meltdown.

In this article we'll look at dozens of tactics that will help you maintain your brain into old age and help to increase your mental agility and cognitive development.

1. Don't try and multitask, it can't be done.
   Our brains can only focus and concentrate on one thing at a time, this is a proven scientific fact. While you can most likely handle multiple menial tasks, anything that requires you to concentrate, reason, or decide deserves full focus.
   
2. Exercise your brain, not just your body.
   A lot of us leave learning behind when we leave school, college or university. Keep the brain fit by learning something new, whether it be a language, a new skill or musical instrument.
   
3. The world is a mystery.
   Use your brain to constantly ask questions and explore your surroundings. Continually exercise your brain by not accepting everything you see and hear: question it and free your sense of curiosity.
4. Use both hemispheres
   Use the left hemisphere of your brain to practice logical, mathematical problems in your life. Use the right hemisphere to unleash your creativity. You will know what side is dominant so make it a point to practice using your non dominant hemisphere.
5. Get to know your sleeping pattern.
   Your brain needs sleep as much as your body but everybody is different. I function on 5-6 hours you might work best on 8-9 hours.
   
6. Feed your brain decent information.
   Your brain is learning throughout the night, so give it something worthwhile to feed it. Our brain is not restoring energy whilst we are sleeping it is cutting out the noise and going over the days events and processing it; give it some great material to process.
7. If you want to learn more whilst studying, start pacing.
   If you are reading a book, start pacing. Movement gets the blood flowing and this helps oxygenate your brain. I walked my way through university and have taught my sons study walking to help them memorize information.
8. You've heard it before.
   Exercise is probably the number 1 way to increase the brains capabilities in every way possible, from memory to creativity. There's no getting around it, we all need to exercise.
9. Keep Social
   Staying socially active has been shown to keep your brain sharp well into old age.
   
10. Use the internet to keep your brain active.
    A University of California Los Angeles team found searching the web stimulated centers in the brain that controlled decision-making and complex reasoning.
11. Eat dark chocolate.
    Yes, eating dark chocolate has been shown to be beneficial for releasing an important brain chemical called dopamine. Dopamine aids in learning and memory.
12. Learn a song.
    Learn the lyrics of some of your favorite songs to keep your listening skills and memory skills alive.
13. Watch brain stimulating movies.
    Movies that make you think (such as mysteries) help keep your brain and mind active.
    
14. Play video games
    This has been shown to increase cognitive abilities and can help fight Alzheimer's.
15. Practice doing things with your non-dominant hand.
    This stimulates the brain in many areas and also can be quite fun.
16. Use meditation as a way to alleviate your stress.
    There are thousands of studies about the beneficial effects of mediation and keeping your stress levels down is good for you. You lose brain cells the more stressed you feel, so controlling stress levels is important.
17. Laugh as often as possible.
    Laughing out loud boosts the immune system and releases endorphins, the bodies feel good chemicals.
18. Think positive.
    Thinking positively is a great way to keep your brain alive. Constant negative thinking depresses the mind and goes on to literally depress the immune system. Thinking more positive thoughts is a good way to keep stress down and spur you to take action for a better life.
19. Practice gratitude.
    Practicing gratitude can increase your happiness level significantly which helps to alleviate stress which helps your whole brain and body.
20. Sex
    Sex is another great way to keep your cardiovascular system healthy which means more oxygen to your brain which keeps the brain healthy.
21. Read a great book.
    No matter what type of books you read, they are all beneficial in keeping your brain healthy and active and ward off the aging process.
22. Drink less alcohol.
    Alcohol in moderation can actually be good for the brain, however too much alcohol can kill brain cells and your ability to be able to think and reason effectively.
23. Working.
    A lot of people look forward to giving up work as we get older, however, working even in a part time job can keep the mind active. If you are retired you can do volunteer work to keep you active.
24. Keep up to date with current events and news.
    Keeping your brain fit is about feeding your mind with new information. Watching current affairs programs can help with this so long as they don't stress you out.
    
25. Listen to music.
    Listening to music that you wouldn't normally listen to is another good way to keep your brain active. Music has the ability to release positive emotions in you.
26. Dance.
    Dancing is a great all around for both mind and body. Learning s a new dance helps your cognitive skills, your spatial awareness, your social skills, your motor skills and helps keeps your body healthy.
27. Throw a ball.
    Throwing and catching a ball is great for sensory-guided movement. It can improve your brain’s visual, tactile and hand-eye coordination responses and keep them sharp well into old age.
28. Eat well.
    Eating certain types of food can really be beneficial to your brains chemistry. Avoid fatty foods and eat more vegetables and fruit. This is sound advice for brain and body.
29. Drink plenty of water.
    Drinking water helps the cells function properly and keeps you feeling hydrated from the inside out.
30. Have a cup of tea.
    Drinking tea, hot or cold, can stimulate your brain in many ways. Tea contains caffeine which can be good for you if drunk in moderation.
31. Take a trip.
    Have you always fancies traveling well it has been shown that traveling really does broaden your horizons.
32. Use your debating skills.
    Having friendly debates with friends and family can improve your logical, thinking, reasoning and creativity skills.
33. Sleep a little longer.
    Sleeping an extra few hours every now and again is good for rejuvenating your brain and help you learn faster.
    
34. Take naps.
    Taking a nap throughout the day can help keep you from feeling tired and help stave off 'brain fog'. A ten minute nap will do to help you function throughout the day.
35. Turn down the TV.
    If you watch a lot of TV turn it down to hone your listening and concentration skills.
36. Break the cycle.
    If you tend to do the same thing day in day out, try and break the pattern of your activities. Your brain relies on doing something different to keep it active, break your normal routine to do this.
37. Learn a new word.
    Learning anything new will help keep your brain healthy. Learning a new word each day is a simple way to accomplish this.
    
38. Look at old photographs.
    This is a great way to keep your memories alive and to strengthen cell connections within the brain.
39. Do something outrageous.
    Doing things we would normally never do like a bungee jump, a parachute jump, hill climbing, a helicopter ride, etc., will keep your brain alive, literally.
40. Train your brain.
    The 'cogni-fit' industry is huge and is growing every year and for good reason. Start playing some of these 'cogni-fit' games to keep your brain healthy and active.
41. Take supplements.
    Supplements like omega-3, folic acid with vitamin B-12, CoEnzyme Q10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and an all round strong multi-vitamin supplement, has been shown to slow down the aging process. Check with your doctor before taking supplements.
42. Mindfulness.
    A simple mindfulness exercise is to just sit and relax and pay attention to your breathing. This helps to promote relaxation, keep your mind focused, helps with concentration and does the body a world of good.
43. Develop critical thinking skills.
    Critical thinking involves you asking questions of yourself and the world around and looking for evidence of your assumptions.
44. Become a philosopher.
    Not literally, but start thinking about the bigger questions in life. This develops your brain on many levels. More than likely you will never come up with a definitive answer to the big questions but it keeps your brain and mind active.
45. Make your own affirmations.
    Affirmations are a great way to keep your mind focused on your life goals. When you use affirmations you are also using your imagination, and activating other regions in your brain which can help with memory, creativity and even releasing feel good chemicals.
46. Thinking outside the box.
    I always thought this was a strange saying as you cannot really think outside the box when you are always living inside the box of knowledge. However over the years I have come to realize it really means thinking without using your reasoning skills to look for alternatives and it can be a great way to keep your mind active.
47. Sing out loud.
    Singing is a great way to help you focus and get rid of stress. People who sing out loud feel happier as they are not internalizing thoughts but focusing on an ext renal action, their voice. It also aids memory.

Scientists now know that our brains continuously make new neurons throughout our lives and it does this in response to the what we do in our lives. Neurons are important for transmitting and making connections with other cells. If we lose the neurons, we lose the power to think properly, to use our creativity, to learn, to memorize effectively, basically our brains slowly die. Exercise and brain stimulation is one of the best ways to keep making these new neurons. Using some of the examples above you will keep your brain healthy and active for years to come.

[This Article was copied from another Blog:  Dumblittleman.com]

Online sources for Geeks & Infoworkers

In the past I may have resented the term 'Geek', but since it has become more mainstream I find myself using resources targeted at Geeks and informationworkers.
Here they are:

• Geekbrief.tv - Shiny Happy Tech News. A very information rich, professionally produced vodcast by Cali Lewis. A must see for Gadget-geeks.
  
• Bright.nl - Innovative (Dutch) Lifestyle Magazine. Good news articles and product review vodcasts.
• Lifehacking.nl - Dutch Bloggers with useful articles about Lifehacking. Working smarter instead of harder. Lifehackers frequently use technology and systems to create shortcuts for redundant or unnecessary tasks in their life.
  More about Lifehacking: Lifehacker.com and Life Hack (Wikipedia)
• Wired.com - Wired Magazine is a strong brand for Geeks both online and offline. Wired reported and maybe even set many trends in the past. Sections include: Cars 2.0, Culture, Entertainment, Gadgets, Gaming, How-To, Med Tech, Multimedia, Politics, Product Reviews, Science, Software, Tech Biz, Tech Jobs, and Dual Perspectives.

And the review Blogs I came across looking for specific articles

• Geek.com - Large Technology News and Reviews site divided into categories: Apple, Gadgets, Mobile, Games, Chips, Geek-cetera, Forums and a Shop. Geek.com also has a weekly podcast.
  
• Geeksugar.com - Geek is chic. The female oriented GeekSugar Tech Community has lots of special interest groups and is following news and gadget trends.
• Engadget.com - More in-depth reports about media-gadgets, Mobiles and HD-television.
• ThinkGeek.com - Stuff for smart masses. Gadget webshop selling: T-shirts & apparel, Geek Toys, Gadgets, Home & Office supplies, Computer Stuff, Caffeine & Candy, Electronics, Geek stuff for Kids, and Books.
  
• Corporategeek.info - a blog for sharing tips about project management and improving productivity at work, alongside practical advice for business communication and effective presentations.
  
• IT-Geek.info - Info Tech, Reviews for Geeks. Coolest IT, hardware, software news for g33ks!
• Twittergids Geek Top 100 - 100 Geek twitterers to follow (if you like)
  

Not really Geek but highly related and interesting to Geeks:

• Mashable.com - The Social Media Guide. Mashable is the world's largest blog focused exclusively on Web 2.0 and Social Media news. Mashable reviews new Web sites and services, publishing breaking news on what's new on the web and offering social media resources and guides.
• TED.com - Ideas worth spreading - Strategic, tactical and practical information in videoformat (and audio) from inspirational leaders in the fields of Technology, Engineering, & Design. Also available trough YouTube and the TED iPhone app.
• Dutchcowboys.nl - Popular Dutch Weblog about Web 2.0, social media and interactive marketing.
• Techlicious.com - Tech made simple. Sections: Tips & How-Tos, Guides & Reviews, Fab Websites. Maintained by and targeted at women. (Practical stuff for Geek wannabees)