The Loci System

Brainpower Newsletter

I'm still in South America, trying to remember the two dozen passwords I need to keep my websites and other online activities going. Hence, I have a good memory system as this weeks topic.

Enjoy the newsletter!

You have probably heard of the loci memory system. With this mnemonic system, you "place" the things that are to be memorized in set locations in your imagination, so you can "find" them there when you need them. This system is generally attributed to Simonides, from a story told by Cicero, an ancient Roman philosopher.

The story is that the poet Simonides stepped outside during a party, and the roof of the hall collapsed, killing many people. The bodies were crushed beyond recognition, but Simonides knew the guests, and was able to identify the bodies by remembering...

Continued here:
http://www.increasebrainpower.com/memory-system.html

- Eating too much causes your hearing to be less sharp.

- An average cow produces 400 liters of methane gas in a day.

- Mount Everest rises about four millimeters per year. The two tectonic plates which collided to form the Himalayas, continue to press against each other, causing the Himalayas to grow.

Many studies show that high amounts of aluminum in food and drinking water can cause memory problems. It is also known that aluminum leeches easily from cookware and it is readily absorbed in your body. Medical researcher Dr. David Williams recommends using iron cookware instead of aluminum, and purifying your drinking water (filters may not work as well as drinking distilled water).

What type of words are the following: Cuckoo, croak, ping-pong, and sizzle.

(Answer is below)

Write down one problem you have in your personal life, and over the next week, jot down at least twenty different solutions. Don't censor yourself, and don't worry about the quality of your ideas. You can judge that after the exercise is over. The idea is just to get your brain thinking in terms of solutions and generating a lot of ideas. And who knows? One of them might just help.

Are you a lucky person? Answer the following questions as honestly as you can, and then tally your score according to the simple directions at the bottom of the test.

>>> In general, do good things happen to you?

1. Almost never
2. Sometimes
3. Often
4. Very often

>>> Are you doing something you enjoy for a living...

Continued here... http://www.increasebrainpower.com/luck-test.html

Good thought provoking questions tend to put forth a certain viewpoint, even if only because they inherently challenge the accepted ones. They don't require you to agree with that viewpoint though. A question is just a question. We will have different answers, but I won't have any here. These are just for the purpose of provoking thought.

1. If it is wrong for me to steal from my neighbor Joe in order to send my kids to school, or to paint a picture, or to subsidize my tobacco crop, how can it be right for me to do it using the government as my agent? If enough of us vote to take Joe's money for something we want to do, does this "mob rule" make it okay? Is it okay for any purpose, or does it only become okay if it is...

Continued here:
http://www.999ideas.com/thought-provoking-questions.html

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Until next time,

Steve

www.IncreaseBrainpower.com

Riddle Answer: Onomatopoeic, meaning, "names or words formed from sounds that resemble those associated with the object or action to be named, or those associated with the object or action to be named, or that seem suggestive of its qualities." (A simpler definition: "They are spelled like they sound.")

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