Metaphorology?

Brainpower Newsletter

I have coined a new word: metaphorology. Actually, it has been used before by a few people, but I have adopted it as my own, with the approximated meaning: "The study of metaphors and how they affect understanding, in order to consciously use of them as tools for achievement of specific results." I'm building a web site based on this.

This one will get pretty heavy. There will be a look at the possibility of a metaphorical basis for consciousness, as well as some mental experiments using metaphors that will be a bit unusual. I will announce when it is ready in this newsletter (it only has about four pages now). It may be a few months.

Anyhow, enjoy the newsletter!

Here is a fun little problem solving technique based on word analysis. It is, in part, another way to challenge your assumptions. Assumption-challenging usually yields the most unexpected solutions. Use this one, then, when you just aren't getting anywhere with more ordinary solutions. Here's how it works.

The first thing you'll do is to state the problem in writing. You can do this in your mind if you are driving or for other reasons can't write, but it is easier if you have it on paper. In fact, you'll want to write the problem out several different ways, and longer statements of the problem are preferable. Let's look at a detailed example...

Continued here: http://www.increasebrainpower.com/word-analysis.html

- A beard can have up to 15,000 hairs.

- Almost 70 percent of the fresh water on earth is locked up in the icecaps of Antarctica and Greenland.

- A circle has the shortest perimeter of all shapes, in relation to the area.

Find the names of two countries in the following sentence, using the letters in the same consecutive order as they are in the sentence.

Engaging in plain dialog is less painful than fighting.

(For example, the sentence, "Can a dalmation use its camouflage to hide?" contains "Canada" in the first three words.)

(solution below)

Find someone more intelligent than you to talk to - and then talk to him or her. Intelligent conversation stimulates the brain, and causes dendrite growth. This probably works best if you are actually interested and fully engaged, so steer the conversation away from anything that might put you to sleep.

Many of these new gadgets may already exist in an inventor's basement or garage. A few may even be patented. If you care to use these ideas, go ahead, but do your research.

Window Magnets

This is a new advertising gadget. There are already thousands of businesses that use large magnetic signs for their vehicles, with their company name and logo on them. The problem with these is that they can only be used on metallic surfaces. For such signs to to stick to car or building windows, they need to have a similar magnet or steel mesh material that is placed on the other side of the glass, to hold them in place. This may not be patentable, but the first to trademark a catchy name and...

Continued here... http://www.999ideas.com/new-gadgets.html

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Until next time,

Steve

www.IncreaseBrainpower.com

Riddle Solution: India (in "plain dialog") and Spain (in "less painful").

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