May 2008

Yes, I hear you cheerleaders in the audience stroking my ego, telling me how I am oh so popular and loved and shouldn’t feel bad. Enough of that! I’m done with denial, ready to walk into a group meeting, and loudly declare the truth.

“Hi, My name is Deaux (hi deaux!) and I
suck at Web-Two-Point-Oh.”

I mean well enough, you know. With the best of intentions (and some nagging from a tech-addict friend) I’ll jump on the bandwagon and sign up for the latest, greatest social service. I connect to a few friends, make contacts with a few people I don’t know, and swallow my allotted bit of spam, dutifully expanding my network. I work hard at commenting, twittering, stumbling, digging, commenting, linking, friending or whatever the in ing-thing is. [click to continue...]

There’s been a lot of talk lately about how natural aging causes changes in the brain: changes responsible for a weaker memory, a less focused-focus and overall perceived loss of mental function. An entire industry of brain-training programs has sprung up, waging war against these age-related changes.

But what if those changes aren’t a sign of a failing neural system?

What if they simply reflect a useful, positive change in how we process information as we age?

[click to continue...]

This is Part Four of the Brain Rules for Bloggers series, based on
John Medina’s Brain Rules. More links at the bottom of the post
(Assuming you aren’t asleep by then, of course!

Brain Rule #7: Sleep Well, Think Well (and blog better)

You there… Yes, you with the Starbucks Grande in your hand, and the dark circles under your eyes. Go take a nap, will ya?

Yes, I know there is so MUCH to blog about. I know about all the social media demanding your attention, the blog design that needs tweaking, the emails you need to answer. I know that the internet is open 24/7, that there is never, ever enough time, and that something has to give — but that “something” shouldn’t be your sleep.

On the surface, sleep may seem like a waste of productive time - but to your brain, snore-time is crucially important.

Denied downtime, your brain begins to falter, affecting mood, attention, working memory, and many other functions. Loss of just one night’s sleep can cause a 30% drop in cognitive function. Lose two nights, and the drop is 60%. More worrisome? The effects of sleep loss is cumulative, according to Brain Rules: “When sleep is restricted to six hours or less for just five nights… cognitive performance matched that of a person suffering 48 hours of continual sleep deprivation”

Ouch. But sleep is more than just a mental restorative to the brain - it’s time spent processing, replaying, sorting, and learning from the days events.

[click to continue...]

Mine Do! *strut*

This self indulgent moment brought to you by the WP-Premiums showcase, currently featuring the brain-blogging theme design of none other than, yepp, MindTweaks!

Feel free to wander on over there, leave a comment and/or rate my design. I’m not exactly sure what rating does, but… It’s got to be good, right? (Maybe it’s got something to do with awarding SuperDelegates?)

Seriously, thank you to PJ at WP-Premiums for the recognition, and to Chris Pearson of DIYThemes, for the Thesis Theme this site is built on. Chris is responsible for 98% of the coolness of this design.

MindTweak: “There are two things people want more than sex and money… recognition and praise.” - Mary Kay Ash

If Zombie Kitteh didn’t finish off your brain, this will!

With thanks to
Free Sudoku
Puzzles for the script

MindTweak: “Math class is HARD!” - Teen Talk Barbie