bodner088

 ? In Braintenance, confusion is the magic which creates new neurological pathways, greater plasticity, and enhanced creative skills. The brain and mind are strengthened in the same fashion as the bodybuilder builds and defines new muscle -- by changing the workout regimen to "shock" the body into over-compensation. The mental exercises which follow are gearing toward forcing you to think (and problem-solve) in a different manner than you usually do by changing the entire problem-solving scenario. Want to strengthen your mind? of course you do. Simply find the missing numbers or letters in each of the following sequences. You'll notice that you are not trying to find the next number or letter in each sequence (as you are accustomed to doing) -- you are being asked to think interpolatively instead of extrapolatively: 1)   A C _ D C E D _ E G 2)   _ 4 9 _ 25 _ 49 3)   2 4 _ _ 10 _ 14 4)   P_S_ENG_RS  O_  A  T_AIN 5)   _...

Plasticity, specifically neuroplasticity , has to do with the brain's: 1) Ability to expand its capacity and capabilities; 2) The ability of neurons to continue to grow and adapt to environmental changes, both within us and outside of our physical bodies but perceivable to our senses, both acknowledged and being discovered; 3) The ability of one neuron to assume the responsibilities and functions of another neuron, should that second neuron be either damaged or otherwise compromised by an increased workload. 4) The longevity of a neuron's life and functioning; 5) The ability (in terms of speed and accuracy) of one neuron to signal or connect with its neighbor intersynaptically. Frankly, increased or enhanced neuroplasticity are highly desirable in terms of both brain functioning and anti-aging (i.e., maintaining a positive, youthful state. The following article excerpt appears courtesy of BigThink 's Weekly Newsletter, which is an excellent source of information and inte...

I noticed the article which follows in a recent brief from Big Think , a wonderful informative and insightful resource for articles about the Human Potential Movement and about Global Futurism . Please take a moment to read the article, a portion of which I have extracted below, and then hit the "BACK" button on your browser to come back for some Braintenance commentary and an extrapolation of what this means for the potential development of the Human Species . --------------- Learning to See in 3-D: A Neurobiologist Rewires Her Own Brain Megan Erickson on March 25, 2012, 12:00 AM What's the Big Idea? If the scientific consensus had been right, Sue Barry would still be seeing in 2-D. Barry was born with strabismus , a condition in which the eyes couldn't look in the same place at the same time. By the age of two, she’d undergone three surgeries, but the operations succeeded only in making her eyes appear not to be crossed -- th...

Any mental exercises which require that you arrange things (in the same positions as they were in before, i.e., memorizing and conforming to a map, floor plan or layout), order things (based upon a rule, i.e., smallest to largest) or categorize things (i.e., based upon rules, parameters or attributes) have the wonderful ability [whether you are a file clerk, a S.W.A.T. team member, or a Braintenance philosopher (i.e., unemployed, lazy or on an academic fellowship) can and will: 1 ) improve your memory; 2 ) improve your spacial perception and navigation ability; 3 ) improve your associative intelligence; 4 ) improve your neuroplasticity (the flexibility of brain cells to 'substitute in' for each other or to make adaptations to their functionality); and may ... 5) possibly contribute to new neuronal growth (i.e., brand new brain cells) and an newly-establish neural channels. Following is a wonderful game, courtesy of Brain Metrix, which provides an opportunity to do some ...