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Showing posts from January, 2014

Support a free and open Internet

More than any time in history, more people in more places have the ability to make their voices heard. Just as we celebrate freedom, we need to celebrate the tools that support freedom. And Internet is possibly one of the greatest tools, we've ever had.

The Science of Willpower

How willpower is often misunderstood, and what we each can do to improve it? It’s the third week in Jan. and at about this time, that resolution that seemed so reasonable a week ago — go to the gym every other day, read a book a week — is starting to seem very hard. As you are teetering on the edge of abandoning it all together Kelly McGonigal wants you to know that you’re not having a hard time sticking to a resolution because you are a terrible person. Perhaps you’ve just formulated the wrong resolution. People come up with resolutions that don’t reflect what matters most to them, and that makes them almost guaranteed to fail. Willpower is the ability to do what matters most, even when it’s difficult or when some part of you doesn’t want to. That begins to capture why it’s so difficult — because everything we think of as requiring willpower is usually a competition between two conflicting selves. There’s a part of you who is looking to the long-term and thinking about certain goa

Why make a list and how to make it effective

When we struggle to express ourselves, we use lists. Lists help us to make sense of the world around us. We create lists of the sights we see on vacation, the places we want to visit, the food we need to buy at the grocery store, and the tasks we need to get done. It's a simple habit of increasing our day to day productivity. We pack all the madness and ambiguity of life into a structured form of writing. In short making lists is a great way to increase our overall happiness and feel less overwhelmed. These days, we use lists for productivity as much as anything else: shopping lists, reminders, planning for events, and the to-do list are all variations on a productivity-based list that we use to help us get past procrastinating. The to-do list in particular is one that we spend a lot of time and energy on perfecting. But getting the tasks on our to-do list done is a whole other ball game. 4 Tips for a To-Do List That Will Actually Help You Get Things Done Here are some insig

What sets high achievers apart?

The Difference Between High Achievers and the Unsuccessful Is Grit More than talent or sheer luck, "Grit" is the one quality that sets high achievers apart from everyone else. Grit is the disposition to pursue very long-term goals with passion and perseverance, sustained over time. So the emphasis is on stamina. Grit, is consistently "showing up" and persevering despite the obstacles. To increase your grittiness, there are three main qualities or drivers to cultivate: Optimism and a growth mindset (versus believing you can't really change much)—so you can overcome setbacks Working on things that you really value and are passionate about Not putting a high value on the costs of working very hard: "Really gritty people are not constantly worried about what they could be doing instead."

Learning New and Unfamiliar Skills Improves Memory

It's no secret that if you want to improve your memory (or any brain function), you have to work at it. A new study, however, shows that specifically learning a new skill that's unfamiliar to you can have a marked improvement in memory. It is not enough just to get out and do something–but do something that is unfamiliar and mentally challenging, and that provides broad stimulation mentally and socially. When you are inside your comfort zone you may be outside of the enhancement zone . While everyone can benefit from learning new skills and simultaneously improving memory, the researchers emphasized that as a person gets older, trying new things is an essential part of ensuring a healthy mind.

The Distracted Mind

Everyone knows we're not supposed to multitask while driving, but do you know why? Refraining from texting, changing the radio, or talking to other people in the car isn't just cautionary advice from your parents and teachers. It turns out your brain literally can't focus on too much at once. Our brain is not wired to pay attention to more than one complex task at a time, what we're actually doing when we think we're multitasking is quickly shifting our focus from one activity to another so while our mind is engaged in applying makeup, arguing with back seat driver, fumbling for a water bottle or a conversation, we are not focusing on anything in a proper way. Avoid Multitasking and stay focused.

Grab, Pinch and Touch 3D objects in the real world

Your real devices with you everywhere you are. All your applications travel with you all of the time. Adjust your screen size and add extra display areas. The power of creation at your finger tips. First it was +Google Glass  and now this +meta , day by day these glasses keep reminding me, I need to get used to wearing glasses somehow..before I get hang of these super smart wearables. https://www.getameta.com