15 Secrets To Boost Your I.Q In Less Than 30 Days

15 Secrets To Boost Your I.Q In Less Than 30 Days

By: Dr. Enigma Valdez, C.H.

The same reason that people visit the gym on a regular basis, is probably the same reason youÂ're interested in raising your IQ. We just arenÂ't challenged enough physically or mentally. Setting aside time to work your mind out and organizing your various mental muscles can help you to be more creative, solve problems quicker and focus on the things you want.

Contrary to what most people believe, brainpower goes beyond inherited genes. Scientists have proven that intelligence is a combination of both genes and environment. When laboratory rats were given more toys to interact with, they ended up having much smarter rats than the ones that did not have any toys. Studies have also shown that you can grow more neurons with a stimulating environment.

The benefits of being mentally fit are very obvious. YouÂ'll be able to enjoy accelerated learning. If youÂ're in high school, college or attend a university, you may find yourself having an easier time of your studies and your grade point average raising. YouÂ'll also find yourself being able to think logically more often. YouÂ'll be able to assemble a clear line of logic and reasoning that can help you make better decisions in life. Another benefit is that of increased creativity. Whether youÂ're into music, art, writing or any other form of art, training your mind can definitely open the flood gates of creativity in those areas as well.

In addition, your memory and focus will increase. Training with certain kinds of memory tools such as pegging and linking can help you uncover new ways to store information permanently and have an easier time of recalling things. Through meditation, your focus can improve greatly. You can start by meditating 10 or 15 minutes a day. Simply find a quiet place and sit or lay completely still, with eyes closed. Then, as much as possible, quiet your mind and focus on your breathing. If youÂ're not used to doing this, it may be extremely difficult. ThatÂ's ok. The more you do it, the easier it gets. As you stick with it, youÂ'll notice some very big improvements of being able to hold ideas and imagines in your mind much longer and stronger.

So how can you boost your IQ in less than 30 days? Here are the key secrets:

1. Write – when you write down your thoughts, it can be a great tool for you to reflect and make decisions. Some people use journals to write down their thoughts, others have simple notepads or notebooks. Simply writing what you think and feel can help you have a new perspective when you go back and read those words.

2. Meditate – as already stated, you can significantly boost your IQ through meditation. It may not seem logical, that you could boost your IQ by thinking about nothing at all, but it does help you bridge a connection from your conscious to your subconscious mind. And the subconscious stores every bit of data of our lives. Nothing is lost to the subconscious.

3. Be active – if youÂ're not already active, start a regular exercise routine. Having a healthy body also affects the mind.

4. Have Hobbies – have a regular routine of doing things you love to do, whether itÂ's fishing, bowling, bicycling, knitting, or reading a mystery novel. The more fun and passion you experience, the easier it will be to process and assimilate new information.

5. Read at least 15 minutes a day – Try to read at least 15 minutes a day. It may be hard to read if youÂ're pressed for time, but 15 minutes is very doable by anyone of this day and age.

6. Think – involve yourself in documentaries, books, magazines or board games that make you think. Actively challenge your current assumptions.

7. Study IQ puzzles – visit your local book store and buy yourself a couple of IQ puzzles or crossword puzzles. Make sure you get ones that have the answers in the back so that you can work out any mistakes. Go over them again and again. It keeps your mind sharp.

8. Play competitive games like chess. You can log on to the Internet and play with other players around the world. You can also play billiards.

9. Walk in someone elseÂ's shoes – empathy goes along with IQ intelligence. By exploring someone elseÂ's perspective of the world can help you to think through other peopleÂ's eyes. Although this is not a logical reasoning ability, it is an ability that can help you think out of the box when youÂ're stumped on a problem.

10. Create something on a regular basis – find something you can create, whether itÂ's writing an ebook, building a bird house, planting a flower, overhauling a car engine, or drawing a picture. Use your creative powers on a regular basis.

11. Conduct thought experiments – Ask yourself Â"what ifÂ" questions. Write them down and see how far you can take a certain question.

12. Break out of the routine – try to consciously break a routine, even if just for a short time. If for example you drive the same way to work every day, try a new route. If you sleep on the left side of the bed, sleep on the right side, or even the opposite direction.

13. Explore new cultures – seek different worldviews than your own. Meet people from other cultures and let them teach you about their food, language and traditions.

14. Learn outside of your usual interests – donÂ't stick to the same old things. If you like rock music, try listening to rap or jazz. If youÂ're into art or music, get into a programming language.

15. Use your brain more – Force yourself to use your brain more in everything that you do. In many cases its just having the intention to use your brain more that can actually give you surprising results. Logic, focus and creativity are a handful of mental muscles that you should be exercising on a regular basis.

These techniques can definitely help you boost your IQ, no matter who you are. If youÂ're looking to join a high IQ society, like MENSA, then are two ways to go about it.

The first is to submit your GRE scores. The other is to let MENSA send you a supervised test. In my opinion, if you havenÂ't completed your GRE yet, you may find it easier to take the GRE after having studied GRE test books. You can get them at any major book seller or http://Amazon.com. By implementing these IQ boosting strategies for the next 30 days, you can significantly increase your Intelligence Quotient.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/education/article_1414.shtml

Mars Rover Mission - Why not Present Science with the Aid of Virtual Reality Software ?

Mars Rover Mission - Why not Present Science with the Aid of Virtual Reality Software ?

By: Daniel Onyszczuk

2004 started a new era in planetary exploration. Two Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity landed successfully on the surface of Mars and a short while later started to send lots of images and other data. The rovers were designed to work properly for only 90 days on the Martian surface but, believe it or not, they are still in a good health and do not seem to stop working. During over 3-year period NASA has received a huge amount of data that are hard to present for the wider public. The solution of this problem has been provided by Sciterian Technologies. Its VRPresents technology, especially designed for this purpose, gives astronomy lovers a new interesting way to introduce the planet. Now you can just take a virtual tour of Mars.

High resolution panoramic images of Mars are quite difficult to view in many similar VR technologies, which one can notice even at NASA's web sites, but VRPresents not only displays these panoramas warped correctly, but it provides also a lot of other useful features that make learning scientific results easy and enjoyable.

Virtual reality technology seems to be the answer to the question "how to present complex scientific data and not to bore the common man ?". In VR world you can just move in any available direction and see many places that were visited earlier by the rovers. It is you who decides where to go, what to watch, what to see closer or what information to read. If you want to see what is around you, just start turning round. If you would like to move somewhere in the virtual world – no problem, just click a hot spot which will take you to another panorama, and your direction in 3D space will not change like it does in many other VR technologies. You do not have to read any information to learn where a specific place is and you do not have to imagine all these fantastic places on the surface of Mars since you do not watch just panoramic images, which are introduced in different projections, but you see really something similar to what you would see standing on the surface of Mars, without distortions.

"VRMars-Spirit – The Red Planet Mars 3D" is the first VRPresents-based product that presents the results of Mars Exploration Rover Spirit Mission with the aid of virtual reality, released by Sciterian Technologies. The software is really interesting. I recommend it not only for scientists and hobbyists but for school teaching purposes as well. Science really can be fun.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/education/article_1344.shtml

Can You Learn a Foreign Language with Audio books?

Can You Learn a Foreign Language with Audio books?

By: Nick Moseley

Many of us English speakers did another language at school (I did French) but if you're like me and studies say many people are then you didn't really take it seriously and probably don't remember much.

***After all, English is the global language of business and aviation so what's the point?***

Yes, maybeÂ…up to a pointÂ…

***Holiday problems***

You get into a medical emergency or your wallet gets stolen and the police don't speak EnglishÂ…

***Money***

Fact - Speaking another language massively (HUGELY!) expands your career options and opportunities.

If you're going for a job where a 2nd language isn't needed it will give you a powerful advantage if you're up against someone who doesn't have it.

If a job does need a 2nd language then if you can't speak it you've got no chance – And in the ever expanding global economy those of us who are multi lingual WILL have access to more and better prospects, and, basically, earn more money.

***"Social Mobility"***

My own situation – move country for personal reasons (love :-) I'm in Sweden where pretty much everyone DOES speak English but it was a big hindrance. I felt like a social outcast - they don't speak English at parties I can tell you!

***So How to do learn with a language audio book***

You can do evening classes etc - But that sucks up time like crazy. I know, I've done the Swedish For Immigrants course here. It's excellent but I only had time for a basic primer course and even that took up too much time (I run my own business at home at break neck speed and have a demanding dog with separation anxiety issues!)

So being a lover of mp3 audio books (and owner of an audio book website!) I got myself a Swedish language audio book which I played when walking the dog, riding to the shops and any other non work or family focus time – About an hour a day in my world.

***Start it and Keep at it***

Don't give up At first not much goes in but after a while I can tell you that your ears get tuned in and it starts to make sense.

***Courses vary.***

Mine simply has the phrase or word being said in English then Swedish or vice versa - The core phrases are repeated in different ways and so build & reinforce the key basics to which you add vocabulary – and away you go!

***How long does it take?***

1-3 months depending on you and how hard you go at it.

If you do 1-2 hours a day then you'll be able to speak a significant amount of any language after 6 weeks and be hot in 3 months.

Just imagine how surprised your friends and people at work will be when you chatter away in your new language – and it's a GREAT feeling too.

I bombed in French at school and had a real mental block about learning another language i.e., I can't do it – Now I can and audio books really pushed me to it. If I can do it anyone can – and that means you so get to it!

At worst next time you go on holiday you can speak the basics with the locals and sort out problems or have more fun shopping. At best you'll be able to twitter away like a songbird!

***Suggested audio book language learning "courses" ***

There are many audio book versions of leading foreign language study courses as well as audio book specific ones.

Prices go from a few pounds or dollars for holiday starters (a perfect way to start) into hundreds for some very detailed "total" courses like Pimsleur levels 1-3+

To make a start just go to a search engine and type in the name of the language followed by "audio book" and start digging from there.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/education/article_1364.shtml

New York City Schools See Large Success With Small Schools

New York City Schools See Large Success With Small Schools

By: Patricia Hawke

New York City Schools started converting many of its massive high schools into smaller, thematic schools in 2002. The 2006 graduates who were the first students in New York City Schools to have spent their entire four-year high school experience in the smaller venues had impressive results. And the 2007 results continue to look good. Graduation rates of the 47 small-sized New York City Schools are significantly higher that the cityÂ's overall rates. The small schools report a 73% graduation rate while the city reports a 60% rate.

These numbers are important to several different groups within the New York City Schools. The small schools initiative is a major component of Mayor Michael BloombergÂ's attempt to improve the New York City Schools. The first installation of the smaller New York City Schools were funded with over $30 million from groups like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Carnegie Corporations and the Open Society Institute.

Individual results from the small schools are impressive. Eight of these New York City Schools reported 90% graduation rates. Some schools reported jumps in graduation rates from the 40-percentile to the 90-percentile range. Does that mean that everyone is in love with the smaller New York City Schools? Well, there are come concerns. Skepticism tends to focus on the fact that these schools have lower numbers of ESL (English as a Second Language) and special education students. The questioners complain that the success takes place in an Â"artificial environment.Â"

Bloomberg concedes that this is true. But he says that the schools still serve an at-risk population: African –American and Hispanic students. Recent studies confirm that these students in the New York City Schools are far less likely than their white peers to graduate. Educators in the smaller New York City Schools scoff at the artificial environment complaint. Many feel that this Â"artificial environmentÂ" is providing these students with a far better reality. But what about the needs of special education and ESL students?

Both are significant concerns for New York City Schools. A June 2006 report found that 9.5% of the cityÂ's special education students are still not being mainstreamed. New York State encourages mainstreaming, the process of having special education students attend classes with their regular education peers. This is far higher than the national rate of 4%.

And the concerns of English Language Learners continues to impact overall graduation rates for a city with a high population of speakers of ESL. So New York City Schools still have a lot of challenges to address before the Mayor can kick back and put up his feet. Still, when the largest school district in the country can claim a success of this size, itÂ's encouraging for everyone.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/education/article_1357.shtml

An Honor Roll, Not A Watch List, For Colleges

An Honor Roll, Not A Watch List, For Colleges

By: Stuart Nachbar

Members of Congress on the House committee on education have come up with an absolute bonehead idea: to publish a "watch list" of schools that have increased tuition at rates higher than inflation.

I am surprised when members of the House speak of reigning in college costs with measures such as this, when they fail to do the same for health care. I am sure the list of hospitals that have raised charges beyond inflation would be longer than the number of bad-behaving colleges.

What will a watch list do? It will not put colleges and universities on-notice because Congress cannot regulate their business practice, but it will embarrass their presidents and possibly force them to submit paperwork or public testimony to explain their pricing decisions. If the federal government publicizes such a list, it may also scare prospective applicants away from institutions that need students, even if the school is in a position to offer considerable financial aid.

This is one scenario where it is better for Congress to butt-out. State governments are already taking their own steps to regulate tuition increases for the institutions that are under their control. The voters, including parents and students, have a stronger voice with their state government than they do with the federal government. Placing state-supported schools on a watch list would serve to show that some states have less commitment to higher education than other states. I doubt that any member of Congress wants to embarrass the governor of the state in which they reside.

Private institutions, like public ones, can prepare parents and students by publishing their annual tuition rates (670 have already agreed to do this, thanks to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities) and they can make their own decisions. This is one time that parents do not need Congress to be a nanny for them.

However, Congress should do the opposite, which is also something it is good at: rewarding the good schools, irrespective of their tuition charges.

Therefore, I have an alternate proposal. Congress should create an "honor roll" of colleges — the colleges that do the best at retaining and graduating their students. In a previous piece, I wrote that approximately 260 four-year colleges have retained 85 percent of their freshman class and graduated 65 percent of their entering first-year classes within six years. There is a good mix of schools to set an example for the rest.

It makes far more sense to recognize the most successful schools and use them to help their peers. While colleges have varied missions, their primary task is to help their students receive degrees. Every college wants to do that better, and every college president already knows that some schools do that better.

The honor roll could be more than a list; it could be an exchange of ideas to help schools get better. Unlike other markets, college presidents do not want their competition to fail; it is an embarrassment to all schools when a single one closes. The success of a college not only depends on its ability to manage student costs, but also the academics, student services and physical plant. The honor roll could also be a motivational tool with college employees; they do not receive the same incentives as private sector workers.

A public honor roll would also be noticed by employers. They want to recruit the best and the brightest; not all of them go to the schools that are considered prestigious today. However, inclusion on the honor roll elevates the prestige of many institutions for a very positive accomplishment. The honor can only help their students in their job search; it certainly cannot hurt.

Even better, Congress might not need to fund the honor roll after a year or two. The same corporations that support intercollegiate athletics or aggressively hire entry-level employees can be drawn in to support a national honor society based on student achievement, or maybe one of the ranking sources would like to make the investment. There are no scholarships or stipends attached, only the costs of ceremony and publicity.

Are there negatives? Yes. Schools might be tempted to fudge graduation rates or let students slide in order to be included on a list, but then, the honor roll would be important enough to be worth the effort—including all of the paper work that might otherwise be expended on a watch list.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/education/article_1417.shtml