Can You Grow a Bigger Brain?

A study was conducted measuring the brain size of London cabbies. Why cabbies, why London, you might ask.

Cabbies have a very brain taxing job, despite what you may think. This may be even more so in a large city such as London. Cabbies must memorize the complex layout of the city and be able to figure out the fastest routes between thousands upon thousands of starting and ending points. They must do so quickly and under a certain amount of pressure. This study showed that the cabbies with the most experience, which would also be the most innovative because they have come up with all types of ways to innovate, were continuously challenging their brains so that they could survive in a very competitive industry. These cabbies had larger than normal right temporal lobes, ie bigger brains since they used them so often in so many challenging ways.

So if you want to grow a huge brain, and be extra intelligent, get a job as a London cabbie. But be sure to buy a new hat!!!

Mr. Watson, Come Here I Want You!

With these words, Alexander Graham Bell successfully tested his invention, the telephone. On March 10, 1876 the first words were transmitted by Bell to his assistant, thus opening a new era in communication. Bell, a native of Scotland, launched the Bell Telephone Company in 1877. He became an American citizen in 1882.

Daylight Saving Time Say Wha?

When told the reason for Daylight Saving Time the old Indian said...

"Only a white man would believe that you could cut a foot off the top
of a blanket and sew it to the bottom of blanket and have a longer blanket."

This IS Your LIfe

Many people believe that life holds no meaning, and that we are adrift in a meaningless vacuum of neither here nor there. Others believe that this life, the one they are living, is but a prelude to another better life after this one. But as you read this you have meaning, you are you. And this life IS your life. It has meaning and hope for a better afterlife makes no sense in the reality of the present. If you live to make money, then your life has no meaning because money is a transitory and a man made illusion, a thing. It is here one day and gone the next, as are all possessions. They only have meaning to people who can find no meaning to their lives within their own mind. Focus on the self and your relation to other people. We are small organisms in the cosmos but we are conscious entities. So do not think that this life is a practice round for the next life.

Words, Words, Words...Hamlet

Did you ever think about how many words you know? Well, here is a way to find out. Not very scientific, but what the hey.

First, get a dictionary. Second, count the words in the dictionary. Huh, hard you say? Not really. Do this: Count the number of entries on a page. Take a couple of samples and get an average. Then multiply that number by the number of pages. The result will be close to the number of words in the dictionary. Third, and this is the fun part, look at the first word on the page. If you know the meaning give yourself a check. If you don't then give yourself an x. Fourth, repeat this 100 times. If you get 50 right, then you may know about half the words in the dictionary. The more times you repeat this, say 1000 times, the more accurate this will be. The % you get will probably be on the high side, since you may come across some words that are stems of other extended words. But that's okay.

Try it!

Remember the Alamo

March 6, 1836, Mexican dictator General Santa Anna and his army of about 5,000 overwhelmed the defenders of the Alamo. The fort in San Antonio, an old Spanish mission, was occupied by 189 men under the command of Colonel William Travis. Every man was killed that day, but Texans under the leadership of Sam Houston struck back on April 21, routing the Mexicans with the battle cry "Remember the Alamo!"

John Wayne made it into a movie, most of which is pretty accurate.

Here Now

"We are here and it is now. Further than that, all human knowledge is moonshine."

H. L. Mencken