Rhizomapping, Rhizomaps, Rhizomatic Learning, Mindmapping – New ways to take and make notes and learn more effectively with mindmapping and rhizomapping – Speed reading tip 17: Take notes with mindmaps and rhizomaps

Rhizomapping, Rhizomaps, Rhizomatic Learning – New ways to take and make notes and learn more effectively with mindmapping and rhizomapping – Speed reading tip 17:  Take notes with mindmaps and rhizomaps

Speed reading technique 17:  Take notes with mindmaps and rhizomaps

Summary Taking notes is the first step to fixing information in your memory. Mindmaps and rhizomaps are more memorable and lead to greater creativity than linear notes. If you’re away from your desk, then write notes (on post-its) in your book.

A tried and tested way of helping you remember what you read is to take notes. It engages your mind which makes it easier to take in information – you have to think critically to decide which notes to write. Noting which ideas are important to you helps fix them in your brain – and therefore helps you remember them. Also the physical act of writing itself helps form memories, since it brings into play additional parts of the brain and helps embody the information.

Difference between Mindmaps & Rhizomaps

Difference between Mindmaps & Rhizomaps

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Get in a good state for reading and learning – Speed Reading Technique #14  

Get in a good state for reading and learning – Speed Reading Technique #14  

Micro-summary: Having a relaxed, alert, questioning, purposeful mind is the ideal state for reading if you want to understand and remember information. Many of the other spd rdng techniques are also designed to get your mind and body in an optimal state for reading.

Get into a good state for reading

Get into a good state for reading and get engaged in it

The optimal state for understanding and taking in information is to be alert, relaxed, positive, purposeful and questioning and many of the techniques in our 200-page speed reading book are about getting into a good state for reading: Continue reading

War and Peace – Book & Plot Summary – Read in 5 minutes

If you’re watching BBC One drama War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy and want to get a quick overview or summary of the plot (to enjoy it more as research suggests), here it is 587,287 words of the book summarised in just 1,945 words (which is 0.33% of the total book which means you can read this summary in about 5-10 minutes as opposed to an average of 32 hours for the whole book):

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WAR AND PEACE – SUMMARY (from Passing Time in the Loo COMPACT CLASSICS – SUMMARIES OF ALL-TIME GREAT BOOKS)
by Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)

Type of work Epic and romantic Russian novel
Setting Russia; the Napoleonic Era
Principal characters
Prince Andrey Bolkonsky, a cynical, intellectual soldier-prince
Pierre Bezuhov, a sensitive nobleman and seeker of truth
Natasha Rostov, Pierre’s beautiful and well-to-do lover
Nikolay Rostov, a soldier, Natasha’s older brother
Sonya, a relative of the Rostovs who falls in love with Nikolay
Anatole Kuragin, a womanizing, high-ranking officer

Commentary
Tolstoy’s purpose in writing his 1600-page War and Peace was to present a historical account of the French invasion of Russia and also to provide himself a forum for his own intellectual and spiritual insights and theories. He accomplishes this through the characters’ searches for identity as well as in the volume’s two extensive epilogues. 

Tolstoy fought in the Crimean War, adding to the realism of his accounts of the Napoleonic struggle. Soon after, he experienced a religious conversion, gave up all his material wealth, and lived out his remaining days in the simple life of a peasant.

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The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts by Richard Susskind and Daniel Susskind – Summary of the book

The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts by Richard Susskind and Daniel Susskind – Summary of the book in video format

If speed reading there are many ways to get the information in – usually from books but videos and audio presentations are valid ways of getting useful information (TED is a good example). If you don’t want to read the book (Kindle suggests that most non-speed readers will take 7 hours and 14 minutes to read this 362-page book) The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts by Richard Susskind and Daniel Susskind watch this presentation (1 hour and 28 minutes – so you’re saving almost 6 hours) for Oxford Martin School and the University of Oxford where they explain the key concepts behind their book.
One-line summary: whatever your profession is – it may not be safe – it can be automated, done by an algorithm or computers much better in the near future. Read about How computers are writing books, articles and PhDs

Get the overview before the details (with timelines) – Speed Reading Technique number 25

Get the overview before the details – with timelines – Speed Reading Technique number 25

Timeline A Visual History of Our WorldWhen learning a new subject, make sure you understand the overview, the big picture, before you look at the details. Since most books are written sequentially (ie detail following detail), this usually means starting by previewing and looking at chapter and section headings and first and last chapters for a general understanding. Syntopic processing is excellent for getting an overview of a new subject.

This technique is the key to getting a good purpose (spd rdng tech 4) and can make the difference between success and failure when putting other techniques into practice. When you are learning something new, the brain learns most easily if it starts by getting an overall picture of what the subject is about before you go into detail.

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Talk about what you read – to remember – Spd Rdng Technique number 19

Talk about what you read – to remember – Spd Rdng Technique number 19

Summary: Talking about what you read helps crystallise your understandings in your mind – which is the first step to remembering. Do it twice:
1) as you read, summarise the information to yourself – it keeps you actively engaged.
2) after reading, tell someone what you’ve read – it helps you understand and remember it better.

Talk to somebody to remember Spd Rdng 19

Talk to somebody to remember

 Although reading is traditionally viewed as a passive activity, it is important to engage with the material if you want to learn and remember things from it. Verbalising is an important part of clarifying, consolidating and retaining information you read.

Research is now backing up what we’ve been teaching for over 14 years
Canadian researchers (Alexis Lafleur and Victor Boucher)suggest that those who talk to themselves or others may have better memories than those who don’t. So if you want to remember something talk to yourself our loud or share it with others. Professor Victor Boucher of the University of Montreal in Quebec states that by increasing the number of aspects to the information (i.e. the effort of talking and moving lips) we make it more memorable. This links to the speed reading technique number 16 (remember by doing something) which states that the more things you do to remember information the more likely you will recall it later. The research paper (The ecology of self-monitoring effects on memory of verbal productions: Does speaking to someone make a difference?) published in the Journal of Consciousness and Cognition states: “The simple fact of articulating without making a sound creates a sensorimotor link that increases our ability to remember, but if it is related to the functionality of speech, we remember even more. The added effect of talking to someone shows that in addition to the sensorimotor aspects related to verbal expression, the brain refers to the multisensory information associated with the communication episode.”

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Summary of The Brand Flip: Why customers now run companies and how to profit from it by Marty Neumeier

Summary of The Brand Flip: Why customers now run companies and how to profit from it by Marty Neumeier

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Branding is evolving. Marty Neumeier’s new book (and previous ones) is a good testament of that. Marty starts with acknowledging (like all good writers) the function of any factual book – that is to communicate ideas in the most profound, efficient and direct way. To read The Brand Flip, using traditional reading methods, will take you about two hours to get the key messages. Unless you start at the end and read the key messages first – which is always a good idea to prime and give your mind a big picture – you can finish it in about 20 minutes. Read those key messages below. I do recommend going through the whole book though. If you’re new to branding, you’ll get a good understanding of how branding evolved over the last century and what branding is and isn’t. There are practical branding tips – for example, how much your logo is worth (a price of a good car – but you need to decide what kind of car). If you think branding doesn’t apply to your life, think again. We are all personal brands now and social media platforms are our market places.

“Any effort to get customers is marketing. Any effort to KEEP THEM is branding.”

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Top 10 Most Read Books in The World

Top 10 most read books in the world

Top 10 most read books in the world

Top 10 Most Read Books in The World are: The Holy Bible, Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung, Harry Potter, The Lord of The Rings, The Alchemist, The Da Vinci Code, The Night Saga, Gone with the Wind, Think and Grow Rich, and The Diary of Anne Frank (according to writer James Chapman who created a list of the most read books in the world based on the number of copies each book sold over the last 50 years.). Read about more top bestsellers

Top 10 Most Read Books in The World
1) The Bible – 3.9 Billion Copies
2) Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-tung – 820 Million Copies
3) Harry Potter – 400 Million Copies
4) Lord of the Rings – 103 Million Copies
5) The Alchemist – 65 Million Copies
6) The Da Vinci Code – 57 Million Copies
7) Twilight – The Saga – 43 Million Copies
8) Gone With the Wind – 33 Million Copies
9) Think and Grow Rich – 30 Million Copies
10) Diary of Anne Frank – 27 Million Copies

Learn how to speed read so you can read all the books you want to read in half of the time or less.

Spd Rdng – The Speed Reading Bible – Speed Reading Techniques, Tips & Strategies For Ultra Fast Reading
by Susan Norman and Jan Cisek available as an ebook on Amazon Kindle  £6.99

Summary of Spd Rdng – The Speed Reading Bible on Amazon Kindle £1.99

Paperback version of Spd Rdng – The Speed Reading Bible is also available.

Rapid Reading

Rapid Reading

There are numerous terms for reading faster: Rapid Reading, Speed Reading, PhotoReading, skimming, scanning … and our own system, Spd Rdng. In many cases the terms are used indiscriminately, but for those in the know, there are differences. Read on. You’ll learn about them, and also learn how to do some of the techniques. Spd Rdng – which includes both ‘reading more quickly’ and numerous techniques for getting the information from large quantities of text swiftly – incorporates everything that follows.

Speed Reading – the most commonly used term – usually involves techniques for moving the eyes faster in order to gather information more quickly. This might include ‘skimming’ (glancing quickly down the page to get the message and see what it’s about) or ‘scanning’ (looking for specific information).

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Summary of How We Learn: The Surprising Truth about When, Where, and Why It Happens by Benedict Carey

Summary of How We Learn: The Surprising Truth about When, Where, and Why It Happens by Benedict Carey

Summary of How We Learn by Benedict Carey

Summary of How We Learn by Benedict Carey

How We Learn, written by a science journalist Benedict Carey, promises to offer well-tested techniques that help us learn more effectively with less effort. It shatters some preconceptions about the ‘enemies of learning’, such as distraction, interruption, laziness, ignorance, restlessness, forgetfulness and even quitting – all of which can actually work in your favour.

For example, forgetting is good. You would think that remembering everything is a good skill. Not so. “Using memory changes memory— and for the better. Forgetting enables and deepens learning, by filtering out distracting information and by allowing some breakdown that, after reuse, drives retrieval and storage strength higher than they were originally,” states the book. Or, as the American psychologist William James noted, “If we remembered everything, we should on most occasions be as ill off as if we remembered nothing.”

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Speed reading for kids. Is speed reading recommended for 12 year olds or kids?

Speed reading for kids

Speed reading for kids

Speed reading for kids

Speed reading for kids is not only about reading faster. It’s about reading at a speed appropriate to the age of the kids and the material and the purpose, it’s about having that purpose in the first place – in fact it’s mostly about how to think about what you’re reading so that you get from it what you want in a way which allows you to build your understanding, implement your new knowledge and remember what you need to remember.

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The top (six or seven or three) basic plots of fiction in literature that can help to speed read novels

Screen Shot 2015-08-03 at 14.31.25 According to different sources, there are only seven (or six, five, 20, 36… or three or one) basic plots (or themes) in all of literature. Here they are:

Seven basic plots in fiction

According to The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories (2004) by Christopher Booker (available on Kindle) there are seven types of stories or basic plots in literature:
1) rags to riches,
2) overcoming the monster (example, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley),
3) the quest,
4) voyage and return,
5) comedy,
6) tragedy,
7) rebirth
Read the summary of The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories 

36 basic plots in fiction

In the 18th Century, Italian playwright Carlos Gozzi identified 36 plots or situations in fiction, which includes: 1) supplication (in which the supplicant must beg something from power in authority), 2) deliverance, 3) crime pursued by vengeance, 4) vengeance taken for kin upon kin, 5) pursuit, 6) disaster, 7) falling prey to cruelty/misfortune, 8) revolt, 9) daring enterprise, 10) abduction, 11) the enigma, 12) obtaining, 13) enmity of kin, 14) rivalry of kin, 15) murderous adultery, 16) madness, 17) fatal imprudence, 18) involuntary crimes of love (e.g.: discovery that one has married one’s mother, sister, etc), 19) slaying of kin unrecognised, 20) self-sacrifice for an ideal, 21) self-sacrifice for kin, 22) all sacrificed for passion, 23) necessity of sacrificing loved ones, 24) rivalry of superior vs. inferior, 25) adultery, 26) crimes of love, 27) discovery of the dishonour of a loved one, 28) obstacles to love, 29) an enemy loved, 30) ambition, 31) conflict with a god, 32) mistaken jealousy, 33) erroneous judgment, 34) remorse, 35) recovery of a lost one and 36) loss of loved ones.

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Timelines: Powerful Tools for Learning History, Biographies, and More

Timelines are invaluable tools for organising and understanding historical events, biographies, and complex narratives. They provide a visual representation of chronological information, helping learners grasp the sequence and relationships between events. In this blog post, we will explore how timelines can enhance learning in various fields and improve reading comprehension and speed.

The Power of Timelines in History

Timelines are essential for developing chronological understanding in history. They help students visualise the flow of events and make connections between different periods (Wakefield Pinders Primary School, 2024). By placing events in order, timelines provide a framework for understanding cause-and-effect relationships and patterns in history (Thinking History, 2023).

Creating timelines can also be an engaging classroom activity. Teachers can use various formats, from traditional horizontal timelines to more creative vertical or circular designs (Historical Association, 2022). These visual aids help students organise information and develop a sense of historical perspective, making learning more interactive and impactful.

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We see words as images – using our visual dictionary

Screen Shot 2015-04-26 at 23.12.02Cutting edge research from neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Centre has shown that, ‘We are not recognizing words by quickly spelling them out or identifying parts of words, as some researchers have suggested. Instead, neurons in a small brain area remember how the whole word looks – using what could be called a visual ‘dictionary”Read the full article in Journal of Neuroscience

You still don’t believe – read this then:

WEIRD: How cmoe yuor bairn is albe to undnertsnad tihs snetence eevn tghouh olny the frist and lsat ltetres of ecah wrod are crreoct? Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. And you touhhgt taht sepllnig was iprmoetnt!

Vape is The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2014

Vape is The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2014
Choosing the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year is a task that begins almost as soon as the previous year’s word is announced. In 2013 the choice was selfie, and as soon as 2014 began, Oxford Dictionaries staff started collecting words that might come to prominence throughout the year. Read about the runners-up to the Word of The Year 2014 which are: bae, budtender, contactless, indyref, norm core, slacktivism. Well, more words for you, since we encounter at least 100,000 words a day. More top words of the decade for you (from 2009).

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Summary of Anthony Robbins book Money: Master the Game – 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom

Summary of Anthony Robbins book Money: Master the Game – 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom

Anthony Robbins Money: Master the Game – 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom by Anthony Robbins

Money: Master the Game – 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom by Anthony Robbins

The latest book by Anthony Robbins Money: Master the Game – 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom, as the title promises, suggests that in 7 simple steps you can reach your financial freedom and become an investor as opposed to a consumer i.e. you won’t be trading your time for money but your money machine will work for you whether you’re working or not. Anthony Robbins (who is a great advocate of speed reading and photoreading) stresses that you should follow all those seven steps in sequence. For regular readers, this 689-page book might be a daunting task. Hence, my summary here to get you started. If you’re already a speed reader or even better a spd rdr, then you know that reading summaries has been validated as the best (and legitimate) way of getting information quickly and effectively. Anthony Robbins provides a seven step checklist for success at the end of the book which in a way summaries the book. Here it is but if you want a summary of the summary – read my final comments at the end of this blog.

7 SIMPLE STEPS: YOUR CHECKLIST FOR SUCCESS

STEP 1: Make the Most Important Financial Decision of Your Life
1. Did you make the decision to become an investor, not just a consumer?
2. Have you committed a specific percentage of savings that always goes toward your Freedom Fund?
3. Have you automated it? If not, do it now: www.tdameritrade.com or www.schwab.com.
4. If the amount you’re committing now is small, have you committed to your employer to use the Save More Tomorrow program? See http://befi.allianzgi.com/en/Topics/Pages/save-more-tomorrow.aspx

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FingerReader will read for you… slowly

FingerReader is a wearable reading device that will read any text out loud  for you, slowly but surly. Finger Reader is intended for  visually impaired people. According to MIT Media Lab which developed Finger Reader, “only 7% of all books are available in Braille, audio and large print. In a 2009 survey, nearly three ­quarters (74%, 72%) of blind and partially sighted people reported that they could not read the information provided by their hospital or their GP. In addition, things like letters, menus, reports, magazines, rarely exist in Braille.” Read more about Finger Reader and watch a video of Finger Reader in action.

Research and references on speed reading, reading, priming and memory

Research and references on speed reading, reading, priming and memory (a selection)

One study on skimming found that skimming a text before going on to reading it, improved comprehension in the majority of cases.

Word recognition is one of the major slowing aspects for most readers. Research suggests that subvocalisation that nemesis of speed readers is slower on unfamiliar words. If you want to speed up reading, build your vocabulary and learn to recognize words faster and naturally you will improve your reading speed. If English is not your first language or if you want to learn another language or anything else try an intelligent flashcards system called Anki which is useful for learning new words, new terms and anything else.

NASA has built subvocalisation detection systems to pick up subvocalisation (the faint nerve impulses that are sent to the muscles when we read), using them to browse the web or potentially even control a spacecraft.

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Exercises for eyes for optimal speed reading

Exercises for eyes for optimal speed reading

It’s harder to read when your eyes are tired. Keep your eyes in an optimal state for reading by doing eye exercises from time to time:

Change focus / 20-20-20

Look up from what you’re reading and alternate a few times between focusing on something in the distance and on something up close. This is called 20-20-20. Your eyes need regular breaks to prevent strain. Every 20 minutes make sure that you take 20-second break from what you’re doing to focus on something 20 feet or more away.

Palm your eyes

Briskly rub the palms of your hands together to warm them slightly. Place the palms over your closed eyes and gently massage the bony areas around the eyes (not directly onto the eyeballs) with the outsides of your palms for about 30 seconds. Open your eyes under your hands, and create a seal with your palms so that you’re looking at complete darkness for a moment or two.

Eye writing

Writing with your eyes, you will force them to move out of their normal ways, giving them more flexibility and range of motion, and strengthening the ocular muscles. Look at a wall or space in front of you and imagine in your mind writing your name or any word using just your eyes. Use your eyes only to write your name or any word – do not move your head – moving them like a pen or paintbrush. Write in capital letters, small letters and in italics.

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Stress – learning and memory killer

Watch this National Geographic and Stanford University documentary on how stress kills your brain cells and affects hippocampus which is responsible for your learning and memory (from 25 min of the documentary). “Stress is not a state of mind… it’s measurable and dangerous, and humans can’t seem to find their off-switch.” says author and award-winning neurobiologist Robert Sapolsky in the documentary Stress: Portrait of a Killer.

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Coffee improves memory

Coffee triggers a mechanism in your brain that releases a growth factor called Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) which also activates brain stem cells to convert into new neurons in your brain, which can have definitive benefits for your brain function. Research conducted at Johns Hopkins University found that 200 milligram (mg) of caffeine enhanced participants’ memory for up to 24 hours. Natural blend of polyphenol antioxidants (including chlorogenic acids), bioflavonoids, vitamins and minerals in coffee beans all work together to help neutralize the harsher effects of the caffeine.
Read more about the benefits of drinking coffee

Top 7 Foods to Boost Brainpower

Top Tips for Digital and Online Reading (ebooks, Kindle, pdfs)

Top Tips for Digital and Online Reading (ebooks, Kindle, pdfs)
Digital reading is a relatively new – and growing – phenomenon, and it merits specific consideration.

All 37 of the spd rdng techniques apply equally to paper-based texts and digital reading (including online reading). Some need slight modifications, some are easier digitally (such as scrolling quickly when downloading or previewing) and some of the things that we take for granted on our computers, reading devices and mobile phones (such as searching for information, not feeling obliged to read every word, stopping once we’ve found the information we need, etc) are strategies which can profitably feed back into our paper-based reading.

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How sleep helps with memory formation and learning

There is a lot of research on the role of sleep and memory formation and learning. But only recently scientists discovered how it happens. During sleep your brain forms new synapses and nurons that help with learning and memory. “…sleep is important to the process of forming long term memory,” says Wen-Biao Gan, a neuroscientist and physiologist at New York University who discovered that learning, or making long term memories, is a two part process in which sleep plays an important role. Sleep is also an essential aspect of health. Not enough of sleep can lead to all kinds of health problems such as diabetes, heart problems, cancer,obesity and so on. Top tips for getting good night’s sleep include sleeping in total darkness and avoiding electromagnetic pollution which will disturb melatonin production which is critical for good night’s sleep. Read top tips for good sleep

Watch this video about the importance of optimising your sleep below. Research shows that most people need eight hours of sleep – ideally in total darkness (one photon of light can disturb melatonin production which is responsible for good sleep – make sure that you have low electromagnetic pollution levels in your bedroom – light falls into an electromagnetic spectrum and our bodies perceive electro-smog as light – so switch off your wifi router for the nigh – read top tips on how to avoid and minimise electro-smog).

How computers are writing books and articles (you might be reading right now…). Essay, PhDs Writing and Composting Algorithms

Professions to be automated: education, writing and military

According to WIRED magazine, three professions might be extinct in the near future and replaced by smart software or machine learning algorithms doing their work in a fraction of time and at almost no cost. The three professional categories due to be automated are: education, writing and military. The world without work is a real possibility.

Essay writing, PhDs writing and composting algorithms
Philip M Parker, whose company ICON Group International has published over 1m algorithmically generated books in a very short time breaking all the Guinness book records. It usually takes his software about 20 minutes to write, check and publish the ebook online. $0.20 to $0.50 is the production cost which is the cost of electricity and hardware, and some of his books sell for hundreds of dollars. Any material that has a formulaic structure (including novels because all of them follow six themes or basic plots) can be written by an automated system, essay writing and composting algorithms.

Automated journalism

Automated journalism and writing, essay writing and composting algorithms

Most of his books are for niche subjects within larger categories such as health for example, but his team has taken the challenge of writing software to produce novels. His essay composting algorithms software is not limited to written works. A PhD can be written in 20 minutes too – watch his TED talk below about essay writing and composting algorithms.

Automated journalism or essay writing and composting algorithms are a fact. Many articles you’re reading (especially sports reviews) are written by machines. Software such as Wordsmith can generate articles and content with very little input from humans.

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To Remember – Write it Down by Hand

Old-fashioned note taking by hand can enhance your memory. Studies show that people who take notes in shorthand not only comprehend information better but also remember for longer. Although we type more than write by hand, it makes sense since we all learnt to write first before typing and this is our primarily mode of inputing and coding information. (Although, in some schools in America they started to experiment with teaching kids to type first.) Also, in English we say ‘learn by heart’ and handwriting is more analogue way on coding information as opposed to typing which is more digital and cerebral. Read top tips for boosting your memory and drinking moringa tree tea can enhance your memory too. Read how to hold your pen ergonomically

Write down your goals by hand or to remember better

Write down your goals by hand and/or to remember better (ideally on something permanent)

Other studies suggest that people who write down their goals by hand are more likely to achieve them.

23 April – World Book Day

World Book Day 23 April

World Book Day 23 April

Celebrate World Book Day – Read a book today

World Book Day or World Book and Copyright Day (also known as International Day of the Book or World Book Days) is a yearly event on 23 April, organized by UNESCO to promote reading, publishing and copyright. In the United Kingdom, the day is instead recognised on the first Thursday in March. World Book Day was celebrated for the first time on 23 April 1995. The connection between 23 April and books was first made in 1923 by booksellers in Spain as a way to honour the author Miguel de Cervantes who died on that day. There is also Word Book Night to follow the day, if you like.
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Double your reading speed, fast – at the NLP Conference 21-23 November 2014, London UK

We’re giving a short presentation on how to double your reading speed fast at the NLP Conference in London on Saturday 22nd November 2014 | 13.30 – 14.15

NLP is the best way to get into personal development and the NLP conference is the best first step.
More info about the 21-23 November 2014 NLP conference London UK  
Venue: 
Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury, Coram Street, London WC1N 1HT

How to boost your memory – top 9 lifestyle tips for improving your memory

Screen Shot 2014-02-23 at 18.10.42Top 9 lifestyle tips for improving your memory (according to A Man’s Guide to Healthy Aging). By the way, don’t worry if you momentarily forget your ATM pin number – you really need to start to worry about your memory if you forget what the ATM is used for.

1) Physical (daily) exercise is important and will enhance your memory and decrease the risk of dementia.

2) Cognitive exercises such as doing jigsaw puzzles, puzzles, games and thinking challenges and whenever the brain is challenged will bolster memory functioning and builds reserves.

3) Antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids – include these in your diet and  you will reduce your risk of cognitive decline. Top antioxidant super-foods are: chaga mushrooms, moringa tree, green tea, berries, broccoli, garlic, coco and other antioxidants. Read more about how antioxidants work

4) Have a good night sleep.

Lots of research suggest that sleep is critical for boosting your memory because sleep-loss impairs memory consolidation. The more you learn the more you need to sleep. For examples, babies sleep so much because everything is new to them and they need to process that information during their sleep. 33 top tips on good sleep

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Moringa Tree – The Miracle Tree & Smart Food Tonic to Boost your Energy and Memory

Moringa Tree Leaf Benefits

Moringa Tree Leaf Benefits

Moringa  tree – perfect nutrition for everyone
Meet the moring tree, the most important tree on this planet with the most amazing properties – that ancient medicine claims that prevenst 300 diseases. New evidence and preliminary studies on moringa oleifera suggest that moringa leaves could be a miracle cure for malnutrition and a host of many illnesses (cancer, diabetes, liver and kidney problems, ulcers, anemia, high blood pressure, stress, and  much more). Moringa tree contains a perfect combination of nutrients, vitamins, minerals and proteins (at least 90 nutrients, 20 amino acids, 46 anti-oxidants (which boost memory – but the highest content of antioxidants have chaga mushrooms) and 36 anti-inflammatory) for everyone, especially for the ones who need extra energy boost and are leading busy lives.

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Stress is good for you. If you think that way. Here’s the science why?

We were led to believe that stress is bad for us and can affect our performance. And it is, when you think that way. The new science reveals that stress is a natural response to challenge. The way we think and act about stress can build our stress resilience.
Watch this enlightening TED talk about how to deal with stress that can help you understand and appreciate stress more and live longer (if not save your life).

The most expensive book on the planet at the moment: Bay Psalm Book

Over 14m USD was paid for the most expensive book at the moment (at New York’s Sotheby’s) which is Bay Psalm Book which was published in 1640. Only 1700 copies of the psalm book were published by settlers in Cambridge, Massachusetts and currently there are only 11 copies in existence. The book has 300 pages. Only manuscripts and hand written books were more expensive. In 1994, Leicester Codex (writings and notes made by Leonarda Da Vinci in XVI century) fetched 30.8m USD.

fot. Reuters

Coconut Oil – an Ideal Brain Food

There are only two types of fuel your body can convert into energy: carbs/sugar, or fat. Again, ketones are what your body produces when it converts fat (as opposed to glucose) into energy. And a primary source of ketone bodies are the medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) found in coconut oil. In fact, coconut oil contains about 66 percent MCTs. It’s a super-brain food. Other super-brain foods

While your brain is quite happy running on glucose, there’s evidence suggesting that ketone bodies may actually help restore and renew neurons and nerve function in your brain, even after damage has set in (new research suggests that eating coconut oil can help with Alzheimer’s disease). Interestingly, the mechanism of this MCT-ketone metabolism appears to be that your body treats MCTs as a carbohydrate and not a fat.  This allows the ketone energy to hit your bloodstream without the normal insulin spike associated with carbohydrates entering your bloodstream. So in effect, coconut oil is a fat that acts like a carbohydrate when it comes to brain fuel.

How much coconut oil might you need? The recommendation is to start with one teaspoon, taken with food in the mornings. Gradually add more coconut oil every few days until you are able to tolerate about four tablespoons. It’s best to take it with food, to avoid upsetting your stomach. Read more about the benefits of coconut oil

Summary of The Drugs Don’t Work by Professor Dame Sally Davies: The Drugs Don’t Work!

The Drugs Don't Work

The Drugs Don’t Work

Some books are summarised with the title as this publication The Drugs Don’t Work by Professor Dame Sally Davies who is a chief medical adviser to the UK government on health issues. Her findings are very simple: “We are losing the battle against infections diseases. Bacteria are fighting back and are becoming resistant to modern medicine. In short, the drugs don’t work.” Hence the title “The Drugs Don’t Work.” Her best and most important advice is to wash your hands properly. (Her second tip is to stop demanding antimicrobial medicines when we have a viral infection and to raise awareness of the threat of antimicrobial resistance). Read more about the importance of reading summaries