We have always known how important our brain is. Our brain is the one thing that sets us apart from other creatures on earth. It allows us to function the way we do and it allows us to think openly about everything that goes around us. As we grow older though, our brain function tends to slow down and we can not do things nearly as well as we used to. The way we think also changes and before we know it, our brains are only good for understanding what going on the television shows we end up watching when we are older. That is why training your brain is such an important thing to do. The earlier you start the better. You can easily do so with brain training games like Brain Age, Brain HQ, and Lumosity. These games can help you increase your ability to perform well on aptitude tests. It is very good practice.
Brain Age allows you to enhance your brain capabilities in a matter of minutes-if you do it every day. This game includes thousands of ever changing challenging puzzles and also gives you a “Brain Age”. The lower your brain age is, the smarter your brain actually is. The best age you can get is a 20, indicating that your brain is as fast as a twenty year old. This game is played on the Nintendo D.S and updated games are released annually.
Brain HQ involves similar features as Brain Age, but Brain HQ is solely played on the computer. Mind boggling puzzles help you fine tune your brain. A helpful guide helps you on your journey to a better brain.
Lumosity is also played on the computer but it focuses on your memory and attention span. Like the other games, it tracks your daily progress and also has an initial test. The best part of this game is the digitalized user interface which is very friendly for people who aren’t the best at using computers.
Different Brain Training Games
Gambling May Be Good For You: New Study On Gameplay And Brain Function
If you are an avid gamer we’ve got good news: According to a recent study from the Rush University Medical Center and Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, playing games REALLY does help to improve cognitive function, especially for adults. So really, don’t worry and keep on gaming!
Using MRI scanning, the researchers have found evidence that activities like reading, attending the theater, writing and playing games can help preserve the structure of the brain in aging individuals. Their results suggest that the nerve fibers responsible for transmitting information through the brain function at higher levels when engaged over time in complex, stimulating activities. The study, presented at the Radiological Society of North America’s annual meeting in November, followed 152 elderly people and compared their brain function to the amount of mentally stimulating activities they performed. The data indicate that the those participants who were more mentally active maintained a higher level of brain function as measured by the MRI.
Arguably, the games enjoyed by gamblers can stimulate brain function in this way. Card games, which call for quick thinking, math skills, rapid recall and other mental gymnastics offer just this kind of training. In particular, poker and blackjack demand careful strategic thinking and poses serious mental obstacles, despite its often rapid-fire play. Online blackjack players and other card game enthusiasts can take heart: win or lose, at least their brains are getting a work-out.
Women Called “Fat Girls” In Latest Insulting Receipt Incident
Another incident in the recent trend of receipts containg insulting messages has occured in Stockon, California. As reported by online roulette site Roulette For Fun, Christine Duran, Christina Huerta and Isabel Robles were paying for their meal at Chilly D’s Sports Lounge inside the local Cameo Club Casino, when one of them noticed the phrase “Fat Girls” on the check. In disbelief, the women demanded an explanation from the casino’s restaurant’s manager, who made matters worse by demanding that they still pay their bill, with a partial discount. They refused and left the building. After hearing about the incident, Chilly D’s management and the owner of the Cameo Club Casino apologized to the women via Facebook. Jimmy Siemers, co-owner of Chilly D’s, has also pledged to address the women’s concerns.
This rude-receipt is only the latest in a string of incidents of the same type. In January of last year, a customer at a New York City Papa John’s Pizza received a receipt calling her “Lady Chinky Eyes.” The woman posted an image of the receipt to social media and quickly received an apology from the company. In March, a Baltimore woman’s receipt from an area Radio Shack contained the phrase “Ugly Itch” and other insults. In this case, too, the company quickly offered an apology to the woman via phone. It remains unclear what action, if any, Radio Shack management took against the offending employee.
Technology blog Gizmodo has posted a gallery of recent offensive receipts. Whether incidents with insulting receipts are on the rise or simply better publicized through social media is unknown.
How to write a book, celeb-style
If you want to know how to write a book, you probably wouldn’t think that looking to celebrities and those in showbiz would be the ideal first place to find inspiration. And you might be right. Here’s our list of some celebs who have written books, and what you can learn from them (here’s a hint: not much!) If only they had known about an online novel-writing course like Now Novel their books could have been more than just another blog entry.
- A Shore Thing by Nicole Snooki Polizzi
If you are a celeb, the name you are known by must be the largest item on your book cover. Snooki shows us how to write a book by ensuring that nobody cares what’s inside the book, as long as the letters SNOOKI are in giant print on the book cover. - The Truth About Diamonds by Nicole Richie
Is it a novel or is it an autobiography? This semi-autobiographical book went on to become a New York Times bestseller. - Propeller One-Way Night Coach by John Travolta
The king of the dance floor shows us how to write a book in this short novel that tells the story of a young boy who travels on an aeroplane for the first time. - Sisters by Lynne Cheney
Less a celeb than a politically placed famous person, Lynne Cheney is the wife of former US Vice President Dick Cheney, and wrote this book in 1981 – a 19th-century historical novel filled with strong women. - The Hottest State by Ethan Hawke
Although Ethan Hawke is a brilliant actor, he could have done with a few tips on how to write a book himself, as this 1996 novel was an abject failure and a box office flop. - Star by Pamela Anderson
No Pamela Anderson production would be complete without the lady’s most popular asset – her breasts – front and centre. Her book cover does not disappoint! - Junior by Macauley Culkin
If you like stream of consciousness and you want to know how to write a book that thinly veils real life, Macauley Culkin’s book might be rather helpful… - L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad
Not sure who Lauren Conrad is? The star of MTV’s hit reality show, The Hills. Which you can find out about in her book, another real-life-but-not-really debut.
The advice seems clear: if you want to know how to write a book celeb-style, simply write about how you became a celebrity, and change the names of all the people in your life. If you want to write a book that has worth and value, however, check out Now Novel, an online novel-writing course that ensures you have depth and value to your work.
Explore the Dreams of our Kids
Most children admire a certain celebrity or they may even look up to more then one famous person. As parents, we want their room to be a place of comfort as well as be inviting for our child. Why not create a bedroom of our child’s favorite celebrity?
We can create any look we want using celebrity canvas prints. These canvases come in many different categories including movie stars, music artists, and even cartoon characters. They come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. With these canvas prints, we can create a bedroom a child only dreams of. This may sound as if it will be very expensive. This isn’t so. Many celebrity canvases can be found at affordable prices. So affordable that we can purchase more then one to create a long lasting smile on our child’s face.
These prints would make an excellent gift for a birthday, Christmas, or any other special day to your kids. It would be something totally different to offer as a gift. The child will be truly amazed to see their favorite celebrity on the wall of their bedroom. They will want to tell all their friends about it. The parents will even be happy to. The smile on their face will be a gift to us unlike any other. A celebrity canvas print will take a child’s bedroom from plain to fantastic in no time at all.
Garofalo Had No Idea She Was Married For Twenty Years
Not everything that happens in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas. Janeane Garofalo was surprised to find out that she was married for twenty years. Garofalo stated that she was drunk one evening with her boyfriend Rob Cohen and they did a drive-thru wedding chapel in a cab.
Both parties did not think they were married since they never filed any additional paperwork but according to Las Vegas they were indeed legally married.
Rob Cohen is a producer on “Big Bang Theory” and recently became engaged to his long term girlfriend, Jill Leiderman who is a producer on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”.
Upon receiving the news Garofalo and Cohen quickly did divorce proceedings at a bank in Midtown. Garofalo also noted that she does not drink anymore.
Victoria’s Seceret Outdoes Itself Again
Perhaps one of the most highly anticipated events of the year is the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. Although the show already took place in New York City, it will be aired on television December 4, 2012. Known for it elaborate use of props and costumes, Victoria Secret continues to pull out all the stops in this year’s show. Few of the themes are seasons, carnival, holidays (leprechaun anyone?) and of course the famous Victoria Secret Angels with gravity defying wings attached to each model.
Headlining the show is Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Bruno Mars. Each entertainer sang songs as the Victoria’s Secret models charged the runway. The grand moment of the runway was the unveiling of the lucky model who would wear the famous multi-million dollar bra. This year it was Alessandra Ambrosio who is a Brazilian model.
Shortly after the show, Victoria’s Secret apologized for its’ use of Native American headdress. The model wearing the headdress will not be shown in the televised broadcast as part of Victoria Secret’s apology.
NASCAR Turns Into A Boxing Match
Jeff Gordon avoided possible suspension by NASCAR which would of thrown him out of the finals. Instead NASCAR decided to fine him $100, 000 and twenty five points for his intentional crash with fellow driver Cliff Bowyer. The crash also resulted in a pit crew brawl in one of the garages that police and security had to break up.
Gordon seemed to have ill blood with his fellow driver Bowyer all season long. Bowyer has clipped Gordon before and has caused one crash this season. During the race in Phoenix, Bowyer had hit Gordon’s car once again. This seemed to be the last straw with Gordon. With a few laps to go, Gordon slowed his car down to intentionally crash into Bowyer’s car. This prompted the fight between the two drivers’ pit crews.
Gordon has apologized to the public for his actions and is relieved that he will be able to continue to race. He has stated that he fully stands behind NASCAR’s decision.
Black Ops 2, What’s In It For Me?
Many have been highly anticipating the long awaited release of Black Ops 2 which hit the shelves on November 13, 2012. The original Black Ops was released in 2003 and has a large cult-like following with fans spanning across the globe. Conventions, chat rooms, web-sites and books have been devoted to this game. What should we expect from the second game and has it evolved to a more exciting, challenging game?
Black Ops 2 still offers the same three basic choices of game setup; campaign, multi-player and zombies. In the campaign mode gamers will be transported to the future in the year 2025 (the original game is set in time after the Cold War). Here, in the future, players must contend robotic warfare with new weapons and equipment. There is also a new feature called the Strike Force in which players must order jets and robots to attack targets. The multi-player mode is by far the most popular mode among Black Ops players. The second edition of multi-player has
been widely well received by critics. Here players can play on-line with new features such
as customization and prestige ranking. Critics have noted that there is better clarity and communication. Zombies have also upgraded with an explorable world and players can up the amount of team members.
The game is sold for an average of $59 at most large retailers.
Skylanders Giants Is On The Top Of Santa’s List
Skylanders is a hugely popular game among children and tweens. Skylanders Giants is a follow up to the original game and was released in late October of 2012. The plot of the second game is that the Skylanders Giants are actually ancient Skylanders that were separated from the general population many years ago. Just like the original game, gamers use a portal to place their Skylanders figurines on. Here there figurines battle and solve puzzles in the game. When the gamer removes the figurine from the portal all the data is saved onto the figurine. Just like the name of the game suggests, Skylanders Giants has over forty new figurines that are twice the size of the original Skylanders. Gamers can still use figurines from the original game with the new game.
Other improvements have been noted in the new Skylanders game. Now each character has its’ own voice actor, giving the game a more personal feel. Players can also try to earn
achievement awards and trophies. A great feature for children, when they bring their figurine to a friend’s house to play their trophies will be announced as they place their figurine on the portal.
The game is sold for an average of $74 and includes three new Giant Skylanders figurines.
