This is another selection of juicy-but-overlooked news stories that I found interesting and that have some relevance – promise – to the services of Sensei.

How good software makes us stupid is a quality article about a fascinating book called The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains.  The books author is Nicholas Carr, an American writer on technology, business and culture.  His basic thesis is that the web specialises in giving us a broad, superficial knowledge at the expense of deeper thinking skills.  I concur, although I don’t believe it’s an either/or between the net and books.  It is true however that the objects of our thinking shapes the structure of our brains.  This is a sobering thought for Glee addicts.

On a related theme, Is our relationship with books changing? We’re abandoning public libraries, but buying more books first-hand and enjoy doing so in a cafe-cum-shop setting.  Thanks to Ophera, book clubs are enjoying a renaissance.  But will e-books replace paper?  My opinion – only when 3D movies replace 2D i.e. never beyond the odd blip.

Read all about it, good news for footballers!  It’s good to think – but not too much, scientists say.  Well, kind of.  If you think more about your decision-making then you will more cells in the part of your brain that deals with decisions.  But if you brood too much about ‘life in general’ you’ll have a poorer memory and greater proneness to depression.  Which takes us nicely back to the first article.

So be careful what you think about, what thoughts you allow into your brain.  Remember my question from weeks ago: What is the most resilient virus?

Any ideas?

Image credit: rutlo.

A few weeks ago I mentioned brain training games and questioned whether they’re all the marketeers make them out to be.  I suggested a range of activities that help out in keeping the brain young and healthy.  But there’s one I forgot – juggling!

It seems that juggling increases brain power.  Scientists from Oxford University have concluded that performing complex tasks like juggling can produce significant changes to the brain, such as increasing white matter, which acts as the ‘cabling network’ of the brain.

This doesn’t surprise me too much.  I knew that the brain can change its organisation according to the new experiences we have.  In other words, not only do we experience the world as our brain lets us, our brain also alters according to what we think.  This two-way loop is known as neuroplasticity.  It’s cool.

Also, unknown to most people, we have a sense beyond the common five called the kinesthetic sense.  It deals with our ability to sense the relative position of our body in relation to itself.  Also called proprioception, those with high levels of this sense often become excellent dancers, martial artists or athletes.   Applied to training, it refers to a learning style that by which someone learns best by getting involved rather than watching or listening.

Like most skills in life, it is possible to train yourself so that this skill is increased.  A useful Wikipedia entry (aren’t they all?) suggests juggling to improve your kinesthetic ability, along with training on a wobble board or balance board, use of an exercise ball, Tai Chi and Yoga, and the Alexander Technique.

I’ve wanted to learn to juggle for some time but I’ve never got round to it.  Here’s what I’ll do.  If anyone leaves a comment on this post, I promise to teach myself to juggle and post a picture of me doing so in one month’s time.

Any takers?

Image credit: ky_olsen.