Most secure places..

Did you know that Bold Lane car park (which has 10 levels, 440 parking bays, and is open 24 hours a day) used by shoppers in Derby, England, is one of the ten most secure places in the world alongside Air Force One, Area 51 and Fort Knox?

Did you know?

I have decided to add a Did you know section, it might be useful or useless who knows but I hope you enjoy it.

If you would like to add to this or any other of the categories then let me know.

Here goes,

Did you know that Gatke hall (pictured below), a former Post Office was moved completely intact on rollers down a city street over a six month period in 1938 to its new home at Willamette University?

Web 2.0 anyone.

Web 2.0 technology in my opinion is a great idea, there are so many web sites that let you interact with them that I have now lost count, however over the last 6 months one of the best I have found to keep track of all those RSS sites and other interesting web sites is www.netvibes.com.

Let me know your best Web 2.0 site this could get interesting.

For those who dont know what Web 2.0 is here is a description:

Web 2.0, a phrase coined by O’Reilly Media in 2003 and popularized by the first Web 2.0 conference in 2004, refers to a perceived second-generation of Web based communities and hosted services such as social networking sites, wikis and folksonomies that facilitate collaboration and sharing between users. O’Reilly Media titled a series of conferences around the phrase, and it has since become widely adopted.

Though the term suggests a new version of the Web, it does not refer to an update to World Wide Web technical specifications, but to changes in the ways systems developers have used the web platform.

I hope this helps.

The Mind Map Laws.

I have been asked by a few people if I can explain what the Mind Map laws are, so here is a brief outline.

• Always use a central image to start with

An image automatically focuses the eye and brain. It triggers numerous associations and is very effective as a memory aid.

• Use images throughout your Mind Map

Use images wherever possible instead of words as your brain remembers colours and images better .

• Use three or more colours per central image

Colours stimulate memory and creativity.

1. Use dimension in images and around words

Dimension makes things ’stand out’ and whatever stands out is more easily remembered and communicated. Thus the most important elements in your Mind Map can be emphasised by being drawn or written in three dimensions.

1. Use synaesthesia

Wherever possible use all your senses, sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

• Use variations of size of printing, line and image

Variation in size is the best way of indicating the relative importance of items in a hierarchy. Expanded size adds emphasis, thereby increasing the probability of recall.

• Use organised spacing

Organised spacing increases the clarity of the image, helps in the use of hierarchy and categorisation, leaves the Mind Map ‘open’ to additions, and is aesthetically pleasing.

• Use arrows when you want to make connections within and across the branch pattern.

• Use colours

Colour is one of the most powerful tools for enhancing memory and creativity.

• Use only one key word per line.

• Make line length equal to word length.

• Make the central lines thicker and organic

Through emphasis, thicker lines immediately signal to your brain the importance of your central ideas.

• Make your images as clear as possible

External clarity encourages internal clarity of thought. A clear Mind Map will also be more elegant, graceful and attractive.

• Keep your paper placed horizontally in front of you
  

The horizontal (landscape) format gives you more freedom and space to draw your Mind Map.

I have tried to keep it as simple as possible if you are not sure let me know, but also take a look at the Mind Maps that I published early on in the website and also search under Google for more Mind Map images,

Good luck.

Not working.

Get more done..

If you are like me and never have time to do all those little things and jobs that you have been meaning to do for such a long time then I highly recommend this site

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/05/how-to-become-an-early-riser

I have been doing it for about a month now and I can tell you I get more done on a morning than any other time in the day its a brilliant concept and it works, but, and there is a but you need will and discipline. However if you can do it I will guarantee that your productivity will soar, this guy is very good and writes some other excellent articles, give it a go and let me know how you get on as I am interested in how many people try it and succeed.

Good luck.

Amazon buys dpreview.com

Dpreview has been acquired by one of the worlds leading online retailer, Amazon.com. Started as hobby site in 1998, dpreview.com has grown to be the number one destination for anyone interested in digital cameras and digital photography. I have used it as a guide to buying and viewing cameras for sometime. Each month dpreview.com has seven million unique visitors (over 22 million sessions) who read over 120 million pages. It will be interesting to see what Amazon do with it as I have a feeling it will be littered with ads.

Die

Yoga for mind and body.

I have been dong Yoga for nearly 2 years and by no means an expert but have found it to be really good for my mind and body, it does help to relax me and keeps me supple. Although Yoga is religious I don’t have anything to do with that side.

Yoga can get quite confusing as there are many types and styles but the two main ones are:

Iyengar – A softer on the body classical style of yoga, Iyengar is perfect for beginners and those who haven’t exercised in a while. It uses props such as chairs, straps, blocks and pillows, and even sandbags, to compensate for a lack of flexibility, which is helpful for anyone with back or joint problems.

Iyengar is the most widely recognized approach to Hatha Yoga, it was created by B. K. S. Iyengar. Iyengar yoga is characterized by attention to detail within poses and the aid of the props.

The key to all styles of yoga is to get the fundamentals and form correct, this is where the props aid the student. There is more focus on symmetry and alignment and also meditation. Each pose is held for a longer amount of time than in most other yoga styles, developing a state of focused calm. Iyengar Yoga is meditation in action.

Benefits include toning muscles, eliminating tension and easing chronic pain. When we strengthen weak areas of ourselves and open and stretch tight ones, our bodies return to their correct alignment.

Practicing Iyengar yoga will give you a good knowledge of classic yoga poses so that whatever other style you practice, you will have the basic fundamentals of how to do each posture. This is the one I do

Ashtanga (Power Yoga) the preferred choice for athletes, Ashtanga yoga is light on meditation but heavy on developing strength and stamina. The poses are more difficult than those performed in other styles, students move quickly from one pose to another in an effort to build strength and flexibility.This style is suitable for anyone in reasonable physical condition but should be avoided by those who are new to exercise. Even the “beginners” routines are a physically demanding workout. Ashtanga yoga takes students through a warming up of the body to “activate” the muscles. The above is just a very basic outline of Yoga, I found buying some DVDs and doing it at home is a great way to start, if you would like to know in my opinion who are the better instructors on DVD contact me and I will let you know.

A joke a day

I have deicided to add a Humour catagory to this blog as I think it is important to have a bit of a laugh or at least a happy thought everyday, if you would like to be added to my list send me your joke and if its liked I will publish it.