neuroscience of Imagination Albert Einstein said of the theory of relativity, "I thought of it while riding my bicycle." Anyone who exercises regularly knows that your thinking process changes when you are walking, jogging, biking, swimming, riding the elliptical trainer, etc. New ideas tend to bubble up and crystallize when you are inside the aerobic zone. You are able to connect the dots and problem solve with a cognitive flexibility that you don't have when you are sitting at your desk. This is a universal phenomenon, but one that neuroscientists are just beginning to understand. Aerobic exercise clears the cobwebs from your mind and gives you access to insights that are out of reach when you are sedentary. What is happening to the electrical, chemical and architectural environment of our brains when we exercise that stimulates our imagination and makes us more creative? Many scientists believe that the creative process springs as much from the subconscious as it does from a conscious thought process.
Downloads Gapminder Slides Download Gapminder’s slides, free to modify and use in any way you like! Here are the slides used in our public presentations and TED talks. Gapminder Tools Offline Handouts & Lesson plans (PDF) Interactive presentations (Flash, PowerPoint etc.) Life expectancy is a very important measure when we compare the health of different countries. Use this animated presentation when you lecture about HIV. A complete package of animations for your lecture. Is the world a better place? Från Liberia till Singapore. A clickable presentation on MDG4. Arabic version of Human Development Trends. Karolinska Institutet awards the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Barnadödlighet och antal barn per kvinna. For the Tellberg Forum. An interactive chart about gender equity (% women in parlament) in all countries. The Income Distribution of the World over time. International health data for learning.
FlowingData | Data Visualization, Infographics, and Statistics ‘The mind map has become an intellectual capital thinking tool’ - Money Mind map helps everyone, from a year old baby to leading MNCs, in enhancing their efficiencies and in leading better lives, says Anthony “Tony” Buzan. Search for Tony Buzan and the internet will give gallons of information on mind maps and thinking. Mind map helps everyone, from a year old baby to leading MNCs, in enhancing their efficiencies and in leading better lives, says Anthony “Tony” Buzan. In a conversation with DNA, the world’s leading author and expert on brain and learning helps decode the multiple layers of the mind that can help in our professional and personal lives. Excerpts: How would you define mind maps? Who can use mind maps? How does mind maps help while ageing? By using mind maps, can one delay illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and dementia? How can we use mind maps for our careers? Which industries need mind maps the most? Are more organisations encouraging employees to use mind maps? Which firms are foremost when it comes to using mind maps?
Mind Mapping Software – Productivity, Planning, Learning, Communication How I Use Mindmapping to Write I use lots of tools for writing. The other day, I talked about the importance of writing practice. Today, as I’m working on a new speech, I wanted to share another tool I use: mind mapping. Before you ask, because the technology minded of you often do, this particular mindmapping software is called Mind Node and it’s for Mac. There are plenty of tools for Windows and some that operate online. I think Steve Rubel covered some a while back, but I’m too lazy to Bing the exact title. The way I use mindmaps is that I start with my main idea, and then figure out the “branches” I’ll want to talk about. So, in this case, I just add a few ideas. Mind maps are a great tool for getting your jumbly thoughts into a framework. What happens, often, when we write, is that we look at sentences as this whole big thing. That’s where mind maps excel (or one place where mind maps excel). What about you? ChrisBrogan.com runs on the Genesis Framework Become a StudioPress Affiliate
Who invented mind mapping I've seen comments around the web that say that Tony Buzan didn't invent mind mapping. What he did, they say, was to take a quite well-known technique (going back many hundreds of years according to some sources), narrowed it down with his ten rules and 'invented' a name, which he then trademarked (but see below for more about the mark). He then marketed this very successfully through BBC programmes (which is where I first encountered it in the 1970s), books and lecture tours. I had heard of and used spider diagrams long before that, though. The fact that we don't hear much mention of "idea sunbursting", a similar technique apparently, but we do hear about Mind Mapping all the time is a tribute to his marketing skill and proselytizing. What does it take to "invent" a technique? If he had tried to patent it, would 'prior art' have made the patent application fail? We often read references to historical users of mindmapping-like techniques. The trademark question is easier to resolve. Vic
How To Train Yourself To Be In The Mood You Want Dec 27, 2010 When you have major changes going on in your life, or you’re just frustrated about where you are, it’s easy to get trapped in a cycle of depression, bad moods and frustration. I know, I’ve been there … and when I’m not careful, I still get there more than I want to. But when I’ve had a particularly hard time, I hit these moments where I’m in a foul mood, or I’m just feeling paralyzed, and I’m just stuck. I’m going to outline the framework that I’ve been using successfully to really get myself resourceful and motivated (and in a better mood) when I’m feeling stuck. First Up: Using A Framework to Escape From Paralyzing Emotions When we feel bad, it’s hard to “feel good” again. The reason for this is that steps take the emotion out of our situation and give us direction to simply act. You can call these verbal step-by-step tools anchors if you want, because they’re ways to anchor your emotional state to a time where you knew what to do and you felt prepared. Think about it. Dave
» Business Planning with PersonalBrain Whether you are juggling multiple projects, managing your department or starting a new business you need to understand key projects and market factors instantly. PersonalBrain helps you concretize business relationships and see otherwise invisible factors that will affect your company’s success. With PersonalBrain you can: Visualize your business strategy and proceduresConnect key departments, people and responsibilitiesTrack and organize marketing projects and operational domainsIntegrate all information sets and resourcesBrainstorm and generate new ideasPlan and start a new business Resources for Building your Business Brain Webinar Recording Thanks to everyone who explored this subject on yesterday’s webinar. Here is a link to our recording. Business Brain Templates Use these three examples to get started on your own business Brain. Marketing Plan Template New Example This example covers 10 key steps for any marketing plan. Browse this Brain Online Download this Brain Browse this Brain Online
Free mind mapping (and related types) software - Wikit There are regular inquiries on Twitter and in forums about free mind mapping software, so to provide answers, InformationTamers have put together this list. We built this article, with permission, using the most complete source for details of information mapping software on the Web: Mind-mapping.org. Hat tip to Vic Gee who put Mind-mapping.org together and kept it up to date for years. [Update: I took over that site in August 2013.] Mind-mapping.org has a good capability for selecting software by map type and operating system (click on the 'Refine software list' tab at the top right of its web page), and shows the price. "Free" here is as in beer, not in freedom, though some of the software listed is open source, so is free in both senses. Of course a pencil and paper is always free - or almost. 3D concept and mind maps Concept maps *Some people find navigating the Cmap site idiosycratic -- the interface is a little unusual -- so here's the skinny: Development platforms for map forms Treemaps