Critical thinking Critical thinking is a type of clear, reasoned thinking. According to Beyer (1995) Critical thinking means making clear, reasoned judgements. While in the process of critical thinking, ideas should be reasoned and well thought out/judged.[1] The National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking defines critical thinking as the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action Etymology[edit] In the term critical thinking, the word critical, (Grk. κριτικός = kritikos = "critic") derives from the word critic, and identifies the intellectual capacity and the means "of judging", "of judgement", "for judging", and of being "able to discern".[3] Definitions[edit] According to the field of inquiry [weasel words], critical thinking is defined as: Skills[edit] Procedure[edit]
The All-Time Top Six Psychological Reasons We Love Music What psychological roles does music play in our lives? Modern technology means it’s never been easier to hear exactly the music we want, whenever we want it. But whatever technology we use, the reasons we listen to music are universal. Music grabs our emotions instantly in a way few other art-forms can manage. So what are the universal psychological functions of music? 6. Languishing down at number six was the way in which music teaches us about the world. Psychological research backs up the importance of the information music sends out to others about our personalities. Music is also sending us a message about the state of the world. 5. In at five is identity. One general trend in popular music is towards greater narcissism. 4. The fourth most important function of music is its social dimension. There’s little doubt that music and love are inextricably linked and we use one to get the other. The song that did the trick? 2= Negative mood management 2= Diversion 1. Image credit: Kris Krug
99 of the best Windows freeware programs you may not know of Due to the popularity of my previous article on Help Desk Geek entitled 99 ways to make your computer blazingly fast, I’ve decided to write another list post with 99 items, but this time on Windows freeware programs that you may have not heard of. If you search for “best freeware programs” or “top freeware apps”, you’ll get lots of lists, but mostly with programs everyone has already heard of: AVG anti-virus, 7-zip, Firefox, OpenOffice, etc., etc. That’s all nice and fine, but what about all those little gems programs that work great, but don’t get all the headlines? In this article, I will try my best to mention as many small name freeware programs as I can that can help make you more productive! These are written in no particular order! Additionally, some of the programs I mention have free versions that have a few restrictions or are limited in some way. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35.
Develop Perfect Memory With the Memory Palace Technique The Memory Palace is one of the most powerful memory techniques I know. It’s not only effective, but also fun to use — and not hard to learn at all. The Memory Palace has been used since ancient Rome, and is responsible for some quite incredible memory feats. Eight-time world memory champion Dominic O’Brien, for instance, was able to memorize 54 decks of cards in sequence (that’s 2808 cards), viewing each card only once. And there are countless other similar achievements attributed to people using the Memory Palace technique or variations of it. Of course, most of us are not in Dominic’s memory championship line of business (or in Hannibal’s line of business for that matter). The Memory Palace The Memory Palace technique is based on the fact that we’re extremely good at remembering places we know. 5 Steps to Use the Memory Palace Technique 1. First and foremost, you’ll need to pick a place that you’re very familiar with. A good first choice could be your own home, for example. 2. 3. 4.
Letting Go of Attachment “Most of our troubles are due to our passionate desire for and attachment to things that we misapprehend as enduring entities.” ~Dalai Lama Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Lori Deschene of Tiny Buddha. If there’s one thing we all have in common it’s that we want to feel happy; and on the other side of that coin, we want to avoid hurting. We pin our happiness to people, circumstances, and things and hold onto them for dear life. We attach to feelings as if they define us, and ironically, not just positive ones. In trying to hold on to what’s familiar, we limit our ability to experience joy in the present. When you stop trying to grasp, own, and control the world around you, you give it the freedom to fulfill you without the power to destroy you. It’s no simple undertaking to let go of attachment—not a one-time decision, like pulling off a band-aid. The best approach is to start simple, at the beginning, and work your way to Zen. Experiencing Without Attachment Call yourself out.
Idiagram: The Art of Insight and Action How to Promote Visionary Thinking Why we are more creative when mind and body are out of step. Usually we perform best with mind and body in sync. With our thoughts tied to our actions decisions are made faster, we are more engaged and we feel at one with ourselves. If you want to be creative, though, sometimes it pays to be out of sync according to a recent study by Huang and Galinsky (2011). They had some people recalling a happy time in their life while at the same time frowning. Another group recalled sad memories while smiling. In two comparison groups, participants were told to produce consonant mind-body states, i.e. happy memory plus happy face and sad memory plus sad face. After this participants had to make judgements about how typical words were of a particular category. Participants in the dissonant conditions, then, were thinking more expansively. As creatures of habit people automatically go down the same avenues of thought time after time. Image credit: Racchio
Critique.org Network speeding up I'm switching the connection over to a new, shiny 10X faster network because of all the load. There might be bits of downtime as your boxes learn new addresses and things. Should be brief. Preditors & Editors Changeover With the very sad passing of Dave Kuzminski, who ran P&E, I've taken over the P&E duties. Free Web Sites Free web sites for authors (and others) are available at www.nyx.net. Stayin' Alive If you want to make a career of SF writing, STAYING ALIVE - A WRITER'S GUIDE by three-time SFWA President Norman Spinrad, published by your Critter Captain's ReAnimus Press, is an indispensable guide to the inside workings of the SF publishing industry by an expert. The Sigil Trilogy If you're looking for an amazing, WOW! Critters Server is Dying has been Replaced See important details here in my blog. Book Recommendation THE SIGIL TRILOGY: The universe is dying from within... Announcing ReAnimus Press Note also the fine print on the T-Mobile $1.50 billing fee. Voila!
Improve Your Memory by Speaking Your Mind’s Language By learning the language your mind uses, you’ll be able to tap into your mind’s full potential and develop a remarkable memory. It’s easier than you think – and you’ll actually have fun doing it. Your Mind Thinks in Pictures Along its evolution, the brain has become amazingly effective in dealing with sensory data. Among the human senses, sight has become the most sophisticated and developed of all. Imagery is the real language of the mind. If I ask you to think about a horse, what comes to your mind? Visual Thinking and Memory To fully illustrate the astonishing effect that images have on your memory, let’s walk through a basic memorization technique called memory pegging. Before getting to the technique, let me give you a simple challenge: memorize a groceries list of ten items. baconeggswinebatteriesbubble gummilkenvelopesspinachcoffeetomato Learning Your Mind’s Basic Vocabulary Just like when learning any new language, we’ll need to get some basic vocabulary to get started. Ridiculous?