Michael Jordan wore his college team's shorts underneath his Bulls uniform because he believed it brought him good luck. If six NBA championships can be considered proof, his superstition worked. It sounds silly (well, it is silly), but it's not all magic. Absurd as superstitions may seem, psychologists have an explanation for why it's not so far-fetched to believe a lucky charm can make you perform better. Superstitions can range from small behavioral choices (like always putting on your right shoe first) to more extreme decisions (say you avoid the number 13 at all costs). The most curious thing about these superstitions is that they actually work and can alter your behavior, boost your performance, and help you achieve your goals. << MORE >>

Synchronicity is the most mysterious thing in the world. Synchronicity is the term parapsychologists use for "meaningful coincidence." It happens to everyone, more often than we realise. But synchronicities are not "mere" coincidences, random accidents without significance. Going through a half-forgotten collection of old photographs, you're surprised to find the snap-shot of a friend you lost contact with years ago. Just then the telephone rings and the voice on the other end of the line belongs to the same person in the photo. You're desperate to find a parking place because you've got to be on time for a crucial appointment. There's not an open spot as far as the eye can see. Suddenly, a car pulls out in front of you, leaving you a space right in front of the address where you're expected. You've just finished reading a book about rare birds, when the first humming-bird you've ever seen in your back yard is drinking nectar from a nearby flower. << MORE >>

In his book "The Happiness Prescription", renowned Spiritual Guru Deepak Chopra says that happiness is the goal of every other goal. And how true that is! You see, happiness is something that we all want. Whatever we do, we do so because we feel we will feel better in the having of it. Happiness is a state of mind that comes from within, regardless of the circumstances we are in. << MORE >>

There is a huge difference between recently discovered "whole brain sex" and all too common sex. When a person self-stimulates their anterior amygdala (brain site) through simple exercises, and turns on dormant frontal lobe neurocircuits, that person begins to automatically and spontaneously experience (during private intimacy of course) extended and intensified peak physical pleasure response and (multiple) sexual orgasms, females AND males, with a partner or without, at any age.<< MORE >>

By 2016 consumers will be able to control electronics using brain power alone, people will not need to use passwords, and approximately 5.6 billion people will have phones with data access, IBM has foretold. The predictions are part of the technology giant's '5 in 5' project to make five predictions for what tech will look like in five years' time. The '5 in 5' project has been run since 2006, though the company made no predictions in 2010. << MORE >>

As Maria Robinson once said, "Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." Nothing could be closer to the truth. But before you can begin this process of transformation you have to stop doing the things that have been holding you back. Here are some ideas to get you started: 1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you. If someone wants you in their life, they'll make room for you. You shouldn't have to fight for a spot. Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth. And remember, it's not the people that stand by your side when you're at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you're at your worst that are your true friends. << MORE >>

If you've ever been convinced by a salesperson that you truly wanted a product, done something too instinctively, or made choices that seemed entirely out of character, then you've had an idea planted in your mind. Here's how it's done. Before we get started, it's worth noting that planting an idea in someone's mind without them knowing is a form of manipulation. We're not here to judge you, but this is the sort of thing most people consider evil, so you probably shouldn't actually do anything you read here. Instead, use this information to stay sharp. << MORE >>

Впервые в Далласе Новая Программа Русского Языка в Школе при Аллен Монтессори Pабота по методике Н.Власовой РКИ "Русский как иностранный” aдаптированной для детей, живущих в Америке Набор детей в возрасте от 3-14 лет Классы по возрастам и уровню развития русского языка Изучение языка на моделях без заучивания правил, в том числе для детей, нуждающихся в корректировке речи << MORE >>

August 7, 2011 - An Israeli man has been cycling four years around the world, clocking up over 60,000 kilometers on his adventure. He is now in the final leg of his journey home. --- July 31, 2011 - One thousand hearing-impaired West Bank Palestinians recently received free hearing aids through a novel joint program between Israel’s Sheba Medical Center and an American foundation. --- July 24, 2011 - A new citrus-based supplement being developed by Israeli and American researchers could cancel the effects of cholesterol and sugar in the body. --- July 17, 2011 - A new Israeli-developed tool enables the disabled to send emails by thought alone, and could revolutionize the world of mind-controlled computing. --- July 10, 2011 - Israeli diagnostic company Novamed has developed a new home diagnostics product, SensAheart, that can detect a heart attack from the moment symptoms start to appear.<< MORE >>

The other day, some friendly scientists in Philadelphia attached electrodes to my head -- one just above and behind my right ear, and the other on my left cheekbone -- and ran electricity through my brain. As they did, I took a computerized memory test. My scores on the test significantly improved from an earlier test I took without the electricity. It turns out you can tune up someone's brain like a car battery. I felt -- and looked -- a bit like a Frankenstein creature, but the results were impressive. Welcome to the promising world of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a highly refined, very safe and relatively cheap biomedical treatment that is being studied for use not only in improving memory but treating depression and epilepsy.<< MORE >>

The 48 Laws of Power is a 1998 book by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers. The book shares thematic elements with Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince and has been compared to Sun-Tzu's classic treatise The Art of War. Law 1 Never Outshine the Master Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite - inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.<< MORE >>

A lot of people ask me for my opinion on subliminal messaging. I'm kind of an expert in this area because I have studied it for about 30 years now. Years ago a study was conducted at a drive-in movie theater. During the movie, they threw in a couple frames that said 'buy Coke' or 'drink Coke.' You couldn't actually see the messages because each film frame goes by so quickly, but they would repeat this process a few times, and ended up finding out that there was an increase in Coke sales. It wasn't by a small increase either; it was 20, 30, 40, 50 percent or more every time they ran the test.<< MORE >>

People unconsciously make life choices that resemble their names or initials, according to research on the "name-letter effect." Your name made you do it, albeit unconsciously, suggests new research that finds your name can negatively undermine your goals. Psychologists in marketing at Yale and the University of California, San Diego studying the unconscious influence of names say a preference for our own names and initials — the "name-letter effect" — can have some negative consequences.<< MORE >>

If you're unlucky in love, it may be your name that's the problem. Researchers have found that your first name could have an effect on your love life and have come up with a list of unlucky and lucky names. But local experts are sceptical about the accuracy of the research, which found that singles called Kevin had the toughest time. The research found that those on dating websites were also less likely to pursue a relationship with someone called Mandy, Justin or Chantal, "because the names are all associated with trouble-making", the Daily Mail reported << MORE >>

A British band and a group of scientists have made the most relaxing tune in the history of man, an MP3 of which is linked at the bottom of this article. Sound therapists and Manchester band Marconi Union compiled the song. Scientists played it to 40 women and found it to be more effective at helping them relax than songs by Enya, Mozart and Coldplay. Weightless works by using specific rhythms, tones, frequencies and intervals to relax the listener. A continuous rhythm of 60 BPM causes the brainwaves and heart rate to synchronise with the rhythm: a process known as 'entrainment'. Low underlying bass tones relax the listener and a low whooshing sound with a trance-like quality takes the listener into an even deeper state of calm.<< MORE >>

A British band and a group of scientists have made the most relaxing tune in the history of man, an MP3 of which is linked at the bottom of this article. Sound therapists and Manchester band Marconi Union compiled the song. Scientists played it to 40 women and found it to be more effective at helping them relax than songs by Enya, Mozart and Coldplay. Weightless works by using specific rhythms, tones, frequencies and intervals to relax the listener. A continuous rhythm of 60 BPM causes the brainwaves and heart rate to synchronise with the rhythm: a process known as 'entrainment'. Low underlying bass tones relax the listener and a low whooshing sound with a trance-like quality takes the listener into an even deeper state of calm.<< MORE >>

Learning a martial art, how to fly a plane or how to speak a new language without even being awake is set to become a reality, say researchers. Scientists at Boston University and ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories in Kyoto, Japan, believe that in the future learning a new skill might involve nothing more than sitting in front of a computer screen and waiting for it to 'upload'. They have been studying how a functional magnetic resonance machine (FMRI) can 'induce' knowledge in someone through their visual cortex by sending signals that change their brain activity pattern. This process is called Decoded Neurofeedback, or 'DecNef'. No medication is needed and the subject doesn't even have to be awake, he or she simply has their brain activity changed to a 'target' pattern, which could be anything from that of a star footballer to a master chess player. << MORE >>

The first time I read Robert A. Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land" there was a lot I didn't quite "grok"; yet something in me whispered, "This is not science fiction". Heinlein's main character, Valentine Michael Smith, is the son of the first astronauts who explore Mars. Smith is an orphaned human raised in Martian culture who learns how to have full control over his mind and body. Through circumstances, the protagonist finds himself on Earth. He is attacked by US government agents and in self defense sends the agents into a fourth dimension. During the course of the novel he continues to demonstrate psychic abilities, superhuman intelligence and psychokinetic abilities. While reading, I continuously thought this is do-able and wondered how can we learn to do this? << MORE >>

"Time" is the most used noun in the English language, yet it remains a mystery. We've just completed an amazingly intense and rewarding multidisciplinary conference on the nature of time, and my brain is swimming with ideas and new questions. Rather than trying a summary, here's my stab at a top ten list partly inspired by our discussions: the things everyone should know about time. 1. Time exists. Might as well get this common question out of the way. Of course time exists — otherwise how would we set our alarm clocks? Time organizes the universe into an ordered series of moments, and thank goodness; what a mess it would be if reality were complete different from moment to moment. The real question is whether or not time is fundamental, or perhaps emergent. We used to think that "temperature" was a basic category of nature, but now we know it emerges from the motion of atoms. When it comes to whether time is fundamental, the answer is: nobody knows. My bet is "yes," but we'll need to understand quantum gravity much better before we can say for sure. << MORE >>

A timeline of the most popular predictions: 2012 - 2259

2012: COMPUTER ON A CHIP "The high-end microprocessor of 2020 will be an entire computer on a single chip: processor and main memory versus the many processor chips and DRAM chips of today."

2013: ELECTRONIC INK "Electronic ink becomes as flexible and thin as paper. A new print revolution starts."

2019: ONLINE SCIENCE "Scientific publishing will move away from the current journal-and-conference model to a model that takes better advantage of online tools."

2019: UNIVERSAL MEDICAL DATABASE "Your entire medical history from birth till death will be collectively combined in one universal system and available to all your different doctors."

2022: HALO OF DATA "Personalized descriptions of what and who is around you will be available at the push of a button on your smartphone, and also by default. A 'halo of data' will constantly accompany you. This represents the next step beyond augmented reality."

2023: CURING CANCER "By 2020, the most common forms of cancer will be treated with a personalized therapy based on genetic sequencing. A patient's therapy will be retargeted every six months as a result of resequencing the cancer to track its inevitable evolution."

2024: PRACTICAL ROBOT CARS "By 2018, freeway car pool lanes will be opened to robot-driven cars."

2026: PROGRAMMABLE ORGANISMS "By 2030, reprogrammable tissue and organismal development will arrive. Scientists will design a life on a computer and print it out in a laboratory."

2031: FULL LIFE RECORDING "Most people will own and use a Personal Life Recorder which will store full video and audio of their daily lives. This will be a fully searchable archive that will radically augment a person's effective memory."

2039: DIGITAL 'LIFE' AND EVOLUTION "Systems grow so complex that new computer viruses spontaneously evolve from stray bits of code and transcription errors."

2056: CASH IS OUTLAWED "Cash will become illegal, replaced with electric currency."

2058: CYBERNETIC INTELLIGENCE "Enhanced intelligence will be available to most people through a combination of nanotechnology and embedded processors."

2060: FLYING CARS "By 2040, more people will use personal air vehicles for their daily commute than cars."

2063: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE "A computer program is created that has all the features of human intelligence, including emotion, creativity, the ability to learn and self-awareness."

2114: MEMORY BACKUP "Human memory backup system: the whole brain can be synced to the cloud. Humans can restore and backup their memories to the system. The system can even restore memories into a new body after end of the original owner's life."

2259: COLLECTIVE LEARNING "Old knowledge will not have to be learned; only new knowledge will need to be created. Learning will become obsolete. All known knowledge will be contained on a supercomputer. Individuals can download all known knowledge pertaining to any subject directly to the brain."

By Thomas Lin and Jonathan Huang / Source: NY Times

Brain games will make you smarter! The internet is making you dumber! Alcohol is killing your brain cells! The brain is a mystery we've been trying to solve for ages, and the desire to unlock its secrets has led to vast amounts of misinformation. Many of these false notions are more widely believed than the truth. We took our healthy skepticism and a bunch of brain research to find the truth behind some of the most common myths about intelligence and our brains. Here's what we learned. << MORE >>