Saturday 28 April 2018

Fix Your Bad English

Don't let anything stop your growth, this tree did not.

Hi. James, from EngVid. Today's video is on, well, "The Book of Bad English".
There are mistakes that native speakers make that ESL people pick up -- and "ESL"
is "English as a Second Language". People learning English, they pick up because native speakers
don't even know they're making this mistake. So I want to teach you six common ones
that come regularly or happen regularly in conversation. And I want you to learn them and make your English perfect. Let's go to the board. Now, let's start with No. 1, one of my favorite ones: "amount" and "number". "Amount" is, sort of, like, "how much". A "number" is, you know, "thing". When we look at "amount", you can think of you can't count it, all right? A lot of times, when we say "amount" -- like, "I have a large amount of water in my house" -- you can't count water.
But you can count a number, so: "The number of people who come to the city is in the thousands", so you can count them. Here's an example. Tell me if this is right or wrong. "The amount of students who are late is growing every day" or "the number of students who are late is growing every day." You should say "number" because you can count students. You can't count amount. That rhymes. Maybe that'll help, right? You can't count amount. You can't count amount. So when we want to talk about a number of something or a body of something, "amount" is for things you cannot count,
and "number" is for things you can count. English people make this mistake a lot.

Next: "among" and "between". When I used to teach "among" and "between", I would say, "'Among' is 'with'. So there're five chairs, and you're 'with' another. And 'between' is you're in the middle." That's it. Because I was so smart. And then I found out it's just this: two. More than two. That's it. Nothing special. When you talk about "between", except -- and this is a major exception –
- when you're talking about differences. Differences you have to use "between".
But generally speaking, "among" is more than two. "I was sitting among my friends at the bar."
You can know there're probably four or five, not two. But "let's keep this between you and me"?
A lot of times, Canadians say, "Let's keep this among us." And it's like, "Among who?"
"The rest of those guys, you know. The Americans. They don't need to know this." Okay.
So "between us" -- usually two, right? It could be two groups. "There was a fight between this country and that country." Right? Because it's two groups. But "among" is for more than two, cool? All right. So "among" -- more than two; "between" -- two. What about "bring" and "take"?
This is something that a lot of students make a mistake on. So you say, "Bring this to me" or "take this to him." It's very easy. "Bring" is "to the speaker", okay? And "take" is "away from the speaker". Now, if you're born in England, that's easy because they always talk about "I want takeaway." Takeaway. Because they take the food away from the restaurant, right? So one of my favorite sayings that we say in England -- not England -- that we say here is, like -- watch every space movie: "Take me to your leader." You'll never see a space movie, unless it's made by me -- and it would say, "Bring me to your leader." We don't do that. You say, "Take them to the leader" because
you're taking them away from this spot where the speaker is to a new location or spot.
So "take" and "bring" are easy because it's "bring -- come towards". Here's a mistake –
- not Canadians -- English speakers make that you should be aware of. They'll say something like, "Don't forget to bring your bag with you" instead of, "Don't forget to take your bag."
Do you know what the difference is? Well, you're leaving, right? So you need to take it away. Remember I said "away from"? Take the bag away from you. When you say, "Bring the bag
with you", the speaker's speaking, you're still moving away from the speaker, right? So you've got to use this. But Canadians and Americans and Brits say it a lot. They'll say, "Bring it with you." No. "Take" it with you. You know the difference now because you're smart. And you're studying
from The Book of Bad English. Good for you. There's a worm in that book. Watch it. Okay.
"Fewer" or "less". I'm going to make a statement, and think which one is correct.
‘'Fewer' than a million people have watched the videos on EngVid. 'Less' than a million people have watched the videos on EngVid." Which one would be correct? Yeah. If you said "less than", no. "Less" is similar to "amount". You say "fewer" for things you can count.
You can TCR software and engineering manuals for spontaneously recall – or pass that exam.
I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube  
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube


To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.

Wednesday 25 April 2018

Of Pre-Med Schedules and the Possibility of Finishing Your Work Before Dinner

Brown frill fungus.

Of Pre-Med Schedules and the Possibility of Finishing Your Work Before Dinner
The Plight of the Pre-Med

Of all Study Hack readers, pre-meds are among the most skeptical.
They tell me that although they like my philosophy of doing a small number of things well,
this is impossible for them. Their course load is too demanding.
Filling most waking hours with work is unavoidable.
Then there’s Nathan.
Nathan is pre-med at the University of Texas at Austin,
where he’s currently tackling the weed out courses that give this major it’s bad reputation.
Here’s what makes Nathan interesting to me: he finishes his work by 5:30 pm every weekday.
In fact, he doesn’t just finish it, he dominates it.
“On the last chemistry test, the average score was a 57,” he told me recently.
“I made a 98…My professors are fascinated by me.”
Naturally, I asked him to share a typical day’s schedule:
6:00 to 6:30: Breakfast/Shower
6:30 to 9:30: Study
9:30 to 10:20: Class
10:30 to 11:30: Study
11:30 to 12:30: Lunch
12:30 to 1:30: Class
1:30 to 2:30: Class
2:30 to 5:30: Study
5:30 to 11:00: Chill by meeting girls, explore the rolling hills and lakes of Austin,
listen to live music, etc.
Here are two things I noticed about Nathan:
First, he’s not necessarily working less than his peers. His schedule includes 40 hours of studying
per week, which is about right for his course load. He simply consolidates this work better.
“But he wakes up at 6,” you might complain, “I could never do that.”
Nathan’s out chasing girls before most students have even started their work for the day.
Fair trade, if you ask me.
The second thing I noticed is that he’s obsessive about focus. He doesn’t just “study,”
he works on the 7th floor of the engineering library: one of the most isolated spots on campus.
He works in 50 minutes chunks, and does 10 minutes of calisthenics,
right there on the library floor, between every chunk. In three hours of this focused studying,
he probably accomplishes more work than most pre-meds do in ten.
I don’t claim that Nathan represents a specific system that all pre-med students should follow.
To me, he’s just a nice example of a more fundamental observation: the happiest students are those who take control of their academic experience, moulding it to fit their own ideal of a life well-lived.

http://calnewport.com/blog/category/tips-time-management-scheduling-productivity/
You can TCR music, poetry or self development material for internal knowing.

I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube  
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube


To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”

Sunday 22 April 2018

The brain-changing benefits of exercise | Wendy Suzuki

Meadow Crane's bill


What's the most transformative thing that you can do for your brain today?
Exercise! says neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki.
Get inspired to go to the gym as Suzuki discusses the science
of how working out boosts your mood and memory –
- and protects your brain against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

You can TCR specialist and language dictionaries that are spontaneously accessed.
I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube  
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube


To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”   

Thursday 19 April 2018

7 science-backed tips for reading faster and retaining more

Marigold.
7 science-backed tips for reading faster and retaining more
Caitlin Schiller, Blinkist

Books: some of the world’s best discoveries are contained within them,
and new ideas spark to life as we plumb their pages.
But as modern readers, it’s hard to find time to spend in their company.
Adding to that is the fact that, even when we do find the time,
it’s not always a given that we’ll retain what we’ve read.
But what if we could? Would you feel more confident at work? Would you start a new project? Would you be able to go through your day more smoothly, feeling more assured?
Would you go on Jeopardy and win?
At Blinkist, we discovered the formula for deep, meaningful reading four years and 1,500 books ago. Today, we’re going to share it with you. So grab a piece of paper and a pencil, tune in,
in get ready to rediscover how to read with our 7 science-backed steps.

1. Find a personal angle
In "Brain-Based Learning," Eric Jensen notes that for our brains to truly learn something,
that something needs to have meaning.
The thing about meaning is that it’s best conferred by giving the topic personal relevance.
What do you think you’d remember better? Someone tells you a forest in China is on fire,
or that the field near your childhood home burst into flame? Jensen’s research concluded that you’re more likely to remember the flaming field in your hometown.
This is so because relevance evokes emotions, and new knowledge sticks best
when it’s attached to something familiar — bonus if it’s on fire.
Use the science:
Get motivated!
Find out why the content is personal and relevant to you with the help of these 3 questions:
What do you want to learn from this piece of content?
How might it change you life for the better?
What kind of people should read it in general, and why are you one of them?

2. Get a bird’s eye view
"How to Read a Book" by Mortimer Adler & Charles Van Doren was one of the very first manuals
on the subject. In it, they tout a preliminary skim called inspectional reading.
This entails sampling pages throughout the book, but listening for the "pulsebeat"—or the central theme. The pulsebeat is the core of the book's vitality, and it's also your key to retaining more.
Learning theory pioneer Leslie Hart found that, contrary to what many educators believe,
presenting information in fragments doesn’t actually make learning more manageable.
Getting the basic outline of a concept, however, can.
While it’s true that the brain simultaneously perceives parts and wholes,
without any idea of what the whole should look like, the brain can’t assemble it
from the disembodied parts that make up a concept.
Once it has a lay of the land from 1,000 feet, the brain can correctly place
and interrelate all of the hills and meandering rivers of new insight and knowledge.
Use the science
Spend 20 minutes skimming the book or reading online summaries with the goal of finding out
1) what the book is about and
2) the main takeaway. You’ll read more efficiently and retain knowledge better with this broad view.
3. Drum up curiosity
When presented with new concepts, it’s our own curiosity that awakens an attitude of awe
—which is great, because that awe primes our brains to learn.
“There’s this basic circuit in the brain that energizes people to go out and get things that are intrinsically rewarding,” Ranganath explains. This circuit lights up when we get money, or candy.
It also lights up when we’re curious.
When the circuit is activated, our brains release a chemical called dopamine, which gives us a high. “The dopamine also seems to play a role in enhancing the connections between cells that are involved in learning.”
UC Davis Psychologist Charan Raganath conducted a study that asked volunteers
100 trivia questions on topics from Beatles discography to the origins of the word “dinosaur.”
With the help of an MRI machine, Raganath and his researchers found that when participants
felt especially curious, the brain regions regulating pleasure and reward sparkled to life.
When this circuit is activated, our brains release the hormone dopamine, which gives us a high,
and also helps enhance connections between cells involved in learning.
Raganath’s curious participants also showed increased activity in the hippocampus,
which is involved in creating memories. It follows that when they were questioned later,
these extra curious participants proved more likely to remember what they’d learned.
So what is the essence of curiosity? That gap between what you want to know 
and what you already know — what "Made to Stick" authors Chip and Dan Heath
refer to as the curiosity gap. Nature abhors a vacuum, and so do we humans,
so when we’re driven by a desire to close that breach.
That drive’s something you can use when you read.
Use the science:
Before you begin to read, craft a few good curiosity gap questions.
Check out the back of the book or a few reviews online for help:
this content is made to get you interested in the book, so it’ll lead you in the right direction.

4. Create your own structure
Researchers who studied the use of personal organization techniques like mind mapping 
have found that these tools really help with learning and retention.
They work not only because they stimulate the visual part of the brain, but also because in creating such a mind map, learners organize information based on how they have attributed relevance. Relevance, as we discovered in part one, is one of the key ingredients to retention.
Of course, books already come with structures, but they belong to the author or the editor.
Your brain, however, will have a much easier time remembering a new concept
from your reading if you devise your own structure to give it personal meaning.
Use the science:
Flip through the book you’re about to read and see what kind of structure there might be.
Identify the key points, separate them into elemental chunks and write them down,
making sure to leave plenty of space between each for your own notes.

5. Record key insights
Grab your pencil! It’s time to take some (original) notes.
In their book "Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning," Psychologists Henry L. Roediger
and Mark A. McDaniel reveal that we've been wrong about what actually constitutes the smartest techniques for learning, like highlighting.
Neither highlighting nor writing down word-for-word notes straight out of the book is effective because you aren’t creating and enforcing original neural pathways.
The good news is that your brain will take the smaller chunks of information that you write down
in your own words and connect it to knowledge you already have
— particularly if you contextualize that information by placing it in your structure.
Use the science:
In your own words, make brief notes about your main takeaways from the reading
and find the best place for these insights in the structure you’ve crafted. You’ll end up with a summary of the book in your own words, made in a way your brain best understands.

6. Review your notes
Neurons are linked by synapses to create a unique pathway describing what you’ve learned.
In much the same way that wandering pedestrians wear down informal footpaths through a park, the more often you recall a certain piece of information, 
the stronger and deeper you’re impressing its unique “footpath” in your memory.
Conversely, if the information is never recalled and reviewed, the pathway fades and disappears.
If you want to keep something you’ve learned, you’ve got to dredge it up and look at it. Often.
In Brain Based Learning, Jensen recommends reviewing material within ten minutes of learning it, then again 48 hours later, and again in seven days.
The shakier your memory, the more you’ll benefit from repeated activation of the pathway.
Use the science:
Thanks to step six, you’re already armed with your own personally relevant summary.
Read it for 10 minutes after you finish the book, then again three days later,
and keep resurrecting it for up to a month.
As you review the summary, try to remember other details related to the messages you’ve recorded. With each repetition, you’ll be blazing that trail ever more certainly into the geography of your brain
.
http://uk.businessinsider.com/7-science-backed-tips-for-reading-faster-and-retaining-more-2016-3?r=US&IR=T/#-6
You can TCR software and engineering manuals for spontaneously recall – or pass that exam.

I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube  
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube


To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.

Monday 16 April 2018

Confusing Words – affect & effect, compliment & complement, and more!

Purple vetch.

Today you're going to master words that even native speakers confuse!
You'll learn common words that you can use in academic and business situations.
Whether in conversation or in writing, if you use these words correctly, you'll sound smart.
But if you use the wrong word, you won't sound so smart. So join me and learn these words,
as well as how to use them properly. We'll look at the following sets of words: affect & effect, principle & principal, compliment & complement, moral & morale & mortal,
personal & personnel, censor & sensor & censure.

Affect vs. Effect


You can TCR music, poetry or self development material for internal knowing.
I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube 
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube


To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”