Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Random tidbits from the mind blogsphere 2-13-07

  • Check out the BPS Research Digest for a summary of the story, which has been making the rounds in the papers and blogs, re: recent research that suggests that pulling "all-nighters" is NOT a wise test study strategy.
  • The Eide Neurolearning blog has an interesting post on "thinking about thinking" (metacognition)
  • Thanks to Lifehacker for the tip regarding an improved means by which to search Wikipedia....WikiSeek





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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Kevin,
As an intellectual, I am interested in many aspects of logic as well as the application to help those impacted by brain injury. I am a traumatic brain injury survivor. Throughout my lifetime, I have taught myself how to overcome many insurmountable odds. These strategies have helped me to prosper and succeed. In the last week I decided to start a blog at secondchancetolive.wordpress.com. The focus of my blog is to encourage, motivate and empower individuals who may have lost hope due to circumstances or events that are out of their control. As a traumatic brain injury survivor, I share from my experience, strength and hope. Second Chance to Live will help both families and individuals impacted by traumatic brain injury to cope, one day at a time.

Per my traumatic brain injury, at the age of 10, I was in a motor vehicle accident. Upon impact -- the Cadillac hitting our VW Beetle -- I was thrown forward from where I sat, behind my father who was driving. On my way forward, I snapped my left femur on my Dad's bucket seat and then hit the windshield. When my head hit the windshield, I sustained an open skull fracture. The injury to my brain resulted in my remaining in a coma for 3 weeks. Upon waking from what I thought was a bad dream, I found my left leg elevated and in traction. Slowly, it became apparent that I was not merely in a bad dream. Although I am unable to remember much from that time in my life, one memory stands out. The right side of my forehead -- where the fracture occurred -- was depressed inward like a shallow bowl. I later learned that my right frontal lobe had been damaged, I sustained a severe brain contusion, and there had been some injury to my brain stem, as a result of my brain being jostled inside my skull at the time of the accident.

In 1967 neurological rehabilitation was not available. As a result, I was virtually on my own. I had to re-teach myself how to walk, talk, read, write and speak in complete sentences. Although my injuries were life threatening and I was not expected to succeed beyond high school, I went on to obtain both my undergraduate and graduate degrees. I have learned that daunting pessimism and negativity is pointless. My hope is that through visiting my blog, those individuals who may have lost hope will see a new light. This light will in turn guide them to a renewed hope, an array of possibilities, and a new zest for living.

Please consider adding my blog to your site and directing individuals and their families to my blog.

Thanks so much and have a great day.

Kevin McGrew said...

Dear tenacious..thanks for the lengthy personal post. I plan to visit your site within the week and will then likely provide an FYI note to the readers of both my blogs...and will likely add you to my blogroll.
Thanks for bringing your blog to my attention. I look forward to reading your initial efforts. Also..don't get frustrated. Developing a blog readership takes time and diligence and simply pounding away with good material that people trust.

Kevin