I came across this today on the Casey Daily Dispatch. It confirms what you may have already suspected. that you are truly amazing. You can sign up for their free newsletter here. I get nothing from this as there is no commision payable here. it’s just good solid information.

If you ever felt inadequate when faced with the latest technology well, you can relax because your brain is still at least ten times faster than the worlds best super computer…and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

Round One of The Fight of the Millennium

Wetware is a term applied to biologically based information processors. There aren’t any commercial devices of this sort on the market – you can’t go and pick one up at Best Buy – yet the world has a couple trillion of them running around. We’re talking about brains, the amazing computers that power every animal on the planet.  

And, of course, as evidenced by the fact that this article is both written and being read, we know there is no more advanced piece of wetware walking the earth than the human brain. But even calling the brain by such a term implies that it is some kind of supercomputer whose components can be analyzed as you would your Mac… and that an understanding of the interplay of hard- and software on our desktops allows us to model that most mysterious of organs.

But is what’s inside our heads really comparable to product offerings from Apple, Intel, and Microsoft?

Well, actually, in some ways it is.

After all, both are electrical at their core, and both are based on binary logic. But when it comes to relative computing power, there is simply no contest.

The building block of electronic computers is the logic gate, through which all information processing flows. It takes two or more input impulses and translates them into an output impulse according to the simple on/off, zeroes and ones, true/false binary structure with which most everyone is at least vaguely familiar.

Two simple ones are AND gates and OR gates, which schematically look like this:

(If you’d prefer to see a logic gate in action, here’s an entertaining video that uses dominoes to demonstrate the principle.)

Traditionally, the logic gate employs transistors. Sure, there are other options, such as optical and molecular. And out on the fringe, researchers are tinkering with crazy ideas like spintronics and quantum gates.

But for now we mostly have transistors, with the binary nature of their output determined by whether the current passing through them is “strong” or “weak.” The number of them that can be embedded in a computer chip has grown exponentially for the past half-century, more or less in accordance with “Moore’s Law.” This most famous law of information technology states that the number of transistors on a chip will double about every two years, for the same unit cost. Thus, in 1971, we could fit only 2,300 transistors on a chip. In 2011, we can squeeze in something like 2.3 billion.

That’s a lot of decision-making logic gates, and it puts an enormous amount of computing power at our fingertips.

By contrast, our brains must seem puny. Right? 

In fact, that is far from the case. We may not be able to solve advanced math problems in our heads in microseconds, but that doesn’t mean we don’t each own our personal advanced supercomputer. We’re just tuned for very different tasks than your average computer, which doesn’t have to find food or watch out for predators.

The human brain is truly unique. To begin understanding its complexity, you have to look at it on the cellular level.

Although this certainly isn’t the whole story, the brain can be broken down very roughly into two different kinds of cells, neurons and glial cells. Neurons do the heavy lifting, i.e., they conduct electrical impulses. Glial cells do not; they’re the sidekicks to the big guys, irreplaceable yet usually uncredited. They surround neurons and provide support for them and insulation between them (i.e., prevent crossed wires). Bidirectional communication exists between glial cells and neurons, and between glial cells and vascular cells. Until recently, it was believed that the number of glial cells outnumbered neurons by 5-10 times, but the latest research indicates that their numbers are actually approximately equal.

The staggering thing is how many of these cells there are. Exactly how many, no one knows. There are just too many, and they are just too small, to actually count. There are only really rough ballpark guesses. If you search the data, you will find estimates ranging from 50 billion to a trillion, with 100 billion a nice round number that a lot of people tend to agree on.

A 2009 article in the Journal of Comparative Neurology attempts to pin it down more precisely and comes up with a similar figure: “… despite the widespread quotes that the human brain contains 100 billion neurons and ten times more glial cells, the absolute number of neurons and glial cells in the human brain remains unknown. Here we determine these numbers by using the isotropic fractionator and compare them with the expected values for a human-sized primate. We find that the adult male human brain contains on average 86.1 ± 8.1 billion NeuN-positive cells (‘neurons’) and 84.6 ± 9.8 billion NeuN-negative (‘nonneuronal’ or glial) cells.” (An isotropic fractionator is a technique for breaking down highly complex brain structures into just their nuclei, making them easier to count in a lab.)

Of the neurons, there seems to be a fairly general agreement that about 22 billion of them reside in the cerebral cortex alone, the 2- to 4-millimeter-thick layer on the outer region of the mammalian brain often dubbed “gray matter” after its appearance once preserved. The rest of the mass of the brain appears to be mostly made up of wiring in the form of axons to connect the brain’s specifically programmed regions to each other and the rest of the nervous system.

Whatever the case, it might be tempting to see a neuron as the functional equivalent of the computer’s transistor. That, however, would be an error. It’s way more complicated than that.

This, highly simplified, is what a garden-variety neuron looks like:

Every neuron has an axon (usually only one). The axon is an “output” fiber that sends impulses to other neurons. Each neuron also has a proliferation of dendrites – short, hair-like “input” fibers that receive impulses from adjacent neurons. When a dendrite is stimulated in a particular way, the neuron to which it is attached suddenly changes its electrical polarity and may fire, sending a signal out along its single axon where it may be picked up by the dendrites of other neurons.

The connections are made via synapses - conductive links between abutting neurons. The links are formed at narrow spaces between the sending and receiving neurons, known as gap junctions. One gap junction channel is composed of two connexons (or hemichannels), each of which is made up of six connexins that can move together to open and close the connexon, as pictured below. It’s much like a camera’s iris. The two connexons bond across the intercellular space, allowing electrical or chemical signals to pass from one cell to another.

The brain features both chemical and electrical synapses, with the latter most often used to trigger actions that require a quick response time, as in the “fight or flight” reflex. Electrical synapses, like the one above, are characterized by a microscopic gap junction, 2-4 nanometers, as you can see. Chemical synapses’ gaps are still tiny, but about 10 times larger.

These things are fast. Signals are transmitted across a chemical synapse in about 2 milliseconds (ms), and an electrical synapse in about 0.2 ms.

But the real eye-opener is how many there are. Babies are born with about 2,500 synapses in an average neuron. By the time the adult human brain is fully formed, that number has ballooned to 10-15,000.

Synapses are the true closest analogue to transistors. They are similarly binary, open or closed, letting a signal pass through or blocking it. So our biocomputer has – taking a median estimate of 12,500 synapses/neuron, and taking the consensus estimate of 22 billion cortical neurons – something on the order of 275 trillion transistors. In other words, our cerebral cortex alone contains the implied equivalent of about 120,000 of our most advanced chips.

As to processor speed, let’s assume a very conservative average firing rate for a neuron of 200 times per second. If the signal is passed to 12,500 synapses, then 22 billion neurons are capable of performing 55 petaflops (a petaflop = one quadrillion calculations) per second.

The world’s fastest supercomputer, a monster from Japan unveiled by Fujitsu at a conference this past June, has a configuration of 864 racks, comprising a total of 88,128 interconnected CPUs. It tested out at 8 petaflops (which only five months later was upped to 10.51 petaflops). Our brains are nearly five times faster.

But that’s not even half the story. Unlike transistors locked into place on their silicon wafers, synaptic connections can and do move over time, creating an ever-shifting environment where the possible hookups are, for all practical purposes, limitless. Furthermore, there are another 78 billion neurons, give or take, outside of the cortex, hard at work on other complex functions.

The wiring complexity of our brains alone means that in the crude terms we understand computers today, our brains are much more complex than anything we’ve built, and still faster than even the most expensive supercomputer ever built.   

On top of that, we are only beginning to understand the complexity of that wiring. Instead of one-to-one connections, some theorists postulate that there are potentially thousands of different types of inter-neuronal connections, upping the ante. Moreover, recent evidence points to the idea that there is actually subcellular computing going on within neurons, moving our brains from the paradigm of a single computer to something more like a self-contained Internet, with billions of simpler nodes all working together in a massive parallel network. All of this may mean that the types of computing we are capable of are only just being dreamt of by computer scientists. 

Will our electronic creations ever exceed our innate capabilities? Almost certainly. Futurist Ray Kurzweil predicts that there will be cheap computers with the same capabilities as the brain by 2023. To us, that seems incredibly unlikely. But on a slightly longer time frame, given the exponential advances of the field, it is quite possible that there are humans alive today who will live to see the day. 

The main stumbling block right now is that, as ever more powerful computers are built, there is a concurrent expansion of power, management, and structural issues. But the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is putting its money on the line, betting that the problems can be overcome. And soon.

In late 2010, DARPA awarded the first grants to firms it wants to build so-called exascale computers, i.e., machines capable of performing a quintillion computations per second. DARPA expects the first prototypes to be working by 2018.

At that point, they’ll be faster than us, but the software will still be far behind. But even there things march forward rapidly, with advances in artificial intelligence. 

For the moment, at least, wetware reigns supreme.

Yet, instead of being built from exotic materials, involving hundreds of engineers, and plugging into a worldwide electrical grid, our brain both builds and powers itself with cheeseburgers and blueberries. And then uses what’s left over to help us dream up machines that may one day be as smart as we are.

NLP is…?

• Tags NLP is Transforming nlp nlp nlp courses nlp practitioner nlp trainer nlp training

Many people associate NLP with manipulation.And they are right !

NLP IS about manipulation.

NLP is about getting the results that you want from life without having to feel like you need to apologise for being successful.

There !

I’ve said it. I have finally come out and told the truth instead of pussyfooting around.

If you’re going to play any other game would you play to lose ? Hell no ! And why should you.

Do you want the athletes and sports teams that you support to win ? Probably…And that’s why you follow them and support them. Because their winning inspires you.

NLP is about getting what you want from life and doing it in a winning way, as opposed to a whining way.

Let’s be straight here. If you want to play the game of life in a half hearted way that’s fine. Just stop pretending that you “want to be successful”.

People who want success go for it.

Before we go any further let me define “manipulation“.

Manipulation is derived from the Latin word “manus” which means hand, fist or team. How I interpret this, is that Manipulation is taking a hand in creating teams or circumstances that increase your chances of being successful.

If you are doing something different than arranging your life to be successful there is medication and therapy available.

For those that are actively pursuing the good things in life for you, your family and those you care about…there is NLP

NLP courses.org

animoto_video2.mp4 Watch on Posterous

What a powerful and evocative word. Images of wickedness and unbridled lust. Fornication, even.

Jezebel you have got So much to answer for.

you gotta love it. You really do…

The way that your mind can conjure up all those states, emotions and reactions to mere groups of symbols and spaces.

So what else could YOU do with that sort of ability.

Imagine how useful this ability is for you to do useful things with your mind.

There is so much more to life than mere reaction…(Despite what governments say…)

What would you rather be doing with YOUR brain ?

Few people realise the importance of communication skills training. Many of you live your life believing that the fact that you can all speak the language of the land you live in constitutes having communication skills. For those of you who have ambitions beyond being Mr Average, or the guy next door, this is your lucky day.

Good communication skills comes from study followed by a diligent and persistent practice. I am not going to kid you that this is like the red pill you take in the matrix and all of a sudden you have supernatural powers. Life just isn’t like that. If you want something in life that is different, if you want something that is better and above and beyond what you’ve got now, you have to do something different.

You may have heard, it is not what you know it’s who you know. Though this is, in my experience true, there is also a common misconception that many people have. That misconception is that you have to know the rich and famous to become rich and famous. Not true. To become rich and famous or even just slightly popular, all you have to do is to be able to communicate the value you will deliver to people, in a clear and concise manner.

That value can take many forms. The value you provide can be anything from a great product or great service to simply being a great employee. Research shows that the more you give the more you get. So hopefully you are beginning to see that there are benefits in communicating your value to the world to others. And hopefully you can also see that the better you are at communicating that value, the more you are going to get back. For it is written, as “As ye sow,so shall ye reap.”

There are other benefits to having excellent communication. Not least amongst these, is the fact that you spend less time fighting for your corner and defending your territory. Because your relationships are more harmonious with others, it means that you will be more relaxed.

Research has shown that when you are relaxed you not only live a longer life, you also live a happier life. Unless you are some sort of a hermit you’re going to end up being more popular and being perceived as a trusted, go to guy or gal.

Even if you are a hermit, with your improved communication skills you will be better able to commune with nature and the birds and bees. And with your self too.

Think about it.

Communication skills training goes way beyond what you say and do with others. Good communication skills training should also show you how to communicate effectively and clearly with yourself.

This can be demonstrated through an NLP exercise known as the pointing exercise. We use this exercise or activity at the start of every training, every public presentation and every consultation. But we do why do we do this?

The exercise involves telling participants to hold out their left arm and then to twist round so that their arm points at a place in the room behind them. “But only until things get tight. We don’t want them to do anything that may compromise their safety.”

They are then asked to look along their arm and to take a “mental picture” of where they are looking at.

Next, participants are invited to close their eyes and to imagine them self going round further. They are asked to imagine what else they will see when they look along their arm. What will be new? What will they feel in their new and more supple body? What will they hear other people saying about their wonderful new flexibility? And what will they say to them self?

By suggesting how much further people can twist their body round, something remarkable happens. When they are asked to twist round a second time the majority of people, regardless of age or gender can twist a further metre. ( Approximately 1 yard )

The reason is quite simple.

The pointing exercise demonstrates in a graphic and kinaesthetic format how the mind and the body of one system. By altering what you say yourself and how you say it to yourself you can get radically improved results.

I would invite you try this out for yourself. Just remember to only go round until it gets tight.

Once you become aware of this it is easier for you to be mindful about how you talk yourself and also to gain more control over the results that you are getting in life.

This isn’t some woo woo, way out, flaky hippie theory.

This is based on solid scientific research that has been carried out the last century and goes right back to the father modern psychology William James.

William James talks about this stuff in his 1896 book “Psychology” volumes one and two.

You know that there are things you can do, today right now, to start to get the life you really want. You may not believe me. That is okay.

What is important is that you have the courage to go beyond whatever is holding you in your current state. Remember it’s all just an idea in your head. Perhaps you are neither unhappy or dissatisfied. That is really great

Does that mean that you can’t imagine your life being any better, on any level, in any aspect at all? Unless you gave a clear and unequivocal yes to the last question there may be something here for you to learn, as well.

As the British SAS say, “Who dares wins!”

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6184076

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6184076

Many people confuse assertive communication with being right. They focus on winning instead of focusing on the result that they really want to achieve. As a result of this people don’t listen to what is being said. The result of this is that they do not understand what the other person is trying to communicate to them. This is precisely where the whole conversation starts to break down.

From a very early at each we are taught that it is wrong to cooperate. What do I mean by that? When you go to school you are taught don’t copy Johnny or Susie’s work. You are taught that sharing resources and ideas is somehow cheating. You are taught that this is bad. I’m not one  hundred percent sure what the psychological effect of this mindset is on a young brain but I suspect it is not good. The reason we look over their shoulder of other people is because we want to learn.

I believe that at a deep level this sets up divisions on an emotional and psychological level. We are also taught that you have an inherent rights to not share that which is important to you. This comes from beliefs about scarcity and lack. Scarcity and lack set the ground for conflict and the need for assertiveness comes out of a belief that there is in fact a conflict.

Scarcity, lack and conflict are all just the need for assertive communication is just a belief in our society. We are taught that children must be trained. We are not taught that children must be guided towards being able to make better decisions.

A belief in scarcity and lack lead to resentment and insecurity. People don’t feel good about themselves and they go into fight or flight responses. Both the fight and the flight response are defensive and at the end of the day what are you defending? On many levels you are merely defending your ego. Your position. Your view.

Why do you want to go through all of the rollercoaster emotions involved in using assertive communication? Is there a degree of addiction to being right?

These are radical ideas. My views do not set into those of the establishment. I believe we are taught from an early age how to not cooperate with one another beyond what is absolutely necessary to sustain life. I also believe we are taught, subtly how to be in conflict with one another.

Before you reach for your arsenal of assertive communication skills stop for a moment and consider this.

What is the outcome but I want to get from this conversation, this interaction, this dialogue and how can I do this most easily? How can I not only get this result for myself but also for the other person?

By operating from this win-win mindset not only do we both get what we want. Neither of us has to feel resentment, or plan revenge at the earliest opportunity.

Try out this new mindset. By doing so you’ll be amazed at the results that you are going to get.