As many (about 2) of you might know, my favorite instrument is the piano. I am just now learning how to play it (and get UC credits for it - whoo!) but I've always found it the most relaxing of music. My favorite music genre is a whole other story, but when it comes to studying (which is what my life as a student consists of aside from the occasional party and date with the girlfriend), I put my noise-cancelling headphones in with my coffee in hand (growing quite fond of Pike Roast at Starbucks), and put a bunch of piano covers on shuffle. Today, I made an interesting revelation however - as I was doing my Multi-variable Calculus homework (arguably the easiest of the 3 Calculus'), I realized I couldn't do a problem as I was getting my table all set-up and good to go. However, 5 minutes later, with my headphones in I was able to zone in and solve the problem in about a minute.
Unfortunately, I can't listen to my iPod during tests, so I fear my dependency on the piano to aid in calming me down and zoning me in won't be working when it actually matters, but this is a useful skill for say, when I'm programming and want to make something actually usable/decent/fun/useful.
In other news, I promised a few updates on some of the different things I've been experimenting with. I have been testing the Complete Guide to Genius and I really can't confirm anything yet.
What I will say is this - my studying has improved slightly over the past week, and I will definitely say this is because of this e-book. The only thing I will say is I can't tell if it's a psychological effect or not. Again, however, if my studying improved (I got a 95% on my first Calc. test of the semester with no sweat - and I showed up 10 minutes late!). I didn't take an IQ test - I am still skeptical on that. So I'll stay with the schedule and update as I see more significant (or no) changes in my life. Note: The brain harmonics are pretty great though - I focus on whatever I'm doing so well while I listen to it, that I'm not even aware of anything else going on but my simple homework, work, etc.
Speed Reading
I DL'd a free program, but am considering the highly appraised 7-speed-reading program. However, until I find a significant need, I probably won't get it. The program I got, which is called Speed Reader X, has tested me quite a fair it and so far, I've increased over the past week from my initial (404 wpm @ 70% comprehension) to 440 wpm @ 74% comprehension.
Not bad for a week, if I may say so myself.
p90x
I'm starting up this Saturday, which is when I'm "officially" in the clear according to my doctor to start working out again.
Pimsleur German
I'm learning German using the Pimsleur Approach (day 7 so far), and I must say it's remarkable. I must have learned 50 words so far in a span of maybe 3 hours. But the thing is, I memorized and learned them with very little effort. I know how to use them in complete sentences, and I can recognize them in faster speech. I highly recommend the Pimsleur Approach for any language.
Vocabulary Building
A few weeks ago I took a sample GRE test and realized my vocabulary is tiny. Maybe it's because I'm more math-based, maybe it's because I'm not an avid reader. It doesn't really matter. What matters is that it sucks, and I scored terribly low. Since then I picked up using these audios from WordMaster (free DL) and I listen to them as I go to sleep. 5 new words a night, over the span of my life, and my vocabulary will be fantastic. It works. They do a really good job.
Poker
I'm a huge poker player, but unfortunately most online poker sites got closed, and locals are hard to find in my neck of the woods. However, I constantly read books about Poker, Statistics, and the psychology behind poker. I try to watch as much WSOP as I can, and I also try to watch as many videos as I can get my hands on - Michael Caro's Poker Tells video is a fantastic one. Anyways, if you want resources, I can hook it up - or if you have any you'd like to pitch, throw them my way! :)
Programming
First, I'm sorry this is kind of cluttered. But, I'm going to get a little honest here. If I were to say I'm a good programmer, I'd be a liar. So what am I doing to fix that? Practicing with the skills I've got and honing those first, before jumping to other languages. I will admit I'm learning C, but I'm not learning C because it's necessarily better than DM - I'm learning it for a class. What I am doing is consistently challenging my knowledge of DM and creating more proof-of-concept, or even mini-applications by myself to see what I know how to do. Helping IainPeregrine with Casual Quest showed me a great way to modularize in OO-programming. I'm extremely thankful for that, and am trying all I can to get better and better. But that's just it - it requires practice, patience, and dedication, and not many BYONDers have that. Slow down, because you need to.
That said, I'm honing my web design as well and taking a turn at a website with a fellow design student I graduated high school with (and hopefully Calus CoRPS if he ever responds). I'm not sure when production will end, but I will say that I'm excited for testing the limits of all our abilities in a productive way. If it does get finished, if any of you would like to beta test the site, I'll send out a calling list later in time.
That's all for now, folks. I'm sorry I fragment my trains of thought, but there are so many. If you have ideas for me, want me to look into something, or even have any questions about how I approach my studying (which I will say is pretty damn effective with full confidence) than feel free to ask me at anytime.
Good luck to you all. Oh, and a CQ blogpost should be up shortly for you, ACWraith. ;)