The brightest stars shine at MSO Worldwide

MSO_Admin	Tony will arrive shortly.
Tsunami	Hi Tony!
Tony_Buzan	Greetings, millennial Brain Brothers and Sisters!
MSO_Admin	Can I call on you to summarise Day One, please, Tony?
Tony_Buzan	My Day One has been primarily devoted to this event - the ongoing launch of the Century of the Brain and the Millennium of the Mind - and chatting with the Founding Signatories (Day One), all in preparation for our year-long brain initiative. In the 48-hour-long first millennial day, I also went sculling on the River Thames in red light conditions, which turned out to be unbelievably beautiful and exciting. I also spent time with my mother and Vanda North, reviewing family photographs that spanned the immediately past century and reached into the 19th Century. It gave a wonderful perspective. I also continued working on a new book dealing with the development and nurturing of the child's intelligences. In addition to these activities, I spent a lot of time with nature, thinking about the new millennium and planning for my own next century (of the Brain)! Finally, I spent time with friends, who included pilots of Concorde and supporters of the late Poet Laureate, Ted Hughes. We played with ideas for increasing the global awareness of, and participation in, musical, artistic and poetic activities. How about all of you?
Sean	Read Gregory Benford's Timescape.
Jeff	I cleaned. I threw out old checkbooks from 1991-1994. Reading the "To" fields of some of the checks reminded me of places around where I used to live 4 houses ago.
Tsunami	Cool! So we've all had a good millennium, then?
Jeff	The last part was okay.
Tsunami	I did some art work, read, and talked on phone to my girlfriend, who was in Cardiff at the millennium party there.
Jeff	Feb. 2, 2000 will be the first all even date in a long time - all the digits will be even.
MSO_Admin	Sorry about all the delays! Tony has invited questions from the floor.
Tsunami	No problem; Murphy's Law.
Book	Have you considered how the possible advances in ways of using our brain could - like the technological advancements in the 1900's - be also used for the bad - like inventions as the atomic bomb?
Tony_Buzan	Indeed I have! I take hope from the fact that the human brain is fundamentally a truth-seeking mechanism which operates on a synergetic principle; the synergetic principle indicates that the human brain adds one plus one to make more than two, and that this addition can obviously increase to infinity. Thus if the brain gets the correct operational formula, it will synergetically and positively continue to grow or increase its skills in any area. For example, if you learn to remember well, using "brain-friendly" memory techniques, your memory will continue to get better; the incremental improvements will become larger and the task of improving your memory increasingly easier. However, if your brain gets the wrong formula, it can synergetically self-destruct. For example, if a particularly fit athlete gets stuck in a swamp or quicksand and thinks that the correct formula is to struggle a lot, that athlete will not only sink; he or she will sink even more rapidly than the unfit. So it is, sadly, possible for the brain to destroy itself; I emphasise here, however, that it is only when it gets the wrong formula. If it gets the truth then it will continue to grow and develop appropriately. The fact that the race has continued to survive for over three million years without eliminating itself, and with increasing communication, wealth production and hope, suggests that intelligence, like the gyroscope, has a self-balancing mechanism and that it will not allow itself to completely eliminate itself. There will always be "rogue brains"; there will always be more "oracle brains" to contain the rogues! I believe that the proportion of oracle to rogue is increasing in favour of the oracle!
Jeff	What's a brain friendly memory technique as opposed to an unfriendly one?
Tony_Buzan	A brain-friendly memory technique is one that uses the basic principles of memory in an appropriate manner. For example, the brain remembers better if it can make associations between things, if things are outstanding or imaginitive, if things particularly appear to the senses and if there is some form of context in which these things can be placed. Mind mapping, which is a note-taking system that literally "maps" your ideas, uses associative networks, colour, dimension, location and variations in size and spacing to harmonise with the brain's own function. Linear note-taking which uses only straight lines words and numbers uses only half the cortical skills and therefore tends to make us half-witted! Linear note-taking tends to be done in only one colour - usually a blue or a black. A blue or a black, for the brain, is a monochrome, or single colour. To the brainwave brain, this mono chrome is a single tone of colour; in other words, a mono tone. Combining these two words gives us a monotone - and what common word do we use to describe something that is monotonous? BORING! What does your brain do when you are bored? Let me know the answer and let me know your conclusions now, with respect to your own question!
MSO_Admin	I'll ask a question sent in by e-mail now. George Wade asks: "It has been exciting and rewarding to have used Mindmapping for the last 5 years. Tutored by the "MindMap Book"; "Family Genius" video + iNet groups. Exercise and nutrition have helped 100 percent. Now I'd like to add NLP with DHE. Perhaps the idea of multiple intelligences is useful for many of us too, to get te most out of our MMOST work? If Dr de Bono's Think technologies are used in parallel with MindMapping there is the possibility of another leap forward."
Tony_Buzan	I am very much in favour of integrating different areas of brain research and activity. I encourage investigation of all advanced techniques for unxderstanding body and brain functioning and consider Neuro-Linguistic Programming to be a worthy pursuit. You might find the study of psycholinguistics (the study of the inter-relationship of language, brain and thought) to be also intriguing. I both support Edward de Bono's work and am already involved in educational projects, which involve his teachers and brother and my teachers and brother in global educational initiatives. I recommend particularly Edward's original books on lateral thinking and his later work on logical thinking - Six Thinking Hats. As mentioned earlier, the study and exploraiton of EEGs and biorhythms is another area that offers enormous rewards. Please do keep me posted of any of your findings and statistical results. Congratulations on your ongoing involvement and successes with Matters Brain.
Tsunami	What potential do you see in the Internet as a teaching place for your techniques?
Tony_Buzan	Limitless! The Internet is one of the prime instruments which is helping to create the Global Brain. In this metaphor, each one of us is like a brain cell that can interconnect with all the others. The mind map is a particularly appropriate thinking and communication tool, which is in itself an "internet" of thought. We have already seen mind maps being used in multiple ways in chat rooms and have experiencd the first manifestation of brain clubs being set up between people from more than seventy countries. I am currently looking for a positive word to describe the mirror image of a virus - something that positively "infects" a major organism. I believe that the Internet will allow good news (and nearly everything about the brain is good news!) to travel liiterally at the speed of light. When brains begin to pass on to each other all the information that each brain is gathering about all brains, there will be a sudden explosion of knowledge which will light the globe with the incandescence of thought, thinking about thought and realising just how astounding and infinite thought is.
Tony_Buzan	I have a question for you: I would love to hear your New Year, New Century and New Millennial Resolutions!
Tsunami	To improve my brain, that's my resolution.
Jeff	Sorry, I avoided making them.
Tony_Buzan	laughs
Jeff	My mother's is to be more "focused". She works in her home and she is trying to dedicate a block of solid time to working each day.
Tony_Buzan	Jeff, why did you avoid making them?
Jeff	Not sure. Why make resolutions at arbitrary times rather than the most useful times?
MSO_Admin	My resolution is to take more exercise.
Tony_Buzan	MSO_Admin, delighted by your resolution! Did you know that if you compare yourself unfit with yourself fit, the fitter you has a pint more blood circulating round your system and each unit volume of the fitter blood is more compact and more packed with red and white corpuscles? With each heartbeat, forty percent of your oxygen-carrying blood is pumped directly into your brain. Thus, if you are fit, every second, you get a more high-octane dose of brain fuel (oxygen) injected into each one of your million million brain cells. The Greeks and Romans had it right in their concept of mens sana in corpore sano! When your body is healthy, your brain is fed, every second of its waking and sleeping life, with much more pure energy and therefore functions far more sophisticatedly. Garry Kasparov knows this well as does the World Memory Champion Dominic O'Brien; before World Championships and Olympiad Mental Events, they both put in _hours_ of daily physical training in order to guarantee that their brains are battle-fit for the major combats in which they are about to engage. Congratulations, MSO_Admin! When you add further multiple intelligence points to your already gigantic IQ the world will benefit!
MSO_Admin	I wouldn't know about that...!
Book	No resolutions, you would feel bad for a millennium if not able to keep them!
Tony_Buzan	Many people don't make resolutions, because they feel that if they do then they will break them, basing this assumption on previous experience. This can lead to a dangerously negative synergy in thinking. In such situations, the non-resolution-maker confirms, by not making resolutions, that resolutions won't probably work anyway and diminishes the probability that they will make resolutions in the future. May I suggest you could "bite the mental bullet", make some really good resolutions about looking after and nurturing your brain and use your magnificent brain to make sure they happen?!
Book	I do these things anyway, so I don't need the resolutions :)
Tony_Buzan	laughs Book, if you do those things anyway then you already have the resolutions - well done!
MSO_Admin	What are your resolutions, please, Tony?
Tony_Buzan	I have a number: The first is to learn a new language, thus demonstrating that anyone over forty can so do! I intend to show that good conversational Spanish can be acquired within three months. Two, to become even more fit! At the moment, I am at competitive level in sculling and wish, by the end of this year, to not only be competitive but to be winning regularly! Three, for decades, I have been dreaming of composing music. In the year 2000, I will! Four, I will begin to shift my writing from the more educational to the more creative and poetic. Five, To continue to support all initiatives including the Buzan Centres, the Mind Sports Olympiad and any others that accelerate the realisation of global mental literacy. One more resolution that I have for the coming year is to accelerate my own learning and practice of advanced memory techniques in preparation for establishing Mental World Records in memory.
MSO_Admin	Do you recall your New Year's Resolutions from last year - and did you stick to them?
Tony_Buzan	Yes and yes! One was to make sure that the third Mind Sports Olympiad was successful and had financial backup. Another was to launch at least one national Olympiad, which happened in Korea. A third was to move my home, which I accomplished in July. The fourth was to enter a major rowing regatta, which I accomplished in December. The fifth was to complete the last of the fifty-five co-authored study guides for children. The sixth was to launch a mental literacy initiative in Latin America, which I did in Mexico City. Number seven was to take more time for writing, creative thinking and contemplation, which I did by organising small sabbaticals, woven into my round-the-world trips. The eighth was to help my mother get back to England to live, which my brother and I, along with friends of the family, accomplished in September. The ninth was to continue to devlop the Buzan Centres and to establish the new web site, which happened on Christmas Eve! So some of these were done in the nick of time - pun intended on Nick! The last major one was to plan the launching of the Century of the Brain and the Millennium of the Mind; the mere fact that we are now chatting together is confirmation that the last resolution has been successfully completed.
Jeff	Are there any resolutions you haven't been able to keep?
Tony_Buzan	Yes, Jeff; one year I decided to stop eating any unhealthy foods and only realised later that the resolution itself was a negative synergy that actually encouraged me to eat more of them! It was an interesting resolution with an interesting result; from it I learnt that I could not phrase my goals in negative terms. Similarly, at around the same time - we're talking here about the early '80s - I decided to lose weight. Once again, I eventually realised that this was a negative resoluition and was doomed to failure by its very nature. I adjusted it to the new goal of becoming healthy and was then successful. I have found that whenever I make a resolution, be it New Year's or at any other time, that is not in alignment with Nature or brain functioning, I am inevitably taught by the universe how to make a better resolution next time!
Book	Do you remember your resolutions in 1993?
Tony_Buzan	Yes, but why '93 and not 73?!
Book	Please, how many in 73?
Tony_Buzan	There were three main resolutions in 1973: the first was to complete my first major book, which was "Use Your Head"; the second was to complete my first major one-hour TV brain special, which was "The Enchanted Loom"; the third was to complete my first major TV series, which was the BBC "Use Your Head" series. I was in the process at that time of beginning to resolve that I would spend the bulk of my life helping to create a mentally literate planet. This resolution was forming because of my constant experience with disadvantaged children and my realisation of the fact that if they, their families, their teachers and the society around them knew what was already known about the brain and its functioning, the lives of those children would be made immeasurably more productive, satisfying and happy. Those are them!
Gnasher	I am new to all this stuff so please forgive me but... what is the benefit of speed reading when Oscar Wilde should be enjoyed at a leisurely pace?
Tony_Buzan	It's a good question! Great works of literature, especially novels and plays, can be considered for reading and study purposes to be like giant, deep oceans. On the surface of such oceans, there are waves. If you are familiar with the wave functions of planet Earth, you will know that the normal waves we see beating against the shore come, on average, in groups of eight or nine. These waves are on a larger wave, which itself is one of a group of eight or nine, which themselves come in groups of eight or nine - and they too are on a wave of that dimension, and so on until you have waves in the ocean which are kilometers long. In a novel or play, the little waves can be considered to be the meaning in each sentence, the slightly larger waves the meaning in each paragraph, and the giant waves the large themes, philosophies, characterisations and rhythms that run throughout the work. If you read such magnificent literature only "slowly and carefully", you become familiar with one small rhythm and miss out on the rest. You need to be able to read at different paces in order to absorb these different rhythms in much the same way that a healthy athlete needs to be able to stroll, walk, trot, run and sprint; develop your range of reading skills, and not only Oscar Wilde but every great writer in history will blossom before your mind's eye.
Gnasher	Thank you. But you wouldn't guzzle a fine red wine, would you? Some things are to be just enjoyed, surely?
Tony_Buzan	I have guzzled a fine red wine and it was an ecstatic experience! I have also consumed a fine red wine on its own over a period of three hours. I have, in addition to this, consumed a fine red wine with food, over a period of one hour. Enjoyment does not have a predetermined pace; it can be exceptionally fast or extremely languous. Explore the ranges without getting stuck in the ruts!
Gnasher	Fancy a glass of red then, Tony???
Tony_Buzan	Yes! What year and brand are you offering? It needs to be a type of wine with which one can successfully and nutritiously exclaim our Century of the Brain toast - Floreant Dendritae!
Gnasher	Merlot - not an expert, sorry!
Tony_Buzan	laughs
Book	When will you show your abilities in Spanish, on which forum?
Tony_Buzan	I intend to be in Spain in February, May and December, to be televised at each of the major learning stages and to demonstrate whatever skills I have accomplished in the Spring of 2001. Any suggestions or aids for learning any language, and obviously especially Spanish, will be much appreciated.
Book	I have an example of using memory techniques for learning Spanish: not long after I first time learned about these techniques, I saw a TV magic show of Paul Daniels, who demonstrated the techinque and spoke in Spanish with the audience after a week's study! I remember one example: "matosse" is an aeroplane in English; Paul used to imagine his ma tossing a (hand-held) aeroplane, which she would NEVER do. That was the trick for me to remember it too!
Tony_Buzan	laughs Thanks, Book!
Book	You are welcome!
Tony_Buzan	A good mnemonic technique! I intend to use mnemonics in conjunction with mind mapping and speed reading - and will, just over one year from now, look forward to updating you on this particular Pilgrim's Spanish Progress!
MSO_Admin	As a person who travels around the world lecturing on the brain, what has been the most brainless heckle you have ever experienced?
Tony_Buzan	It was not so much brainless as one that gave me great delight in the answering; in 1971, when my career in the field of mental literacy was just beginning, I was invited to present to members of the Lords and Commons from all parties a one-hour summary of the latest brain research, with an emphasis on its application in reading and learning. After what I thought was a fairly clear summary, an elder from the House of Lords said 'That's all very well, young man, but what's the point of me learning to speed read Hansard when I don't understand what the bloody thing anyway?' I said to him, in reply, 'Well, my lord, if you're not going to understand "the bloody thing anyway" you may as well not understand it fast!'
Gnasher	*laughs out loud*
Tony_Buzan	To his credit, he said "Jolly good show, young man! I'll take your course" - and he did, as did a young Bernard Wetherall, the eventual Speaker of the House of Commons, and a young lady Opposition Shadow Minister of Education who was eventually to become Prime Minister!
MSO_Admin	Any more questions, please?
Tsunami	What do you think will happen if people start to let computers think for them?
Tony_Buzan	Exactly the same thing will happen to the brain, if people start to let computers think for them, that has happened to the matters of the body when people stop using them and allow machines to do everything that muscles previously did. FLABBINESS! It is essential that computers and all other forms of electronic intelligence be used as companions, assistants and, perhaps most important of all, learning partners. You can use your pocket calculator to do all your calculations for you or you can use it to help you sharpen up the speed and accuracy of your own mental calculations. I obviously support and recommend the latter. One of the initiatives within the petition for the Century of the Brain and the Millennium of the Mind is to have all children use electronic support as a method for honing their mathematical and other intellectual skills.
MSO_Admin	Tony, please would you care to give us your final impressions on this launch of the Century of the Brain and the Millennium of the Mind?
Tony_Buzan	I have been thrilled! We have had responses and signatories from the four corners of the world and have been supported by leaders in education, business, literature, mind sports, consultancy, medicine, psychology, the media and communications. We have had wonderful invitations to co-operation and Internet link-ups. We have had poetry, philosophy and a lot of extremely humanitarian and loving support. The original idea was always that this first millennial day should be the seed which would eventually give rise not only to a giant oak, but to a forest of oaks; after just 48 hours, the sapling is already a strapping youth! Thank you, one and all, for helping to get this initiative off to such a remarkable start and please encourage everyone you know to sign our petition throughout the coming year. The Century of the Brain and the Millennium of the Mind are no longer just a dream; they are already a reality, with a very real and growing presence in the consciousness of planet Earth. Let's keep the movement flourishing! Floreant Dendritae! Tony Buzan.
MSO_Admin	Thank you very much indeed for your time!
Tsunami	big cheer
MSO_Admin	Excellent! Sunday night is MSO chat night, so please keep coming back. We will be reminding you of this in future weeks... :-)
Book	Thank you all for the discussion!
Tsunami	I'll be here!
MSO_Admin	Thank you all very much for all your comments and fine questions! I know that Tony has enjoyed it and I have too. Here's to the next century and the next millennium!
Tsunami	I'll second that!
MSO_Admin	We hope to see you all again in the future, in the game playing rooms, the chat rooms and the message boards, but most of all at the Mind Sports Olympiad next year and, hopefully, every year of the Century of the Brain and the Millennium of the Mind. Can there be a better way to end this chat session than...
Tony_Buzan	...Floreant Dendritae!