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Despite their innocent beginning, jigsaw puzzles, invented in the late 18th century by London mapmaker John Spilsbury, have endured two hundred and fifty years of consumer acceptance as a pastime not entirely anticipated by their inventor. Today puzzles come in multiple piece counts from as few as 10 enormous pieces for young children to assemble on the floor up to 20000 pieces for the most avid puzzle hobbyist that can take up to a year to complete.

Puzzles nowadays are no longer made of wood but of high density cardboard and are die stamped in a massive press to ensure a precision cut and consistent quality. In Spilsburys day they would have been made of hand painted wooden boards which were then cut into pieces with a jigsaw. World maps would have been painted on the board to be put together again in the classroom.

It is this act of recognizing a shape (and color) and inserting the piece into the correct empty space that has been accepted as an aid to those whose cognitive powers are not as acute as they once were. Senior citizens immediately come to mind as obvious beneficiaries of using jigsaw puzzles to re-establish a level of mental dexterity (as well as small motors skills) which are usually lost due to the passage of time.

As a form of gentle therapy, card games come to mind for their deductive reasoning as well as the added benefit of socialization. Reading, crosswords or playing mind teasers such as Sudoku are all obvious ways to stimulate the brain. In a recent study, it has been shown the best way to avoid the onset of dementia is by exercise and diet and that mental stimulation alone is not enough.

Nevertheless it is the unexpected benefit of assembling a jigsaw puzzle that carries unique observational, cognition and motor skills making the pastime distinct. Puzzle manufacturers have seen the median age of the puzzle consumer advancing and (not through any act of altruism) have been developing more puzzles with extra large pieces. Typically such a puzzle will have 500 pieces but will have the same dimensions as a regular 1000 piece puzzle. The images tend to be brightly colored with well defined sections.

Learning, consolidation, storage and recall are the four components of memory. Without recall the viability of other three functions cannot easily be observed. All four occur in a specific sequence and the ability to learn depends on the linear flow of information. Many activities (including puzzle making) will stimulate each of the functions. Competitive puzzle hobbyists regularly assemble a 1000 piece puzzle in about an hour. A seniors ability to deny the loss of mental dexterity will be enhanced by practicing a similar skill set.

Promises of chemical discoveries as well as gene therapies appear reassuring and may even offer treatment today. As an attempt to address the problems of the aging brain it may be possible to mitigate the occurrence or severity of a negative episode through the repeated activities such as discussed above. Combined with diet and exercise, mental activities are the sure ways to provide stimulating challenges whose benefits could last decades.

As individuals we are each made up our unique set of memories. The great fear is that as we age we will lose our ability to remain ourselves. It should be a benign undertaking to encourage those who can to take advantage of the various tools available to keep minds active and prolong the pleasure of a healthy mind and body

Tags: Games by Richard Stoller
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So you are finally on MySpace, you have a cool page with all of your favorite things on it, a great MySpace layout, and your best pictures for the world to see. All that is missing is your favorite music video. The good news is that adding music videos to MySpace is not difficult, and if you can find a good source for free videos, you will not have to pay a dime to do so. Here are the steps to take to add music videos to your MySpace page.

Edit the Page

Start on the MySpace editing page. You can access this by clicking on the “Home” link at the top of your MySpace page. You will want to locate the main editing box. This is the one that has your profile picture on it. Select this box. You will be shown a list of options. You want to choose the one entitled “Add/Change Videos.”

Uploading MySpace Videos

Now you are on the video management page. This has four tabs labeled “Featured,” “Videos,” “My Videos,” and “Upload.” If you want to choose a video that MySpace has in its video library, choose the “Videos” tab. This will allow you to browse the many videos that MySpace has available. You can play them, and then once you find the music video you want on your profile, click “Add to my Profile,” and it will automatically be added. You will see confirmation stating, “Video added successfully” when the upload is complete.

Uploading Your Own Videos

If you have a music video on your hard drive that you would like to upload and have permission to use, click the “Upload” tab. You will see a page asking you to add some descriptions about your music video. You will want to put a title on it so people will know who is performing and what song they are singing. You will also want to put tags on the video that will help other MySpace users find it when they are searching for that artist or that song.

Once you have entered the information, hit “Continue” and you will be directed to the upload page. Click “Browse” to be able to search your hard drive and find the video you want. Once you have selected it, hit “Upload” for it to be uploaded to your profile page.

Remember, MySpace has strict terms and conditions. If the music video is protected by copyrights, you cannot upload it, and if you do, your MySpace page could be deleted. You also cannot upload any videos that contain pornography. Make sure you have a right to use the video and that it is appropriate for a public forum before you upload it.

Why Add Videos to Your Page

There are many reasons to add music videos to your page. For one, it gives your page visitors something interesting to do when they are on your page. This will help them to stay on your page longer and spend more time getting to know you.

Another reason that you should consider adding music videos to your site is the fact that they can tell a little (or a lot) about you. You can show your tastes, beliefs, and personality through the music videos that you select. There are any funny, provocative, and simply entertaining music videos available as free downloads for you to decorate your MySpace page with.

You can also show off your favorite music artists. You could even make a fan section with music videos of your favorite band – perhaps Nickelback, Linkin Park or Beyonce.

Acceptable File Formats

According to MySpace, the acceptable video file formats that you can use to upload to your site are .AVI, .ASF, .WMV, .MOV, .QT, .3G2, .3GP, .3GP2, .3GPP, .GSM, .MPG, .MPEG, .MP4, .M4V, .MP4V, .CMP, .DIVX, .XVID, .264, .RM, .RMVD, .FLV, .MKV, and .OGM. However, you may find that certain video formats do not play as well as you might like. Sometimes when compressing the file into the small size used on MySpace, quality is lost. If this happens, try converting the file to a different format and see if it works better.

Tags: Music by Amy Nutt
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Ever wonder how to find that photography job that pays the best. You may have submitted your portfolio and resume to dozens of prospects without out any good results or offers. If your like most and have researched all the job boards and classified ads without an offer you may have a few options left if you want to have a career in photography.

Have you considered freelance photography work to sell your photos? What if you could work at home make your own hours and find dozens of resources to submit photos online and sell your photos! One way to test your photography skills is to submit your photographs to contests sites. Many forums also have members who will critique pics.

Photography affects every part of our life and we are bombarded with images on television in newspapers and magazines and lots of other advertising mediums. A career in photography is not for everyone because it does not always come natural. If you find people often commenting and prising your photographs whether you take nature, people or landscape photos a career in photography may be for you.

The internet has a huge need for freelance photographers and stock pictures. Many web designers and site owners need stock photos. Selling stock photos online has become one of the hottest business opportunities for many freelance photographers. I mention selling stock photos online but there are other methods to get paid for your photos online.

You ever wonder how to make money selling your photos online? What if you could earn a second income or have a primary income as a freelance photographer! Photography is an art and trying to find ways to sell pics can be difficult.

Some freelance photographers are making serious money online by taking digital pictures with a standard digital camera and making residual income! When selling photos on the Internet it does not require and expensive digital SLR.

What if you could learn how to sell your photos online and make residual income? There is many advantages to being a freelance photographer and being your own boss and working your own hours while working from home makes freelance photograph and selling your photos online a great business opportunity.

Tags: Arts & Entertainment by Pete Marks
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For any student who wishes to play the violin, it can be difficult to start. This is partly due to the costs associated with buying one. Violins are often regarded as instruments of the musical elite, due to its regular use in classical music.

Being able to afford a violin does not mean the end of the road for spending. With the high cost of learning the instrument associated with a tutor or school, much more has to be spent. To make things worse, these are normally the methods which are used by most students.

It is not difficult to see why most people would suggest being taught by a violin teacher. It is not an easy instrument to learn, and many violinists have cited the tough journey they embarked on before attaining proficiency.

However, it is not a must to have a teacher guiding you in mastering the stringed instrument. There are other methods to do so, and one of the best is to learn it on your own. Many might be shocked at the suggestion due to the complexity of the violin, but it is not beyond most people to do so.

One of the most important values that violin teachers will pass on to their students is the virtue of disciplined practice. This is the same virtue that self taught violinists the world over have to nurtue on their own. It is a trait that must be bred from within, and cannot be taught.

One of the ways to do so is to depend on the many online resources that promote violin playing. There are literally hundreds of websites that provide professional level violin instruction for free. Many of them are close to replacing the traditional schools and coaches that often charge expensive fees.

Learning how to play the instrument is the most important part of the process. But there is also a need to know more about the violin – its history and the stories surrounding the music it produces. It promotes greater appreciation of what the student has so much passion for.

With the many guides that can be found online and at much lower monetary costs, there is no reason why no one can fulfill their dream of playing the violin. The Internet has made it affordable for everyone, and the choices are limitless. Take advantage of increased accessibility and pursue your musical ambitions with the violin.

Tags: Music by Ria Yuka
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