Cool@school

By John Timmer, Ars Technica

If you're so smart, why aren't you rich? Although money and mental muscles may seem a natural match, brains, alas, may be more hindrance than help when it comes to getting rich, concludes a new study in the journal Intelligence."It is still not well understood why some people are rich and others are poor," writes study author Jay Zagorsky of Ohio State University. "Luck, timing, parents, choice of spouse and many other factors play important roles in shaping an individual's circumstances," he...

LONDON: Bad at maths? Gorge on chocolates before you attempt your next examination.

July 17, 2009

WASINGTON: Just the ring of a cell phone can pose a dangerous distraction for drivers, especially when it comes in a classroom setting or includes a familiar song as a ringtone, says a new study.

iPhone: If you've ever looked into text-to-speech transcription for your computer, you've certainly come across Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Now the folks at Dragon have developed their own iPhone app that lets you dictate to your iPhone—and it works really well.

Combine endless toil with dumb luck and you've got talent.

IMAGINE you are an experienced martial arts referee. You are asked to score a number of taekwondo bouts, shown to you on video. In each bout, one combatant is wearing red, the other blue. Would clothing colour make any difference to your impartial, expert judgement? Of course it wouldn't.

Push-ups, crunches and gyms are fine for building bigger muscles and stronger bones. But can you meditate your way to a bigger brain?