100+ Web Games & Tools to Stretch Your Mind Without Moving a Muscle

With all the recent reports in the news touting the benefits of keeping your mind sharp to help fend off the effects of aging like dementia, its a good idea to do what you can to keep your mind in shape. The good news is that you don’t even have to leave your comfortable chair to perform these mental exercises. The following list provides you with over 100 web games and tools that will help you keep your mind in top form. Select from brain games, crossword puzzles, classic games, tools to help you learn new things, improve your English language skills or to help you learn a new language, and a few other great mental stretches as well.

Online Brain Games

These games are specially designed to keep your brain in shape with activities such as memory games, jigsaw puzzles, and games designed by scientists just for mental acuity.

1. Sharp Brains Brain Teasers and Games. These 50 games are especially meant to help exercise and sharpen your mind.
2. Freedom Years Games. These brain games include jigsaw puzzles, memory game, Sudoku, and more.
3. Games for the Brain. With popular brain games like Mastermind, chess, and Sudoku, you are sure to find plenty of games to stretch your brain.
4. Brain Bashers. With 5 new games added each week, you can always find lots of video game fun to sharpen your mental acuity here.
5. Puzzability Sampler. The puzzles here include both interactive and non-interactive versions of word games like Hangman, Acrostic, and Slider.
6. Thinks.com Jigsaw Puzzles. Work these jigsaw puzzles for a great online workout for your mind.
7. Braingle. Brain teasers, riddles, trivia, and brain exercises are some of the fun activities on this website.
8. Fit Brains. Play the free brain games here that are developed by scientists with the goal of providing the best fitness for your brain. To play all the games, you will need to purchase a membership.
9. HAPPYneuron. Brain fitness becomes a science with the fun games and activities here. Paying members can also get fitness programs and coaches to make sure they are in top brain health.
10. BrainTraining 101. The brain games here include many different logic, puzzle, memory, classic, and action games.
11. BrainCurls. Exercise your brain with the games at this site that include jigsaws, memory games, and games that sharpen your observation skills.

Crossword Puzzles

Crossword puzzles have long been known as a great way to exercise your mind. You no longer have to wait for the daily paper, then fight the rest of the family for the crossword. Try these free crossword puzzles online.

12. LA Times Daily Crossword. Play any of the archived puzzles or the current daily one and select from one of two solving modes–one highlights wrong answers and the other doesn’t.
13. Classic New York Times Crossword Puzzle. Get a free daily crossword puzzle from these renowned puzzlers. If you want more, sign up for the premium membership and have access to the current puzzle and beat the clock or challenge a friend.
14. USA Today Crossword. Choose today’s puzzle or one from the archives and solve these free puzzles right on your computer.
15. WebCrosswords.com. Set up like the LA Times puzzles, these daily puzzles allow for plenty of solving options, including printing the puzzle, in case you need to take it on the go.
16. Boatload of Crosswords. Select your puzzles from 40,000 different crossword puzzles at this free site.
17. Crossword Puzzles. Choose from American, educational, cryptic, themed, and other crossword puzzles at this free site.
18. BestCrosswords.com. Opt for American or British puzzles and even sign up for a free membership to track your scores.
19. OnlineCrosswords.net. This site lets you choose your level of difficulty for the puzzles and will soon offer puzzles in French and Spanish.
20. WordLords. Play the crosswords here and get the option to save your game, have the solution emailed to you, and more.
21. Instant Online Crossword Puzzle Maker. If you would like to get on the other side of the puzzles, use this simple tool to create your own crossword puzzles instantly.

Other Word Games

Crossword puzzles aren’t the only word games that help keep you thinking. These games range from Sudoku to logic puzzle to games from Merriam-Webster.

22. Web Sudoku. Play free Sudoku games here that include varying levels of difficulty and several different variations.
23. Online Sudoku. A little different version, this Sudoku game allows you to choose difficulty, save, reload, get hints, and check how you are doing.
24. Free Online Word Search Puzzles. Solve word search puzzles from one of several categories. Many of these puzzles also contain hidden messages revealed when the puzzle is solved.
25. Logic Puzzles. Solve these free logic puzzles that provide an easy-to-use solving grid and also time your completion.
26. word games. Choose from one of eight different types of word games including cryptoquote, storyman, and codeword at this site.
27. The Word Playground. All of the games at this site are developed in-house, so you know you are getting totally original games here.
28. Merriam-Webster Online Word Games. What better place to find word games than an online dictionary. Play the game of the day or select from a favorite.
29. PlayWithYourMind.com. With almost 100 original word games at this site, you are sure to find a new favorite to help stretch your mind.
30. Wordplays.com. Games like Boggler, anagrams, word jumble, and word morph, you will find lots of fun word games here.
31. A Game A Day. Visit this site and click on either Level I or Level II and get a new word game every week day.
32. The Letterbox Game. Compete against the computer with this game that requires you to make as many three and four-letter words as possible.

Classic Games

These classic games are available online and will keep you thinking with such favorites as Scrabble, mahjong, and backgammon.

33. Internet Scrabble Club. Play live online Scrabble against others and select your level and language to compete successfully.
34. Truantduck.com Chinese Checkers. Play this classic game against the droid and practice your strategy skills.
35. Simon Says. Sharpen your memory skills by playing Simon Says online. It’s just like the real thing.
36. Tetris. This classic game will sharpen both eye-hand coordination and quick, logical thinking.
37. Breakout. This classic game requires you to keep the ball in play until it breaks all the blocks at the top.
38. Free Online Mahjong Games. This site has an enormous number of mahjong games for the casual player to the master.
39. ChessHere.com. Compete against others in free real-time or correspondence chess games at this site.
40. Online Checkers. Try to beat the computer in this checkers game. Instructions are included in case you need a refresher.
41. Free Online Backgammon Game. Nabisco brings backgammon to you for free with this online version. Click "Help" for instructions.
42. Bridge Base Online. Bridge players of all levels can watch or play bridge online with this virtual community.

Various Online Games

These games range from strategy to speed to eye-hand coordination games and are sure to keep you on your proverbial toes.

43. Diner Dash. Serve diners with this popular online game where you make sure everyone gets seated, orders, and gets their food without getting angry.
44. Grandparent Games. For those of you with grandchildren, this site is designed to allow grandparents to connect with their grandchildren through interactive games.
45. Escapa. Click and hold the red square and avoid getting hit by the blue squares or hitting a wall with this challenging game.
46. Super Money Ball. Try one of these mini games from Sega to improve your eye-hand coordination.
47. Hit the Dot. This game challenges you to click on each of the dots as they appear to see how many you can get in 30 seconds.
48. The Blue Button Game. Click on the fast-moving blue button to keep playing, but if you click on a red or orange one, the game ends.
49. Game Gecko Racing Games. Play several racing games online at this site. If you aren’t sure which to choose, they have some organized by "Most Played" and "Newest."
50. Dogfight 2. Using your arrow and space bar keys, participate in airplane dogfights with this flying game.
51. Legends of Elveron. Try this fantasy game that is all about strategy and doesn’t require any downloads.
52. Oregon Trail. Get on the Oregon Trail and download this old favorite.

Game Sites

If you would rather have a selection of games so you don’t have to be stuck with just one type of game, then these game sites are definitely worth checking out.

53. MSN Games. MSN Games are fun and easy to play with popular games like Mozaki Blocks, Mah Jong Tiles, and Bespelled.
54. Yahoo! Games. Chess, dominos, and pool rule alongside other fun word games, puzzles, and more at this popular game site.
55. Pop Cap. Play several popular games online including Bejeweled, Bookworm, and Mah Jong.
56. Pogo.com. These fun games are a more gentle variety than some of the popular fighting and war games.
57. Games ~ Grandma Faith’s Website. These family-friendly games are fun and a perfect choice for both the younger and older set.
58. AARP.org Games. These games include strategy games such as chess, puzzles, card games, and multiplayer games.
59. Juggernarts. Choose from a wide variety of games here that include brain games and puzzles, sports games, skill games, and more.
60. Shockwave. Find plenty of games here ranging from action and adventure to puzzle and word games to strategy games.
61. OnlineGames.net. This site offers some different games such as cooking games and dress-up games as well as others like retro games, sports games, and word games.
62. Online Flash Games. Play games like Super Mario 63, skill games, action games, and more at this site.

Tools to Keep Your Mind Organized

Games are one way to keep your mind sharp, but some tools such as these will also help keep you thinking by providing ways to keep your life, work, and studies organized.

63. Google Calendar. Use this tool to keep track of meetings, appointments, deadlines, and more. Set up reminders so you will never forget anything.
64. Jotlet. Create an online calendar and share it with others with this tool.
65. Backpack. Make pages, use calendars, post announcements, get email or get text message reminders–all online–with this tool.
66. Joe’s Goals. This simple chart allows you to input your goals or tasks, then you check off each one as you complete them.
67. Remember the Milk. This to-do list tool will keep you on track with your busy life. You can even use it with your cell phone, Google maps, and more.
68. Bla-bla List. For a more simple to-do list, use this tool. You can also email it to yourself or update others via RSS feed.
69. Ta-da Lists. Create lists, check off items as you go, and share with others with this tool.
70. Evernote. Capture an image of whatever you want to remember, then use this tool to make it accessible from your computer or phone with tags.
71. Stickies 6.5a. Just like real stickies, create virtual sticky notes on your computer desktop with this tool. They stay there until you remove them, but unlike the real thing, these can be iconified and remind you of tasks.
72. Jotcloud. Similar to Stickies 6.5a, but with fewer functions, you can write down your notes on virtual stickies with this tool. No download is necessary.

Tools to Help You Learn

From maps to calculators to mind mapping to online classes, these tools will help you learn just about anything you set your mind to.

73. Instructables. Learn how to make anything you can imagine from this fun site.
74. Universal Currency Converter. This handy tool will help you find exchange rates from many different countries.
75. Algebra.help. If you want to brush up on algebra, use this tool that has lessons, calculators, and worksheets.
76. calcoolate.com. This online calculator will help you perform equations and you can even save your history.
77. calcr. It doesn’t get more simple than this tool–just type in your equation and hit return to get an answer.
78. e-Tutor Graphing Calculator. Don’t spend your money on an expensive graphing calculator; use this free online version instead.
79. Martindale’s Calculators On-line Center. Find any type of calculator at all, from a slide rule to the nutrient content of food, with this tool.
80. Create a Graph. Use this tool to custom-make any type of graph quickly and easily.
81. Periodic Table of the Elements. This interactive, full-color periodic table will have you learning those elements in no time.
82. Visible Body. This incredible visualization tool will help you learn about human anatomy from the muscular system to internal organs.
83. Visible Earth. Visible Earth provides you with NASA images of the Earth.
84. Google Maps. With this interactive map program, you can create interactive maps, find places, and even get visual images of locations.
85. Google Earth. Use Google Earth to explore places all over the world without ever leaving your computer.
86. Mindomo. This web-based mind mapping tool will help you organize your thoughts, whether you are writing a novel or planning a school project.
87. Quizlet. Use this interactive tool to help you learn almost any subject from foreign languages to history to math.

Reference and English Language Tools

Whether you want to learn a new vocabulary word every day, need to decode an acronym, want to learn about fine wines, or are curious about how your home state got its name, then you will enjoy using some of these great reference tools.

88. Word of the Day. Expand your vocabulary with this great tool from Dictionary.com.
89. Online Etymology Dictionary. Find out the history of words and phrases with this addictive online reference tool.
90. NetLingo. Find text message and IM shorthand with this tool to help you learn common Internet acronyms.
91. Internet Slang Dictionary. Type in any Internet slang or text message acronym to get a translation into understandable English.
92. Urban Dictionary. Stay on top of the most recent slang words or phrases with this resource where you can even submit your own definitions.
93. Fine Wine Dictionary. If you love learning about wine, then use this tool to find definitions of both common and uncommon wine names, grapes, regions, and more.
94. Law.com Dictionary. Type a legal term into this tool to find out the definition in plain English.
95. Origins of US State Names. Learn how all 50 states got their names and what they mean with this tool.
96. Acronym Finder. Type an acronym, abbreviation, or initialism into this tool to find out what it means.
97. Grandiloquent Dictionary. Find out the meaning of the most obscure words in English with this tool.
98. MedTerms Medical Dictionary. Translate those difficult medical terms into something you can understand with this online tool.

Foreign Language Tools

One of the best ways to keep your mind sharp is by learning a new language. You can use these free tools to help you learn just about any language.

99. Yahoo! Babel Fish. Translate any text or website into English with this tool. If English is your second language, use it the other way around.
100. Google Translate. Enter a phrase or a website and designate the original language to have it translated into English.
101. Google Language Tools. Translate a web page, enter a search term in your native language to have search results you can easily read, or enter a web site to see it in your language with this versatile tool.
102. British to American Translator. This tool offers translations to help you learn the differences between British and American English.
103. Cross-References of English Words Derived from Latin and Greek Elements. Browse this tool to learn the Greek and Latin beginnings of many advanced-English words.

Top 100 Space and Astronomy Blogs

From new discoveries about black holes to exploration of our nearest planetary neighbors, astronomy can be a intriguing and even awe-inspiring field. Whether you’re an amateur astronomer yourself looking for some advice, student, or just someone who loves learning about the outer limits of our galaxy, you’ll find tons of facts, photos and news on these 100 blogs dedicated to everything in the cosmos.

News

Check out these blogs to stay up-to-date on what’s going on in the world of astronomy.

1. CosmicLog: Science journalist Alan Boyle writes this blog for MSNBC that’s full of great news, interviews and commentary on space.
2. Free Space: While blogging for Discovery News, Irene Klotz provides the latest news on space exploration from her home near Kennedy Space Center.
3. Universe Today: Want to learn all about the cutting edge developments in space travel and exploration? You’ll find loads of stories to keep you interested on this blog as well as a fun "Where in the Universe" game.
4. NASA Watch: With posts on both the good and the bad, this blog details all the goings on at NASA.
5. Cosmic Variance: Check out this Discover blog written by physicist Sean Carroll for fun and informative stories about news and technology.
6. The Space Place: Check out Bill Harwood’s space news at this CBS blog.
7. Skymania News: You can not only buy sky gazing equipment from this site, but find out about the latest in space news as well.
8. Astronomy.com Blog: Here you’ll find a great range of articles dealing with everything from Mars exploration to the theory of relativity.
9. MarsBlog: Check out this site for a great collection of space-related news.
10. Space Cynics: Get your space news spiked with a heavy dose of cynicism in this blog.
11. OrbitalHub: This blog is home to news on engineering, space exploration and other scientific issues.
12. The Daily Galaxy: Here you’ll find news about our own planet, galaxy and maybe even beyond.
13. The Space Fellowship: Stay up to date with news, research and updates on space missions through the regularly updates posts on this site.
14. SPACE.com News: This site is home to more space information that you can shake a stick at, including news, research and even some photos.
15. The Great Beyond: While more general in focus, this Nature blog provides plenty of reading material on space news.
16. The Cosmic Mirror: This blog is a great resource for amateurs and professionals alike and has tons of news and information.

General

These blogs are a great place to find a wide range of astronomy-related topics.

17. Astronomy Blog: This UK-based blog answers all kinds of astronomy and astrophysics related questions.
18. Slacker Astronomy: Written by three bloggers and home to a great podcast, this blog posts everything from photos to interviews with astronomers.
19. The Spacewriter’s Ramblings: This science writer and editor shares her thoughts on the latest science news, predominantly astronomy related, in this well-written blog.
20. Tom’s Astronomy Blog: Blogger Tom is all about astronomy and posts his personal reflections as well as cool news items on this blog.
21. Astronomy Cast: On this blog you’ll find the latest updates about the podcast of the same name, providing fun and informative news about everything astronomy.
22. The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe: Get all those far-fetched ideas debunked on this highly skeptical space news blog.
23. Twisted Physics: Jennifer Ouellette, a journalist and author of several popular titles on physics, maintains this blog on the Discovery Channel site that details all kinds of astrophysics issues in a highly accessible manner.
24. Space Disco: Written by the producer for Discovery Space, this blog posts news, contests, and generally fun information about space.
25. The Speculist: Here you’ll find optimistic news about technology and the future.
26. Out of the Cradle: Find links, news and more on this general space information blog.
27. Music of the Spheres: Here you’ll find posts on space flight, simulators, science, astronomy and more.
28. Altair VI: Take a look back at space history in this informative blog.
29. Crowlspace: From theoretical plans of what we could do when the sun dies to posts of news from across the web, this blog is an interesting read.

University and Teaching

With bloggers that are professors, students and educators, these sites can give you an academic perspective on the subject.

30. AstroENGINE: When blogger Ian O’Neill isn’t posting about the latest research he works as a solar physicist, making his blog a great an authoritative place to find information.
31. Professor Astronomy: Written at the University of Texas, by Kurtis Williams, this blog explores a range of news and commentary.
32. The e-Astronomer: This blog is home to a professor of Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh who is currently working at Stanford. Visitors will find posts on links, news and his personal thoughts on astronomy issues.
33. Apparent Brightness: Check out this site for postings on the latest and most interesting astronomy research.
34. Sarah Askew: Sarah is a postdoc student of astronomy in the Netherlands and her blog is home to loads of science posts.
35. Astroprof: Written by a professor teaching physics and astronomy, this blog focuses on space exploration and astronomy news and views.
36. Chris Lintott’s Universe: This blogger is in the throes of his post-doctoral research at Oxford on finding newly forming stars based on sulfur compounds.
37. Strange Paths: Approach astronomy from an academic and mathematical point of view in this blog focused on physics and computation.
38. Real Science: Check out this site for an abundance of news and science teaching resources.
39. Kentucky Space: This blog is home to Kentucky Space, a "non-profit enterprise involving a consortium of universities and private organizations for the purpose of pursuing space-related education, R&D, small satellite design and launch operations."
40. Orbiting Frog: This site is written by Robert Simpson who is currently studying for his PhD in Star Formation at Cardiff University in the UK, and contains a variety of space-related posts.
41. Asymptotia: Clifford V. Johnson, a professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, at the University of Southern California maintains this blog and posts about science, politics and much more.
42. Richard Drumm, The Astronomy Bum: This amateur astronomer is all about teaching children in his area about the wonders of the night sky.
43. Chronicles of a Modern Muslim Astronomer: This Canadian astronomy student draws on both his love of science and his faith as he works to become a professional astronomer.

Space Professionals

From astronauts to astronomers, these bloggers have made space their life’s work.

44. Bad Astronomy: The author of this blog, Phil Plait, is a former NASA astronomer who worked on the Hubble telescope. Check out his blog for information and regular debunkings of questionable astronomy.
45. Astronaut Leroy Chiao’s Blog: Former NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao maintains this blog, which discusses space exploration on a global scale and his personal experiences.
46. Will Gater: Astronomer and science writer Will Gater maintains this informative blog.
47. Starts with a Bang!: Astrophysicist Ethan Siegel posts all kinds of entertaining things on space, physics and science in this blog.
48. Cosmic Visions: This blog focuses on the research and work of Carl Sagan, a well-known astronomer and popular figure in science.
49. A Babe in the Universe: This female blogger is a researcher in cosmology and posts about her personal and academic experiences here.
50. Star Stryder: This astronomer, writer and podcaster posts on everything from the science of Heroes to papers on black holes.
51. Systemic: This blog focuses on the research done by NASA on planets in distant star systems.
52. Royal Observatory Greenwich Blog: Get the latest updates from this observatory from this site, as well as some tips to help your personal observations.

Photography

Find all kinds of beautiful images of space on these sites.

53. Astronomy Picture of the Day: Enjoy this NASA blog for daily photos of the beautiful formations that make up our own galaxy and beyond.
54. QUASAR9: Check out this blog to see some truly awe-inspiring photos of galaxies, nebulae and stars.
55. Flintstone Stargazing: For some great amateur shots, check out this photo blog. Or better yet, create your own by attending an online photography college.
56. Phil’s Astronomy Blog: Here you’ll find various posts on astronomy as well as regular images taken from amateur star gazing.
57. Space Photos: Find images here from a variety of space research organizations as well as information that explains what you’re seeing.

Space Exploration

For many, it isn’t enough just to look at space from earth. These blogs are all about voyaging into the final frontier.

58. The Planetary Society Weblog: Blogger Emily shares the latest information on the exploration of our own solar system’s planets and moons in this blog.
59. Live Science: Written by a veteran of space journalism, this blog is home to numerous posts on the latest space travel technologies.
60. The Space Elevator Blog: This blog chronicles the progress and research that has gone into creating the still-theoretical space elevator.
61. A Mars Odyssey: Here you can find information on the goal of sending a manned mission to Mars.
62. PlanetQuest: This NASA site is the best place to find out about the search for planets outside our own solar system.
63. Spaceports: Interested in the concept of spaceports? This site posts all kinds of information on how spaceports may become a reality as well as some other space news.
64. Exoplanetology: This blog is wholly devoted to the search for extra solar planets, from professionals and amateurs alike.
65. The Martian Chronicles: Written by three graduate students at Cornell who are interested in Mars exploration, this blog is a great place to look for all kinds of Mars-related information.
66. Riding with Robots: Here you’ll find loads of photos and information dealing with robotic exploration of our nearest neighbors.
67. Dispatches from the Final Frontier: Writer Michael Belifore speaks about potential space-related projects like commercial space flight and much more in this blog.
68. The Meridiani Journal: Here you’ll find a lengthy chronicle of planetary exploration.
69. Space Pragmatism: This blog follows the latest news in private and public space exploration programs.
70. The PI-Club: This club blog focuses on interstellar flight and the search for potentially intelligent life outside of our own planet.
71. The Space Review: Find highly informative and educational essays on space exploration on this site.
72. Colony Worlds: If you’re interested in the possibility that one day humans living on other planets and moons, then this blog is the place to find the latest information and insight.
73. Centauri Dreams: Blogger Paul Glister takes a look a peer-reviewed research on deep space exploration and interstellar probes.

Astronomy Enthusiasts

You don’t have to be a professional astronomer to enjoy looking at the sky. Amateurs provide helpful information and share their experiences on these sites.

74. The Way I See It: Jeff Burton records his observations of the night sky, as well as some astronomy news, in this blog.
75. Hobby Space: Even the amateur can take up hobbies related to space as this blog discusses, from collecting to at home astronomy.
76. Clear Skies on Demand: This blogger from the Netherlands shares his observations, and some pretty pictures to go along with them, on his site.
77. Black Holes and Astrostuff: This blog is home to a real estate developer that enjoys astronomy in his spare time.
78. Davep’s Astronomy: This amateur astronomy shares his observations and his thoughts on fun, sci-fi related things on his blog.
79. Above the Clouds: Check out this site for some shared nightly observations of the sky.
80. The Belt of Venus: This amateur observer doesn’t photograph what he sees, but sketches it instead and posts the images in his blog.
81. Vern’s Weblog: This software consultant and engineer shares his passion for backyard astronomy here.
82. Astroblog: Here you’ll find the thoughts and observations of a biologists and amateur astronomer in Australia.
83. Simonstronomy: This amateur astronomy blog written by Mike Simonsen, covers every kind of space-related topic that interests this self-proclaimed variable star junkie.
84. Fly Me to the Moon: This amateur spent time learning about astronomy thorough books and a space flight simulator.
85. Astronomy Down Under: Share the experiences of this amateur astronomer in this site, from personal observations to commentary on news.

Stargazing Tips

For beginners or experts, these sites provide loads of helpful tips on observing the night sky.

86. Nite Sky Girl: This site is a great place for beginners to get advice.
87. Observing Blog: Sky and Telescope Magazine can help the amateur astronomer know just what’s going on in the skies with information from this site.
88. Visual Astronomy: Get some great tips and trick on amateur astronomy from this blogger.
89. Observing the Sky: If you’re an amateur astronomer yourself, bookmark this blog. It’s a project started by NASA to help amateurs like yourself guide their nightly observations.
90. Homeboy’s Astronomy Blog: From home observation tips and tricks to news on science and space, this blog is full of helpful information.
91. The Urban Astronomer: Just because you don’t live out in the boondocks doesn’t mean you can appreciate the night sky. This blogger explains what you can see, even if it’s not pitch black.

Miscellaneous

From the weather in space to potential prizes for space technology innovations, these blogs cover a wide range of issues.

92. Space Politics: For those interested in law and legislation dealing with space, this blog is a great first stop to find out about the politics of NASA and other space exploration organizations.
93. Second Sight: Blogger Rob Knop covers issues ranging from Second Life to astronomy and where the two intersect in this blog.
94. CollectSPACE: This blog is a great place to learn about the history of space exploration and some of the artifacts and collectibles that you can own related to it.
95. Space Weather: Check out what the weather in space will be like today on this site.
96. Space Law Probe: Exploring space can come with a myriad of legal issues, as this blog discusses.
97. RocketForge: This blog touches on issues of space, politics and business.
98. Space Prizes: Find out what kind of prizes are out there to encourage space technology development.
99. ComSpaceWatch: Learn about the development of commercial space travel in this blog.
100. Astrobiology Magazine: Read this blog to learn about the search for other life forms outside of the earth.

100 Terrific Mindhacks to Make the Most of Your Brain

Your mind is a powerful thing, but it’s often limited by things like fear, habit, and poor health. There are a number of ways to improve the way you use your mind whether you are a student, professional or devoted lifelong learner. Read on to discover 100 mindhacks that will help you make the most out of the most powerful tool you have at your disposal.

General

Follow these general mind hacks to give your brain some power.

1. Use the Internet: Studies have found that using the Internet is good for your brain, as it keeps your mind fit and sharp.
2. Practice streamwriting: Find answers and solve problems by writing out your conscious until your superconscious comes out.
3. Power idea generation: Practice quiet solitude in which you list out problems and ideas, whether useful or not, to make your brain better at generating ideas.
4. Take on a creative hobby: Make your brain work harder with a creative hobby that requires thinking.
5. Read quality magazines, books, and blogs: Make sure that the sources that influence your thinking are top notch, so you’ll have a good reference to call on.
6. Stay active: Be sure to stay connected with your friends, family, and network so that you can be mentally stimulated through relationships.
7. Engage in meaningful activities: Join a spiritual group or participate in community service to improve your psyche.
8. Use Oblique Strategies: Use these cards to help you make decisions in hard situations.
9. Use weighted pros and cons: Assign weights and importance to different pros and cons of a situation to make your decision.
10. Set goals: Creating goals helps you actively think of ways to be better.
11. Write things down: Your goal can stare back at you once you’ve written it down.
12. Take a nap: By napping, you’ll be more likely to remember things that you’ve memorized earlier.
13. Drink something warm: The warm sensation from a hot drink can make you feel more emotionally warm and content.
14. Visit museums and performances: Engage your mind’s interest and expand your view of the world with artistic expression.
15. Use focused solitude: Find a place where you won’t be disturbed, then sit still and think quietly to yourself.
16. Be determined: Tell yourself to never give up and you’ll be in the right mindset to take on difficult tasks.
17. Believe in your abilities: Don’t worry too much about your ability to use your brain properly-by being confident in your abilities, you’ll do better.
18. Give yourself structure: You need deadlines and limitations to accomplish more, and do things more efficiently.

Habits

These daily habits will give your brain the shakeup it needs to do well.

19. Shower blind: Wake up your brain by relying on your tactile senses to clean yourself.
20. Wear textured clothing: Improve your mind’s sense of touch by wearing clothing that you can really feel.
21. Don’t do things on auto pilot: Think carefully about all of the decisions you make to increase your brain activity.
22. Sleep on it: Sleeping on ideas will help you make tough decisions and solve problems.
23. Always carry a notebook: You never know when a great thought will strike you, so always keep something to record your thoughts and ideas with.
24. Wake up to a new smell: Change the smell that you associate with waking, and you’ll create new neural pathways.
25. Relax at the end of the day: Use sensory stimuli like an aromatherapy bath to help you wind down and create a new path to relaxing at a smell.
26. Write instead of typing: Writing by hand is great for stimulating ideas and exercising your creativity.
27. Wear earplugs: Restrict your sense of hearing, and you’ll make your brain work harder.
28. Brush with your non-dominant hand: By using your non-dominant hand, you’ll make your brain use the side of itself that it normally doesn’t use.
29. Make use of dead time: Listen to books on tape while in traffic, or brainstorm ideas while raking your yard to give your brain constant healthy stimulation.
30. Sit up straight: Your posture can affect your thinking process in a positive way.
31. Read aloud with a partner: Reading aloud uses different brain circuits, so you’ll improve your brain power by doing so.
32. Write before bed: Before going to bed, write in a journal or notepad to offload the day.
33. Mix up your routine: Eat a different breakfast, take a new way to work, or watch a different TV program to throw some curveballs at your brain.

Learning

Make use of these mindhacks when learning.

34. Learn things in order: Always start with the basics first, and you’ll find learning easier.
35. Share your knowledge with others: Teaching others information will increase your own understanding, so be sure to teach and share whenever possible.
36. Associate boring subjects with fun: You remember the things you enjoy, so make a game out of learning or create a fun story out of it.
37. Interlink thoughts with others: Learn holistically and improve your recall by associating everything you learn with things you already know.

Communication

These communication hacks can help you influence your mind and the minds of others.

38. Use framing: When creating a persuasive argument, frame it in a way that gives it positive or negative connotations.
39. Use fluid speech: Avoid words such as "um" or "like" to make your speech more confident and persuasive.
40. Mirror your subject: Mimic the body language of the people you’re trying to persuade, and they’ll feel a sense of empathy.
41. Repeat what others are saying: By repeating what others say, you’ll help yourself remember better, as well as appear more sincere and interested.
42. Use touch: Bond with others using subtle, polite touches.

Energy

Your brain can get tired, so give it some refreshment with these mind hacks.

43. Listen to classical music: Listen to relaxing, classical music to stimulate your brain.
44. Do the opposite of what you’re doing: If you’ve just drained your brain with intense work, give yourself a period of relaxation to restart things.
45. Take a deep breath: Beathing well and deeply will move more oxygen and blood into your brain.
46. Meditate: Close your eyes and observe the thoughts that come through your mind for about 20 minutes to refresh your brain’s energy.
47. Take a 1 second nap: Go from daydreaming to 1 second twilight dreaming and wake up ready for action.
48. Have sex: Sex will help you shift your focus and give you more energy to take on the next task.
49. Play a sport: Playing a competitive sport will wake you up mentally.
50. Shake your leg: If you’ve been sitting for a while, stand up and shake one or both legs to get your circulation moving and improve blood flow to your brain.
51. Take a walk: Take your mind off of things and get some fresh air by taking a walk.
52. Go to a movie: Immerse yourself in another world by going to watch a movie at a movie theater.
53. Create digestable tasks: Break large projects down into smaller tasks, and create reasonable goals or completion.
54. Take a caffeine nap: Drink a cup of coffee, and then take a 10-15 minute nap for a quick energy boost.
55. Catch up on interesting reading: Reading a book or magazine that you like will help relax your brain while still keeping it active.
56. Play a game: Playing a board game, video game, or brain game will help you give your brain both rest and stimulation.
57. Listen to motivational CDs: Relax by listening and stimulate your brain at the same time with motivational CDs.

Dreams

Make the most of your dreams with these mind hacks.

58. Drink ice water: By drinking ice water just before bed, and right after waking up, you should have instant recall of the dreams in your sleep.
59. Suppress REM: For one night, suppress REM with alcohol or antidepressants, and you should get a double dose the next night, along with vivid dreams.
60. Talk about your dreams: If you discuss your dreams with others, you’ll reinforce your awareness of them and make it easier to recall them in the future.
61. Take 5-HTP: This precursor to serotonin will help you promote deep sleep and have lucid dreams.
62. Don’t sit up or stand up: Remain in bed to remember your dreams, as sitting up or standing up can erase them.
63. Write down your dreams: Your dreams will fall out of your memory quickly, so write them down or record them as soon as you wake.
64. Take galantamine: Taking galantamine can help promote memorable, colorful dreams.
65. Verbally remind yourself to remember: Just before sleep, talk to yourself about remembering to pay careful attention to your dreams and recall them in the morning.
66. Take more naps: Naps tend to have better REM, and will give you more vivid and lucid dreams.

Finance

These mind hacks will help you hack your brain for better finance.

67. Match frivilous spending with savings: Each time you spend money in an irresponsible way, put the same amount into savings.
68. Write down goals: Make your financial goals more concrete by putting them in writing.
69. Tell other people your financial goals: By telling others your plans, you’ll be accountable and more likely to stick to them.
70. Create a habit: If you want to save, make it a habit to place at least $1 into your savings stash every day.
71. Create visual imagery of your goal: With a picture of your financial goal in sight, you will be more motivated to stick to your guns.

Productivity & Time Saving

With these mind hacks, you can be more productive and save time while working or studying.

72. Use proper timing: Don’t wait until the end of the day to remind yourself to take care of something. Time activities for when they are most likely to be completed.
73. Clean out your inbox: Keep your inbox, desk, and thinking area clean to free up space and stress in your mind.
74. Mind Map: Use Mind Maps to keep your important items together.
75. Give yourself less time: If you give yourself less time in which to complete a task, you’re likely to just finish it within that time.
76. Spreed: Use this tool to train your mind to quickly read through pieces of text.
77. Scarcity: Remind yourself that an image, product, or idea is scarce, and you’ll be subconsciously drawn to take care of it.

Brain Games

Play these brain games to build up your mind’s muscle.

78. Short Term Memory Test: Take this test to assess and improve your levels of short term memory.
79. Guess the Colors: Figure out the layout of the colors in this game.
80. Animated Memory Game: Use these memory games to give your brain some work.
81. Simon Says: Follow Simon’s movies and copy them to give your memory a boost.
82. Crime Scene: Watch this video and pick a criminal from a list of suspects.
83. Fun Match Game: This matching memory game offers a variety of themes and varying difficulty.
84. Face Memory Test: Find out how good your facial memory is with this test.
85. Guess the Flag: Improve your visual memory and build your knowledge of world flags with this game.
86. Memory Solitaire: Play this memory game by yourself to improve your brain’s memory skills.

Food & Health

Follow these tips to eat, drink and exercise your way to a better mind.

87. Drink a glass of water: Give your brain the fuel it needs to stay lubricated and working well by keeping up with your water intake.
88. Good fats: Omega-3 fatty acids can help your brain’s intellectual performance.
89. Vegetables: Vegetables offer your brain a steady stream of energy.
90. Eat more choline: Choline is a fat-like B vitamin found in eggs that can help with your memory and reaction time.
91. Exercise: Exercising is good for concentration and can improve your overall health, which supports a smarter and more efficient brain.
92. Control your cholesterol: Healthy cholesterol levels are good for mental sharpness and efficiency in blood flow to your brain.
93. Fish: Many fish are found to be good sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
94. Yogurt: Eating yogurt will help produce neurotransmitters and improve neuron signals.
95. Apples: Apples and apple juice are great for their antioxidants and acetylchiline, which helps preserve memory.
96. Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates can be mentally soothing at the right time and in the right amount.
97. Alcohol: Moderate alcohol consumption can improve blood and oxygen flow to your brain.
98. Use a smaller plate: Make yourself feel more full by simply eating off of a plate that is smaller.
99. Fruit: Fruit will break down slowly, giving your brain a steady stream of energy.
100. Non-caffeinated tea: Teas such as green tea will help to relax the brain and create mental alertness.

100 Best Web Tools to Teach Yourself a New Language

Americans aren’t always known for their multilingual skills, but it’s not too late to change. Thanks to the Internet, learning a new language doesn’t have to be as hard as moving to another country or taking expensive courses. There are a vast number of learning tools online, including games that introduce you to new languages, alphabets and glossaries for practicing the basics, and even widgets and toolbars that keep you learning new words everyday. Here are just 100 of our favorites.

Alphabets

Some languages like Mandarin and Greek require the mastery of a whole new alphabet. Use these tools to get started in your studies.

1. Indian alphabets: Learn the alphabet for Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali and more here.
2. Coptic Language and Alphabets: Learn this Egyptian language and about its dialects here.
3. Sign Language: Here you’ll find sign language alphabets from Spain, Russia, Sweden, the U.S., Greek and more.
4. Phonics, Alphabet and Language Worksheets: ESL students can practice the American alphabet and phonics here.
5. New to Japan: Practice the Japanese alphabet using this worksheet.
6. Chinese Character Learning System: This website teaches the complex nature of Chinese characters and their meaning.
7. The Greek Alphabet: View the alphabet, get pronunciation help and learn about ancient texts from this site.
8. Portuguese alphabet: Start learning Portuguese by mastering its alphabet first.
9. Vietnamese alphabet: Learn consonants and vowels from the Vietnamese alphabet in this wiki.
10. Abjad’s Rainbow Pyramid: Learn the Arabic alphabet with this kid-friendly system.

Dictionaries and Glossaries

From glossaries that list useful phrases to tools for business travelers, these dictionaries and glossaries are extremely helpful for language students.

11. French-English Dictionary: Learn French grammar, phrases and more from this British site.
12. Oxford Spanish Dictionary: Look up Spanish words with this dictionary.
13. Useful Russian Phrases: Learn how to say things like "Good morning" and "How do you say…in Russian?" here.
14. Basic Arabic Phrases: Here you can look up and practice useful Arabic greetings and more.
15. Mandarin Glossary: Each word here comes with an audio clip to clarify pronunciation.
16. Business German: Learn business and finance words and phrases in German from this site.
17. Glossaries by Language: From Albanian to Finnish to Hebrew, you can find all types of picture dictionaries and more.
18. Word Online: Choose a language and then choose a field or subject matter to find all types of niche glossaries.
19. Urban Dictionary: Even native English speakers can learn new slang here.
20. Argot: French Slang: Learn key French slang words and phrases, called "argot," here.
21. Italian Steps: Learn key phrases for traveling to Italy.
22. Weird Words: Learn weird words and phrases in languages like Welsh, Japanese and Polish here.
23. Dutch travel and tourism: Phrases like "bargaining stone" and "double room" are translated here.
24. Foreign Language Online Dictionaries: Browse glossaries for languages like Yiddish, Umbrian, Turkish, Latvian, Nepalese and many more.

Social Media Sites

Join a social media site for another country to immediately immerse yourself in the slang and everyday vocabulary of native speakers.

25. Darabet: Darabet is kind of like the Arabic version of Digg.
26. Xing: The professional networking site Xing can be translated into languages like German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and more.
27. Scoopeo: This French-language social bookmarking site can be a great way to practice your vocabulary and keep up with French culture.
28. studiVZ: studiVZ is sort of like a German Facebook.
29. Nico Nico Douga: Nico Nico Douga is a Japanese photo sharing site.
30. Nettby: Nettby is an incredibly popular social media site in Norway.

Audio Resources

These podcasts and recordings will help with your pronunciation, rhythm, and ability to understand conversations at a regular pace.

31. byki Free language software: Listen to languages like Swahili, Bulgarian and Italian here.
32. Radio France: Listen to a radio station online like Radio France to hear native speakers discuss the news, pop culture and more.
33. Google Language Tools: Paste the text you want translated into the text box and listen to its pronunciation here.
34. Language Learning Podcast: Find podcasts for learning Spanish, Greek and more here.
35. Learn Italian Pod: This site offers free Italian podcasts.
36. French Pod Class: Listen to podcasts about different news and culture items in France, view preview sheets to help you follow along and even find language exercises and games that go along with podcasts.
37. Japanese Pod 101: Get free Japanese podcasts and over 800 lessons here.
38. Russian Literature Language Podcasts: Listen to excerpts from Tolstoy, Chekhov and Dostoevsky from UCLA.
39. Coffee Break Spanish: Subscribe to this language learning tool on iTunes and listen to the Radio Lingua network.
40. Sexy Spanish: Nancy Rosales teaches you pick-up lines and more sexy talk in Spanish.

Games

Play fun games like crosswords and International Cafe to practice your vocabulary.

41. French crosswords: The BBC’s French crossword games are great for practicing vocabulary.
42. LanguageGames.org: Solve crosswords, play hangman and more in languages like German, Italian and French.
43. Japanese language toy chest: Play Japanese word games and word searches here.
44. Spanish parts of the face game: Learn the Spanish words for mouth, hair, nose and more with this game.
45. French test: Test your French skills with this quiz.
46. Don Quijote: Play Spanish language games here.
47. Activities for ESL students: Play seasonal games and learn grammar here.
48. International Cafe: Practice five languages like Spanish and French in this fun game.
49. Advanced Games: If you can already speak Arabic fairly well, try playing these games.
50. Clothes in Polish game: Visit a department store to learn clothing items in Polish.

Understanding Language

If you’re not convinced that learning a new language can benefit you, check out these resources that list languages spoken in each country, give the history of languages and more.

51. Standard Mandarin: Learn about Mandarin’s tones, dialects and more here.
52. Korean Language history: Learn which people speak Korean and the characteristics that make this language unique.
53. CIA World Factbook - Languages: Look up which languages are spoken in different countries here.
54. Romance Languages: Learn about the Romance Languages and their evolution here.

Music and Radio

Learn folk songs, pop songs and even Christmas carols in other languages to perfect your idioms, slang and overall understanding.

55. Christmas Songs in Spanish: Learn carols like "Angels We Have Heard on High" in Spanish.
56. Radio Locator: Get connected to radio station websites around the world with this tool.
57. Foreign Internet Radio and Online News Radio: Listen to radio stations online in Indonesian, Turkish, Polish and more.
58. German Music - Folk Songs: Get English translations and sheet music for German folk songs here.
59. Russian folk music downloads: Download Russian folk songs like "Birch-tree" and "Andreev’s Waltz" from this site.
60. Worldwide Radio: Tune into radio stations in Africa, Eastern Europe, South America and more.
61. Happy Birthday: Get lyrics to the birthday song in Spanish, Turkish, Serbian and other languages.
62. Calabash: Listen to and buy music from all over the world, including Africa, Oceania and Europe, from Calabash.
63. music-seek: Search for music, mp3s and other multimedia here.
64. French Christmas Carols: Get lyrics for popular "chants de Noel" here.

General Websites

These websites have resources and tools for many different languages all in one.

65. RosettaStone: Shop for language learning tools and explore different countries here.
66. Omniglot: Get tips on learning new languages and discover new alphabets here.
67. World Wide Language Institute: Learn Cantonese and Mandarin by using the glossary and other tools at WWLI.
68. BBC Languages: The BBC’s language site has numerous resources for listening to other languages, learning basic phrases, practicing vocabulary and more.
69. One Minute Languages: Languages like Catalan, Danish, Polish, Romanian and more are taught in short lessons here.
70. Digital Dialects: Play free interactive games to learn languages like Basque, Ukrainian, Russian, Danish, German, Korean and more.
71. Language Guide: Find resources for learning Russian, Hebrew, Spanish and more languages here.
72. Language Impact: This site has features like a Language Learning Talk e-mail discussion group and other tools for learning languages.
73. Lingua Scope: This fun website has games, instant messaging and other tools for early learners, intermediate levels and more.
74. edufind: Here you can get all types of language learning tools for languages from Hawaiian to Urdu.

Tips and Articles

For tips on mastering another language, read these article and guides.

75. Tips for Learning Mandarin Chinese: Learning this complicated language pays off in the end. If you’re feeling frustrated, get tips for sticking with it here.
76. Some hints and tips on learning Dutch: The Netherlands Guide from justlanded.com has tips for learning Dutch the fun way.
77. Take a French Lover, and other tips for learning the language: Jane Watt offers innovative and practical tips for learning French.
78. How to Learn (but not master) Any Language in 1 Hour: The Four Hour Work Week blog offers tips for cramming your language study into an hour. An excellent resource for people like phlebotomy technicians who just need passable language skills.
79. How to learn a foreign language: Pick the Brain offers straightforward tips for learning a new language.
80. Weekly Tips on Learning Mandarin: Subscribe to this service from the Hangzhou Expat Forum and get daily conversation tips, a guide to life in Shanghai and more.
81. The Linguist on Language: This blog is "for people who love languages or would, but are discouraged." You’ll find encouragement for learning new languages and more.
82. 5 Ways to learn a new language (and 5 reasons why you should): This article argues that more journalists should become bilingual or multilingual.
83. Why Learn a Second Language?: Tamim Ansary from MSN Encarta encourages everyone to learn a second language.
84. How to Learn Any Language: wikiHow recommends practicing native intonations and buying current magazines in other languages to learn faster and more accurately.

Applications, Widgets and Add-Ons

Add these web tools to your toolbar or browser to get language help all day everyday.

85. Word Reference: These translator buttons can be added to Internet Explorer and Firefox.
86. Learnit: Learnit Lists display short lists of vocabulary words in English and the language you’re trying to learn.
87. Learn Sign Language: With this widget, you’ll see an interactive sign language model that teaches you signs.
88. Language Translator: This widget displays text boxes in the original language and English so that you can compare both selections.
89. Foreign Word Game: This vocabulary game is available for Russian, Spanish, Italian, French and more.
90. Persian Language Pack: View your Firefox pages in Persian with this add-on.
91. Vietnamese Language Pack: This is another Firefox tool that displays your pages in Vietnamese.
92. WordLearner toolbar: This toolbar helps you learn new words instantly.
93. Quick Locale Switcher: Switch your system to a different language default so that you can better use the dictionary and spell check features.
94. Jenerator: Japanese learners can use this widget which generates one definition and character at a time, all day.

Tutors and Online Courses

Find tutors and online courses when you use these tools.

95. Free Online Language Courses: Click on a language to find online courses.
96. Online Business Spanish Certificate Program: The University of Wisconsin-Madison offers this online course for business professionals who frequently work with people from Spain and Latin America.
97. LearnPlus: Here you can enroll in German and Spanish language courses online.
98. Language School Teachers: Use this site to find language teachers and tutors around the country.
99. TutorNation: This site connects students to tutors, including foreign language tutors and teachers.
100. WyzAnt: This company currently has nearly 4500 language tutors registered.