In a Nutshell

Improve Your Thinking

Most of us humans use only a small portion of our brain. There are ways, though, to increase the synaptic connections in the brain. Here are a few ideas to jump-start that activity.

Always continue to learn. Exposing yourself to new information creates new pathways in your brain that facilitate quicker, more expanded thought. The brain continues to develop throughout our lives.

Play strategy games. Solitaire and chess involve your brain.

Toss the calculator. Well, maybe not, but when you can, use your head to add, subtract, multiply and divide.

Memorize. Whether it’s a poem, a joke or a quote that inspires you, it will exercise your brain and increase your brain power.

Daydream. It’s one way to increase your creativity and it’s also fun.

Keep a journal or thinking log. Jot down ideas, notes, write and or draw. Thomas Edison, Leonardo da Vinci and Charles Darwin all kept notebooks.

Lose your fear of mistakes. Athletes don’t even call them mistakes, it’s practice.

Deal with your stress. It clouds your mind making it more difficult to think clearly.

Eat right. Your brain and body need the proper nutrients to maintain tiptop condition.

Go easy on the spirits. Alcohol kills brain cells that do not regrow.

Try out new things. Meet new people, try a new restaurant, get out of any ruts.

Parlez-vous français? Learn a new language.

Read, read, read. It expands your mind and your memory.

Deal with things. If something is bothering you, figure out what it is and write it down or take care of it. Even if you just pay attention and tell yourself, I can’t do anything about it until Friday. It will help clear your head for thinking.

Question everything. Just because everyone else thinks something is true, it doesn’t mean it is. Something may have been done a certain way forever, but it may not be the best way.

Use it or lose it. Once you gain new skills and knowledge, utilize them, keep practicing.

Watch Out for Stealthy Hacker Tricks

Want the lowdown on the latest cybertricks? What are those sneaky hackers up to now? Here are a few things on the list to watch out for:

• Phishing. When you get an e-mail from “your bank” asking for information watch out. Banks don’t need to do this. Those tricky hackers are sending e-mails and merely posing as your bank. The e-mails include links where you are asked to provide information such as passwords and personal data. Never go to a website and provide this information when asked. The hackers set up fake sites replete with logos to fool the unwary.

• Pharming. Ugh. Viruses again. This time they’re attached to e-mails and websites that drop software onto your computer. The software monitors your keystrokes picking up on, you guessed it, passwords you use to access your accounts, etc., on financial websites.

• Bot Networks. These are remote control programs that hackers deposit onto PCs. Then the remote control is used to send out spam and viruses.

• Wi-Phishing. Here our crooked friends are setting up fake wireless networks. Why? They’re hoping you’ll use them to connect to the Web then they monitor what you do and where you go and steal your identity and passwords.

• Typosquatting. Hackers set up sites designed to take advantage of people making typos. When you accidentally typo the name of a legitimate site and land on one of the “illegitimate” sites, computers are either infected with viruses or are taken over and turned into bots.

— Adapted from “Hacker Hunters,” by Brian Grow, in BusinessWeek