Tabula rasa

The tabula rasa is a blank slate and is often used as an analogy for an open mind. The mind is unusual in the sense that it can contain, continue to devour, process, hold, accumulate, rationalize, create and design information, unlike any other. I’m always fascinated when I encounter new fresh minds to my own. What is the first thought you would have at such an instance?

What would you put into a new tablet?

To keep my mind fresh, I like to play games once in a while. A few games I’ve been playing with increasing frequency as of late are mini-crossword puzzles (such as from the N.Y. Times [1]), the N.Y. Times games [2] (such as Spelling Bee, Tiles, etc.), language phrases [3], Sudoku, and some computer games to get the brain juices flowing in the morning or in between work. These games can be played timed or not and depending on difficulty may take anywhere from ten minutes to about under half an hour.

I’m looking for computer based mind games that can simulate a slightly more risque component with time pressure, as a supplement to brain agility and general training. What computer games would you play?

Generally, what games would you play and what other ways do you try to motivate your mind? In the past two months I picked up knitting, which I found to be a tangle in a good way. I found some great knitting kits [4] and starting material at Etsy, a good online shop for hobbies. After getting the initial loops in place, the knitting becomes repeated movements, looping the needle through the right loops. While somewhat repetitive, concentration is still required to keep the strands tight and in place. While I am just learning to knit, there are many complicated designs with different yarns and colors that could be good projects for the future. Hobbyists might also like to shop at places such as the Hobby Lobby, Michael‘s, Joann’s and others stores dedicated to crafts.

References

  1. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/new-york-times-crossword/id307569751
  2. https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords
  3. https://apps.apple.com/tw/app/成語消消挑戰-成語接龍益智小遊戲/id1483885448
  4. https://www.etsy.com/search?q=knitting