A Different Version

Category: Facts

How is Internet Affecting Our Intelligence?
Technology has unarguably created a huge impact on our lives. In the present day, many studies significantly showed internet affecting our intelligence as we use it on daily basis for various reasons in many ways. From receiving or passing information, to getting assistance in education and research field, from office work and banking to other needs like entertainment, traveling, keeping up with the happenings around the globe and current affairs; technology has shaped our lives in an entirely different spectrum and one of the biggest tools which has been used for playing the role is the internet.

It’s an undisputed fact and the one which has been established repeatedly that by improving the quality of it in the form of providing comfort and ease, however, the increasing dependency is silently taking a toll and it’s alarming. Overall, it’s believed that technology is making us smarter and wiser by providing us with newer things on daily basis, the increase in its need is harming us in a way that’s largely going unnoticed.

The internet Affecting our Brainpower

Internet has been one of the most significant creations of mankind. Internet affecting our brainpower is well accepted in today’s era and is no longer considered as an assumption. It does so by providing a sea of information just at a distance of a click and access to possibly everything one can ask for, internet has highly improved the life of an ordinary man. However, studies have shown that the increasing use of internet is also making a negative impact on our intelligence and overall our brain.

These days everything is evaluated in terms of the digital world. From templates for resumes to presentations and online libraries, from getting online consultations to benefiting from research related to health and wellness, from staying updated with the current affairs and politics to seeking what’s trending in lifestyle and fashion, from reading about the newer discoveries and inventions to investing in profitable projects and platforms – each and everything has been made easy for the common man in the comfort of his house. Although, there’s no denying that it has increased the success rate in the respective fields enormously, people have used the tools provided by the technological and digital world to make a significant progress in life, it’s also important to understand that the excessive use is crippling in disguise. It has not only increased one’s level of dependency upon these gadgets and the world of technology, it also alters one’s lifestyle to a sedentary mode and hence, the aftermath is seen in the form of health issues and slow cognitive activities. The ultimate fact that we can now access almost everything we need online should itself worry us. Since it’s an essential part of our day to day routine, it’s almost impossible for us to detect the underlying cause that has been created by the excessive usage of the internet. However, studies have shown that internet affects our intelligence has proven negative in most of the cases. It is explained as there’s an inverse relation between the use of technology and digital world and that of human’s brain and its competency. Everything in excess causes a negative impact and perhaps, that could be the biggest reason for the negative results seen in a human’s efficiency with respect to the usage of internet.

Is the fact “internet affects our mind” true?

Now the question arises, how exactly is internet affects our mind? There must be some concrete answering and reasoning to how there has been a negative outcome of the use of technology rather than seeing something positive and fruitful.

Well, the discussion is a long one and the one, that is subjective to debate. Many aspects come into consideration while equating the impact of today’s increasing demand of the use of the internet. It also considers an individual own perception and use of the internet and digital tools including one’s different demands and need of the lifestyle that he/she is living.

However, following are some of the ways where it is discussed as how the impact of internet upon a human’s intelligence has made a difference.
1. Decreasing creativity and imagination:
The never-ending use of technology, especially when it comes to computers has significantly decreased one’s power of imagination and creativity and therefore consequently, a person’s brain power has been affected in a negative manner. When everything is being provided in the form of templates and pre-designed patterns, it decreases a person’s own power to think, imagine and create. For students, it’s difficult to keep originality in their work. Access to scholarly and research work is just a click way and it has hampered one’s ability to research and make. As a result, student preferably rely on copy pasting the content that’s already available and don’t put an effort in making and creating anything from their own imaginative and thinking abilities. Slowly, it’s turning the young brains into robots that feed on what is already provided ready made and harboring their own creative juices. Consequently, it has not only decreased human’s intelligence by reducing it to the already available content but also, the rate of plagiarism has alarmingly peeked. Nobody puts an effort to make their own original content but mainly relies on searching using Google and coping others work, simply stealing it.One’s intelligence and brain power is therefore constantly going down the hill because the easy access to everything required has made everyone to rely on the digital world and search engine rather than putting effort and coming up with something fresh and new of their own. The statement sounds correct when taken into the context of creativity.
- Increasing addiction of social networking:
Another way in which the statement fits true is the increasing urge to socialize excessively in the virtual world. People obsess over the number of likes and comments and hence so, it has created a false sphere where more and more people want validation from strangers online. People are constantly being judged by their peers in this fake race of social media.Everyone tries to impress the other person constantly. By putting up a false façade, everyone is under constant pressure to get acceptance from others. All are struggling to create an image that’s well synced with the changing trends and hence so, could be appreciated by others. This negative atmosphere greatly affects one’s ability to be own self. It also puts a negative impact on one’s intelligence and wit. It’s becoming progressively easier to put up an untrue image to the world and get validation.This robotic world online is exceedingly toxic as one has a pressure to keep up with the worldly standards.
- Robotic approach and sedentary lifestyle:
Another negative outcome of the internet is the promotion of sedentary lifestyle that subsequently damages one’s mental well being. The internet addiction has increased so much that everyone prefers sitting in front of their screens and are mostly glued to the virtual world of social media. This over use is leading to a decline in physical as well as mental fitness. People have started relying on the search engine for everything and their own intelligence as well as the ability to ponder, discuss and think has greatly reduced. Everyone likes to be given all things prepared. It’s not only increasing a slow, sedentary lifestyle with subsequent impact on fitness and well being but also, people’s mental wellness is greatly at stake. The human brain is always dealing with a constant stream of information influx. The constant and easy access to the stored information on the internet is atrophying memories of the people. As a result, human’s natural ability to ponder, create and reason is damaging. The inactive lifestyle eventually impacts the activity of human brain in a negative manner and hence, intelligence, memory, IQ and other mind abilities suffer. Psychologists suggest that the information we read on the internet during our lunch breaks or intervals is short termed. We mainly get used to absorbing limited text hastily from our screens and therefore, the ability of mind to read and ponder over detailed texts and longer reads gets compromised. Knowledge gained through this practice of surface absorption of a few lines on Twitter or Facebook doesn’t stay for long and is not that effective. The text is short, thoughts expressed are precise, hence read, swallowed and run further. This is why the expression “mnogabukaf”, coming out of the network and referring to it, reflects our incompetency to read something voluminous. All the same, this habit of surface reading and quick absorption of limited knowledge clogs the mind and its own innate power to create and think. Hence, the healthy practices of research and reading are taking back seat slowly whereas, short term memory of superficial intelligence is prevalent among the masses. An unhealthy and physically compromised body eventually makes a slow, sloppy and inactive brain. Hence, the internet not only hampers one’s fitness but also the mental power and therefore, proves to be true.
- Prevailing dependency on technology:
Whereas the access to unlimited information and knowledge at a distance of a single click is useful at one hand, on the other hand, it’s also pretty alarming to realize the fact that this practice is crippling in real and promotes the need to be dependent on an outside source. People are relying on what is already available and do not put any effort to create, research, read and come up with something original of their own. The sluggish approach hampers creative juices as well as brain power, resulting in a constant decrease in fresh content and originality. One needs to be actively working, productive and in constant search to learn from different resources in order to be able to produce new work. However, the increase use of internet has crippled a person’s quest to seek and therefore, it’s also taking its toll on human IQ and intelligence in a negative way.

Despite many benefits, proven trends and facts indicate that our customary reliance on the internet everyday is diminishing our originality, intelligence and high order thinking. Internet, with its altering stimulation and constant distraction is changing the way we think – and not for the good.

Five years ago, journalist Nicholas Carr wrote in his book “The Shallows: How The Internet Is Changing Our Brains” about how technology seemed to be eroding his ability to concentrate.

“Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words,” he wrote. “Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski.”

In the book, which later became a New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize finalist, Carr explored and discussed the many ways that technology might be affecting our brains. He became particularly interested in how the Internet seemed to be harming our ability to think deeply and to focus on one subject for extended periods. He also discussed how the shift in focus was brought because of the constant urge to be present online and in touch with the changing trends of technology.

Today, social media and digital devices have an arguably greater place in our lives and hold on our attention spans than they did in the previous years. The internet is a great influential tool and it is molding the thought process and intelligence of many including the academicians all over the world. Our beliefs, values, likes, dislikes, interests and every other aspect of cognitive behavioral pattern is greatly affected by the kind of content that we come across online.

In the words of Carr:

“To me, all the things I worried about have become much worse now that we carry around this permanently connected device that we’re constantly pawing at. Things are very different in a way that makes the things I worried about worse.”

Conclusion: How is Internet Changes the Way We Think?

The discussion concludes in one common agreement and that is – the impact of internet on one’s intelligence differs from one individual to other and in the end, it finally comes to one similar result that it’s use should be in moderation to avoid any negative outcome. If used properly, it’s significant for progress, gaining knowledge, seeking information and making great success, however, the excessive use and dependency can cause harm to one’s thinking and creative abilities – therefore, it’s encouraged to use it as a helping tool and not as a final resort.
March 23, 2019
How To Delegate Like A Pro

The art of delegation is something that not everyone can grasp. Being able to hand over tasks to the correct individuals does lead to greater efficiency. But what happens if you are unsure as to what to do?

To help, I’m going to provide you with several important points that should make life easier. If you follow them, then you will discover that you can do more in a day, be less stressed and feel as if a weight is lifted from your shoulders.

So, let’s begin to unpick the mystery of delegation.

1. What To Delegate

First, what should you delegate to others? A good starting point are those tasks that you hate. At times, you feel as if they aren’t your strong point or they take up too much time that you should spend elsewhere. Of course, you also throw in those tasks where you don’t know what you are doing.

People refer to this as the delegation triangle. It’s a way of structuring your thoughts and tasks to then become aware of what needs to be done. You should do this on a daily basis and remain honest regarding your own abilities and what you are capable of doing.

You can delegate anything if you want to and no matter the size of the task.

2. Understand Why You Are Delegating

You should never delegate because of being too lazy to carry out a task yourself. Instead, it should help you spend more time on other tasks where your time is better spent. This applies even if you enjoy the challenge of something because if the return you get is low, then was it worth you spending your time doing it?

On occasion, you may have smaller tasks that take too much time away from your main goal. By having someone else do them, you free up your time to spend elsewhere.

Being aware of the reasons for delegation helps you to know the tasks to focus on, such as marketing if you’re doing Toronto SEO. Also, realize that outsourcing a task has to be assessed on its own to determine if the return you get is actually worth it. Alternatively, you may find it’s better arranging your own time to complete it on your own.

Delegating will make your life easier. However, don’t abuse the power of it as that in itself will lead to you developing some pretty bad habits.

3. Study Your Tasks

You must understand the tasks that you have followed by putting them in order of importance. Which tasks have the shortest deadline? Which tasks take the longest time to complete?

This is all about being realistic with what you can and cannot do. It is only by studying the tasks that you then know which ones to delegate out.

Often, we feel overwhelmed when we see the list of things we need to do. If you then notice the list getting shorter while also knowing the tasks are completed by others, then you begin to understand how it’s possible to do more things in the same time-frame.

I would recommend writing down everything you need to do in a day. Score off those tasks that only you can do and see what’s left. Place them in order of importance and begin to categorize them into groups as mentioned earlier. After this, divide up the tasks and assign them to those individuals that can deal with them. It really is that simple.

4. Don’t Fear Delegating Tasks

Finally, don’t fear delegating tasks. Instead, spend time knowing who is capable of doing what task as this makes the job run more smoothly. The last thing you want is to sit and wonder who can help as that in itself is wasting time.

You must also get over the idea that others are incapable of doing something to the same standard as you. At first, you may feel like checking up on them constantly, but that’s not wise. Instead, as long as you have done your research first when it comes to knowing who can help, then there’s nothing to worry about.

I can assure you that as you become more accustomed to delegating tasks that your confidence in the process will grow, and the number of people you use will also increase.

Delegating tasks is not as difficult as you may have thought as it’s all about being sensible with your approach. Understand that you are one person and cannot do everything. Accept those areas where you are not as skilled or where it takes up too much of your time. Realize that getting to grips with sending out tasks to those individuals better suited makes your life so much easier and less stressful.

Now, who wouldn’t want that to happen to them?

January 10, 2019
How To Break The Bad Habit Loop

Bad habits have the ability to hold us back in life. The problem is that we all have them and there are times where they can take over and ruin everything that we try to do. This applies to both our personal life as well as our working one. Making the wrong decisions or taking the incorrect actions affects us all.

Breaking those bad habits is often difficult. The issue is that we tend to enter into a cycle of repeating the same actions over and over again. It’s almost as if it becomes second nature to us.

However, all is not lost. There are ways and means to breaking this loop, and I’m going to provide you with several tips that will make a huge difference. Remember, bad habits can come in any form. But in this instance I’m focusing more on those things that hinder our performance in life.

1. Deal With Time Better

Often, bad habits will relate to poor time management. If we aren’t cutting corners to save time, then we have procrastinated too much. At points, we worry about having enough time to do everything. This leads to never getting things done, and we enter into this bad cycle.

Also, we spend time on the wrong things and never learn from that mistake. What we must do is to prioritize tasks and understand the length of time it takes to complete them. If we can accomplish that, then everything else becomes that little bit easier to contend with.

You must get an understanding of your time and what is possible. If it takes you an hour to complete a task and you only have 45 minutes, then you have done something wrong. This may be spending the wrong amount of time on other areas or distractions affected you? If you started the day with enough time, then you must ask yourself what went wrong in order to correct things.

2. Understand The Importance Of A Task

The only way in which you can make something a priority is with knowing how important an action or task may be. If we realize that something is key, then it makes it easier to apply the correct concentration levels to it.

Our bad habits can creep into play when we fail to give a task enough attention or undermine its importance. By doing so, it means we give ourselves permission to not follow through on something. In order to counteract that, we need to study each task which may very well propel us into changing those habits.

3. Know What Your Intention Is

Before undertaking any task or action, know your intention. What is the reason or purpose for you doing this and what does it mean to you?

Bad habits become easier when our intention is either unclear or is going towards the wrong reaction. Identify as to whether you must do the task, should do the task or could do the task. By listing them in this way, your job of organizing your life becomes easier. When there’s more order, the possibility of those ineffective habits coming into play is diminished.

You need to work through those tasks that are a must do and then move down the list. Never choose the easiest thing first, as that in itself is a bad habit, as you increase the chance of running out of time.

4. Quality Over Quantity

I also want to draw your attention to the idea of quality over quantity as this is certainly something that applies in this instance as it does if you are looking for a personal injury lawyer.

By taking on too many tasks at the one time, it increases the chances of bad habits creeping into your approach to life. If we feel swamped, we search for shortcuts and that is a problem. If we understand the concept of doing fewer tasks or actions to a higher level, then we can tackle things head on rather than looking for an escape route.

5. Practice Makes Perfect

Finally, breaking the loop of bad habits is never going to happen overnight. Instead, this has to become a daily practice. Remember that bad habits take time to form, so undoing them has to follow the same path.

You will make mistakes, and that’s fine. However, when you do the same action and get the same poor result, then something is amiss. The only way you can change things is by altering your actions as you have fallen into the trap of repeating your mistakes.

Breaking that loop of bad habits does take work, but it’s not a task that is insurmountable. Instead, by realizing you have an issue, it means you have taken the first step with tackling the problem. However, everything rests on your shoulders as to whether or not anything changes.

January 10, 2019
Fun Things to do with Friends at Home

Friends – the people with whom you share a bond of mutual affection. The people whose company you enjoy and who always seem to make you feel better. Contrary to what many ‘edgy’ and ‘friendless’ people like to claim, everyone has someone whom they can call a friend. Some people have a lot of friends, some only have a few friends while some others have way too many friends for their own good. What do you do with friends? Have fun, of course. This can be done in all kinds of ways in all kinds of places. Today, however, we shall be talking about one thing and one thing only: fun things to do with friends at home.

Fun things to do with friends at home: The Lazy Type

This is for those people who pride themselves in their laziness (not that we condone being lazy, of course). The most ‘fun’ thing you can do without having to drag yourself off your couch is play competitive video games with your friends. A good, old-fashioned game of FIFA or Call of Duty is one of the best ways to settle old scores, gain bragging rights over your friends and have fun all at the same time. At a distant second, you could watch a movie together or some Netflix, but beating your friends at a game feels (and don’t you dare fight us on this) infinitely better than watching a movie. Oh and no, gaming is not a boys-only thing,

Fun things to do with friends at home: The Not-so-lazy Type

Now, if you do manage to hoist yourself off that couch, it opens up a whole new realm of possibilities. Find a friend with a decent-sized yard, gather a few mates, find a ball (football, basketball, baseball, tennis ball, any will do) and boom, you have the complete recipe for some pure, chaotic fun. Even though these types of gatherings are getting rarer by the day, especially among older individuals, there is a certain appeal in a friendly session of sports that is found in no other activity, Not that there’s anything friendly about the bruises and cuts that are all but inevitable. No pain, no pleasure.

Fun things to do with friends at home: The Adventurous Type

Adventurous is a relative term here. What is adventurous for some may be completely mundane for others. For example, let’s say you and your friends have absolutely zero experience with cooking and baking and one of you is gripped by a sudden urge to eat Fettucine Alfredo or the cheesiest Oreo cheesecake. You could either order it from elsewhere, or you could take a shot at it yourselves. Granted, the second option is more of a recipe for disaster rather than pasta or cake and you’ll probably end up blowing up half your kitchen, but it’ll be the greatest pasta or cake the world has ever witnessed. Point is, trying new and interesting things with your friends at your side is a guaranteed source of fun.

Fun things to do with friends at home: The Intellectual Type

Now, this may not qualify as ‘fun’ for many of us, but if you and your friends are grown up and are capable of actually holding a serious conversation, a nice, long talk about serious topics is quite an interesting experience. It can be anything like politics, current affairs, how to make money online, sports & talking about the VR headsets Rift v Vive. Once again, not everyone’s idea of ‘fun’, but still worth a shot. Alternatively, you could discuss ridiculous conspiracy theories and if you just want to make yourself feel smart, a game of Scrabble is always an option.

Fun things to do with friends at home: The Bookish Type

This one is specifically for those who love books and everything about books. As cheesy as a ‘book club’ sounds, you’d be surprised how fun it is to discuss a book with a friend when you’ve both read it. Here’s an idea: select a random book from the library, tell all your book-loving friends to read it by a specific date, set up lunch at your home and make that book the main topic of conversation. Seeing how all of your review’s contrast is a very fun experience.

Learn how internet is affecting your intelligence.

So there we have it, those were some suggestions for some fun things to do with friends at home. However, it goes without saying that some people might not see any appeal in any of these things, but to each their own. The human mind is a very complex thing and fun for some might be torture for others.

August 27, 2018
Things to be Thankful for in Life

We complain a lot about so many things, ever wondered what are the things to be thankful for in life? But first ‘What is happiness?’ This is a question that has been on everyone’s minds and tongues since the beginning of time. If we look for the clinical definition of happiness, it is defined as a ‘state of mental well-being associated by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from mild contentment to intense joy’. Contentment, enjoyment, satisfaction, cheerfulness, euphoria, bliss, jubilation….all of these words (and more) are mostly associated with being ‘happy’. But why do we always seem to ignore the best way to reach this state? Why are we always focused on why we aren’t happy, instead of focusing on how we can be happy? Why do we always seem to be unaware of the fact that through one simple act, every negative thing can be made a little bit better, every dark day made a little bit brighter? We are talking, of course, about gratitude.

Is internet affecting your intelligence? Learn how internet affects your intelligence.

Gratitude – Things to be Thankful for in Life

Gratitude – one word that can carry the weight of worlds. Now, let’s consider this situation: you just saw a magnificent celebrity wedding on your TV. All the A-list stars were there, the press, the over-sized cake, the ludicrously-priced gifts, and the luxury yacht. And after you saw the whole ceremony, you start thinking ‘Boy, I wish I had all that stuff’, all your insecurities start acting up, you start questioning your life choices and the next thing you know, you’re standing on top of the Empire State Building contemplating whether you should jump off or not. Okay, that may have escalated a little too quickly, but did you feel thankful for the fact that you had a huge TV to watch the ceremony in the first place? You didn’t. Did you feel thankful that you had an air-conditioned living room with a comfortable sofa to sit on and complain all day? You didn’t. Did you feel thankful for the fact that you have a roof over your head and a family that loves you? You didn’t. Hell, did you feel thankful for the fact that you have enough power in your body to get up and turn on the TV or even cycle through the channels? You didn’t. But guess what? Many people don’t even have that. Only a fraction of the over 7 billion people on Earth have such a privileged existence. Saying that, this scenario doesn’t necessarily apply to you. But if you’re reading this, chances are you still have a lot of things you take for granted.
Thing is, in the social media-dominated age of today, we have in front of us an endless stream of ‘perfect’ people with the ‘perfect’ lives. We humans have a natural tendency to always focus on things we don’t have, and what this endless stream does is amplify this tendency. Instead of focusing on own lives, we’re always wishing to be like those perfect people, resulting in acute cases of thanklessness. No wonder everyone’s depressed. What we don’t see is that these magnificent Facebook and Instagram feeds are just flashy highlights from the lives of people who just know how to make themselves look good. What we don’t see is that behind all of those facades are normal people with their own issues and problems. Because here is the second thing: everyone has problems. You can’t not have problems. Some people just have different problems than other people. Now it’s up to us whether we let these problems get to us or we feel thankful for the things that we do have and work towards solving our problems.

Life isn’t Perfect – Things to be Thankful for in Life

Speaking of things we take for granted, if you have a relatively healthy body with properly functioning limbs, you already have something to be thankful about. If you have a job, no matter how barbaric your boss is, that’s another thing to be thankful about. If you have a stable family life, even if you’re struggling to make ends meet, you have something that many people would kill for. We could go on and on, but long story short: life isn’t perfect, expectations sometimes lead to disappointments and you don’t always get what you want. You can either accept these realities and be thankful for all the things that you have in life, or you could keep whining about what you don’t have and see where it gets you. Oh, and at the end of the day, we’re all going to die, but hear this: gratitude is where the satisfaction’s at. Look around and find the things to be thankful for in life. And let us know in the comments, what are you thankful for in life?

August 21, 2018
Augmented Reality – Everything You Need to Know

Virtual reality and 360° videos has crossed the limitations of smartphone and PC screens. Now we can immerse ourselves in a 3D virtual world. Virtual reality is all about creating a 3D animated virtual environment which we can explore using a VR device. But still we are confined to virtual objects.

Have you watched any of Iron Man series? Robert Downey Jr. has a personal artificial assistant called Jarvis and an augmented lab where he builds iron man suit by accessing information as holograms. That’s cool right? What if we had a device which interacts with real world objects with holographic projections? Yeah, Microsoft came up with a wearable augmented reality gadget called HoloLens that supports augmented reality.

What is Augmented Reality?

Augmented Reality (AR) is a holographic technology used for interpreting real or non-real objects. It may be a sound or visual or data projection. We can interact with real world objects and can also manipulate the data.

It’s a gadget with processor, sensors and display or projection technology. It can be a standalone device or should be connected to a smartphone or PC for inputting information.

Learn how internet is affecting our intelligence.

Augmented Reality can be used in various fields. In Education Augmented Reality helps lecturers in showing accurate 3D holograms of the topic they are teaching to the students. In architecture field it helps developing 3D models of their designs and also useful in identifying faults during construction. AR can be integrated with maps so that we can easily locate any address and also get relevant information of specific locations with call to actions. Example if we look at theater it will show list movies playing with showtimes and actions like booking tickets. Augmented Reality takes gaming to the next level by interacting with real world objects and spatial audio. In medical field it can be useful for the doctor to look inside the body of patient to know his condition by inputting medical records. Similarly AR can be used in defense, tourism, archaeology, sports, entertainment etc.

Google Glass is the first augmented reality device. But it was a failed attempt by Google for it’s limited functionality and high price. The real shift actually happened when Microsoft revealed their secret augmented reality project HoloLens. Right now many companies are into augmented reality segment with their own AR devices.

Initially AR devices will be limited in functionality and high in price. But the prices may come down in 2018. It is going to change the way we access and manipulate data by interacting with holographic interpretation of real world objects.

So what do you think about Augmented Reality?

August 1, 2018
10 Oldest Civilizations in the World
Among the many civilizations, we have created a list of 10 oldest civilizations. For hundreds of thousands of years, human beings were essentially nomads. They hunted their food, gathered what they could and moved from place to place. But, things changed around 10,000 and 7,000 BC. They evolved and changed their way of life. The concept of community was introduced and numerous other developments take place. Yet, the human beings of today are considerably different than the ones who came before. We have technology that has brought about massive changes in our lifestyle that didn’t exist even 20 years ago. So, how did the human beings of ancient times live? Let’s take a look at the 10 oldest civilizations in the world.

List of 10 Oldest Civilizations
- Mesopotamian Civilization
Since the evolution of humans, the first civilization ever to appear on the face of Earth was the Mesopotamian civilization. This civilization dates so far back that there is no record of any other civilization existing before them. Mesopotamia is said to be the first place where civilized societies took root and their timeline is said to be around 300BC to 750BC. The concept of agriculture came to light in 8000BC and animals were domesticated to help in agriculture and for food. Art had existed before then, but not as part of a civilization. These systems were formalized and refined by Mesopotamians who prospered in the regions of Sumer, Babylonia and Assyria highlands, all of which that falls into modern Iraq today.
- Indus Valley Civilization
The region of the Indus Valley comprises of land extending from northern Afghanistan to northwest India and Pakistan and this is where the Indus Valley Civilization formed. This was said to be one of the three civilizations in the Old World, apart from Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt and covered an area of about 1.25 square kilometers. The Indus River was one of the major ones in Asia and huge populations were settled around it. The remains of this civilization were found in Mohenjo-Daro and Harrappa and it is said to be at its peak phase from 2600BC to 1900BC. It was technologically advanced and sophisticated as they had urban centers. They had a rich arts and crafts culture and they made great achievements in measuring mass, length and time.
- Ancient Egyptian Civilization
One of the culturally rich and oldest civilizations in the world is Ancient Egyptian, which was renowned for its pyramids, prodigious culture, the Pharaohs, the sphinx and a majestic civilization that had resided close to the River Nile. The first Pharaoh unified Upper and Lower Egypt in 3150BC and this led to the coalescing of the civilization. This civilization didn’t just give the long-standing pyramids, the first of the solar calendars, the mummies preserving the first ancient Pharaohs, Hieroglyphics and lots more.
- Mayan Civilization
From about 2600BC onwards, the Mayan Civilization flourished in Central America and they created a timeline of the calendar. The civilization prospered after its establishment and it became quite sophisticated at its peak with a population of about 19 million. The Mayans had come up with their own way of writing by 700BC and they used it to develop their social calendars, which were carved in stone. Their calendar count started from August 11, 3114BC as they believed that’s when the world started and it was supposed to end on December 21, 2012. The Mayans were culturally rich and they and the Aztecs built pyramids that were larger than those in Egypt. But, they declined suddenly and came to an abrupt end, which remains a mystery.
- Chinese Civilization
Also known has Hans China, Ancient China has one of the most diverse histories. The cradle of the Chinese civilization is said to be the Yellow river civilization and the legendary Yellow emperor began his rule in 2700BC. The first dynasty to rule the whole of China was Xia that came to power in 2070BC. A number of dynasties came after it and held control of China until 1912 AD when the Qing Dynasty came to an end with the Xinhai revolution. Nonetheless, the civilization introduced some of the most useful products and inventions such as paper, gunpowder, printing, alcohol, compass, cannon and plenty more.
- Ancient Greek Civilization
While it may not have been the oldest, it is a fact that the Ancient Greek Civilization is one of the most influential. The rise of the ancient Greeks happened between 2700BC to 1500BC from the Cycladic and Minoan Civilization. The history of this civilization is spread over such a huge time period that historians divided it into various periods, the most popular of which are Hellenistic, Classical and Archaic. Lots of ancient Greeks also came into the limelight during these periods. The concept of a senate, democracy and even the ancient Olympics was created by the Greeks. The base for biology, modern geometry and physics was introduced by them.
- The Persian Civilization
There was a time when the most powerful empire in the world was the ancient Persian civilization. Even though they remained in power only for 200 years, they conquered lands covering about 2 million square miles. The Persian Empire was known for its wise rulers and military strength. At its peak, ancient Persian ruled over a good part of Egypt, Europe and all over central Asia. However, it all changed when Alexander the Great, the legendary Macedonian soldier brought the whole of the Persian Empire down to its knees in 530BC and effectively ended the civilization.
- The Roman Civilization
Around 6^th century BC, the Roman Civilization came into the picture. At the height of their power, the Romans ruled a huge chunk of land. In fact, nearly all the present day counties near the Mediterranean Sea were all part of the Roman Empire. Kings governed early Rome, but after seven kings, the Romans took over and ruled themselves and their cities. Instead, they formed a council called the ‘senate’ for ruling them. Some of the greatest emperors were also seen in Rome and the names include Augustus, Trajan and Julius Caesar. Eventually, the empire expanded so much that it became impossible to govern it and millions of barbarians from the east and north of Europe overran it.
- The Aztecs Civilization
In the 1200s and the early 1300s, the people of present day Mexico lived in three big and rival cities, Texcoco, Tenochtitlan and Tlacopan. An alliance was created by these rivals in 1325 and the new state fell under the rule of the Valley of Mexico. The name Mexica was preferred by the people rather than Aztecs and they rose within a century after the fall of the Mayan Civilization in Central America and Mexico.
- The Incas Civilization
In the pre-Columbian era, the largest empire in North America was the Incas and it flourished in the areas that are known as Chile, Peru and Eucador in modern day. The military, administrative and political center of the civilization was located at Cusco, which is part of modern day Peru. The empire bloomed rapidly from the beginning and its societies were quite well-established. The Sun God Inti was devoutly followed by the Incas and their king was called ‘Sapa Inca’, which means child of the Sun. The Incas became great builders and built sites and fortresses such as the city of Cusco.

Interested in Learning more about the Oldest Civilizations?
1. The First Signs: Unlocking the Mysteries of the World’s Oldest Symbols
2. The oldest civilization: Human Birth
Which civilization out of the 10 oldest civilization did you like the most, and why? Let us know in the comments.
June 5, 2017
10 Interesting Psychic Abilities that Humans can Have
It is believed that there was a time when the world was pure and the people were spiritual. The combination of the two allowed humans to do things that are now a part of fiction. A person could be healed by a touch. Sages could meditate and even lift their bodies off the ground. Some people also had the ability of controlling others. How could all this be done? It was through the power of the mind and it is said that there was a lot more that hadn’t been tapped yet. However, these days, such abilities are now only found in stories and comic books.

But, there have been incidents and cases where human beings have still demonstrated a number of these psychic abilities. Listed here are the 10 most interesting psychic abilities that humans can have:

Ability 1: Astral Projection

Can you imagine leaving your body and traveling through your home whenever you fall asleep? This would allow you to see and hear things, which are typically out of your physical range. This is astral projection and there are some people who have actually demonstrated this ability, but it usually happens accidentally. These are more common during stressful rest periods such as after surgery when a person is under the effects of anesthesia. Doctors have reported in some cases that patients were aware of conversations that were conducted entirely outside of the operating room. It is also believed that people are not born with this power, but can develop it through practice.

Ability 2: Enhanced Vision

We have all heard of people suffering from nearsightedness or farsightedness, but there are also cases where people have incredible vision. These are people who are not limited by any obstacle when it comes to sight, which includes skin. Enhanced vision is an ability that does exactly what you can understand from the name; it will provide a person with uncanny sight and enable them to see things that are not usually visible through normal vision. Natasha Demkina is a Russian woman who is said to have such an ability and can actually see inside a person’s body. She can even describe and locate bone scars, ulcers and even organs. Therefore, she is often regarded as the girl who has X-ray eyes.

Learn about 10 oldest civilizations.

Ability 3: Channeling

This psychic ability has been heavily criticized because there have been lots of fake practitioners. Essentially, it refers to the process where another spirit is allowed to enter the psychic, who is called a medium. The spirit can then control their body, which includes the use of their hands, legs and even their vocal chords. A medium tends to lose consciousness when a spirit enters their body so they are unaware of what the spirit is saying or doing. George Anderson is one of the most famous mediums in the world and he has spent decades with dead loved ones to bring closure to their grieving families. He has received the title of being the most scientifically tested medium in the country and is the only one to be invited to Holland by Anne Frank’s Holocaust-surviving family.

Learn about 10 oldest civilizations.

Ability 4: Clairvoyance

We have all heard of the idea of coming up with facts out of thin air, but this psychic ability actually gives it a new meaning altogether. Also known as the sixth-sense, clairvoyance is completely non-physical. In some cases, clairvoyance is voluntary, which means that people can gain information about an event, location or thing simply by thinking about it. There are also cases where it is involuntary, which means that people have sudden visions that provide them information about location, events or even people. In 1784, Victor Race, a dull-witted peasant was seen entering into a trance by medical professionals and he came out of it suddenly articulate. He knew information about places he had never visited before.

Ability 5: Psychokinetic Abilities

Also called telekinesis, psychokinesis is defined as the power of physically manipulating matter. A psychic can make use of this ability to reach out with their minds and be able to move objects without needing to touch them. One of the most renowned psychokinetics in the world is British healer and author, Matthew Manning. While the scientific community has often been skeptic about his ability, a lot of things he has demonstrated cannot be explained otherwise. Psychologist William Braud tested Manning in the 1970s and concluded that the results couldn’t be concluded as chance.

Ability 6: Psychic Surgery

Why go through invasive and expensive procedures when a psychic can just pull a tumor from your body? Psychic surgeons are renowned worldwide for their ability of reaching right into the human body and remove anything that shouldn’t be present. People with such psychic talents are mostly found in the Philippines and Brazil and they tend to have a very strong and powerful connection with the spiritual world. Therefore, they don’t have to enter the body in any way. A large number of people who believe in their ability have been amazingly affected and have seen improvements in their health.

Ability 7: Telepathy

This is simply the ultimate ability of passing secret notes in class as it only uses the mind for transferring an image, message or other information from one person to another. The term telepathy comprises of two Greek words; tele, which means distant, and pathos, which means experience or feeling.

Ability 8: Psychometry

If you are interested in learning your family history or you want to know who owned the antique table that you bought, how would you find the answer? In typical situations, you ask a grandparent or you do a search on Google. However, if you possess the ability of psychometry, you just need to touch the table. This psychic ability allows a person to learn another person or object’s history just by placing a hand on them. Stefan Ossowieki from Russia is known for this ability and he proved it by simply touching a sealed envelope and identified its contents and also revealed that it had been guarded for eight years.

Ability 9: Precognition

When you hear that someone is psychic, you automatically assume that they can provide you information about events that are yet to take place. But, this is only true for people who have the ability of precognition, which allows them to sense the future of an animal, person or even object through description or touch. Sometimes, they need a focus item like a classic crystal ball, a bowl of liquid or a jewel. Not only do precogs receive visions of the future, but they may also receive information about steps that should be taken to stop something from happening or ensuring it.

Ability 10: Hypnosis

Hypnosis is defined as a process in which a person with this psychic ability can make suggestions to the subconscious of another and control their mind. The user can directly command the mind of the hypnotized person and they can control their actions as well as what they say. This tool is considered as a very helpful tool for psychological treatments and for finding out truths. There has been considerable scientific data collected to show that hypnosis actually does work and is used widely in treatments.

Books on how to Develop Psychic Abilities
1. Psychic Development for Beginners: An Easy Guide to Releasing and Developing Your Psychic Abilities
2. Psychic Development: 3 Easy Steps To Developing Your Intuition
June 1, 2017
Top 10 Extinct Animals

We created this list of top 10 extinct animals to create awareness, as humans we are responsible for their extinctions. There are natural factors such as changes in sea levels as well as climatic heating and cooling that often lead to animal extinction. However, in modern times, some human activities have also caused extinction of some species. Hunting, over-fishing, the introduction of alien species and habitat destruction due to the expansion of farming land and cutting down of forest have all contributed to this process. Some of them were magnificently unique, but it is a sad reality that these astounding features no longer exist. Here is a list of the top 10 extinct animals who are no more to be found on this earth.

A List of Top 10 Extinct Animals

10) Sabre-Toothed Cat

The sabre-tooth cats were found about 55 million to 11,700 years ago. These carnivores are also known as Sabre-toothed lions or Sabre-toothed Tigers. They had elongated canine teeth, which resembled a blade and earned them their name. In some creatures, the teeth were nearly 50cm long. Their build was bear-like and they were said to be great hunters. The primary prey of these felines included mammoths and sloths. They had the ability of opening their jaws at an angle of 120 degrees, which is twice that of a modern lion. The Sabre-toothed cat became extinct due to several reasons. Firstly, the decline and extinction of the large herbivores they hunted was a factor and competition with humans and climate change did the rest.

9) Woolly Mammoth

Said to be closely related to modern elephants, the woolly mammoth was an enormous mammal that could weigh over 6 tons and was about 4 meters tall. About 3.5 million years ago, the ancestors of the woolly mammoth migrated out of Africa and spread across North America and northern Eurasia. Their entire body was covered in fur and had curved tusks that could be nearly 5 meters long. Nearly 10,000 years ago, the Woolly Mammoth disappeared due to the disappearance of its habitat caused by climate change and they were also hunted by humans. It is believed that the last of the Woolly Mammoth population vanished in 1700BC from Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean.

8) Dodo

Weighing about 10 to 18 kg, the Dodo inhabited Mauritius and was about one meter tall. However, the exact appearance of this extinct and flightless bird remains unresolved because the only account that can be found are the written accounts and varied illustrations from the 17^th century. It is presumed that factors such as the absence of predators and availability of abundant food sources in the form of roots, seeds and fallen fruits caused the Dodo bird to become flightless. A mention of the Dodo was first recorded by Dutch sailors in 1598. Sailors and the domesticated animals they kept hunted the bird into extinction. The last sighting of the Dodo was witnessed in 1662.

7) Great Auk

Found in the North Atlantic and as south as Northern Spain, the Great Auk was a flightless and large bird that weighed nearly 5kg and had an average height of 75cm to 85cm. The bird was an extremely powerful swimmer, which allowed it to hunt underwater as well. By 1835, the last colony of the Great Auks, which had been residing on the island of Eldey, were killed. Three men killed the last of these birds who caught it in 1844 on St Kilda, Scotland. The men killed the Auk because they thought it was a witch that had caused a large storm to surge suddenly.

6) Stellers Sea Cow

Discovered in 1741 by naturalist George Stellar, the creature was named after him. Stellers Sea Cow was an herbivorous and large mammal that weighed around 8 to 10 tons and was about 8 to 9 meters long. It is believed that the mammal inhabited the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea and the Near Islands southwest of Alaska. The mammal spent most of its time eating kelp and was tame in nature. Human hunters targeted it because the Stellers Sea Cow was unable to submerge its enormous body in the water thereby remaining vulnerable. It was hunted to extinction 27 years after the Europeans discovered it.

Click on the Image to buy Extinct Animals of the world from Amazon.

5) Tasmanian Tiger

A large carnivorous marsupial, the Tasmanian tiger was native to Tasmania, Australia and New Guinea. The creature was not related to tigers at all and in fact resembled a medium to large sized dog. It was about 2 meters long measured from nose to tail and weighed nearly 30kg, but it resembled a tiger due to dark stripes on its body. It is believed that the tiger became extinct as it was widely hunted and bounties also encouraged the activity. But, some contribution was also made by disease, the introduction of dogs and encroachment of its habitat by humans. Between 1910 and 1920, the last wild Tasmanian tiger was killed and in 1936, the last captive creature died in Hobart Zoo in Tasmania.

4) Passenger Pigeon

Since the early 20^th century, the Passenger Pigeon has been extinct. A native of North America, it is also called the Wild Pigeon and estimates indicate that about 3 to 5 billion of these creatures existed in the US when the Europeans came. But, the Passenger Pigeon lost its habitat due to their arrival as it led to mass deforestation and this reduced the bird population considerably. They were also hunted on a huge scale in the 19^th century as pigeon meat had been commercialized as inexpensive food for the poor. Around 1900, the Passenger Pigeon died out with the last one dying in 1914 in captivity.

3) Pyrenean Ibex

This is one of the four species of the Iberian Goat or Spanish Ibex found in the Iberian Peninsula and it fed mostly on herbs and grass. The Ibex weighed about 24 to 80 kg and had a height of 60 to 75 cm at the shoulder. Historically, they were thought to be 50,000 in number, but their numbers had reached 100 by the early 1900s. The exact cause that led to the extinction of the Pyrenean Ibex is unknown, but scientists believe that their inability to compete for food with other mammals and poaching were important factors. The last one was killed in 2000 in Spain by a falling tree.

2) Baiji White Dolphin

Also known as the Chinese River Dolphin, the Baiji White Dolphin could only be found in China’s Yangtze River. They weighed about one quarter of a ton and could grow as long as eight feet. They had tiny eyes and very poor eyesight so they relied on echolocation for hunting purposes. For 20 million years, they lived in the Yangtze, but from 1950 onwards, their numbers declined. The industrialization of China led to fishing in the river and it was also used for generating hydroelectricity and transportation, thereby affecting the mammal. While they are not considered extinct officially, they haven’t been seen since 2002.

1) West African Black Rhinoceros

In the southwest region of Africa, the West African Black Rhinoceros was found in several countries. Measuring 1.4 to 1.7 meters in height and about 3 to 3.8 meters long, this rhino weight between 800 to 1300kg. The rhino had two horns and mostly relied on leafy shoots and plants for their food. The last of these animals was seen in 2006 in Cameroon and was officially declared extinct in 2011.

Let us know who do you think is responsible for the extinctions of these top 10 extinct animals? Ever wondered about the 10 oldest civilizations of the world? Give it a read!

June 1, 2017