Today’s entry focuses on an audiobook that I recently listened to called Brain Rules by John J. Medina. This is one of the few audiobooks that I’ve actually listened to and it was very enlightening. And since this was a book that I listened to and recommend, I thought that the best way I could show you why you should pick up a copy of Brain Rules is by using audio-visual techniques! With that in mind, below is an introduction to Medina’s Brain Rules as well as an interview that he did with a television station.

Before you watch those two video clips, though, I’d like to share with you one of the truths that I learned by listening to this book and that is that the concept of multitasking is a lie because multitasking is not possible. Now, I know there are some people out there who will read that sentence and say or think something like, “Yeah, maybe it’s not possible for you because you’re a dummy!” First of all, I’m smarter than you so eat it (just having some fun hear, my dear readers). Second, and more importantly, I felt the same way when I heard Dr. Medina say that multitasking was impossible.

However, Dr. Medina talks about how the idea that a person can focus his or her brain on a variety of active functions at a single time is ludicrous. He uses a great example of some kid who is working on a paper for school and then receives an instant message from a girlfriend. The rules required for addressing and writing the paper are much different than the rules required for addressing and writing the girlfriend. And while the kid might be able to minimize his paper and talk to the girlfriend for a few moments before bringing the paper back to his computer’s desktop and working on it again – for those few moments that he typed to his girlfriend, he hasn’t focused on the paper. Instead, he has switched his brain’s functions (and associated rules) very quickly from one task to another and probably didn’t achieve as great a success in either task as he could if he focused solely on it alone.

Think about it. Do you know people who think that they are masters of multitasking? I bet you do. And now think about it again – are those people really masters of multitasking or do they just “get by” after rapidly switching their focus from one task to another task to another task and on and on?

Interesting stuff. Anyway, enjoy the videos below.

Pretty interesting, huh? Here is Medina being interviewed by a new station. This video, in particular, is a great exposition on what you’ll find out by reading Brain Rules. The interviewer does a great job of extracting some crucial “brain” information from Dr. Medina and I think that you’ll enjoy this interview.

If you have a great interest in the way our bodies work and in the way our minds function, then I think you’ll really enjoy Brain Rules. If you’ve already read (or listened to) the book, I’d be interested in knowing what you thought about it and what you thought about Dr. Medina’s suggestions about the brain. Feel free to use the comment box to share your thoughts!

Hang in there, I can actually draw a correlation here and make this make sense!

Over the last few weeks I’ve been dabbling in this iTunes U and some of the more educational-focused podcasts offered on iTunes. By using some of the features on iTunes and more specifically iTunes U, I’ve been able to get the mental stimulation that I would normally reserve for reading books. Seriously! I downloaded a bunch of podcasts from a doctor who interviews other doctors at the University of Michigan and asks them about health questions that pertain to their fields of study. These people are experts in the topic and they give away free information about the disease or condition for free. How great is that?!

And with iTunes U I’ve been able to turn some of my daily commutes into mentally stimulating experiences as I listen to professors for Yale and Harvard Universities talk about topics that I’m interested in (business management, nonprofits, leadership, American Colonial History, writing, personal finance, etc). It’s absolutely wonderful if you’re an information junkie like I am!

With this comes the integration of other services into iTunes like Audible. I’ve downloaded a few audiobooks from a family account and I plan on listening to some of them in the next few weeks during my trips to and from work. Hey, we all know that I absolutely hate my commute so if I can turn it into something more than just mindless driving to and from Trenton, then I’d be happy to do so!

But to keep with the theme of the last few days – by utilizing electronic media more often I’ll be able to cut back on the amount of books that I buy. Now, I’d never give up books altogether because I’m one of these readers who thinks that there is something that you lose when you don’t have the actual book in your hand and the words in front of your face. However, if I can purchase a few less books each year by listening to a few audiobooks instead, then that only helps to reduce the overall amount of clutter in my home – and that’s not a bad thing at all.

Anyway, I won’t let that experience detract from my review of the story nor will I let the fact that this book is linked to the now-failed ABC series “Lost” jade my view. In fact, while “Lost” is literally a lost cause at this point (come on – they’re burying people alive now and we’re supposed to care one way or the other?), this book – written by the fictional Gary Troup (get it? It’s the word “purgatory” all scrambled up) – wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. For those of you that care, Gary Troup is supposed to be the guy who is sucked into the turbine on the beach in the first episode of “Lost.” And for the rest of you who care, the book was actually written by Laurence Shames.

It’s the story of a private detective named Artisan who takes on a job from the Widmore family who is searching for their lost son and brother, Zander. This ridiculous name is short for Alexander (shouldn’t it be Xander, then?) who is supposed to be the “bad twin” between him and his brother, Clif Widmore. You can almost predict the entire story once you get the basics down – Clif turns out to be a bastard, Zander turns out to be a good guy, the nice guy Artisan winds up with the girl, etc, etc.

When I finished listening to this book, I wanted to give it some time to digest. Well, it’s been digested and there is really nothing crazy about the story or the characters. I will give Shames the fact that he does some good character development throughout the novel, but the story itself is just blah. Almost like a “who cares” type of story.

Lost is incorporated into the story via the Hanso Foundation. There is a member of the board of the Widmore group who is from the Hanso Foundation. Deep connection… really…

I suppose if you have the opportunity to get your iPods on a free copy of this audiobook like I did, then go for it. Otherwise, don’t bother.