Using This Time Well

Stuck inside?  Use BrainHQ a few minutes a day and drastically reduce your chance of ever sliding into dementia.  And lower your chances of being in a bad car crash.  And, if you’ve just been traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, lead your team to the Superbowl.  It may also help with tinnitus, PTSD, and a bunch of other stuff. I know it sounds too good to be true, but if you scroll down their web site, you’ll see . . .

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The BrainHQ brain-training program represents the culmination of 30 years of research in neurological science and related medicine. It was designed by an international team of neuroscientists, led by Michael Merzenich—a professor emeritus in neurophysiology, member of the National Academy of Sciences, co-inventor of the cochlear implant, and Kavli Prize laureate.

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With tons of peer-reviewed studies to back it up.

Just keep scrolling down that page and try a few exercises.

For free, unless you decide to upgrade and make me rich.

Imagine coming out of this quarantine having not only watched every VEEP and Curb, but also protecting yourself from dementia years down the road.  (Studies show that the exercises have long-lasting effect.)

Suggest this to your parents as well?

My guess is that a cure for COVID-19 will come fast, perhaps even before “next season,” if it proves to be seasonal.  A million smart people are working on this problem.  As one example, check out the press release from Ridgeback Biotherapeutics (a private company, so not out to hype its stock) or listen to the story on CNBC.

Maybe I’m too optimistic, but there’s no harm in being hopeful.

And speaking of optimism . . .

Enjoy The Democrats Don’t Understand Their Own Strength.  It’s no cause for complacency — click here! — but I sure prefer our odds.

Finally . . .

Mark Jansen:  “Sheltering in place here in Silicon Valley, California, I often think how, if we all just do a little, it makes the world better. I think about how *fortunate* we are to have all we do: Thanks to science, we know what COVID-19 is, not just ‘something we can’t understand is making us sick.’ We have food, and power, and clean water, and the Internet for Heaven’s sake! USPS and UPS and DoorDash and Amazon are still delivering our necessities and little luxuries. Only kings of old would have such ease!  My wonderful wife and I, both serious introverts, invited our most beloved neighbors to a ‘virtual cocktail party’ over Internet video tonight (her idea, of course). We went black tie — she in a gorgeous gown and I in my tux — in hopes it would be fun, add cheer, and help weave us together. Our outfits alone drew a laugh. But the real point was to show that in a difficult situation, where the biggest enemies are panic and fear, we can connect and show our genuine affection for each other.  And you know what? The party made things a little better. I think our neighbors had a good time, and I know we did. We feel…lifted by the love of these special people we are lucky to live in community with. That is precious.  If we support each other, we will work our way through a scary, challenging situation.”

→ Have I got the best readers, or what?