memrise

Calling all langblrs,

We are sure that our newest project yet would interest the Tumblr Language Community.

In hopes of creating the world’s first video dictionary, we have launched a kickstarter.

We hope to re-invent language learning by touring around Europe in a double-decker bus collecting videos of native speakers using their language in context.

We believe we can say without exaggeration that this will be the greatest multilingual road trip ever attempted!

Have we sparked your interest!? Spread the word about our grand master plan! Every little helps to get fuel in the membus and kick off our journey.

Check out our Kickstarter campaign here: http://memri.se/USFc4

Happy learning,

Calling all langblrs,

We are sure that our newest project yet would interest the Tumblr Language Community.

In hopes of creating the world’s first video dictionary, we have launched a kickstarter.

We hope to re-invent language learning by touring around Europe in a double-decker bus collecting videos of native speakers using their language in context.

We believe we can say without exaggeration that this will be the greatest multilingual road trip ever attempted!

Have we sparked your interest!? Spread the word about our grand master plan! Every little helps to get fuel in the membus and kick off our journey.

Check out our Kickstarter campaign here: http://memri.se/USFc4

Happy learning,

How memories form and how we lose them

Did you know that as we get older, the hippocampus loses 5% of its neurons every decade? That amounts to a total loss of 20% by the time we are 80 years old - which helps explain why our memories seem to fade.

One leading cause of chronic memory problems is stress. When we are constantly overloaded with work and personal responsibilities, our bodies are on hyperalert. This response has evolved from the physiological mechanism designed to make sure we can survive in a crisis. Stress chemicals help mobilize energy and increase alertness. However, with chronic stress our bodies become flooded with these chemicals, resulting in a loss of brain cells, and an inability to form new ones, which affects our ability to retain new information.

So take a break! And remember to thank yourself later.

Think back to a really vivid memory. Got it? Now try to remember what you had for lunch three weeks ago. That second memory probably isn’t as strong—but why not? Why do we remember some things, and not others? And why do memories eventually fade?

Let’s look at how memories form in the first place. When you experience something – like dialing a phone number – the experience is converted into a pulse of electrical energy that zips along a network of neurons. Information first lands in short term memory where it’s available for anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes. It’s then transferred to long-term memory through areas such as the hippocampus and finally to several storage regions  across the brain. Neurons throughout the brain communicate at dedicated sites called synapses using specialized neurotransmitters. If two neurons communicate repeatedly a remarkable thing happens – the efficiency of communication between them increases. This process, called long-term potentiation, is considered to be a mechanism by which memories are stored long-term.

Source: Ted-ed

Animation by Patrick Smith 

On 13 October 1992, following written orders, Swiss Army cadets unknowingly crossed the border and went to Triesenberg to set up an observation post. Swiss commanders had overlooked the fact that Triesenberg was not on Swiss territory. Switzerland apologized to Liechtenstein for the incident.

In March 2007, a company of 171 Swiss soldiers mistakenly entered Liechtenstein, after taking a wrong turn in the darkness. The troops returned to Swiss territory before they had travelled more than 2 km into the country. The Liechtenstein authorities did not discover the “invaders”, and were informed by the Swiss after the incident. The incident was disregarded by both sides. A Liechtenstein spokesman said “It’s not like they invaded with attack helicopters”