Method of Loci

The Method of Loci or Method of Place is perhaps the oldest mnemonic device. It was used by the Greeks in 500 B.C. It is based on mentally positioning things-to-remember in a well-known room. Use the Method of Loci by trying the following: 1. Imagine a very familiar place, such as a well-known street, building or room, which has many distinctive locations. Imagine yourself walking through, for example, this room, carefully examining each location. For example, imagine walking in the door, turning right, seeing the bookcase, walking to the bookcase, looking at it, walking past it to the fireplace, looking in the fireplace, etc… Now, make up a vivid, concrete list of everything that you need to remember. For example, the five things that you need to buy for a birthday party (e.g. cake, candles, balloons, present and music). Associate each item with a location in the room. Imagine it as vividly as you can. Walk through the room and look in each location, seeing the item where you placed in it.

Top 10 NFL stadiums

1. Dallas Cowboys New Stadium, Arlington. This site will open for the Dallas Cowboys in the fall of 2009 and it has already won the rights to the Super Bowl in 2011. Set to be a modern-day coliseum, this venue has everything including a retractable roof, the largest high definition screen in the world at the 50-yard line and glass doors that open behind each end zone.

2. University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix. The Cardinals had their first season at this palace in 2008 and it must have helped them out. Big and beautiful, this new stadium has climate control and a field that is brought in on an incredible tray system that was designed specifically for them. Before each game and after the field can be rolled in and out so that the grass can grow and so that the venue can host events that require a hard floor without damaging the playing surface! Amazing.

3. Lambeau Field, Green Bay. Not new like the other Megaplex stadiums but endowed with the great ghosts of football past, the field is a testament to fan support. A small town supporting a major team is unheard of and also makes this a refreshing break from the corporate gatherings hosted by other NFL stops. Great tailgating and memories of Vince Lombardi abound. The field and stadium are still wonderful with great views of the icy tundra all around.

4. Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay. Arrrgh, matey! When they redesigned this stadium in 1998 for the Buccaneers, they went all out with the pirate theme. A 103-foot pirate ship replica is on site so that fans can play in the entertainment park, Buccaneer’s Cove. The Cove also has a fishing village replica and a ton of vending areas made to look like beach huts. If you attend a game when the Bucs score a TD, they have 8 cannons fire at the same time. Of course, it has 195 luxury suites and all that but the theme park fun is what sets it apart.

5. Qwest Field, Seattle. Espresso, rain and football? These elements all come together in the Seahawk’s stadium. Perched right downtown among the buildings, the south end of the end zone opens up to views of the skyline and Mt. Rainier. The whole thing has an awesome open field with acoustics designed to funnel sound down to the field and mess up the opposing teams. When the rain comes, the screens direct it away from fans so they can sip coffee in comfort.

6. Heinz Field, Pittsburgh. The Steelers new home was built not far from the legendary Three Reviers Stadium but this all new home has the plush comforts of the new stadium with all of the hard-core fans from the old venue. What a great mix.

7. Invesco Field, Denver. After having such success in the Mile High Stadium, fans were leery of this new joint in the sports complex next to the Pepsi Center and Coors Field. Invesco Field though won them over. It still has a reference to the old stadium in the name and was built the exact same size: just more luxury boxes and a grade A facility.

8. Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis. Once the team became champs they moved into this new modern stadium in 2008. The outside has a brick and steel facade that suggests the old era but this stadium is all modern inside. Built 25-feet below street level for easy seat access for fans, the 63,000 who gather each week to watch their team do so in style.

9. M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore. Built to look like Camden Yards, its baseball neighbor, M&T Bank Stadium features 2 massive scoreboards and seating for 71,000 each week along with the super-cool Astroturf with those little rubber balls.

10. Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Jacksonville. Built on the sacred ground of the old Gator Bowl, this stadium launched back in 1995 but was heavily upgraded to host the SuperBowl in 2005.

Top 10 baseball stadiums

Nothing says America better than baseball! Get a hot dog and beer and you’re ready to go.

Wrigley Field Home of the Chicago Cubs

1. Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs
   According to Obama in an interview with ESPN’s Stuart Scott, Wrigley Field is all about beer and beautiful people who aren’t serious about baseball. Prove Obama wrong and go to Wrigley Field to seriously watch a Cubs game.
   

   Fenway Park Photo by charliekwalker@flickr

2. Fenway Park, Boston Red Sox
   “America’s most beloved ballpark,” Fenway Park is truly a classic. It’s much the same as it was the day it opened on April 20, 1912. Go see what the Green Monster is all about, and why it’s so difficult to make a home run.
   

   The New Yankee Stadium

3. Yankee Stadium, New York Yankees
   The new Yankee Stadium, just north of the original in the Bronx, will open on April 3 and 4, for an exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs. No longer will Yankee Stadium be referred to as “The House that Ruth Built.”
   

   Waiting for a home run in McCovey Cove at AT&T Park

4. AT&T Park, San Francisco Giants
   It may be owned by AT&T but fans still call it Pac Bell Park. Watch Portuguese water dogs fetch home runs as they splash into McCovey Cove. And who is that pitching for the Giants? Why, it’s 45-year-old Randy Johnson, still throwing fastballs up to 95 mph.
   

   Chase Field Home of the Arizona Diamondbacks

5. Chase Field, Arizona Diamondbacks
   Where but in Arizona can you have a pool party at a major league baseball park? Reserve the Ridenow Powersports Pool suite which includes a private bar and plasma TV. pool rental comes with 35 game tickets, five parking passes, a beach towel and baseball cap for each guest.
   

   The pristine Safeco Field in Seattle

6. Safeco Field, Seattle Mariners
   The Kid is back! Seattleites are enthusiastically welcoming the return of Ken Griffey, Jr. And you don’t have to worry about wind, rain, or snow when you go to Safeco Field in Seattle. The one-of-a-kind retractable roof covers the ballpark without enclosing it.
   

   PETCO Park with spring flowers

7. PETCO Park, San Diego Padres
   Location, location, location–that’s the beauty of PETCO Park. Panoramic views of San Diego Bay can distract you from the game. And when the last out is made, the Gaslamp Quarter is right there with its huge selection of restaurants and pulsating nightlife.
   

   Oriole fans in Baltimore

8. Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore Orioles
   See the Orioles for free on your birthday. The Orioles are giving away tickets to fans during their birthday months–with the exception of the Yankees and Red Sox games. The season starts on April 6 at home against the Yankees. No freebies that day!
   

   PNC Park and the Pittsburgh Skyline

9. PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pirates
   Sitting alonside the Allegheny River, PNC Park has sweeping vistas of the downtown skyline and the riverfront. The Pirates have been Pittsburgh’s team for 115 years. That’s reason enough for celebration.
   

   Activities around Coors Field

10. Coors Field, Colorado Rockies
    Did you know that at the mile-high Coors Field the ball travels nine percent farther than at sea level? The row of purple seats twenty rows up on the upper deck and six rows from the top is exactly one-mile above sea level. Watch the Colorado Rockies play with a view of their namesake mountains in the background.

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RIP PC Games: PC gaming rig is the Amiga? Maybe

I got the bad news today at a local GameStop.  Even though Diablo 3 and Guild Wars 2 are coming out for PC on DVD boxset, most PC Publishers are moving towards downloads (iso images). The DVD media and case may be in the past.  Consoles will remain the platform of choice.  Even though videocards contributed to this, the Gamespot clerk said they want to use their PC for only web surfing.  In the next year or so, PC games will look like the Commodore Amiga 4000 looks like in 1998...kind of dead or last stage of dieing.



Perhaps Wii U, Xbox 720 and Playstation 4 will put the final nail in the computer gaming. Diablo 3, World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2 will be the last popular games on PC according to the Gamestop clerk.

The handeheld platforms like 3DS feel like the early 1990s.  The Playstation Vita appears to be acting as a Sega Game Gear lagging far behind the Gameboy.  Gamepark Corporation felt that the GP2x Caanoo is their last handheld.

My ex-friends have stopped playing Everquest 2 and World of Warcraft in late 2008 to show that PC gaming is really dieing. He ended with a Radeon HD X1600 in his PC in 2008.