Last year, after 244 years of publishing, Encyclopedia Britannica stopped printing its 32-volume set of printed encyclopedias. So many things about printed encyclopedias seem insane now: an entire set weighed more than 100 pounds, took up tons of space, was obsolete by the time it was printed, and had to be paid for in installments by middle-class families who wanted their children to be well-informed.
Today, thanks to free, crowd-sourced sites like Wikipedia, we have a reservoir of infinite knowledge, most of which is virtually free to access. And, it takes up no more physical space than the tiny devices we use to view it. Wikipedia is not the only site offering a wealth of free resources to make you smarter. Here are 5 other sites that will definitely help you exercise your brain:
unplugthetv.com – This site randomly selects a short educational video for you to watch (instead of watching TV).
coursera.org – This educational site works with 83 universities to get their courses on the Internet, free for you to use. That’s 390 college-level classes on one site, absolutely free.
ted.com – TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) talks are going mainstream (have you seen them on Netflix?). They are filmed at an annual conference where experts in their fields address a variety of topics in videos that are all usually less than 18 minutes. Lots of great stuff here! From British educator Ken Robinson to American magician David Blaine, these talks will change the way you look at the world.
investopedia.com – On this site, you can learn about the world of finance, from basic terminology to in-depth analysis.
engineerguy.com – Collection of videos in which Bill, the Engineer Guy, breaks down various feats of engineering into layman’s terms.
What other resources do you use to increase your brain power? I’d love to hear your ideas…
