Visualizing the ideas that you have in your brain is a tall order. Many of us creative types tend to carry around pads of paper and gravitate towards white boards to jot down our thoughts and scribbles.
A really helpful tool to extract exactly how our ideas might become an actual “thing” is by using mind mapping software, which basically lets you create a cloud of words, ideas and thoughts that can connect to one another.
A service that will be entering beta soon called Exobrain could become the killer tool to take the mind mapping concept to the next level. Not much is known about the service, other than it was created by Colin Dunn and Nick Gauthier, and is still in development.
There's a demo that you can play around with though to see if this is something that might float your boat. Personally, I was blown away and want it right now:
This video will give you a good idea of what you can do with Exobrain:
The service promises to store all of your maps in the cloud, being accessible from anywhere. If you’re a creative nerd like I am, this is a service worth signing up for.
iVinnyApps is pleased to announce the release of iBrainstormer 1.1 for iOS. iBrainstormer is an app that allows people to visually gather ideas in the form of a mind map. The app allows users to build their map in a fluid predictable fashion anywhere they are. The reasons for using a mind map to organize your thoughts are endless, but the biggest one is the invaluable ability to see your train of thought in an organized manner from start to finish.
Dropbox is essentially used as cloud storage for the users maps. You can easily link your account to the app and begin uploading and downloading mind maps.
Printing is a feature that many other mind mapping apps lack. iBrainstormer is setup to fit your mind map on to a sheet of letter paper with a small buffer on the edges of the map.
If your mind map is "to big" for printing paper then you can save it as a pdf to dropbox or by emailing the pdf in the app. The emailing feature includes the ability to email as a picture, pdf, or ".bsmm" file. A ".bsmm" file is the native file format of iBrainstormer and if the email is opened on another device that has iBrainstormer installed then the recipient will be able to open and edit your mind map as well.
The Bump feature makes this app pretty unique. For those who are unfamiliar with "BUMP", it is a technology that allows two devices to literally transfer information by bumping them together. The mechanics are unimportant, suffice it to say it allows for quick on the fly collaboration between to people working next to each other.
iBrainstormer is constantly being updated. The help feature is 2nd to none. The app has a tab where users can view tutorials and submit questions and view answers. I have a release coming out with a full on color picker to allow for more node color options.
A simple feature that users find helpful is that any new node takes on the color of the parent node. In the same place that the color can be changed the user can enter a start and end date plus some notes. Notes can just be extra text that you don't want to clutter the mind map with or just details about clients, tasks, etc.
Users will find that if there are any complaints I will nearly immediately remediate it minus the review time Apple takes, which is about a week or so.
iBrainstormer 1.1 is $1.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Productivity category.
Inventors of Mind Mapping and specialists in creative thinking, ThinkBuzan Ltd, today announced the release of the new version of their flagship Mind Mapping software, iMindMap 6. With a strong focus on stimulating visuals and intuitive features, the new software is designed to inspire innovative thinking and fuel creativity.
A tool for all thinking tasks, from brainstorming to project management and presentations, iMindMap 6 enhancements include brand new 3D environments, a new fully customisable presentation builder with rotating transitions, inbuilt flowcharts in 2D and 3D, a new WayBack feature to allow for revision control and many new formatting options.
“We’ve made everything more visually stimulating, streamlined and flexible” says Head of Desktop Development, James Carr. “Although all the new features get an equal share of our affection, 3D is something we’re particularly proud of because it’s simply unmatched. Our 3D editor takes Mind Mapping software to a new creative space and there is nothing else like it, anywhere.”
iMindMap 6 is available for both Mac and Windows operating systems and is fully compatible with the iMindMap iOS and Android mobile apps for users with a subscription. Launch offers include high discounts for existing users and free subscriptions to iMindMap Freedom if purchased by August 10th 2012.
“With iMindMap 6, we didn't want to clog the workspace with complex features that users don't need and will never use more than once. What we’ve tried to create is something clean, flexible and, most importantly, beautiful,” says CEO, Chris Griffiths. “The power of beauty to stimulate the mind and encourage creative thinking is boundless and yet so often neglected in other software tools. The fact is that the brain likes to use what the brain likes, so making iMindMap 6 a visual feast is about more than just aesthetics - it's about thinking better.”
The release of iMindMap 6 follows the successful launch of new iMindMap Android apps, iOS apps and a browser-based version of iMindMap at ThinkBuzanCloud.com earlier this year.
"We are thrilled to be able to provide a complete suite of applications that will allow our users to access the creative workspace of iMindMap wherever they are," says Chris. "Freeing people from the limiting and uninspiring structure of most software tools is our mission and with the release of iMindMap 6, it is now possible."
Highlights:
New 3D environments
New quick-draw branch target
New Presentation builder with slide-format, rotating transitions and 3D option
Save multiple presentations per map
New Flowcharts
Box Branch Shapes
Multi-select tool for fast editing
Map Snippets for reusable groups of branches
New Sketch Tool
Full Screen mode
WayBack revision control for iMindMap Freedom users, available on desktop, mobile and online
New Format tool for increased flexibility
Faster start up time
Video:Introduction to iMindMap 6 - Mind Mapping software for Creative Thinking
Building healthy habits is tough and you won't find a shortage of different advice for doing it. If you're looking for a systematic approach, productivity blog Asian Efficiency has put together a huge guide for how you can build habits using mind maps. A mind map might seem a little over-the-top for habit building, but Asian Efficiency makes a strong argument:
The reason mind maps are great for building your habits is because you can visualize the different habit components in a mind map and visually see how you are going to work on each part. You can really think it through and be specific on what needs to happen.
The idea is that when you visualize all the cues, rewards, routines, and plans that go into a habit you can better understand what you're doing. The best part? Asian Efficiency has put together a template for you to do on your own. Check out the full post for a list of the different ways to utilize it.
New Mind Academy today announced the relaunch of their innovative New Mind Brain Mapping System that revolutionizes the way clinicians and neurofeedback practitioners work with their clients. The integrated Bio-Psycho-Social Assessment system combines quantitative EEGbrain mapping with metabolic and psycho-social assessment tools, resulting in a comprehensive and economical method for accurately evaluating clients and utilizing neurofeedback to remediate suffering. The New Mind Brain Mapping System is the first to provide immediate standardized automated interpretation of EEG brain mapping data based on statistical analysis - significantly reducing personal bias in report interpretations as well as reducing long waiting periods for brain maps to be evaluated and written. The New Mind Brain Mapping System is the first report system to provide a wide variety of conveniences for clinicians, such as an At a Glance Report, Automatic Protocol Generation, Metabolic Confound Report, Supplement Recommendations and a Simplified Client Report section for clients to read.
“We’re excited to have our new brain mapping system vastly improve the way clinicians work with their clients,” said Richard Soutar, Ph.D., founder and CEO of New Mind Academy who is also a distinguished pioneer in the field of neurofeedback as well as a former graduate-level professor of psychology and sociology. “This is the first system to provide clinicians and neurofeedback practitioners with immediate standardized automated interpretation of EEG brain mapping data and statistical analysis.”
The use of EEG or quantitative EEG (qEEG) to record and evaluate neural activity is emerging as a powerful and economic tool for understanding the problems clients bring to their professional advisors. By recording brainwaves from twelve or more locations across the scalp, clinicians are able to generate electrical topographical maps of the brain which provide deep insights into client suffering. These maps are similar to weather maps in that they indicate high and low areas of electrical functions and consequently high and low areas of processing functions. The maps can then be compared to maps of a normative sample, several of which were developed at top research universities, and deviations from this normative standard are used to assess the likelihood that clients suffer from different symptoms. This information can then be compared to client complaints for confirmation and used to generate training protocols utilizing neurofeedback to relieve discomfort.
“Clinicians and neurofeedback practitioners will benefit from the comprehensive narrative reports The New Mind Brain Mapping System provides - informing them of the likelihood of difficulties with a wide variety of functions such as memory, emotion, visual processing, verbal processing and executive function,” continued Dr. Soutar.
The program is easy to install and lets you organise ideas and plans visually. It also has useful tools such as output to Microsoft Office and a PDF export option
Mind mapping software can be a great help for organising complicated pieces of work in a visual way, especially if there are relationships between different topics that don't work well in basic lists. Mind Maple impressed us as being more attractive than the open source Freemind but without the hefty price tag of Mindjet's Mind Manager.
Installation is simple. This is the Lite version of Mind Maple that is free to use. Mind Maple Pro has some extra tools if you are willing to pay the cost, more on that later.
First impressions are very good. The interface is clean and follows the new Ribbon design. A demonstration map is displayed when Mind Maple starts for the first time that gives a good idea of the different ways of organising maps.
Adding information to a map is easy and can be done without having to resort to using the mouse. This helps avoid breaking your flow and is essential if you are taking notes with Mind Maple.
The Insert keys adds a new level of topic and the Enter key will add a new entry at the same level. The cursor keys can be used to move around the map.
There are tools to help keep the design of your maps in order with settings for the direction of new topics, numbering, alignment, sorting and a balance map tool. The latter is useful for making the most of available space when printing as mind maps can take up a lot of space.
The printing dialogue includes a page preview and all the options that are familiar from Microsoft Office.
The ability to export maps into other formats is an essential tool, at some point maps normally need to be converted into a piece of prose or shared with someone who might not find mind maps easy to use. There is a good range of export options including Microsoft Word, plain text, HTML, Excel and Powerpoint. The Microsoft Office export will only work if those programs are installed on your computer so users of Libre Office or other alternatives will have to stick with the HTML or plain text.
The HTML export will include relationships between topics as links within the document.
