Brain Gyms
There is an interesting article in today's SF Chronicle about an emerging industry - the Brain Gym. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/13/MNMETNGMV.DTL

In summary, as our population age and continue to work later into our senior years, we need to keep our brains as physically fit as we try with our bodies. The physical gyms where people go to exercise their bodies have been in service for many years, but now there is an emergence of "Brain Gyms". Like conventional gyms, seniors can pay for a membership with these brain gyms and go regularly to exercise their brains by participating in cognitive activities. As the article says, this is sort of like WD-40 for the brains.

Kudos to the people behind this idea. I think it's wonderful. Sure one can say it's just another gimmick to earn money from the vulnerable, in this case seniors. Seniors can exercise their minds for free by playing chess, crossword puzzles, or otherwise engage themselves in cognitively beneficial activities without paying a dime. But isn't that the same with the conventional physical gyms? Sure we can simply walk more each day and do more physical stuff to keep fit. Who needs a gym? Those who don't have enough self-discipline to walk more each day and be more active on their own. That's who. Some people just very well need to join a gym, pay the dues, and then make a point to go for a workout however many times a week to make their gym dues worthwhile. I see the same thing happening with these Brain Gyms. I can see some seniors going for their cognitve workouts (however reluctantly) because they paid money for it. But in the end, they reap the benefits of a fitter brain.

I also see this as a form of recreation and companionship for seniors as (1) their life partners pass or (2) their children "abandon" them as they live their own lives with their own families. Brain Gyms have much to offer to lonely seniors as these.

I look forward to seeing how this new concept will take shape. In the meantime, since I'm not admitting to being a senior (and frankly I'm not), I shall engage myself in more MJ games to exercise my brain.