The Thinkerer is an insider’s view of how people use their brains when they figure out how to do things.   And of what people can do to get more cooperation out of their brains. 

The Thinkerer also offers a collection of tools that you can use to get better work out of your brain.  If you use one of these tools for a while, your brain will turn it into a habit.  Then you will carry the tool in your head.  You always have it with you.  As long as you bring your head along.

Where is this stuff coming from?  From well-known psychological principles and techniques, found generally under the title of cognitive engineering.   But don’t panic.  We’ve hidden all the technical stuff under the mythical skin of the Thinkerer.   Some people will figure that out.  Most won't care. 

We provided some explanations for people who want to feel that they understand thinkering.  And for people who want to be able to explain thinkering to someone else.  And maybe for people who like to make dinner conversation about psychological topics.  Both of them.  Preferably seated together.

Aside from this background stuff, we are not going to entertain you with talk about the underlying psychological principles or the psychological theory. 

                                                                                 That's entertainment?

A tool is to use, not to talk about.  If a tool does the job for you, you don’t care where it came from.   Most of the Thinkerer tools won't sound like psychology, because we are aiming for skills, not knowledge.  You may want to call some of those skills intuition.   Call them what you please.  

Just call them when you need them. 

Don’t let our talk about tools point you in the wrong direction.  Thinkering is not about tools.  It is about choosing and using tools.  That's part of the habit.

There is a time for everything.  A time to plan.  A time to act. 

                                                      A time to know what time it is.

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                          The Tinkerer

The Thinker       

Together again
The Thinker has evolved…
and so can you.

Starting
Where do I start?

Famous fables about personal psychology

Quick Tricks
Instant Thinkering.  No waiting. 

The Thinkering Tools 
Market to your brain
Everybody else does it.  Why not you?

Sample your brainpower
Signs, symbols, flags, emblems, charms
Clothes make the man, but any sign makes a statement.

Spells, incantations, mottoes, sayings, quotations, slogans
The secrets of the moderns.

Quest Questions
If you know the question, you'll know when you find the answer.

Explanations 
Unity  
Brain modules
The Psychology of Thinkering
The Game in Your Head
The Secret of the Instruction Manual
Write yourself
Thinking, Thinkering
Literary Devices
A myth is not a female moth
Authors
Semi-Technical Background
So why do we need another self-improvement site?

Acknowledgements

Our thanks to:  Captain James Tiberius Kirk, of the starship Enterprise;  Mr. Spock; Luke Skywalker;  Obi-Wan Kenobi; Yoda; Dorothy and her friends in Oz; Rocky Balboa,  Estragon; Vladimir; Alice and the people in the looking glass; Slartibartfast; Dianna Troi, Ship’s Counselor;  Bilbo Baggins; The Holodeck;  Eliza Doolittle; Ford Prefect; the Grand Inquisitor;  Walter Mitty; Perseus, Son of Zeus; The Little Engine That Could; Lex Luthor; the Tooth Fairy; Fractals; Bloody Mary; The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance;  Ben Hur; Godot; Starfleet regulations; Goldilocks; Jed Clampett: Professor Albus Dumbledore.

How to get into Second Life without really trying

Selby Evans is Thinkerer Melville in Second Life

Materials on this site may be reproduced with attribution under Creative Common license.

Head Staff 

Shudoff:  You should arrange this site more neatly.

Vulcan:  That depends on the objective.

Engineer:  The objective is to offer roads into thinkering.

Un:  Thinkering is not neat.

Shudoff: People should always be neat.

Un:  People should be people. 

Networker:  Old ideas are neat.  New ideas are messy.

Vulcan:  Creativity is inherently messy.

Shudoff:  Thinking should be neat.

Un:  Thinkering will be messy.

Networker:  Messy is as messy does.

Hunter:  Thinkering turns problems into solutions.

Shudoff:  Solutions should be neat.

Un:  Problems are seldom neat.

Storyboarder:  It is like carpentry.  Boards and saws and sawdust all around. 

Empath:  Messy.

Storyboarder:  The finished work is neat.

Un:  But not the production. 

Engineer:  As with thinkering.

Head Staff

Technical Sources

Cognitive Engineering

Semi-Technical Background
Ignore this venue unless you are curious.