| For fun this evening I implemented a version of the dual n-back cognitive test. It's crude, but I figured someone might enjoy an arc end-user app :-) Supposedly, in a recent research study it was shown that a "dual n-back" test, with practice, can significantly increase scores across a wide range of IQ test questions. Of course the conclusions are pretty shaky, given the small size of the study. However, the drill itself is a pretty neat short term memory stress test. This is the first free version of a dual n-back test, I think (not that it's hard to write) "Forget Brain Age: Researchers Develop Software That Makes You Smarter"
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/04/smart_software http://lisperati.com/nback.arc The program requires Ubuntu and requires arc to be launched from a proper terminal that supports the "clear" command. It is a "dual n-back", with simultaneous auditory and visual testing. The auditory part makes use of Ubuntu system sounds- I hope the ones I picked are part of the base Ubuntu sound collection- Let me know if some of them are missing for you... To start, try (nback 2) As the program runs, it will tick every 3 seconds, displaying a number and playing a sound. If either of those was present 2 ticks ago then you should hit the enter key, else do nothing. If your accuracy is >80% for a 50 tick window you will win the game. Beating (nback 3) appears to be extremely difficult. The Progress Bar- I've added a fancy progress bar to show your status. It's 1-11 asterisks long, depending on your accuracy. If you made a mistake in the last tick it will be made out of hyphens, instead. If you have a perfect accuracy, it will be made of bashes, instead. I figure having good feedback is important for improving your score. To quit, type "q" and enter. | 
