Flash of Genius

Michael E. | Feb 12, 2010 User rating: ( votes, average: out of 5)  Loading ... As surely as fall gives way to winter and winter gives way to spring, spring gives way to standardized tests, whether placement or college entry.  One of the biggest, most important standardized tests of all is the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, with its math, critical reading, and writing sections.  I always felt that if math was a strength for you, the chances were fairly good that you could work your way from problem to a reasonable estimation of the correct solution.  Or at least enough to where the odds of guessing the right answer were significantly higher. The verbal section- as it was known back in my day- was a bit trickier, though.  Especially analogies and vocabulary.  Either you knew the meaning of the word or you didn’t and no amount of staring at it would change that painful fact.  I remember studying vocabulary words as though my life depended on it because I was so terrified I was going to encounter a word I’d never seen or even heard of before.  And in spite of all my studying, I did.  Although it’s been a while since I took the GRE and even longer since I took the SAT, I wish I had Flash of Genius: SAT Vocab back then.  Unfortunately, all I had was a few stacks of well-worn index cards.  Here’s how Flash of Genius: SAT Vocab works: in addition to a database of over three hundred fifty words, Flash of Genius: SAT Vocab also incorporates word roots, mini-lessons, sample sentences, and even audio pronunciations.  The objective of the app is to help the user learn not only the definitions of various words, but also the connections between words.  If you know the definition of one word and understand its Latin or Greek roots, when you encounter other words with similar roots, you can reasonably deduce its meaning even if you’ve never seen the word before.  For example, if you know that the root “bene/ben” means “good”, then you’re that much closer to knowing the definition of words like benefactor, beneficiary, benign, or benevolent.  In essence, learning word roots can help you to increase the odds of choosing correct answers. And with the SAT, every little edge matters. I do think this application could benefit from an expanded word database.  359 words is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but a few hundred more would be awesome. Still, there are Read More

Apparently "Android" is a four-letter word in Cupertino. The flash card app Flash of Genius was a finalist in Google's Android Developer Challenge, and the developers thought that was worth mentioning in the description of the iPhone version of their app. Apple didn't agree, and sent the developers an email asking them to remove the Android line from their app description, under threat of an "interruption" in Flash of Genius' availability on the app store. I like Apple, but does anyone else think this seems a bit like a movie gangster cliché? It's just shy of showing up in a dark pinstripe suit, carrying a baseball bat and saying "It would be a shame if anything happened to your ... availability in the app store." There's no official ban on mentioning Android, as far as we know, so the email said that the description "contains inappropriate or irrelevant information." Apple mentioned the Android award specifically, though, without referring to Flash of Genius' other boasts about mentions in books and newspapers. What's the deal, Apple? Is this a one-time fluke that deserves an apology, or are we going to see all Android mentions consistently removed in the future? For Flash of Genius' part, they're contacting Apple to find out if there's any acceptable way to mention their award without getting their app booted from the store. [via Cult of Mac] Read More