Top Ten: shoe phones, pen lasers, and the awesome power to cloud men's minds

What are ten secret weapons you'd like to have to bring to bear on your problems?

Yes I am/have/can/do!

What are you trying to prove again and again?

Character development

In what ways did your childhood environment help shape who you are today?

This week's theme is childhood.

Strong memories

What events, places or situations dominated your childhood experience?

This week's theme is childhood.

Family fiction and non-fiction

What are some things from your childhood that you know about only because someone else told you about them later — things that you can't remember yourself? Which of these do you think are merely "family fiction," and didn't actually happen the way your relatives recount it?

This week's theme is childhood.

I remember mama

How clear are your memories of childhood? How old were you during the earliest events that you can clearly remember?

This week's theme is childhood.

Childhood

Childish things are supposed to be simple and easy to understand, but paradoxically your own childhood may be the most difficult part of your life to grasp.

When you think about your childhood overall, what is your immediate emotional reaction? Are your first thoughts about childhood feelings of happiness, anxiety, nostalgia, resentment, or some other emotion?

This week's theme is childhood.

Top Ten: table for two

Besides your own home, what are ten places you like to eat?

A (clothing) horse of a different color

Open up your closets, and your drawers, and look at your clothes: leaving out your underwear from the survey, what color do you see the most of?

Continuing education

What is the most recent occasion when you went to some trouble to learn something—for example, taking a course, reading a book, or seeking out an expert for instruction?

This week's theme is education.

Life lessons

What fears and dangers affected your educational life? Did you face physical attacks or intimidation, ridicule or prejudice, embarrassment or humiliation? What lessons did you learn from your school environment?

This week's theme is education.

Honor roll of teachers

Which of your teachers had the most enduring positive affect on your life? What are some skills or facts that you remember learning and still find valuable today?

This week's theme is education.

Lesson one

What is the earliest lesson that you can clearly remember learning in school? How old were you when it happened? Is it a positive memory (for example, feeling amazed or proud) or a negative memory (for example, being punished or ridiculed)?

This week's theme is education.

The right amount of education

How many years of your life have you spent in school? Is your education complete? If not, how many more years do you expect to spend?

Consider the value of your time and the value of education. Is the amount of time you've spent on your education appropriate and balanced? Or would you (in ideal circumstances) spend less time, or more time, on your education?

This week's theme is education.

Top ten: winning events

What are ten competitive games or sports that you are likely to win at — or at least enjoy the challenge of competing and doing your best? Think of team sports, individual sports, board games, trivia games, cookoffs, online competitions, or any venue where you put your skill to the test and try to win a game or a prize. What are your best events?

Getting in tune

For beginning guitarists a few decades ago, tuning a guitar was a slow and frustrating chore. Untrained ears struggled to tease out fine distinctions of flat and sharp. And after several minutes, you might just give up and say, "I know that's not quite right, but it's close enough."

But digital tuners changed the whole game. A tuner's lights tell you whether a string is sharp or flat, and by precisely how much. And when you get a string's tuning right, the tuner will give you a decisive thumbs-up. Tuning a guitar might still be a chore, but with a tuner, it's a quick chore, and the results are always good.

What chore in your life could benefit from the equivalent of a guitar tuner? Where would you like to replace fuzzy, unreliable results with precision and certainty?

The pressure's on!

When someone asks for your advice, are you comfortable saying "I don't know" or "I can't help you"? Have you ever felt pressured into giving advice just because you were eager to be helpful?

This week's theme is giving advice.

Dear Abby

Who turns to you for advice? What subjects do you advise people on? Is giving advice part of your job?

This week's theme is giving advice.

Diplomacy

Well-meaning advice isn't always well-received, and sometimes makes things worse. How do you decide when to offer advice, and when to keep your opinions to yourself?

This week's theme is giving advice.

Some call it meddling

Given the chance, whose life would you like to straighten out?

This week's theme is giving advice.

Giving advice

The longer we're on this earth, the more knowledge we accumulate. And, often, the more certain we are of the value of our knowledge and insights.

Do you like to tell people what they are doing wrong, and how they could do it better? What problems could easily be solved if people would only listen to your advice and wisdom?

This week's theme is giving advice.

Top ten: home enhancement

What are ten realistic and affordable things you could do to make your living space more liveable?

You can't say that

Some words are banned from public conversation because they are considered too coarse and offensive. And there are some true things that we aren't allowed to say out loud; you can probably think of a few examples.

Suppose you had the power to take a previously innocuous word and temporarily add it to the list of forbidden swear words. Or suppose you had the power to declare one specific subject area off-limits. What is one thing you might add to the list of things that no one is allowed to say?

Sugar and spice and everything nice

Which would be harder to leave out of your diet: salt or sugar?

This week's theme is In Five Seconds Or Less.

Casting call

Which role suits you best: leader, follower, or observer?

This week's theme is In Five Seconds Or Less.

V.I.P.

Which would you rather be famous for: telling mesmerizing stories, or serving delectable meals?

This week's theme is In Five Seconds Or Less.

Roughing it

Which is worse to share with several people: only one bathroom, or only one computer with internet access?

This week's theme is In Five Seconds Or Less.

Don't stop and think

Without stopping to think, answer this week's questions with the first thing that comes to your mind each day. See if you can come up with a response in five seconds or less. Sometimes, our instant response is more meaningful than one arrived at via prolonged deliberation.

Which would you choose right now: adventure or tranquility? Which would you choose for the long run: adventure or tranquility?

This week's theme is In Five Seconds Or Less.

Top ten: best possible decade

In your most optimistic frame of mind, what are ten things you would like to see happen in the next ten years?

Making a big deal about it

What are some recent occasions when people told you that you were overreacting to something?

Happy new decade

Think back to where you were on January 1, 2000 — ten years ago. What did you expect for the new century? Thinking over the last ten years, have things unfolded the way you expected? What surprised you? What disappointed you? And, what great things happened?

This week's theme is the year in review.