I just checked out VeryRelated.com’s mind map for the word ‘fascinating’, and the results are pretty interesting. Maybe I’d go as far to say that they verge on being, well, fascinating!

VeryRelated draws upon data from Yahoo’s snapshot of the world wide web (its index used for web search). It automatically constructs mind maps from this data, showing related words and concepts. Bubbles are closer together if the words are more highly related (that is, more likely to occur on the same webpage), and they’re bigger if the words are more popular on the Internet.

When I go to VeryRelated.com and type in “fascinating”, I get the mind map shown below:

Click on a magnifying glass on the left, and you’ll bring up a Google search for fascinating + the related word. Interestingly enough, the most highly related word is “books”.

I browsed through the Google search results for “fascinating books”, and discovered a couple of real gems which I might even buy!

One is See Food by Guundie Kuchling. The book description is as follows:

See Food! By Guundie Kuchling One moment one meal in the chain of life. Do you love the sea? Have you ever wondered what sea creatures like to eat? Inside this book you will see food like you have never seen before. Follow the food chain from the tiniest ciliate (see-lee-at) to the very end. Can you guess who is last in line? There are many possible food chains in the sea this is one of them. This is a great educational book about sea animals that eventually become seafood. With its clever illustrations it makes it easy for kids to understand the sea food chain. It also includes Did you know? section at the end of the book which will provide useful information for any kid wishing to know more. Hard Cover. Ages 2 – 8

I did another search on Guundie Kuchling and found her amazing website where she talks about her many children’s books.

Children just love Guundie’s vibrant, funny and informative picture books. Those lucky enough to come to her workshops, also love her appearance. Mad hats, two wildly different earrings, scarf flying, surrounded by hand puppets, turtle shells and a shaved doll, Guundie enchants her audience by talking about art, animals, books, the environment, food, and other sources for her inspirations. She gives examples how to come up with ideas and to shape them into plots; she demonstrates how to use a lino block for print making; she unleashes the writer and artist in each of the students, young and old, and gets them creating works of their own.

I have found VeryRelated.com often helps me to discover amazing things in not-so-frequently traveled parts of the Internet, such as Guundie Kuchling’s great website about her art and books.

Another is Madeleine Albright‘s new book, Read My Pins – Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box.

From the book description at Harper Collins:

It would never have happened if not for Saddam Hussein. When U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Madeleine Albright criticized the dictator, his poet in residence responded by calling her “an unparalleled serpent.” Shortly thereafter, while preparing to meet with Iraqi officials, Albright pondered: What to wear? She decided to make a diplomatic statement by choosing a snake pin. Although her method of communication was new, her message was as old as the American Revolution—Don’t Tread on Me.

From that day forward, pins became part of Albright’s diplomatic signature. International leaders were pleased to see her with a shimmering sun on her jacket or a cheerful ladybug; less so with a crab or a menacing wasp. Albright used pins to emphasize the importance of a negotiation, signify high hopes, protest the absence of progress, and show pride in representing America, among other purposes.

Part illustrated memoir, part social history, Read My Pins provides an intimate look at Albright’s life through the brooches she wore.

Find out more, and buy Read My Pins at Amazon.com:
Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box

So that’s it for today. Hope you found this post interesting. Check back soon for more discussions about mind maps and discoveries on the ‘net. In the meantime, feel free to explore VeryRelated.com and the mind maps on any topic you wish.

Click to start exploring the mind maps.