Visual Thesaurus by Thinkmap is truly one of the most unique electronic gizmos available. It is, as its name implies, a visual thesaurus, but it also provides definitions of each term that shows up in the matrix when you enter a word in its “Look it up” box. It also includes the voiced pronunciation of any word you click on.We use a thesaurus to find synonyms and similar ideas in our writing, but sometimes we also need precision in definition. Visual Thesaurus meets both those needs in a kind of “mind-map,” almost brainstorming fashion. Say, for example, you’re working on a research article and your focusing on something that includes the idea that something is “convoluted.” Enter the word in the search box. Instead of a list, what comes up is a non-intersecting diagram with the “convoluted” in its center and lines pointing to several synonyms. The display reminds one of an organization chart that emanates from the center outward. On the right of the program window there are boxes for noun, adjective, verbs, and adverb meanings for the active word. (For “convoluted” we have several adjective meanings shown, including “highly involved or intricate.” Point to that meaning and you get a dialog balloon with examples of the word usage in phrases or quotes. Click on that meaning, and you’ll see all the words in the “family” of associated meanings — tortuous, knotty, involved, Byzantine, etc.)Continuing with “convoluted” chart, let’s choose the word “tortuous” as the one closer to the idea we are working on. Click on “tortuous” and the display changes to another map of associated words along with the definitions of “tortuous” on the right of the window. One definition we might prefer to investigate is “marked by repeated turns and bends.” Clicking on that definition we get another related list that includes “winding, crooked, twisting” and perhaps the word we needed to add variety to your writing, “twisty.”Anyone using the venerable Roget’s Thesaurus knows how finding just the right word or (as happens most frequently at my age) forgetting the word altogether can be a frustrating writing challenge. Visual Thesaurus automates and speeds up that process in a number of ways. This morning for example, I was looking for a term that means “to take unfair advantage of the work of others.” I was writing an article on slavery and could not think of the right word. Visual Thesaurus helped here. I plugged in the word “overwork” and got a map that included “exploit.” I settled on the noun form “exploitation.”Visual Thesaurus is available for both PC and Mac. It works fine on my PC laptop, but when I load the program, it kicks my display down to a lower level. I bought a copy for my Mac Intel desktop, and it works with no display problems. You can download a trial copy, subscribe the the online edition, or just hang around on the web site at www.VisualThesaurus.com. A fully capable copy of the program costs $39.95. Category:Home › Other • Pomegranates: A newly discovered superfood • Where did the joke why did the chicken cross the road come from and why is it funny? • Can mothers diagnosed with bipolar disorder make good parents? • Spiritual evolution of human consciousness • Tips for getting a college basketball scholarship • Living with Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) • Caring for the caregiver • Technologys impact on society