Last year I wrote a blog, "Give Me Your Self: Gifts are Liked More When They Match the Giver’s Characteristics", that looked at some research findings related to successful gift giving. Turns out, the advice offered may have been completely wrong. In that study, the authors noted that research has shown that consumers mispredict other … Continue reading Rules of Gift Giving, Updated
I just finished reading Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen's epic autobiography that was seven years in the making. If you're a Bruce fan, it's a must read; if you're a music fan, it's a must read; if you're a fan of biographies, it's a must read. Or to put it simply, it's a must read. … Continue reading A Musical Annotation of Bruce Springsteen’s Autobiography – Born to Run, Part 1
I'm sitting here looking at 55 students who would rather be anywhere else. They are about 30 minutes into their Accounting 1 final (I apologize if this brings back bad memories for some of you), which I volunteered to help proctor. For many students, this will likely be their least favorite, and most difficult, course … Continue reading Why Do We Need Test Proctors?
I remember feeling bad for Gary Johnson when he was asked a question about Aleppo during his Presidential campaign, and he was stumped. To be honest, I didn't know much about the situation there either, but then I wasn't running for President. Well it's been hard to avoid the news about Aleppo this past week, … Continue reading Keeping Track of Which Side the U.S. Is on in Global Conflicts
I've been to New York City at Christmas time before, but usually just limiting our stops to Macy's, Toys R Us, F.A.O. Schwarz (when it was still in business), and Rockefeller Plaza. I guess I didn't pay too much attention to the windows displays on our visits, but apparently it's a big deal. Well now … Continue reading A Google Walkthrough of New York’s Christmas Windows
I first heard about the Lifescore Assessment survey from Suzy Taylor Oakley, a fellow blogger. The Lifescore Assessment is a free online tool developed by Michael Hyatt that measures your progress in life’s most important areas. Michael is a New York Times bestselling author and the former CEO and Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers. His popular … Continue reading My Lifescore
I first heard about the Professor Watchlist this weekend when there was a flurry of emails on a faculty news group at Villanova. If you have not heard of the Professor Watchlist (and I'm guessing you have not, as it only came into existence November 21), here is a description from its web site: The … Continue reading Danger Alert: Professor Watchlist!
The latest World Happiness report ranks Denmark as the happiest country in the world, up one spot from its ranking last year. I've written about this phenomenon before, and I also wrote about a possible explanation for such a consistent ranking. Well Bertel Haarder, the country’s culture minister, wanted to find out. In June, he asked … Continue reading Why Are the Danish People So Happy?
Last year, I wrote about how The Killers have released an original Christmas song/music video each year since 2006, with the profits going to support the Product RED campaign to end AIDS. This year, the band release a Christmas charity album in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of (RED), a charity co-founded by Bono. Don't Waste Your … Continue reading The Killers Release New Christmas Single and Christmas Album
I've mentioned Dan Ariely several times before in my posts (here, here, here, here, here, and here). He's one of my favorite behavioral economists, and has written a couple of best-selling books on decision making, including Predictably Irrational and The Upside of Irrationality. Dan is a Professor at Duke University and has also published in … Continue reading I Think One of My Gurus Got This One Wrong
Borden's Blather 