I first wrote about the spotlight effect back in 2019. Simply put, this refers to the fact that all of us pay a lot more attention to ourselves than other people pay to us. Dan Ariely casts the spotlight on this phenomenon again this week with the following letter: Dear Dan, In an effort to … Continue reading The Spotlight Effect – Part Two: Forget About Your Bad Hair Day
Category: Blogging
The Goal of This Post is Not to Get People to Read It
The goal is simply to keep my blogging streak alive. That's not always the case, but tonight it is. I looked through my usual sources for blog ideas, but nothing quite appealed to me. There was a story about a guy who uses physical discomfort—like ice baths—to improve mind and body. But I found it … Continue reading The Goal of This Post is Not to Get People to Read It
The Secret to Happiness? It Doesn’t Really Surprise Me…
A recent study out of Cambridge University offers some insight as to what the key to happiness may be. The study surveyed 5,000 people during the past year and found the following: those who lost their jobs during the pandemic were the the most likely to be unhappy the next unhappiest group were those working … Continue reading The Secret to Happiness? It Doesn’t Really Surprise Me…
WASTJO’s Law Is, Sadly, Alive and Well
I've briefly mentioned Godwin's Law before, an Internet adage which asserts that "as an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler becomes more likely. (Wikipedia) I was thinking about that today as I was reading a few stories in the Wall Street Journal. After reading the articels I would then … Continue reading WASTJO’s Law Is, Sadly, Alive and Well
If You Don’t Know Who the Patsy Is, You’re the Patsy
It's that time of the year where I play the patsy. It's March Madness here in the U.S., the annual tournament to determine the men's and women's national collegiate basketball champions. There's lots of betting during March Madness, and it's the only time of year I bet on sports. I participate in two pools, or … Continue reading If You Don’t Know Who the Patsy Is, You’re the Patsy
What’s Up with Saturday?
I know I had said I wouldn't talk about my WordPress stats until about a year from now, but what can I say. I'm weak. I first noticed this several weeks ago, and didn't think much of it. But now it's getting annoying. For some reason, unbeknownst to me, my stats on Saturday are almost … Continue reading What’s Up with Saturday?
First U.S. Test of Universal Basic Income Seems to Pass with Flying Colors
Nearly three years ago I wrote about how the city of Stockton, CA was undertaking the first U.S. experiment on using Universal Basic Income (UBI) as a way of alleviating the effects of poverty. In February 2019, using donated funds, Stockton launched a small demonstration program, sending payments of $500 a month, for 18 months, … Continue reading First U.S. Test of Universal Basic Income Seems to Pass with Flying Colors
Has Seth Godin Never Made a PB&J Sandwich Before?
Seth Godin had a post last week about the importance of doing things in the right order. Here is the post, it's a brief one: If you put the jelly on before the peanut butter, the sandwich will fail. And if you try to spread the peanut butter on the plate and then add the … Continue reading Has Seth Godin Never Made a PB&J Sandwich Before?
Resistance Is Futile
It's not how I meant to spend my Saturday night. I was just mindlessly scrolling through the cable channel guide, hoping that an idea would come to me for today's blog. And there it was. Rocky. The original. One of the best movies of all-time. And a movie that no self-respecting kid from the Philly … Continue reading Resistance Is Futile
The Economics of Apologies
I'm a big fan of people offering their apologies for when they have done something wrong. In fact, I apologize that you have somehow come across this post and started reading it. I've written about this before (Why Is It So Hard for Some People to Admit They Are Wrong), and in that post included … Continue reading The Economics of Apologies
Borden's Blather 