That's one of the memorable lines from the book, Educated, which I just finished reading. Here's a brief summary of the book from the author's (Tara Westover) website: Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of … Continue reading “I teach them not to piss on their hands.”
Sorry to make you wait three days, but you can blame good old Dan Ariely. Dan recently received the following email: Dear Dan, I enjoy giving gifts to my best friend, and I was wondering which approach would be better for strengthening our friendship: giving her big gifts twice a year, on her birthday and … Continue reading Don’t Read This Post Now – Wait Three Days to Do So
If it were up to one reader of the Wall Street Journal, I'd have to give up my man card. Why? Because I voluntarily chose to watch a Hallmark Christmas movie. Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal had a front-page story about how popular Hallmark Christmas movies are, and not just among women. Some fans … Continue reading Am I in Danger of Losing My Man Card?
Did you ever wonder how many total gifts someone receives as a result of the song the 12 Days of Christmas? Or what individual gift was the most popular? What about Santa Claus and his delivery schedule? How many houses does he visit? How fast does he have to be traveling? How heavy is his … Continue reading Fun Christmas Math
Today's Wall Street Journal had a story about the loneliness epidemic among the elderly, a topic I've written about a few times. This article profiled a few people who are experiencing loneliness: Danny Miner, a 66-year-old retired chemical plant supervisor, spends most days alone in his Tooele, Utah, apartment, with “Gunsmoke” reruns to keep him … Continue reading Where’s the Empathy?
Once again, I have Dan Ariely to thank for the idea for today's post. One of the questions posed to Dan in today's Wall Street Journal was the following: Dear Dan, Our 14-year-old son has a hard time getting up in the morning. He sets an alarm clock, but he always presses the snooze button … Continue reading Have You Ever Made a Ulysses Contract with Yourself?
Last week I wrote about the great Christmas commercial British retailer John Lewis came out with this year which features Elton John. The Boy & The Piano opens with 71-year-old Sir Elton sitting at a piano at home, playing the first few notes of his famous hit Your Song. From there, it works backward through his life, from … Continue reading British Firm Has the Nerve to Poke Fun at John Lewis’s Christmas Commercial Featuring Elton John
It was another wonderful Thanksgiving, getting a chance to spend time with family. I am grateful for such moments, and I always look forward to them. In honor of the holiday, I thought I would share this crowdsourced Thanksgiving poem I came across on NPR. Earlier in November, NPR asked its readers and listeners to … Continue reading Thanksgiving 2018
Before you invest a couple of minutes into reading this post, please note that the headline is totally click-bait. The question I asked is likely not that interesting to most people, and the result is not really "shocking". But hey, if I can even get one more person to read my blog, then I count that … Continue reading I Asked My Students a Survey Question, and I Was Shocked at the Response
An essay in today's Wall Street Journal shares research about a new tool for analyzing hundreds of thousands of small genetic differences that can predict a range of psychological attributes from birth. The author of the essay believes the tool will transform how we see ourselves, our capacities, and our problems. As I read the … Continue reading Would You Want to Know?
Borden's Blather 