Category: humor

Extrinsic Rewards Reduce Intrinsic Motivation: Using Psychology to Pick Up More Followers

One of the first blog posts I wrote five years ago: You Get the Behavior You Reward, featured the wonderful book from Alfie Kohn: “Punished by Rewards - The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, As, Praise, and Other Bribes.” Here’s a brief summary of the book from its web site: “Drawing from hundreds of studies, … Continue reading Extrinsic Rewards Reduce Intrinsic Motivation: Using Psychology to Pick Up More Followers →

You, Yes You, Can Break Up a Bureaucracy!

Tired of dealing with bureaucracy? Feel like nothing is getting done because of all the red tape? In his latest Pinkcast, Dan Pink notes that the longer we work within a bureaucracy, the more likely we are to absorb the wrong-headed values and practices. However, there is a way to break through bureaucracy, and for … Continue reading You, Yes You, Can Break Up a Bureaucracy! →

If You Have Nothing Nice to Say, Then…

It was one of the life lessons my parents taught me at a young age; if you've got nothing nice to say about someone or something, then don't say anything at all. It came back to me tonight as I was waiting to pick up a pizza. Last week, I had ordered a pizza from … Continue reading If You Have Nothing Nice to Say, Then… →

Day One of WordPress Stats Detox Completed…

My name is Jim, and I look at my WordPress stats way too much. Part of the problem is that I have the WP app on my phone, and it is just so easy to check my stats when I've got a few free seconds. And it seems like I've got way too many "a … Continue reading Day One of WordPress Stats Detox Completed… →

The Value of Learning to Write by Hand

Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) say that both children and adults learn more and remember things more efficiently when writing by hand rather than a keyboard. The study’s author believes all modern children should receive at least some instruction in handwriting. The brain activity of 12 young adults and 12 … Continue reading The Value of Learning to Write by Hand →

Was It Something I Said?

As many of you know, I check my WordPress stats way too often. One of the stats I check is the number of followers, which is a fairly public stat that other WordPress users can see. Yesterday, I hit somewhat of a milestone when the number of followers reached 900. I wasn't going to mention … Continue reading Was It Something I Said? →

My Blog Is on the Verge of a Major Breakthrough

Well, at least according to Seth Godin. Here was one of Seth's posts this week: “Well, that’s a dumb idea” As dumb as selling shoes, an item that comes in 100s of sizes, over the internet. As dumb as expecting people to find a date or a spouse online. As dumb as building an encyclopedia … Continue reading My Blog Is on the Verge of a Major Breakthrough →

Those Who Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail

I knew months ago that a new WordPress editor was being rolled out, and I've read about the horror stories some people experienced when it was time for their blog to switch over. I kept thinking I would spend some time one weekend learning the new editor, but I never got around to it. Young … Continue reading Those Who Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail →

Is This the Best 800 Number?

Who doesn't like a good 1-800 number, especially one that is easy to remember? Here are a few that I like: 800-ASK-BLUE (this is for Independence Blue Cross, the Philly-based licensee of Blue Cross) 800-DOG-POOP (a service that cleans up the dog poop in your yard) 800-JUNK-USA (a junk removal service) 800-GOT-JUNK (a junk removal … Continue reading Is This the Best 800 Number? →

Worried about COVID-19? Here’s a Simple Solution

Start watching horror films. Researchers say fans of horror films and other post-apocalyptic movies are handling the real-life fear brought by the coronavirus pandemic better than others. A team in the United States and Denmark finds horror flick enthusiasts are experiencing less psychological distress due to COVID-19. In addition to horror films, movies that fall into … Continue reading Worried about COVID-19? Here’s a Simple Solution →