The WSJ had an interesting story over the weekend about the power of self-distancing (just a fancy way of saying "pretending"). The reporter, Alison Gopnik, cited two research studies that looked at what happened to young children's performance working on a task when they would pretend to be a superhero, like Batman or Dora the … Continue reading I’m Going to Start Self-Distancing from Myself →

There was a story in the Wall Street Journal today about President Trump shooting a 68, a remarkable round of golf, particularly for someone his age. But the most incredible part of the story was the last paragraph: Trump’s round of 68 was met with some skepticism on social media, though it was hardly the … Continue reading Talk about Burying the Lead →

Goodreads, an Amazon company and "social cataloging" website, recently ranked the 200 hardest to read novels. So naturally I was curious to see if I had successfully struggled my way through any of the top novels, and here's what I found when I looked at the top 10 books on the list: Ulysses (started, never got very … Continue reading For Those of You Read for the Challenge of It →

Almost two-thirds of Americans, or 63 percent, report being stressed about the future of the nation, according to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Eleventh Stress in America survey, conducted in August and released yesterday. This source of stress is slightly more than perennial stressors like money (62 percent) and work (61 percent), according to the APA's … Continue reading Americans Are Stressing Out!!!!!!!!! →

I'm a fan of self-driving cars, and I try to keep up with the latest news in regards to the technology, and I've written a couple of posts that relate to the ethics of such technologies. Today, the Wall Street Journal had a story about a visit to a test track used by Waymo, one … Continue reading Looking Forward to the Self-Driving Car Revolution →

Halloween is one of the nights that makes our neighborhood special. The streets are filled with kids going from door to door, with the parents of the younger ones hanging back just far enough to give the kids some independence. The houses are decorated for the occasion, and one of our neighbors is playing spooky … Continue reading Another Great Halloween in the Hood →

"I’ve always considered the willingness to admit you’ve made a mistake and to apologize for doing so one of the best attributes a person can have." That was a line from one of my previous posts, one where I had written about how impressed I was when Dear Abby offered the following apology to her … Continue reading To Apologize, or Not To Apologize, That Is The Question. Actually There Is No Question; Apologize. →

For the past 70 years, scientists in Britain have been studying thousands of children through their lives to find out why some end up happy and healthy while others struggle. It's the longest-running study of human development in the world, and it's produced some of the best-studied people on the planet while changing the way … Continue reading Key Lessons from the Longest Study on Human Development →

A Wall Street Journal story today by Dr. John Bradshaw took a closer look at the real benefits of owning a pet. Some researchers have proposed that having a pet bestows a dazzling array of health benefits: lower cholesterol, reduced blood pressure, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, combatting stress, relieving depression, enhancing self-esteem, and making … Continue reading The Real Benefits of Having a Pet →

Thanks to the Marketing Birds Twitter account, I've come across some great ads. I first wrote about Marketing Birds back in March, and I thought I'd update that post with some intriguing ads that have been created since then. I think this is why I go to the gym: a little bit of Philly attytood … Continue reading More Eye Catching Ads →