And our workplaces suffer as a result. According to a recent Wall Street Journal artcle, lying in the workplace begins before somone gets a job and ends at the exit interview. While many of us may consider our lies harmless, they could have significant consequences. The habit of lying becomes contagious, and it does not … Continue reading Most People Lie Two to Four Times Per Day
Kind of Cool, Kind of Scary
I have one of my British blogging colleagues, Clive, of the wonderful site Take It Easy, to thank for the idea for today's post. Clive had left a comment on my recent blog about Skittles by mentioning that he would stick to his wine gums and Fruit Pastilles. I replied by saying I had never … Continue reading Kind of Cool, Kind of Scary
Is It Time to Believe in UFOs?
When President Donald Trump signed the $2.3 trillion coronavirus relief and government funding bill into law in December, it began a 180-day countdown for US intelligence agencies to tell Congress what they know about UFOs. That report must contain detailed analyses of UFO data and intelligence collected by the Office of Naval Intelligence, the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena … Continue reading Is It Time to Believe in UFOs?
Taste the (One Flavor) Rainbow
A shout out to my blogging friend Brad, for making me aware of this story. Brad is a gifted poet, and you can find his poems at commonsensiblyspeaking. The story he sent me is not the kind of nonsense you would find on his blog, but everything is fair game on Borden's Blather. The story … Continue reading Taste the (One Flavor) Rainbow
Music Monday: Eye of the Tiger – Then and Now
It seems like I'm stuck in a series of Philly-based blog posts, with some recent posts focused on Wawa and the dangerous Roosevalt Boulevard. So perhaps it's no surprise that this week's Music Monday has a Philly connection. The song is Eye of the Tiger, which was the theme song for the film Rocky III … Continue reading Music Monday: Eye of the Tiger – Then and Now
Talk about Planning Ahead
Philadelphia is the best city in the U.S., hands-down. But depsite its magnificence, it does have its problems. One of those problems is Roosevelt Boulevard, a 12-lane highway that runs through the middle of a fairly populous part of the city. Every year, there are about 700 crashes and 10 traffic fatalities on this single … Continue reading Talk about Planning Ahead
Sad: Cheating Surges in Schools
From the Wall Street Journal: A year of remote learning has spurred an eruption of cheating among students, from grade school to college. With many students isolated at home over the past year—and with a mass of online services at their disposal—academic dishonesty has never been so easy. To me, academic integrity is at the heart of … Continue reading Sad: Cheating Surges in Schools
How Receptive Are You to Bullshit?
There was an article in today's WSJ paper that looked at the impact of our mood on decision making. While there were some interesting findings, what really caught my eye was mention of something known as the bullshit recpetivity scale. Behavioral scientist Gordon Pennycook and colleagues have conducted many studies of people’s reactions to meaningless, … Continue reading How Receptive Are You to Bullshit?
The WSJ Mansion Section May Be of the People, But It’s Not For the People
It is one of the more well-known lines from Lincoln's Gettysburg address: "government of the people, by the people, for the people, ..." Those words, well at least some of them. came rushing back to me as I looked through this week's Real Estate section of the Wall Street Journal. fittingly known as The Mansion. … Continue reading The WSJ Mansion Section May Be of the People, But It’s Not For the People
Let’s See If Less Is More…
The following email, and subsequent response from Dan Ariely, were originally 156 words; I've cut it to 97 words, a decrease of almost 38%. Dear Dan, For years, I’ve been organizing a charity event for an animal rescue organization. Every year people tell me I’ve outdone myself, and it’s starting to feel like an expectation … Continue reading Let’s See If Less Is More…
Borden's Blather 