Have you ever noticed that you rarely see a gas station by itself? Instead multiple gas stations seem to be clustered close to each other. Wouldn’t it be better if they were more spread out? Presh Talwalkar noticed this phenomenon and used game theory to explain why it’s a rational decision for the gas stations,…
Lake Woebegone is a fictional Minnesota town on the radio show A Prairie Home Companion which is described as a place “where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.” Lake Woebegone may be fictional but the tendency of people to overestimate their own positive qualities and…
When I first moved to California, I had the choice of renting a 700 square foot apartment for $650 per month or an 850 square foot apartment for $550 per month. Both were in the same building. The larger and less expensive one even had a better view. I was puzzled by the bargain until…
It might be time to move out of the suburbs. Until about 100 years ago, almost every city in the world was laid out on a rectangular grid. New York City and Washington D.C. are prototypical U.S. examples; most European capitals are also. Starting around 1930 however, city designers abandoned dense urban grids for garden…
What Have I Read Lately (WHIRL)? I’ve just read the 48-page survey article entitled ‘Bad Is Stronger Than Good’: The greater power of bad events over good ones is found in everyday events, major life events, close relationship outcomes, social network patterns, interpersonal interactions, and learning processes. Bad emotions, bad parents, and bad feedback have…
I believe every manager is a member of three teams: The people that report to that manager. This is usually what someone means when they refer to “my team.” The external stakeholders in other departments they work with every day. For example, marketing is often considered part of the extended team for sales or development. Their peers…
The February 2012 edition of Esquire Magazine contains a feature called “79 Things We Can All Agree On” which ranges from the assertion we were better off during Bill Clinton’s presidency (#1) to things are not so bad now (#79). Regardless of your politics, the list is one part humor and one part intentional controversy. We…
I emerged from my man cave to discover it’s that time again. Lake Superior State University (LSSU) released its amazing 37th annual “List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness”. The idea for the list was hatched at a 1975 New Year’s Eve party in an attempt to win…
The abstract for ‘When Consumers and Brands Talk: Storytelling Theory and Research in Psychology and Marketing’ caught my eye: Storytelling is pervasive through life. Much information is stored, indexed, and retrieved in the form of stories. Although lectures tend to put people to sleep, stories move them to action. People relate to each other in…
Since we’ve just gone through the season of excess, I thought I’d do some Web sleuthing to determine alcohol’s economic impact on society. Estimates vary dramatically but a report from the reputable National Institute of Health (NIH) suggests the impact in the U.S. could be more than $100B annually. Regardless of the exact number, the…