September 2008
The Archives
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09.30.08ProstraintsSome people find constraints, well, constraining. However, with a simple change in reference, constraints can actually be liberating. For instance, the keyboard on my BlackBerry is large enough for me to efficiently type. I can quickly write simple texts and it's versitile enough to hammar out longer thought pieces. Brilliant! Admittedly, a full size keyboard makes text entry much faster. But I find that on a full screen, I tend to reform sentences, thoughts, and arguments as my fingers race ahead of my writer's mind. Constrained to a small keyboard, my mind moves ahead allowing me to develop my ...
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09.29.08Arbitrage and irrationalityI recently drove into this scene: a gas station with cars lined-up 3-4 deep across the 28(!) pumps. Assuming the next exit would have at least one competing option, I quickly moved along down the road. But found it curious that other drivers continued to queue rather than follow suit. I wondered why, when it seemed so obvious to me, that other drivers at the end of the lines chose to waste time. Maybe it was the sight of lines behind the filling stations that made drivers wonder if the gas was cheap at this station or scarce in the area? Or maybe ...
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09.28.08Fun with finance booksI saw this in my brother's bookshelf and couldn't help but laugh. I can assure you this 2007 publication from Citi does not recommend leverage.
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09.24.08Human labor as an externalityTraffic's introduction had an interesting bit: In Jakarta, desperate Indonesians work as "car jockeys," hitchhikers of a sort who are paid to help drivers meet the passenger quota for the faster car-pool lanes. A negative externality to a scarce resource (roadway) while concurrently benefiting the economy from the ground up. Pigou would be happy.
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09.22.08Study finds runners more amiable than average*Anyone whom has run with me is either horrified or entertained by my propensity to give other runners high-fives. It's not that I am not in the business of collecting sweat samples nor am I playing cheerleader but that I am in such a good mood during my runs that a high-five for every other runner seems appropriate. What is most interesting about my would-be breaching experiment is the frequency of takers to my offer. In the last week, I have kept track of my success rate. Better than 80% of runners (or 42/51) are willing to high-five me, a total ...
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09.18.08
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09.08.08Making your brand stickpromises to find the information you are looking for. promises you everything at the lowest price promises exceptional engineering. promises the best in athletic appeal. promises usable technology. promises a source of timely and accurate information. promises rugged. promises the best coffee experience. promises luxury. promises to help the needy. promises entertainment. promises fun. Great brands are ...
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09.03.08Followers never leadNow it may seem obvious that followers never lead but people do it because it feels safe. Following implies that there is success ahead. Blockbuster owned the movie rental business for nearly 15 years before Netflix tried something different. It took 7 years for Blockbuster to realize Netflix was on to something before simply following their lead. Netflix still comfortably dominates the online rental market. Howard Schultz decided that coffee didn't have to suck. He started a coffee shop that promised great coffee. But he went a step further and created an experience. He was able to see beyond a normal business ...
recent posts
- The Wallstrip Edge [Book Terser]
- How to name your own price
- Keep your worthless predictions
- The Definitive Book of Body Language [Book Terser]
- Terse Reviews
- Flatten; because users are lazy.
- P(recession) = 1, P(American is shopper) = 1
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