Of course not … that’s silly.
OK let’s try a variant of the question: Does education make you smarter?
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I bet a lot of you would bet the over on that one.
Here’s what the researchers say …
Archive for August, 2014
Does playing basketball make you taller?
August 29, 2014Flashback: Buffett says”increase taxes on estates” (since mine is sheltered).
August 28, 2014OK, he really didn’t say the last part., I made that up.
Since Buffett shed his hypocritical “please tax us more” sham and hopped on the BK inversion deal, I thought it was fair to flashback to some of Buffett’s pro-tax rants and our proposed “Buffett Rule”
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According to CNBC, Warren Buffett is one of several dozen wealthy people who have signed a statement calling for a “strong tax on large estates.”
Buffett & friends say:
- “Dynastic wealth, the enemy of a meritocracy, is on the rise. Equality of opportunity has been on the decline. A progressive and meaningful estate tax is needed to curb the movement of a democracy toward a plutocracy.”
- We (the wealthy) have “benefited significantly” by government investments in schools, infrastructure. and public safety, among other things, so it is “right morally and economically” to have a “significant” tax on large estates because it “promotes democracy by slowing the concentration of wealth and power.”
- “It is right to have a significant tax on large estates when they are passed on to the next generation … it is right morally and economically, since an estate tax promotes democracy by slowing the concentration of wealth and power.”
OK, so what constitutes a sizable estate and how much of it should the government take?
Is that Warren Buffett driving BK’s getaway car?
August 27, 2014
This one is too good to be true.
Burger King is planning to buy Tim Hortons – a Canadian coffee-and-doughnut chain.
Forget for a second that this is 2014 and doughnuts are, shall we say, a bit out of fashion,
Conventional wisdom is that BK isn’t strategically driving thru the doughnut hole left by Krispy Kreme’s woes.
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Though the company denies it, BK seems aimed at turning things upside down tax=wise.
You know, “invert” itself into a Canadian company so that it doesn’t have to pay U.S. taxes on money it earns outside the boundaries of the U.S.
Here’s where things start to get interesting ….
Remember when e-commerce was going to take over the planet?
August 26, 2014From the HBR blog site: “The Myth of E-Commerce Domination” …
Forrester’s data on the top 30 product categories (which account for 97% of total e-commerce sales) indicates that e-commerce growth is clearly slowing overall:
If historical trends continue, e-commerce’s share of retail will rise from 11% today to about 18% in 2030, way below projections from a few years ago.
Of course, 18% isn’t shabby, but it’s not exactly world domination.
What’s going on?
Cubs lose … blame Obama.
August 25, 2014Since Obama is still blaming Bush for everything, it’s good to see the tide turning and see him get tagged for some losses.
Here’s the scoop according to several sources:
The Cubs were leading the SF Giants 2-0 last week when the game had to stopped due to heavy rain.
The ground crew struggled to get the tarp across the field.
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After a 4-hour rain delay, the field was declared unplayable.
Since the teams had played more than 5 complete innings, the Cubs were declared the winners.
Here’s where things get interesting.
Dear Sir or Madam: I’m the perfect candidate for the job … oh no, you’re not.
August 22, 2014US News & World Report says to keep these 10 catch phrases off your cover letter:
1. “I meet the requirements for the position.”Explain why you’re an excellent candidate, not just an adequate one.
2. “I’m hard-working and a great communicator.” These are cliches that cause hiring managers’ eyes to glaze over …and don’t convey anything of substance.
3. “I’m a visionary leader.” Proclaiming this about yourself comes across as, well, weird. Show accomplishments.
4. “You won’t find a candidate better qualified than me.” This comes off as needlessly cocky hyperbole — and it’s generally inaccurate..
5. “Dear sir or madam.” In most industries, this will come across as an antiquated, stuffy salutation. If you know the hiring manager’s name, use it … if not, simply writing “dear hiring manager” is fine.
Math Trix: The case of the gifted stock-picker…
August 21, 2014I’ve been reading a book called How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg
The author recounts a classic stock advisor scam that goes like this …
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One day, you receive an unsolicited newsletter from an investment advisor, containing a tip that a certain stock is due for a big rise.
A week passes, and just as the Investment advisor predicted, the stock goes up.
The next week, you get a new edition of the newsletter, and this time, the tip is about a stock whose price the adviser thinks is going to fall.
And indeed, the stock craters.
That’s good, but it gets even better …
Surviving a post-med school residency …
August 20, 2014We’ve been spending a lot of time at Georgetown Hospital recently.
In the process, we’ve developed a deep respect for some of the key cogs in the system: nurses, nurse practitioners and doctor-residents.
In casual conversation, our surgeon mentioned how she had managed to “survive her surgical residency”.
That got me wondering, about the life of a resident.
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Here’s what I found …
Cheap Tricks … err, make that cheaper tricks.
August 19, 2014Warning: Adult Content.
The Economist – a reputable publication — recently reported the results of a groundbreaking economic analysis.
Specifically, staffers “analysed 190,000 profiles of sex workers on an international review site … with data going back to 1999 … with prices corrected for inflation.”
What did they find?
“The most striking trend our analysis reveals is a drop in the average hourly rate of a prostitute in recent years”
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What explains the 30% drop in prices?
Well, pardon the pun, it’s pure economics …
27 Questions to ask about an innovation …
August 18, 2014Been The First Mile Mile by Scott Anthony … a practical book re: how to ID practical innovations and launch them.
Anthony characterizes an innovation as having a combination of a deep customer need, a compelling solution, and a powerful economic model.
He argues that the first 2 items – a deep need and a compelling solution – are often overstated … and that the 3rd – the economic model – is often completely ignored.
So, as everybody know, most innovations fail in the marketplace.
To increase the odds of a innovation’s success (think new product or start-up company) he proposes a a process that borrows from the classical scientific method, discovery driven planning and the trendy “lean start-ups”.
Anthony acronyms his process DEFT: document, evaluate, focus, (test & adjust)
The first step in the DEFT process is to document the essence of an initiative … not voluminously, but insightfully … with an eye to separating facts from assumptions … and then concentrating on the assumptions that are least certain and most impactful.
Specifically, Anthony offers up 27 specific questions to answer when documenting an innovation …
“The single biggest problem in business …”
August 15, 2014Dan Lovallo, a professor and decision-making researcher says, “Confirmation bias is probably the single biggest problem in business, because even the most sophisticated people get it wrong. People go out and they’re collecting the data, and they don’t realize they’re cooking the books.”
What’s this “confirmation bias” that Lovello is talking about?
No surprise, people tend to seek out information that supports their existing beliefs.
You know, liberals watch MSNBC, read the NY Times listen to BBC podcasts; conservatives watch FOX, read the WSJ and listen to Rush.
Behavioral psychologists call the he dynamic “confirmation bias”.
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In socio-politics, the confirmation bias tends to harden polarized positions. People just gather debate fodder rather than probing both sides of issues.
In the realm of decision making, confirmation bias has a dysfunctional effect: it leads to bad decisions.
Sparkling water … but, no brown M&Ms !
August 14, 2014Awhile ago,, I was invited to do a radio interview on NPR.
When I told my daughter-in-law, she suggested that I request sparkling water and green M&Ms.
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I thought that was pretty funny, but didn’t know the story behind it (more…)
It takes more than a swig of ‘tussin …
August 13, 2014Chris Rock is a very funny guy.
His routine on the many uses of Robitussin (‘tussin, for short) is a comedy classic.
The ‘tussin skit sets the context for the rest of this post.
If you haven’t seen it – or want a refresher — click to view it now.
I always assumed that Rock was a naturally funny guy who just stoked up and unleashed a stream of top-of-mind consciousness on stage.
I was surprised to learn that Rock takes his craft very seriously and toils long and hard to test and fine-tune his material.
Here’s a glimpse at his recipe for success …
Maybe, the best college essay ever written …
August 12, 2014Too bad it was written after-the-fact. After the rejections.
The WSJ published an op-ed by a HS senior: To (All) the Colleges That Rejected Me
It’s worth reading … says the things that most of us are probably thinking.
Here are some highlights:
Why didn’t he look us in the eyes?
August 11, 2014This may seem petty, but it has been gnawing at me …
Last Thursday, President Obama announced to the nation that he had authorized airstrikes in Iraq.
His rationale: act against an act of genocide and protect Americans stationed in Iraq.
I’m ok with the reasons and the actions.
This isn’t a political observation.
Here’s what’s been bothering me ….
Don’t be so paranoid, assume a “positive intent” …
August 8, 2014I know that Andy Grove of Intel says “only the paranoid survive”.
But, work relationships are sometimes corrupted by negative assumptions that take on a life all their own.
A jabrone speaks out against your idea in a meeting, and you naturally assume that he’s trying to sabotage your or embarrass you in front of the boss.
If this situation happens a couple of times, you might declare war and go on the offensive to neutralize or defeat him.
To interrupt this cycle, some organizational leaders urge their employees to “assume positive intent,”
The 7-year itch … here’s proof!
August 7, 2014Here’s an interesting study excepted from Kahneman’s Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow…
Let’s start with some background … straight from Wiki:
The “seven-year itch” is a psychological term that suggests that happiness in a relationship declines after around year seven of a marriage.
The phrase was first used to describe an inclination to become unfaithful after seven years of marriage in the play The Seven Year Itch by George Axelrod, and gained popularity following the 1955 film adaptation starring Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell.
The phrase has since expanded to indicate cycles of dissatisfaction not only in interpersonal relationships but in any situation such as working a full-time job or buying a house, where a decrease in happiness and satisfaction is often seen over long periods of time.
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OK, so is the 7-year itch just folklore for real?
Booming business: Debt collections …
August 6, 2014According to an Urban Institute study, more than 35 percent of Americans have debts and unpaid bills that have been handed over to collection agencies.
The unpaid bills include credit cards, hospital bills, mortgages, auto loans, student loans, gym membership fees or cellphone contracts.
Here are some interesting factoids …
What the hell is a “devil’s advocate”?
August 5, 2014We’ve all been there …
We’re in meetings pitching an idea when some jabrone pipes in:
“Let me play the role of devil’s advocate …”
He then blasts your idea with half-baked criticisms.
As you aggressively defend your cherished idea, he backs off:
“Hey man, I’m just playing devil’s advocate”.
“Say, what? You mean your just made up those cheap shots?”
I’ve been reading books on decision making this summer.
A couple have praised the use of so-called devil’s advocates to validate ideas and arguments.
Here’s what they’re talking about …
Come closer … jump … adios.
August 4, 2014Summertime means America’s Got Talent.
Every year I swear off the show, when my favorites get sent pack.
Heartbreak came early this season when my early fav act got eliminated by the judges.
The act is called Flight Crew Jump Rope.
Click below for 2 minutes of pure fun and “wow”.
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Here’s what happened …
Deciding? Check your mindset …
August 1, 2014In Decisive, the authors (Heath Brothers) observe that people often approach problems from two radically different mindsets: “promotion” and “prevention”.
The mindset one adopts can bias the way solutions are considered and selected.
The Homa Files 