Finding Clarity in an Ambiguous World
-
Pricing Relativity
Think of the last 4 digits of your social security number. Now estimate how many doctors you think are in Manhattan. Obviously these two numbers are completely unrelated, but most people when presented with this problem will use their SSN as a starting point for estimating the number of doctors, and in studies, they’ve found…
-
Lipitor – “80% of Heart Attack Victims Have High Cholesterol”
80% of Heart Attack Victims Have High Cholesterol -Lipitor Television Ad If you had high cholesterol, would you start feeling worried? Lipitor is lying. Not in a factual sense, but in an emotional one. This is an example of a great statistical lie. One that we have a hard time understanding on the surface, but…
-
Don’t Force It
One of the greatest home chemistry experiments is mixing cornstarch with enough water to make it the consistency of Elmer’s glue. This highly viscous liquid behaves in fascinating ways. For example, if you poke it really hard with your finger it will hurt. If you simply put your finger on it slowly, it will feel…
-
The Sublime Joy of the Subtle
I initiate the ritual by ordering my cappuccino. The barista pounds out old grounds, the grinder whirrs to life and professional hands expertly level and tamp the grounds. The espresso pump shoves hot water through the fresh coffee and the barista froths the milk into a creamy foam that floats in the cup. The expectation…
-
Leveraging the Asymmetry of Order
A riddle: What do the filibuster, the bus drivers of Morelia and hunger strikes have in common? While strolling the streets in downtown Chicago, I considered the incredible buildings that took decades upon decades to create. Even in the last decade, things continue to change and evolve. The great Chicago fire wiped out much of what…
-
My Failure To Communicate
“The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” George Bernard Shaw Ann and I were sitting at a Starbucks having a Define-The-Relationship conversation. Like so many others falling in love, I wanted to define our relationship without needing to use the standard terms – dating, courting, going-out, etc. I…
-
The 50/50 Fallacy
The ability to distinguish sensations resulting from our own actions from those with an external cause is a fundamental aspect of human behaviour. This distinction is in some cases reflected directly in perception: for example, tickling oneself produces a less intense sensation than being tickled by someone else. – Predictive attenuation in the perception of…
-
The Asymmetry of Order
It took billions of dollars and thousands of minds to build the nuclear power plants in Japan. It took one unforeseen quake and subsequent tsunami to not only destroy the plants, but also the lives of millions nearby. This is the nature of our world, the struggle to create order can be dismantled quickly. Sure,…
-
Slow Goals
Dead people are influencing our thinking. Not in a supernatural way, but in how they influenced the way their culture taught their children to think. Consider what words your parents taught you first – objects and colors or verbs? The Geography of Thought by Richard Nisbett goes through the influence of philophers from thousands of years…
-
Only Seeing the Differences
“Wow! That’s really cool that you and the other groomsman wore matching tuxedos!” I was amazed at the comment. How could it be any other way? But this wasn’t a typical wedding, it was my brother and his Swedish bride’s wedding that took place just north of Stockholm. The sum of the comments was even…
Got any book recommendations?