Psychology
Status Credit Cards
Monday, March 22nd, 2010In high school, credit cards were alluring. They were a symbol of freedom and adulthood. I couldn’t register a domain name or rent a hotel room without one. So, I convinced my parents to cosign the papers I needed to get a debit/credit card at my local credit union. The credit part of the card […]
Paradox of Choice
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009A friend of mine, an aspiring ecologist with a blog of his own, sent me a link to Barry Schwartz’s 2005 TED talk on the paradox of choice. Schwartz, a psychologist, has written a book with the same title that I have not read. The video is entertaining and thought-provoking. Schwartz argues that too much […]
Ethics of the Truth
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009A video circulating around the internet is disturbing. An aspiring NFL cheerleader had a negative reaction to a season flu shot. It activated dystonia disorder. If you haven’t seen the video you should look it up on YouTube. Note: Video previously embedded was removed from YouTube. YouTube comments express skepticism, compassion, but most of all […]
Economics in Wired: Two Articles Worth Reading
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009I came across two recent articles in Wired that I found really interesting. Here’s a brief overview and commentary: Tech Is Too Cheap to Meter: It’s Time to Manage for Abundance, Not Scarcity It costs Netflix about a nickel to stream a 2 hour movie to your PC. Wired editor Chris Anderson argues that data […]
Has the Internet Made Advertising Obsolete?
Friday, April 3rd, 2009Eric Clemons over at Tech Crunch argues so in this thought-provoking article. His points are: Consumers do not trust advertising. (References Dan Ariely of Predictably Irrational) Consumers do not want to view advertising Consumers do not need advertising The crux of his argument is that the internet has made information so widely available that advertising […]
It’s Not Always a Mask
Thursday, March 26th, 2009When Facebook came out, I was intrigued by how people presented themselves. Initially, membership was confined to university students. When crafting a profile, students knew their audience well. Pictures from last night’s party were okay. Divulging your secret love of Hanson was not. In the real world, people act differently around different groups of friends. […]