People seem to like reading books about dysfunctional characters more than they do about characters who don’t struggle with deep emotional conflict. And, yet, in real life, they are more drawn to people who make them laugh than people who have complex problems. Maybe it’s because in real life, your friend’s conflicts mirrors so much of your own life and you’re expected to show some reaction. You don’t have to give your friend advice but you do have to show …
No, really. Kindle IS saving me money. In the year that I’ve had my Kindle, I have saved a ton of money. I have one compulsion and that is books. Before I got my Kindle, I used to go to bookstores, see something I wanted to read, and buy it. Or, I should say that I would go to a bookstore and see a lot of books that I wanted to read, and bought them all. My reasoning was this: …
I have always believed more in the power of rewards than the power of punishment. When you are constantly being punished, no matter what the punishment is, it loses its effect. Rewards, on the other hand, keep growing exponentially, often becoming a bargaining chip, either with yourself or with someone else. Someone I knew went into real estate and every time she sold a house, she bought herself an expensive piece of jewelry. In all the time I knew her, …
Let me start out by saying I don’t like emoticons and I don’t use them. My rationale is that I don’t see authors using them in the books I read because they credit the reader with being intelligent enough to read a passage and know whether the author was being sarcastic, humorous, sorrowful, apologetic, angry, pleased, rude, cavalier, or a whole host of other emotional responses. To this day, I have refused to memorize what those silly things mean because …
The interesting thing about thinking is that everyone thinks they think. I have listened to the thought process of many people and the sad fact is that so many of them are merely repeating the thoughts of others that they have heard or read about. I posed a question to a man and I was impressed by his answer. It was a well thought out answer and, until that moment, I had not given him enough credit for his thinking …
According to the U.S. Federal Communication Commission, the ban on in-flight cell phone calls may be lifted next month. The new rule would still prohibit calls from being made during takeoff and landing but once the plane reaches 10,000 feet, flyers would be allowed to text, surf the Internet, and make cell phone calls during their flight. So what happened to all the horror stories we’ve been fed about the signals from cell phones interfering with the electronics of the …
This is one of those horror stories about customer feedback that is so hard to believe, yet it’s true. Whenever you buy something online, you get an email asking you to take a survey and to post your opinion of the product and the customer service you received. You also have the option of posting your feedback online so that other customers can benefit from your experience. But wait a minute. Think again. Apparently, if you exercise that option, you …