When the final scene of the iconic series The Sopranos ended, viewers were left with a dark screen, the sound of a ringing bell over a diner door, and not much else. And that gap of information which was of course intentional by the creators, caused all kinds of frustration, but also fun while viewers […]
frustration, information, sopranos
In Malcolm Gladwell’s excellent 2005 book “Blink”, he interviews two food tasters who have just excellent and perceptive pallets. During the interview, it’s sort of a minor piece of the interview, but they talk about something called “rework”, which is when prior ingredients or ingredients from another product are included in the making of a […]
blink, cookie, malcolm gladwell, reworked cookie
I read a news article the other day about a lawsuit involving the definition of just one word in a contract. Despite the length and complexity of the contract, the lawsuit hinged on that one word. It made me think about all the things in life that are big decisions or commitments that we make, […]
lawsuites, newspaper, short, short words
In Mitch Albom’s book The Five People You Meet in Heaven, the main character, Eddie, passes away and in the afterlife he meets with five people from his life and has conversations with each one of them that are Illuminating in some way about his character or other issues. And what’s interesting, is in at […]
book, heaven, meeting, mitch albom, people
Due to a quirk and how the roads are laid out in an area not far from me, you can be at the intersection of Old Gulph Road and Old Gulph Road, it’s not that literally there are two streets that are named the exact same thing, it has to do with how one continues […]
gulph road, road, roads
I came across a quotation recently that really hit home, from the humorist and broadcaster Andy Rooney, who used to have a regular segment on “60 Minutes.” He said, “If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it.” The reason why it hit home is I’m reminded of so many personal […]
andy rooney, smile, smile to yourself, smiling
The other morning I was coming back from a business event and I was wearing a suit and tie. I stopped at a supermarket and as I was walking through the bakery department a customer stopped me and said,” Are you from corporate?” and I said,” No, I’m a Psychologist.” And she said,” Let me […]
bakery, bread, bread department, first impression, supermarket
I’ve been using a popular navigation app on my phone for years to get from point A to point B, and it’s super useful, particularly in a place where I might not be familiar or if I’m traveling somewhere pretty far away from home. I have noticed though there are times where the route that […]
find, finding, finding your own way, map, own way, travel
When you buy bagels at a store where they pre-sliced them, they’re often cut through the center of the bagel, and a lot of people cut them that way at home as well. That means if somebody takes the top half, which often has toppings on it, like sesame seeds or poppy seeds, what’s left […]
bagel, cutting, father, slice
One of the more interesting concepts in psychology is called the “help-rejecting complainer.” That is somebody who brings problems to you and tells you they want your advice. As soon as you offer any, though, they either negate it, tell you why it won’t work, or tell you they already did that. That kind of […]
advice, help, reject, rejecting, time