The Recipe for Marriage
Here's something to pass along to anyone with a sense of humor (it's an old ad for Lipton Recipe Secrets): Here's the recipe if the image text is unreadable: MARRIAGE* 1 lifelong commitment 16 toilet seat lessons 1/2 hour daily cuddling 5 annual reminders about anniversary 21,000 home cooked dinners 30,000 shirts folded 19 subtle hints about breath 2 1/2 pieces lingerie 3 self-help books Blend ingredients, keeping expectations at low. Let ...

The Calculating Guru Questions Pricing Tricks
Those late night TV infomercials make me laugh. "It's all yours for under $20! Just pick up the phone and order our product (for $19.99)." Yes, the product is "under $20." But not by a meaningful amount. Does $19.99 really sound better than $20? Is anyone fooled by the pricing trick? Apparently ...

Use Randomization to Cut Costs in Security and Enforcement–It Worked for American Airlines
Game Theory 101: keep your opponents off guard. If you can do that, you don't need to work very hard. Cops know this. They can't monitor all motorists, so they randomly assign squad cars to high traffic areas. They put empty squad cars on the side of highways. The threat of ...

Food Fridays Takes a Break: A Lesson in Branding
It's tough to do, but I'm putting Food Fridays on hold indefinitely. I am going to share my reasoning with you as the experience is a lesson in branding. I'm eager to hear your comments on the change. I thought about this change for a while, but it was difficult to ...

The Calculating Guru: Time is More Valuable than You Think
I hate waiting for a table at restaurants. If a place has more than a 15 minute wait, I try to find another place. This limitation means I never go to the Cheesecake Factory on a busy night. Oh well, I think I can live without it. Some of my friends ...

Make Money By Assuming the Best (Rationality) but Allowing for the Worst (Irrationality)
Some people think game theory is a joke. They say the games are unrealistic and yield poor predictions. I understand the criticism, but I completely disagree with the overall point. I profit tremendously from game theory. I gain an advantage when game theory works. That's what I usually write about. Today, ...

Food Fridays: Converting Pizza Squares and Triangles
What's the best way to cut up a pizza? Do you like radial slices that form triangles, or grid slices that form squares? Whatever way you choose, you can finally convert between the two methods using a simple approximation: 1 triangle slice = about 2 square slices The rule is derived from the ...

When Should I Care about Market Swings?
Special thanks to Glenn B. for the idea. Does it matter when a stock has a good year or a bad year? I will illustrate how market swings affect investment value through two examples. For the sake of illustration, I am going to focus solely on the annualized return. This is one ...

Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem and The Voting Paradox
Growing up, I couldn't stand spicy food. My brother loved it. This was a constant source of conflict. If dinner was too spicy, I complained. If it was not spicy enough, my brother complained. This is why separate portions of spicy and non-spicy were typically made. But that was impractical for ...

I Have Evidence! Virtually Anyone Can Understand My Articles
Though only the really smart can understand my homepage: These are screenshots of Critics Rant! Readability Test. I think they are using a text analyzer like the one word processors use, but I'm not sure how they convert that into levels. For fun, I tried to get all the levels I could ...

Food Fridays: The Problem of Goals
Advisers can improve your chances of achieving a goal. Let's say you set a goal to have more money. The money has to come from somewhere; most likely you have to earn more or spend less. You can break down each task and form a plan. You can earn more by ...

I Introduce The Calculating Guru
(A very special thanks to Tom D. for coming up with the name) I am sometimes known by my nickname "uncle Presh." It's because I generally stay out of other people's business, but when asked, I provide support like a family member. I do not judge; I stay calm; I am positive. This ...

Dealing With an Auto Mechanic and the Principal-Agent Problem
On a recent lazy Sunday, I planned to get the oil in my car changed. I called a nearby store to check their availability. The salesperson was glad to help me, and he even told me there was a $10 off coupon on the website. I thanked him, went online, and ...

Food Fridays: Misleading People with Percentages
I enjoy Cape Cod Potato Chips, so one day I decided to try the reduced fat variety. I was pleasantly surprised that they tasted much like the regular. They have a nice crunch and are worthy to be eaten along with (or even inside) a sandwich. I try to avoid ...