Using logic to solve a test question
Strategic thinking is so powerful you can often find the answer just by reasoning carefully. I have written before how I have used strategic thinking when hiring a plumber and also when negotiating a job raise. The following is another example showing the power of strategic thinking. It comes from an email ...

Puzzle: escaping a thief
There's an interesting article at Fast Company that shows how games can help with strategic decision making. The US Navy is doing something very fascinating. It is launching an online multi-player game as a way to learn innovative tactics and strategies to combat Somali pirates. Time will tell if the ...

Video roulette math puzzle
I recently heard of a game called Netflix roulette where people pick a video at random and watch it regardless of the result. It got me thinking about probability and I came up with the following problem. Bob loves the TV show Law & Order. Each day he picks an episode at ...

Ants on a Triangle Puzzle
This is a fun little puzzle I was sent the other day. On a triangle, each corner has an ant. Each ant starts to move on an edge towards another corner, chosen at random. What is the chance that none of the ants collide? Can you solve it? I will post my ...

Why reserved parking for employee of the month can be a bad idea
One of my favorite restaurants rewards its employee of the month with a prime parking spot. There is a conspicuous sign "Parking spot reserved for employee of the month" to serve notice to lesser employees. The store probably views this as a low-cost way to improve motivation. I view it slightly differently. ...