I went to see Skyfall this past weekend (one-word review: eh). Like any movie-viewing experience these days, I was pulled out of the film several times by people in front of me who decided that they couldn’t wait a single minute more without checking their phones. In a dark theater, the light from one cell phone screen goes … Read more
People often come up to me and say, “Hey Jamey, how do you manage your personal finances?” To those people I say: “Do I know you?” But perhaps a better response would be to share what I do in the hopes that it will benefit you. And perhaps you have some interesting methods for managing … Read more
There are two fairly well known behavorial economics “tricks” that I see all the time. These are basically ways to get someone to say “yes.” Foot in the Door: Get someone to agree to something small, and when they see how easy it was, it’s much easier to get them to agree to something big … Read more
Today, in an interview with the business editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about my board game, I was asked why board games still exist. Given video games, computer games, and handheld/smart phone games, why do people still play board games? I’m sure there are a wide variety of reasons, one big one being that … Read more
The other day at work, I ran into a situation in which someone accidentally damaged a piece of the property, and I asked my bosses’ permission to confront the person about it. I don’t seek out confrontation, but when someone hurts something or someone I know, I’m compelled to say something. My boss had a … Read more
I believe that there are two types of people in the world: Those who like surprises, and those who don’t. Of course, there are some grey areas. I like very few surprises, but I’m delighted by a Slurpee or cookie showing up at my desk unannounced. And there are people who generally love surprises who … Read more
At a staff meeting today, we discussed the idea of incentivizing students to register or update their registration with my organization. In the first month of the school year, we could potentially have about 200 new students register and about 600 previously registered students update their info. Two incentive options were proposed: Randomly select 5 … Read more
This past weekend, I was in a 7-11 partaking in a Slurpee when I saw a scraggly dude buying a lottery ticket. Now, in terms of return on investment, a Slurpee is a way better choice than a lottery ticket. When you spend a dollar on a Slurpee, you’re guaranteed to win a delicious, refreshing beverage. With … Read more
There’s a line in Fight Club that I’ve loved since the first second I heard it: “When people think you’re dying, they really, really just listen to you…instead of just waiting for their turn to speak.” Once I heard that line, I started realizing how often I was just waiting for my turn to speak. … Read more
I love how games are creeping slowly into our daily lives. Sure, they’ve been around for a while in the form of airline miles and happy hours and coupons. But now we have games like Foursquare, Groupon, and Living Social that many of us play every day, even if for a few seconds when we … Read more