Capitalism, Coca-Cola, and the Curious Case of What’s “Good”
What’s a better product—Coca-Cola or Pepsi? Don’t worry, capitalism lets you decide. It’s simple: whatever you like more is best. If that’s too subjective, we can let the sales numbers settle it…
4 Things Your Dishwasher Can Teach You About Studying
I like to calculate the average percentage discounts from the list price for ‘Sub of the Day’ offers at Subway to decide on what days to go there for lunch. Spoiler: It…
That Gap Between Expectations and Perceived Reality
I recently talked to a fellow entrepreneur who seemed quite stressed out. Despite business going well, being healthy, and otherwise not having any complaints, he felt stressed. Very stressed. I could relate…
The Bike Runner
The following is based on a true story. Names were changed to protect the innocent and guilty alike. Gavin and Stephen were browsing the sweets selection at the newspaper agent. I didn’t do any…
Confessions of a Myspace Blogger
Roughly ten years ago, during my first year in Thailand, I wrote a number of blog posts on Myspace (is that a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ thing?). I originally signed up for the site to meet…
Podcasts That Make You Smarter
I love podcasts to switch off during a rush hour commute in Bangkok. Often trains are packed and you can’t even pull out your phone to look at funny cat pictures. Listening to…
What Do You Want?
Simple question: What do you want? I have a five year old niece who could answer it. Today it might be a puppy, tomorrow a pony, but while her answer might change,…
Game Over: An Interview on Video Gaming Rehab
A few weeks back, I wrote a post about my own experience with a video gaming addiction. I received a lot of feedback from people sharing their own stories as well as…
Video Game “Addiction” Treatment: Dr. Brett Merrill On What Really Works
A few weeks back, I wrote about my own history of playing video games rather excessively. As a result of that article, I got a lot of inquiries from people who asked…
What I Talk About When I Talk About Talking
There are days where I can have conversations with a wall. On others, I’d rather not interact with anyone the entire day. On the whole though, I feel I don’t need to pretend…
Issue-Agnostic Philanthropy: Charity for Analytical People
How did you decide on your last charity donation? Did you treat it like a car purchase, comparing different alternatives? Or did you treat it like a fast food burger, deciding on the…
The Ugandan Bus Stop Dilemma
Imagine you get off a bus in rural Uganda. A guy walks up, takes the backpack you’re carrying out of your hand, and proceeds to walk off towards a nearby building. Is…
That Time I Played a Single Video Game for 3,600 Hours
If you play a computer game for more than 40 hours a week on average, skip classes, and don’t shower for up to two weeks – is that an addiction? That was…
What’s the Life You Want to Remember One Day?
There is this popular, dramatic moment in movies where the selfless protagonist gives up their life in order to accomplish a heroic objective. Here’s a secret: That’s what we all will do one day. The day…
Last Post
Let’s assume, the moment I step out of the coffee shop I’m sitting in, I get hit by a bus. Considering it’s a busy four-way crossing with not a single (working) pedestrian…
