Two Sides Of A Deadly Coin Way back in the day, we humans lived in small tribes of a few hundred people. Life was harsh. Getting food was difficult and dangerous. Predators were everywhere, and the food tended to run away. Animals didn’t want to be killed and eaten. Hunter Gather Instincts We humans […]
Equilibrium Paradox
How Much Do You Need? Most of us have a curious belief about some big thing that we want. This can either be a thing, a certain amount of money, or even a long range goal. The belief that we hold about this is that once we get that “thing,” whatever it happens to be, […]
Paradox Of Frustration
Embrace Your Anger Nobody likes frustration. We do everything we can to avoid frustration. Lots of advertisements are specifically allude that if we buy the product, our frustrations will be a thing of the past. In fact, one of the most common copywriting techniques is to pace the frustration of your target, expand it, and […]
Trade Theory
Exchange Is Everywhere A good model through which to view the human experience is that of trade. As we’ll explore in this post, trade is everywhere. Sometimes partly conscious, sometimes completely subconscious. Sometimes alone, sometimes with others. But we humans are always trading. Basic Human Description One way to describe humans as having unlimited […]
Unintended Consequences
The Unpredictable Future The human brain is extremely limited in how we perceive things. Our sensory organs can only discern a very tiny window within the data that is hitting them. Even the idea of our conscious minds is not something we fully understand. Some studies indicate that up to 95% of our behaviors are […]
Supply and Demand
Secrets Of The Global Brain These two words, supply and demand, seem very simple. They are known and supposedly understood by virtually anybody. They are ubiquitous, and if you know the words, but are a bit sketchy on the concepts, then you will fully understand them by the end of this post. Despite their simplicity, […]
Tragedy Of The Commons
Why Are The Freeways So Crowded? This is a simple idea from economics that has far reaching ramifications. You’ll find it among roommates, farmers and even in the ocean. It’s called the “tragedy” of the commons because that’s how it always ends. Opposite of how everybody thinks it will end. Set Up Imagine you’ve […]
Excess Capacity
Too Much Brain? Imagine a small coffee shop, just getting by. They have their loyal customers and workers. The owner is a family man, and ekes out a middle class life. Then a bakery moves in next door. The bakery is a sudden hit. Because of the bakery, and the smells that drift into the […]