Procrastination, the McClellan Problem, and You
General George B. “Little Mac” McClellan was the Union force commander during the Civil War. Beloved by his men, and a stickler for...
The Strange Case of Phineas Gage, redux
In January of 2013, I wrote a post on one of neuroscience’s most famous cases. New details make it necessary to retell the story. It’s...
What Do Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, and Lynyrd Skynyrd Have in Common?
When it comes to Carol Dweck’s concepts of mindset, northwestern Alabama might not be the first region that leaps into your mind. And yet...
The Science of Power Cramming
When you hear the term "spaced learning", you might think it has to do with learning that takes place while you're "spaced out.’ But...
The Insula: Behind the Scenes of Your Brain's Attention Switchboard
Have you ever been in a meeting where no matter what, you can’t stay focused? You know it will be disastrous if you actually succumb to...
A Berry Gone Sour: The Demise of RIM and BlackBerry
StartFragmentHey, remember BlackBerry? In this day and age, it's basically the smartphone equivalent of asking about digital watches or...
Would YOU Work for Free?
Imagine a job where you have total freedom in how you spend your time—no meetings, no supervisors giving you pointless busywork, and no...
Royally Spammed: A Fast Food Story
StartFragment Today's blog post comes to you in epistolary form. A few days ago, I received an e-mail from the Burger King corporation...
The Calorie Myth, or, Jeans Theory
There are a couple of things you can go to the bank on: Any major city with a sports team is going to hit up its populace to fund a new...
Zen and the Art of Riffing
Q: What did the Zen master say to the hotdog vendor? A: “Make me one with everything...” Central to the premise of this old joke is the...
