Have you noticed how some people can be sticky? The stranger who walks too closely, or too quickly (if they are behind you), or too slowly (if they are in front of your). They just somehow get in the way without trying or actually doing anything obnoxious. They are in the way even when they are not actually in the way. They just stick.

Concepts and messages can …

Here’s a screengrab of Yahoo’s horoscopes page.

Does the headings sum up the universal set of core emotive drivers for humans? (At least those of us fortunate enough to live in communities where we can afford to worry about our lucky numbers and not whether we will have food…)

We all want to know what lies ahead generally; and specifically what lies in store for our love …

According to Paul Bracken in his article Futurizing Business Education (Futurist magazine July-August 2008), there are four major characteristics of the turbulent world businesses are faced with today:

Technology – rapidly and dramatically transforms industries.
Political risks – decisions at a political have direct impact.
Blurring of industry boundaries – businesses are chasing radically new markets beyond the bounds of their traditional offerings.
New competitors with different strategic personalities – emerging economies …

This is a fun little demonstration on how we see, or don’t see, some things that are immediately in front of our eyes.

http://www.dothetest.co.uk/

Thanks to Gavin and Ingrid for this.

Here’s an interesting article on the role of our emotions in decision-making.

Points of note:

Without our emotions, we will have difficulty making decisions.
Strong emotions like fear can adversely affect our decisions.
The more we deny our emotions, the less able we are to make a decision; regardless of how much info we have.
Relying on our gut instincts is important.
Women make better decisions - because women are more in …

We know that airlines go on and on about how mobile phones and other transmitting devices interfere with aircraft navigation systems. Is this for real? Or is it a cynical attempt to get up to use their air phones?

Given the ubiquity of phones, and the forgetfulness (or deliberate recalcitrance) of humans, I am sure many an aircraft fly perfectly well with transmitting mobile phones on board. After …

Should pedestrians keep left or right. Which is it? It depends on where you are. Maybe.

In melting pot societies (fondue societies?) like Sydney and Singapore, with residents from different parts of the world, it is useful to post explicit signs instead or relying on the unspoken rules.

Singapore is somewhat better in this respect, given their history as a more explicitly “managed” society. Heavy traffic areas often do have …

Does anyone know how much power the big backlit apple logo on MacBooks chew up?

Is it the tech equivalent of wearing a t-shirt with Armani Exchange or some other brand name printed big cross it?

What is the psychology behind this desire to overtly broadcast your association with a brand name?

(I for one will never buy something with a big logo on it. I only wear t-shirts with logos …

In smaller businesses or teams with low-rise hierarchies (a flat organisation), I have noticed that there is a higher risk for certain personalities to take on perceived responsibilities for beyond their official capacity.

Examples: A junior programmer feels responsible for the financial welfare of the company. A manager feels responsible for the quality of an employee’s personal life.

This can be especially true for those personalities with a tendency for …

In his book On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You’re Not, author Robert A. Burton made the point that:

Certainty is neither a conscious choice nor even a thought process. That unmistakable sense of certainty arises out of involuntary brain mechanisms that, like love or anger, function independently of reason.

This is something for business leaders to be mindful of. To embrace the …