books

Book Review: Physics for Future Presidents by Richard Muller

“Physics for Future Presidents” should be required reading for every candidate for Federal office. Professor Richard A. Muller, past recipient of a MacArthur grant and professor of physics as University of California, Berkeley, provides the basic physics knowledge necessary for a President to make informed and responsible policy decisions. As a scientist, Muller refrains from …

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Because

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“Because” is one of the most powerful words in the English language. In Robert Cialdini‘s classic book, “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion,” he gives a great overview of the science behind persuading people. One of the most interesting experiments has to do with the effect of “because” on people. In a study, they had a …

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“You can never buy a decent used car”?

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It was the subtitle that got me to read Tim Harford’s book, “The Undercover Economist: Exposing Why the Rich are Rich, the Poor are Poor – and Why You Can Never Buy a Decent Used Car!” Our family owns the oldest independent car dealership in Phoenix and has sold thousands of decent used cars over …

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Marketing to a small minority without a massive budget

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If 1 out of 100 people are potential buyers for your product, you still have a target market of approximately 3,227,000 people. The challenge is reaching them. Mass media would work, if you saturate all 322MM people with your message, some fraction of that 1 in 100 would respond, but you’d be broke from the …

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Book Review: “Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power”

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It’s not often anymore that I have time for a full-length book, but I recently read Jon Meacham’s biography of Jefferson, “Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power.” It took a few weeks taking it on long flights and reading before bed, but it’s very worth the time. Meacham covers the entire arc of Jefferson’s life, …

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Book Review: So Good They Can’t Ignore You

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“Follow your passion and the money will come.” How many people have been given this advice when deciding what to study in school, whether to take a job, and whether to quit a job to do something else? It turns out that it’s terrible advice. That’s the thesis of “So Good They Can’t Ignore You: …

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The $1,000 Challenge

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There are only two ways to improve your financial situation. You can bring in more money or you can stop spending as much money. In my quest to do the latter, I read The $1,000 Challenge: How One Family Slashed Its Budget Without Moving Under a Bridge or Living on Government Cheeseby Brian J. O’Connor. …

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What would you ask a famous economist?

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Tyler Cowen, economist, cultural omnivore, and proprietor of Marginal Revolution, has written a new book called “Discover Your Inner Economist: Use Incentives to Fall in Love, Survive Your Next Meeting, and Motivate Your Dentist.” As an incentive for people to pre-order the book, he has offered to create a personalized podcast for anyone that pre-orders …

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