WHY

WHY

by | May 25, 2024 | Thoughts & Musings

The goal was ambitious. Public interest was high. Experts were eager to contribute. Money was readily available. Armed with every ingredient for success, Samuel Pierpont Langley set out in the early 1900s to be the first man to pilot an airplane. Highly regarded, he...
You Can’t Shrink Your Way To Greatness

You Can’t Shrink Your Way To Greatness

by | May 19, 2024 | Thoughts & Musings

It takes approximately seven years to get a Ph.D. in economics from a leading school. But it’s borderline fair to say you can capture those seven years in one sentence: If the other guy’s getting better, then you’d better be getting better faster than the other guy’s...
Could This Be You? A wake-up call

Could This Be You? A wake-up call

by | May 11, 2024 | Thoughts & Musings

Long, long ago, as the story goes, people used to think that finding a perforated coin brought good luck. Think of it as another version of the four-leaf clover. There was once a poor man who had not been very successful in his work and in life. But one day, miracle...
Do Not Seek Praise Seek Criticism

Do Not Seek Praise Seek Criticism

by | May 5, 2024 | Thoughts & Musings

It is quite easy to get approval if we ask enough people, or if we only ask those who are likely to tell us what we want to hear. The likelihood is that they will say nice things rather than be too critical. Also, we tend to edit out the bad so we hear only what we...
A fascinating true story

A fascinating true story

by | May 1, 2024 | Thoughts & Musings

When studying statistics at UC Berkeley in 1947, doctoral candidate George Dantzig arrived late for class one day. He saw two problems on the blackboard, which he assumed were homework, and copied them down. Feeling they were harder than usual, it took him a few days...