Invisible Laws

“If I Can Imagine It, It Must Be Likely” – The Availability Heurisitic

Dan — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:02:28 +0000

We live in a world filled with news stories about frightening tragedies and potential risks. In just the past six months, we had a horrifying school shooting and a sickening bombing at a marathon. We've been threatened by a rogue regime with nuclear... Read more

The NFL Draft – Steals, Busts and The Science of Recruiting

Dan — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:21:15 +0000

This past week, an important rite of spring took place; the annual NFL draft. This highly followed process allows pro football teams to replenish their rosters with fresh talent from the college ranks. It has become a media spectacle, with fans and... Read more

The Boston Marathon Tragedy – Standing Strong In The Face of Terrorism

Dan — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:02:25 +0000

The barrage of tragic images continues to haunt us. The horrible pictures and video show people's lives painfully altered in a split second. The sickening accounts pour forward from eyewitnesses and trauma surgeons. The stark and depressing shots of... Read more

That’s Just Not Normal – Power Laws

Dan — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:47:08 +0000

Most people are familiar with the idea of a bell curve. This statistical concept describes a distribution of outcomes of commonly observed processes and natural phenomena. A classic example of this idea is seen in the normal distribution of the... Read more

Weak Evidence – Folklore, Pseudoscience and Superstition

Dan — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 21:10:56 +0000

Last week, in this blog, I covered the topic of scientific research. In a post, I described the most common forms of research as well as how they differ in terms of the strength of evidence that they provide. I thought it was important for lay... Read more

Is All Research Created Equally?

Dan — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:59:40 +0000

Professionals are constantly looking to grow intellectually, and learn new ideas to add to their mental toolkit. One of the ways to do this is by reading the current research that is pertinent to their field. The research could be an MBA-style... Read more

There’s Always a Tradeoff! – Opportunity Cost

Dan — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:02:39 +0000

One of the most basic functions that professionals perform is the decision to move forward with a project, investment or basic activity. Generally, the decision is framed in a simple question; do the anticipated benefits of the action exceed the... Read more

The London Whale, Operational Maturity and Microsoft Excel

Dan — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:02:51 +0000

Last year, JPMorgan Chase made the startling admission that they lost approximately $5.8 billion due to bad trading decisions at a relatively small unit based in London. This event, that has come to be known as the London Whale Affair, was a black... Read more

Superdome Power Outage – What are the Lessons?

Dan — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 23:52:03 +0000

Last night, as over 100 million people watched, the lights went out for 34 minutes at Superbowl 47 in New Orleans. The incident prompted many to share their "wit and wisdom" (sarcasm intended) via twitter. Some thought Beyonce's hot show blew a... Read more

Technology and our Quality of Life

Dan — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:52:38 +0000

Is our quality of life better than it was 30 years ago? Will it continue to advance, or will it stagnate and actually decline? These, and many similar philosophical questions have been debated for centuries. Whether in research journals, news... Read more