Defaulting to assuming people are locals
Because I look racially ambiguous, people often don't know what to make of me, especially when I'm traveling. Typically people default to assuming that I'm a »
Drinkable tap water
Drinkable tap water is easy to take for granted. At home, whenever I'm thirsty, I go to the nearest faucet without thinking about it. But, on »
Gender on seating charts
In Peru, when you select the seat with Movil Tours, the seating chart shows you which seats are currently assigned to male and female passengers. Airlines »
Knowing the great works
Recently, I was embarrassed when I couldn't remember that Cervantes is famous for writing Don Quixote. But, when I reflected on this later, I realized many »
Talking about sports
Sometimes you want to connect with someone, but you don't know where to start. Try sports. Because there are always new games to analyze, you never »
Loving to win vs hating to lose
In regulatory focus theory, people fall on a spectrum from being promotion-focused to prevention-focused. Colloquially, people talk about this as loving to win or hating to »
Overheard at Sports Authority
With Sports Authority going out of business, I decided to browse the aisles to see if anything I needed was still available. While I was there, »
Making jury selection more efficient
People don't resent being able to participate in the democratic process through jury service; they resent the fact that the court shows no respect for their »
Stained furniture
I was surprised when the Salvation Army declined to take my otherwise functional desk and chairs because of minor stains. This was another stark reminder that »
Oaths and put options
Ironically, the people most willing to take oaths are the people who need them least. Because the values imbued in them already resonate with how these »