Taking phone calls around other people
Talking on the phone while other people are around is rude, yet often tolerated and to some degree expected amongst professionals. The worst embodiment is when »
Norms around timeliness
When there's an expectation that everyone will show up on time, people try their best to avoid being the one who holds up the group. Whether »
Don't leave your laptop in the car
People make fun of me for carrying my laptop with me everywhere. While it's a hassle, it beats the alternative of potentially having my laptop stolen. »
Switch to universal time
Daylight savings time was originally devised to save electricity. But, its current effectiveness is heavily disputed and it's known to negatively affect public safety, health, and »
Perverse incentive of high water marks
Performance fees are typically only paid on increases in a fund's net asset value over the previous high water mark (the highest net asset value to »
Ask specific questions
Recently, a lot of people have been asking me for open-ended advice about summer internships. But, because I don't know them and I don't know about »
Why don't we have the day off on election day?
If we cared about increasing voter turnout, we would make election day a holiday, to increase the probability that people would vote. But unfortunately, more resources »
When would you be willing to leave the country?
Generally, I believe that people should stay and work out their differences after losing an election. But, recently I've been wrestling with when circumstances fall beyond »
Where's the best place to fall in the ZOPA?
For the uninitiated, ZOPA stands for zone of possible agreement. In a negotiation, this is the range of outcomes that the parties should be willing to »
Committing money to an idea
Are you willing to commit time and money to making your ideas a reality? Most people say they'll work on their ideas later when they " »