A Veblen good is something people value because it’s expensive. The high price itself signals status, exclusivity, or prestige, so demand can actually increase as the price rises—the opposite of…

This is a photo of A.A. Milne, the author of the Winnie the Pooh stories, along with his son, Christopher Robin Milne, and the stuffed bear that inspired Winnie the…

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which incompetent people overestimate their abilities. Unskilled individuals suffer from a false sense of superiority, mistakenly rating their abilities much higher than…

I made this point recently on a social media post, but I wanted to make it here, too, for the masses: Last week I wrote a screed against the chronically…

The Metropolitan Opera in New York is in difficult financial straits: Recent box office revenue is a fraction of the yearly budget. In an effort to raise some money, they…

Ten years ago today, our dear friend, Owen, died. I wrote this on that day, and ten years later, I am so very glad I did, as hard as it…

Every month, I record my progress toward my yearly goals to hold myself accountable and, occasionally, seek help and advice from readers willing to offer insight, ideas, and solutions. Here…

Our next Speak Up storytelling show takes place on Saturday, May 9, at the Museum for Culture and History in Hartford. Showtime is 7:00 PM. The theme of the show…

The philtrum is the space on your face between your nose and your mouth. It’s that vertical groove that drops from the nose to the lips. It’s the place where…

Regardless of your religious belief, the look on the face and the reaction of the interviewer as Stephen Fry answers his question: "What would you say to God if you…