In Mexico City, after a considerable scare. Somewhere over Atlanta, en route from Paris, the plane dropped like a stone. People screamed. It was far and away the worst turbulence I have ever experienced. And one of the stewies, in a brave attempt at reassurance, said that in seven years flying this...

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At work on a Saturday, reflecting on the fact that when things here are at their busiest, I probably have most to say on the blog, but don't say it for two reasons. After an entire day processing words and staring at a screen, the last thing I want to do is more of the same. And then there is the qu...

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A new strategy beats tit-for-tat at the Prisoners' Dilemma. Southampton University's approach was pretty sneaky, essentially allowing its prisoners to recognize one another and cooperate. Up against a non-Southampton opponent, prisoners deliberately throw their own chances to make life easier for...

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Rex's longer article this week is, as he puts it, about "game culture -- and how it intersects with movies, music, and digital communication". A very interesting collection of thoughts. and even though I have never really been into computer games (except for a brief flirtation with RSI when Tetris first came out) I'm intrigued by his take on things. Especially the idea of blogging or doing iTunes playlists as a kind of computer game.

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fimoculous directed me to Malcolm Gladwell's excellent story about ketchup. Well, it isn't just about ketchup. It's about ketchup, and mustard, and, most importantly, consumer preferences and measuring them. Along the way, Gladwell quotes Andrew Smith quoting Elizabeth Rozin:

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