by david allan van nostrand | Dec 25, 2017 | Fads, Items in the News
Nothing says Christmas like a set of KFC Christmas tree ornaments, an idea perhaps inspired by the Japanese tradition of eating Christmas dinner at KFC. It is so popular that Japanese customers must place their Christmas orders two months in advance. Highlights of...
by david allan van nostrand | Dec 18, 2017 | Human Behavior, Items in the News, Using Information
In the New York Times this morning, Tim Herrera wrote about how we make New Year’s resolutions: “We set an under-defined and overly ambitious goal for the new year, give up two weeks in, and by the end of January, forget the whole thing ever happened.” Half of us make...
by david allan van nostrand | Dec 11, 2017 | Items in the News, Research
William Black opened a store in New York City in 1926 where he sold roasted nuts. As the story goes, he called it Chock Full o’ Nuts because the tiny (6 by 20 foot) store was crammed full of dozens of types of nuts. Within six years, he had more than 100 nut shops in...
by david allan van nostrand | Dec 4, 2017 | Big Data, Research, Technology
U.S. President Ronald Reagan liked to define “mixed emotions” as the feelings a man has as he watches his mother-in-law drive over the cliff in his new Cadillac. Another example involves how driverless vehicles will be programmed to react in emergencies. One is to act...