Argentina: The Superpower That Never Was

Great article comparing the US and Argentina over the last 150 years, and how important decisions and cultural features made a monumental difference in the success of each. Essentially Argentina and the US were 'tied' at the beginning of the 20th century, but the rest is history...Enjoy! Zigmania

Argentina: The Superpower That Never Was

The Diamond Invention

A fascinating article about the history of the diamond industry, and how its current role in society was the result of careful manipulation by DeBeers. Scary. All because they were able to push the right emotional buttons....Enjoy! Beckmania.

Have You Ever Tried To Sell a Diamond?

Message In What We Buy, But Nobody's Listening

The more I read about shopping and consumer habits, the more I find it intriguing. The difference between what we think is going on, and what really is going on, is fascinating. Even worse, behavior doesn't seem to change even when we DO know what is going on.....Enjoy! Beckmania

Message In What We Buy, But Nobody's Listening

How David Beats Goliath

A fun article by the always entertaining Malcolm Gladwell about how insurgents can beat incumbents if they implement novel strategies - a lesson that is relevant in sports, wars, and business. The article is mostly centered around a girls basketball team from Redwood City and Lawrence of Arabia. Enjoy! Beckmania

How David Beats Goliath

Mega Regions and High Speed Rail

The always interesting Richard Florida wrote an article for the Atlantic Monthly that discusses the benefits of high speed rail, and how it could unleash tremendous economic activity, not to mention reduce commute times, which is good bc: "Research by behavioral economists like Nobel prize-winner Daniel Kahneman finds that long car commutes are among the things that most adversely affect our happiness." Enjoy! Beckmania

Mega Regions and High Speed Rail