Everyone seems to be selling some form of success potion these days. Want to be successful? Network. Prioritize. Lead like Steve Jobs. Fake it until you make it. Tired of it? Check out this refreshing and totally quote-worthy piece at Brain Pickings about British-born novelist Amelia Barr. Her rules, which date back to 1901, are less about making it to the top than persevering, and quelling your fears — good stuff, all.
The best bits:
“No opposition must be taken to heart. Our enemies often help us more than our friends. Besides, a head-wind is better than no wind. Who ever got anywhere in a dead calm?”
“Everything good needs time. Don’t do work in a hurry. Go into details; it pays in every way. Time means power for your work. Mediocrity is always in a rush; but whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing with consideration. For genius is nothing more nor less than doing well what anyone can do badly.”
Is Car-Sharing in Your Future? (Christian Science Monitor)
Services like Zip Car are a godsend for car-less city dwellers because they are a cheap and easy way to run a quick errand. And because fewer and fewer young people are buying cars, the market has opened up for other services as well. RelayRides, for example, helps cars owners loan out their wheels to renters for an hourly fee. Rachel Botsman, an expert in collaborative consumption, thinks there’s a shift taking place. Many of us, she says, prefer to “pay to access goods, whether that’s books, music, films, or cars, versus physically needing to own them outright. We don’t want more stuff, but we want the experiences it [allows].”
Peer Effects at the Casino (Ross School of Business)
Casinos are masters at separating us from our cash, but their insights about our decision making get a bit more clouded when we bring some friends along. According to new research, our friends can reduce our spending in subtle yet dramatic ways — which is good for us, but bad for casinos. Say a friend receives a random promotion, but you don’t. If this happens, you’re likely to spend significantly less money than you would have normally. Even more problematic for casinos? People like me who tag along with friends, but don’t gamble.
Dawn of a New Man
I’m a Dude, And I’m a Homemaker Too (Slate)
Viral Marketing is a Myth (Sloan Management Review)
Should Sports Arenas Buy Back Scalped Tickets? (Time)