Reality Upgrade

Why does oatmeal taste so good with orange juice? Why do tomatoes seem the perfect match for olive oil?

It turns out that our bodies know what’s up: by combining different foods, we actually gain more nutritional benefits than by eating each food by itself.

For those of us who played (or still play) role-playing games, you are already familiar with the concept. Mix the red herb with the green herb, and the result heals you more than each by itself. Add the magic stone to the ancient sword and get the super weapon of doom. And so on.

I guess art imitates life after all.

For a great list of foods that go well together, take a look at this article by Men’s Health.

And enjoy!

If work was fun, they wouldn’t have to pay you to do it, right?

A problem that almost everyone faces is working at something they enjoy…after all, we spend something like a third of our lives at work. Actually, we spend another third asleep, so we are really at work, or driving to work, or getting ready for work, for around half our lives.

Might as well make that time tolerable.

Bud Caddell over at WhatConsumesMe has come up with a nifty little ven diagram about how to be happy at work.

It is really rather simple, but it makes a lot of sense. After, all of us have things we love to do, things we can get paid to do, and things we do well. Trying to get all of those to overlap is the real trick.

So check out the full article here.

Sight and hearing are easy. But in order to really connect on an emotional level with someone, you need to do more. Memories are usually connected with a particular sensory input, and that type of sensory input will most easily trigger that memory. Since the goal of branding is to be remembered, and stand out, the more senses you can attach to your brand, the higher the chance you will be remembered.

Also, if you pay attention to the “other” senses, (touch, smell, taste) you will have more control over what you are remembered for. You may have the best presentation, and a great product, but if your clients only remember you body odor, or even only that you shake hands strangely…well, you missed your goal. By thinking about all five senses, you can make sure that your clients’ entire experience with you is reinforcing your brand.

The sense of smell, in particular, has an incredibly powerful effect on memory and emotion, and is often overlooked when marketing.

(continue reading…)

What makes us happy? Not happy in the I-just-got-some-chocolate temporary way, but really, truly happy in the long term. The kind of happy where you die at 87, with your great-grandchildren around you and think, “I had a good life, and wound not change anything.”

Is there some formula, some magic mix of psychology, upbringing, career, and love that lead to a good life?

For 72 years, researchers at Harvard have been trying to find out. (continue reading…)