Why Are Magazines So Bad at Updating Addresses?
By Stephen J. DubnerA reader named Mason DeCamillis writes in with a question/complaint:
Why does it take several weeks for magazines to update my mailing address when I move? I just changed my address with two magazines (on their respective websites), and both say it will take up to two publication cycles for the change to take effect. That seems crazy. When I buy something at an online store, I enter my address and they’re able to make a shipment to it the following business day, without waiting weeks for their database to be updated.
On the same note, when I originally subscribed to one of these magazines, I didn’t receive my first issue for almost three months, but in that time I received three letters from them asking me to renew my subscription. If they’re able to send a letter to me that quickly, shouldn’t it at least be accompanied by a current issue of the magazine?
Ouch. That’s a lot of bad practice for just a couple of paragraphs, but it’s hard to disagree. So why does this happen? Why is magazine fulfillment so last-century? And is it possible that these various flaws are responsible, even in small measure, for the massive plunge in ad revenues that magazines have just experienced? In an instant-gratification Internet world, are slow-footed magazines — nice glossy pages and all — helping to extinguish themselves?se
Catastrophic Top Tens |
Here are 20 tips for a safe weekend: Amanda Ripley busts 10 myths that could save your life in a disaster while Nassim Nicholas Taleb outlines 10 points to save the world from financial cataclysm. (1)
The Cost of Campaigning in Rapid City, S.D.
By Stephen J. DubnerLevitt and I had the pleasure of visiting Rapid City, S.D., recently to give a lecture. Yes, we had time to visit Mount Rushmore, a good time made all the better by our charismatic tour guide, National Park Service Superintendent Gerard Baker (Yellow Wolf), the very tall gentleman between us here:
We also had occasion to meet a phalanx of Rapid City notables, including Mayor Alan Hanks. The downside of his office, he said, is that he has to run for election every two years; among the upsides is that campaigning isn’t very expensive. He said it cost only $70,000 the last time around.
Considering that the mayor’s salary is about $95,000, that’s a pretty sweet ratio. Mayor Mike Bloomberg of New York spent $85 million last time around and receives only $1 in salary (although he’s entitled to $225,000); it cost Barack Obama $730 million to get elected, for a salary of just $400,000. In terms of R.O.I., Rapid City politics look like a pretty good deal.
When Your Portfolio Is Packing Heat |
Some people invest in stocks, others invest in lobbyists. Still others, The Wall Street Journal reports, are investing in assault rifles. Just as Slate laments spring as the start of gun season, Freakonomics readers might find more to worry about with the start of swimming pool season. (4)
How About “Downlifting” to Replace “Digital Piracy”?
By Stephen J. DubnerWe recently asked you to consider renaming “digital piracy” in light of recent actual piracy. The question appears to have some resonance, as it was picked up by The Guardian, The Washington Post, and others.
For my money, the best suggestion by far comes from a reader named Derek:
Downlifting. Download + shoplifting. Pretty accurate description that doesn’t imply violence. Plus there’s a little mental double-take with “down” and “lift.”
Thus nominated. Anyone care to second?
Practicing Your Way to a Higher I.Q. |
We’ve written earlier about Anders Ericsson’s research on talent, and we’ve blogged on the subject repeatedly. Ericsson’s thesis is that raw talent is overrated, and that experts in a given field (be it hockey or music) accomplish excellence primarily through “deliberate practice.” Nicholas Kristof wrote yesterday about a new book about I.Q., also reviewed here, by Richard Nisbett. He argues that I.Q. is only 50 percent heritable and that the controversial racial I.Q. gap is environmental rather than genetic. Nisbett offers some suggestions to parents to raise their kids’ I.Q.: “praise effort more than achievement, teach delayed gratification, limit reprimands, and use praise to stimulate curiosity.” He is also strongly in favor of the intensive early-childhood programs favored by our new education secretary. (10)
Quotes Uncovered: Who Worried About Events?
By Fred ShapiroQuotes Uncovered
Here are more quote authors and origins Shapiro’s tracked down recently.
Thirteen weeks ago, I invited readers to submit quotations for which they wanted me to try to trace the origins, using The Yale Book of Quotations and more recent research by me. Hundreds of people have responded via comments or e-mails. I am responding as best I can, a few per week.
Stan asked:
This may be too vague, but this quote essentially conveys: events that occur, not “issues” or a platform, define the term of a prime minister (or other leader). I think it’s Benjamin Disraeli, but if it rings a bell, I would love to know the real quote.
The Yale Book of Quotations has the following quote, which may be the one you have in mind:
[When asked what worried him most:] “Events, dear boy, events.” Harold Macmillan, quoted in Sunday Times (London), Nov. 15, 1992.
Nate asked:
Luck is the residue of desire. Branch Rickey is often quoted as saying “Luck is the residue of design,” but the version above is the one I have always remembered. Which one is correct, or was Rickey paraphrasing someone else?
FREAK Shots: Thrift, Sex, and Cheap Lattes
By FreakonomicsAccording to NPR, recession-themed marketing is a way to “rais[e] money from lower expectations” and “turn bad times into glad times” by selling thrift, good value — and, as Gawker claims, more sex and alcohol.
This photo, taken in a New York City subway station, then, is the perfect recession-ad sampler:
Photo: Ryan Hagen
Serious Fun: A Q&A With the Author of Play
By Annika Mengisen
Stuart BrownWhether he’s playing tennis with “a convivial group of codgers” or hanging out with his grandkids, Stuart Brown, the author of Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, plays as often as he can.
With a background in neuroscience and behavioral medicine, Brown has studied play globally, both in civilization and in the wild. He founded the National Institute for Play and has produced a three-part PBS series on play. He also regularly teaches employees at Fortune 500 companies why they should do it more.
A former clinical director at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in San Diego, Brown says he first discovered the importance of play when he observed the way it helped sick kids recover from illness, and later, when he researched murderers and found that lack of play may contribute to homicidal behavior.
Brown has agreed to answer our questions about his book, but first he has a question for Freakonomics readers:
What’s your favorite way to play?
Post your answers and comments below. For those of you reading this from your work computer, Brown recommends emailing a joke or a funny YouTube clip to a friend to increase your productivity.
In the midst of a recession, playing is probably one of the last things on people’s minds. Say you’re one of the many unlucky unemployed. Can playing help you? Read more…
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