Human Behavior on Kind of Idea

Good or bad? The customer decides!

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000

The following happened when I tried to buy three large bottles of mineral water:

I visited the first store but couldn’t complete the purchase, because deliveries were only made from 8 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. In other words, I would have to miss work to receive the bottles, or wait until the weekend (another four days without water).

Because the first seller’s schedule didn’t work for me, I went looking for another seller.

Do We Lose Customers for Stupid Reasons?

Fri, 29 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I recently read an interview in Istoé magazine with Jan Garavaglia, a 53-year-old American doctor who has just published the book How Not to Die! The book grew out of her 20 years working as a medical examiner. She found that people often die for foolish reasons, including:

by: www.flickr.com/photos/kamshots/

Accidents caused by talking on a cell phone while driving.
High blood pressure, which is easily treatable, provided we get checkups to detect it.
Rugs in elderly people’s homes, where a slip can be fatal, among other things you can read about in the article.

Now let’s return to the topic of this post: just as with fatal accidents, do we lose customers for reasons that could easily be avoided?

Sometimes Schools Get It Terribly Wrong!

Fri, 29 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000

At times, schools insist on promoting viewpoints that, in my opinion, can be harmful to students’ development—viewpoints that conflict with the goal of educating people who can contribute to society. Below, I’ll describe an incident involving a mistaken point of view, which I’ll discuss throughout this post.

by http://www.flickr.com/photos/52636849@N00/

The incident took place at a high school. I’ve seen the same scene in both public and private schools: one day, a teacher had to be absent, so another teacher had to take responsibility for teaching two classes at the same time.

Would You Reconsider a Decision?

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

The blog’s original purpose is, of course, to talk a little about technology and innovation, especially things we can find on the web. But whenever something unusual happens to me, I like to write about it and share it with you.

This happened when I went to buy a takeaway lunch. Where I live, there are at least four nearby restaurants or steakhouses that sell boxed lunches. But one of them is unbeatable: a rotisserie chicken shop. It is a simpler place, but its food is the best in terms of quality.

Enough Complaining!

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000

I just read this post by Walmar about people who tie their satisfaction to achieving goals. Walmar says that this is pushing things too far and causes many problems, because if the goals are not met, it negatively affects the motivation of people whose mood is tied to them. It got me thinking about another behavior: imagining that things elsewhere are better and then complaining about what is close at hand.

Windows vs. Linux, or Spielberg vs. Chávez?

Sun, 05 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome, everyone, to the second episode of the “Think about it!” series.

For several years I have been following discussions about which operating system to use. In this post, I will try to offer a different point of view that might serve as a reference for IT managers making decisions. My only goal, though, is to encourage discussion and reflection.

Before getting to the topic, take a look at the image below:

Has Anyone Ever Had Bad Service at a Restaurant?

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0000

This is the third episode in the “It’s a trap!” series, and I ask readers’ permission to occasionally stray from the web to tell you about everyday situations.

I often go to a restaurant here in Mossoró that, considering the value for money, is very affordable given the flavor and variety of food available at its all-you-can-eat buffet, which is not charged by weight. The price is fixed at R$6.00. Another highlight is the juice; I have tried cajá and grape. They are definitely not watered-down drinks, but very well-made juices. And there is dessert, which I have not tried because I am not much of a sweets person, though I might make an exception one day.

Problems at the Internet Café

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0000

In this second episode of the “It’s a trap!” series, I’ll tell you about something that happened at an internet café.

I needed to scan a deposit slip, and as soon as I finished lunch I was already thinking through my options. Where would I find a shop open during lunchtime? I wondered. I eventually found one a few meters from where I had eaten. Great, I thought—I had solved my problem.