The Economics of Food
Here at the Ben & David, we like food. We like reading about food, watching movies about food, and listening to music about food. Heck, we even like eating food. And, occasionally, we like cooking.
Author: David
Shopping Online vs. On Line
I received an Amazon giftcard the other day. As I perused the site and compared prices with other e-tailers such as Target, Best Buy and Wal-Mart, I found that, as always, Amazon undercuts its competition, especially with tax and shipping factored in. Since I spend much of my pocket change at Amazon, this discovery came as no surprise.
But what was surprising was an interesting metric; Amazon, nearly earth’s largest bookseller, books a net profit of only 1.34%. Granted, they rely on volume, not margin, for profits, but this incredibly low number was compelling, and seems indicative of Amazon’s corporate philosophy of using loss leaders – like the Kindle Fire – and microscopic margins to catch and keep customers within its simple and increasingly expanding product and entertainment ecosystem. The thinking is, as long as one buys a book at Amazon – giving them, say 28 cents on every $25 hardcover sold – one may as well purchase digital content from Amazon’s burgeoning music, video, and e-book selections. And while you’re at it, why not everything else?
Shawschenk Reflections!
Dear Readers, In keeping with Leschenk’s unique blend of creativity, originality and enjoyment of Morgan Freeman movies, Ben and I have chosen to create an alternate web address – ShawschenkReflections.com. You’ll still be able to dial up ol’ leschenk.wordpress.com, but we’ve decided to play this cinematic card, as well. Continue reading Shawschenk Reflections!
The Delusion of Doing
Several weeks ago, John Pavlus wrote an excellent piece, Confessions of a Recovering Lifehacker, that effectively lanced many of the “productivity hacks” that have come to make distraction feel worthwhile. Pavlus writes that, ” lifehacking is so seductive because it’s simply easier than asking some bigger, harder, more important questions about where your time and attention go…the stakes are low” – in short, he writes, if you clear out your Gmail, you feel tremendously accomplished, and if you don’t, you’ll still be annoyed by something that plagues almost everybody anyway, so, no big deal. The risks are low, but the gratification and self-satisfaction are high.
Dave’s Favorite Blogs
Ben is a far more accomplished blog reader than I am. However, I’d like to mention a few URLs that I occasionally hit up. 1. Harvard Business Review Blog has many interesting ideas, some mentioned in the magazine, some not. 2. The Economist website, if only for the fact that there are occasionally bylines featured. … Continue reading Dave’s Favorite Blogs
Microsoft Reveals a Tablet: Cue the “Surface to Air” Comparisons
Yesterday, Microsoft announced Surface, its entry into the tablet market. Technically described as both a tablet and a PC, Surface packs a keyboard/cover that may bring it more into ultrabook territory. Like Apple, and Google with its Nexus line of phones, Microsoft has slid into the hardware driver’s seat to ensure tighter integration between hardware … Continue reading Microsoft Reveals a Tablet: Cue the “Surface to Air” Comparisons
It’s All Greek Yogurt to Me
There’s been a great deal of talk about Greek debt lately, and I wanted to turn the spotlight on another Greek specialty: Yogurt. Greek yogurt is a thicker, creamier version of regular yogurt that’s become popular over the last few years, largely due to its health benefits and versatility. The yogurt is somewhat plain on … Continue reading It’s All Greek Yogurt to Me
Interesting Relationship Between Coffee and Productivity
Whether or not this reviewer bought all the bottles of coffee pictured above is neither here nor there. But what is both here and there is the following; In an entirely unscientific study at Leschenk headquarters, we’ve found that the number cups of coffee one drinks per day is directly proportional to the number of … Continue reading Interesting Relationship Between Coffee and Productivity
The Huffington Post Needs to Stop Featuring Sensationally Large Headlines
As we all may have heard, the New York Times published a survey, detailing Americans’ declining faith in the Supreme Court. The story was also picked up by the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, and a number of other papers. And yet, the Huffington Post, as is its nature, insists on publishing obscenely large pictures … Continue reading The Huffington Post Needs to Stop Featuring Sensationally Large Headlines
We Think Apple Will Release a TV Soon
We’ve been thinking about this for a while, and we’ve come to entirely unique conclusion that Apple will release a TV sometime this year or next. We write this not because we’re the first to think of it, but because we want to be able to say “told you so” when it happens. We believe … Continue reading We Think Apple Will Release a TV Soon
Silicon Spatula 