Why The “IKEA Effect” is Making Us Miserable?

In his book “The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic”, Dan Ariely tells about the “IKEA Effect” as “the increase in valuation of self-made products. Participants saw their amateurish creations – of both utilitarian and hedonic products – as similar in value to the creations of experts, and expected others to share their opinions”

It is the last part of the definition I’d like to talk about. “and expect others to share their opinions”.

We all love what we make and find ourselves baffled by our surroundings lack of interest or in other words WHY DOESN’T EVERYBODY SEE I'M THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD!!!!?????

You know the feeling when you post a picture of the omelet you made on Facebook, a tree in autumn on Instagram, had the cleverest insight on Twitter or wrote the best blog post ever, you press “send” and wait… and wait… and then your mom really “likes” it. How come our mind makes us feel whatever we make is god’s gift to men?

Really thought the Vatican would buy it.
From @jonrudas

If you read some of my posts you noticed I too sin in the DIY here and there and more than once I found myself posting something I thought was genius but didn’t get the traction I expected. Or giving a handmade gift only to realize no one uses it. It is devastating.

Is the problem with me or the rest of the world? Of course the rest of the world suck and wouldn’t know the next Da-Vinci if he drops on his head but I must realize there is a slim chance I'm not the hot potato I imagine myself to be. And that goes to the rest of you.

Well.. this post is not about getting too much into details. For that you’ll have to read the book.  All I'm saying is you must recognize at some point no one attaches the same value you do to your “Paris-London” FB album although it looks like you’re holding the Eiffel Tower with your finger.

The sooner you’ll realize that the sooner you’re therapy costs will drop.

FYI, people who spend their lives thinking they are good as they think and expect everybody around them to feel the same are called “Drama Queens” or Douchbags artists.  

Mega Vintage 16-Bit

When I was 10 or so I’ve worked the whole summer as a delivery boy for the local shop. I wanted to save 150$ so I can buy the brand new SEGA MegaDrive (16 bit).

I had it all. The Atari, the first MegaDrive, the first Nintendo…

By the time the X-box and PlayStation were introduced I have long abandoned my passion for gaming. It just got so complicated and frustrating to follow.

So imagine my happiness when I found these games FOR SALE at my local store. I can’t really put my finger to which console they match but it is good to know some things last.

All pics taken with Camera+

BTW I still have a working 16-bit MegaDrive ready for use although my mom wants to throw it out.

I just have nowhere to plug it to. 

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The Price of Milking It

I’ll always remember the month I spent travelling the Australian Gold Coast as one of the greatest in my life. Some friends and I rented a place in Byron Bay, surfed every day surrounded by easy going people and always had the fridge stacked with bacon and fruits. 

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

One of the major concerns on the average backpacker’s mind is food. Especially if you’re a big guy who’s used eating around six meals per day. The local supermarket (HomeBrand I think it was called) had this great thing where after 21:00pm they would sell grilled chicken for half price. No need to tell you I was starting to look like a grilled something by the time I left. 

This was in the beginning of 2004 when I was just a stupid kid (later became a stupid adult) without any professional education or real understanding of the market forces. But this grilled chicken thing will follow me every time I’ll walk into any grocery store.

Stop Playing With Your Food

I hate waste, especially when it comes to food. My father in his endless wisdom always said food was for eating and was appalled by the concept of “food fight” or any other use of food other but eating it.

The first thing my Economics professor taught me was how prices are determined by supply and demand. In other words, people will present a certain demand for a product at any given price. Since then I can’t help to think about that Aussie grilled chicken every time I go out to buy some milk.

How come a box of milk with an expiration date due in a week cost the same as milk which expires in another two weeks?

 Basically they are not the same product. The value each milk box brings me is different. One has double the value of the other. The demand for week old milk is far lower than the demand for fresh milk but still they both cost the same. Does that sound right to you?

My suggestion is simple; once a dairy, meat, Vegetable or any expire-able product is close to the end of its shelf life, just cut the prices accordingly and trust me – it will be sold.

Once the price drops -> demand goes up. Especially for such basic goods. Simple as that.

I just fixed the food retail world with my awesomeness. How about that?

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The Threesome Golden Ratio

Warning: the following text is written in the mind of a dumb college kid so if you’re looking for smart, mature and interesting articles go here.

Scaling

Yes, guys rate girls. We do it all the time almost like breathing. There are many different scales and it varies between cultures, countries, schools, generations and so on. But all will agree the most classic and universal rating system is the 1-10 scale.

Guys know girls rate us but unlike girls, every guy knows more or less where he stands on the scale. Mainly by experience of the girls he dates or “hook up” with along the way.

If a guy constantly goes out with 7-8 girls he knows that’s where he is and he will usually leave the 5’s and 10’s for others.

Don't be a hater

Another (unsurprising) fact about guys is we all espier to share our bed with two women at once during the course of our lifetime at least once. Not an easy task if you found yourself on the outside of the hardcore porn industry.

Most will say it’s a childish mission and they are right. But still we all think about it. Most of us never accomplish it and when we grow up it just adds to the list of stupid things we wanted to do together with driving at 250 km/h on the freeway and a “Mother” tattoo.

If you still feel like you can’t let go of the dream and you won’t give up, the next formula should at least help you wrap your head around it.

The Formula

This formula should not be taken seriously and is not to be viewed as sex guideline.

If you’re one of those guys who can’t let go of this goal you will probably have to make some adjustments to your rating system.

Let’s say you’re an 8’s guy. All your life you had great success with 8’s and from time to time you find yourself with a 9 or a 7. Can you really imagine you will succeed getting nasty with two 8’s?! That’s like 16!! But of course you won’t like to hook up with two 5’s as it’s too obvious.

Introducing the Threesome Golden Ratio:

If Z = your rating (1,10)

And; X,Y = girl’s ratings (1,10)

Than;

1.5*Z ≤ X+Y

Example: If you are an 8, the sum of the two girl’s ratings should be 8*1.5=12 or higher. It can be two 6’s or a 7 and a 5. You got the point.

Good luck dudes.

For my final words I’ll just mention that although it seems cool and all, wasting your energy on this kind of shit is stupid. You should be grateful if even one girl chooses to spend any time with you.

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