Dies Irae Principle

The Dies Irae Principle

I’ve been thinking about how differently people see the world and how that influences their view of events.  Something that rolls off one person’s back can cause another to spend a week sobbing in bed, barely able to contain their grief or embarrassment.  What is a minor setback to one person can be a career-ending…

Douwe Egberts Acquisition

One of Europe’s Oldest and Most Secretive Families Has Been Using Its Private Holding Company To Buy Up The World’s Coffee Assets

I’ve watched in fascination over the past couple of years as German conglomerate Joh. A Benckiser has been quietly buying up the world’s leading coffee brands, acquiring Caribou Coffee for $340 million, Peet’s Coffee & Tea for $974 million, and my personal obsession, Douwe Egberts for $9.8 billion, among others.  The firm is the personal holding company of…

Providence New American Kitchen Restaurant Kansas City Meatloaf

Dinner at The Providence New American Kitchen at the Hilton President in Downtown Kansas City

Aaron, Caleb, Tara, and I are in downtown Kansas City because later this evening, we are meeting Matthew and his wife Jaclynn at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City to see the premier of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.  Arriving early, we realized we hadn’t eaten anything and picked a nearby restaurant that had decent reviews; the Providence New American Kitchen at the Hilton President.

Mental Model by Joshua Kennon

Mental Model – Signaling Theory

One of the biggest mental model obsessions I’ve had for the past few years – so consuming that I rarely even mention it in public, and hardly ever on this site as I am still working on fully grasping the implications and mechanics – is something called signaling theory.  The gist of signaling theory is that at all times, in all situations, you are broadcasting aspects of your identity, beliefs, personality, and lifestyle to the people around you, often with significant social implications.  It exerts such a strong pull on civilization that I consider it second only to the social proof mental model in importance.  It interacts with other mental models so efficiently, it often goes unnoticed.