Backup Power Request for Quote!

I give up! I wanted a fuel cell (supposedly $5K in 2001 but $56K recently) but the recent ice storm is one multi-day power outage too many for us.

What I really want: backup power as a service! The agreement:

       * You keep our power on
       * no more noise than 65 dB at 7 meters
       * no more pollution than allowed by California CARB
       * you own the equipment & do all maintenance (oil changes, etc.)
       * Fuel is (probably) propane as we have a 500 gal tank, but if you
          have some exotic technology?
       * I pay you $X per month forever

If you don't want to do that, I want a generator and transfer switch meeting the above noise/emissions parameters installed ASAP. Please send a quote!

Heuristics and irrationality

Choose quickly: a free $10 Amazon gift card or a $20 gift card for $7?

And: a ball and a bat together cost $1.10, and the bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?

The first example is from Dan Ariely's Predictably Irrational, and the second from Daniel Kahneman's  Thinking, Fast and Slow.

I thoroughly enjoyed both of these but found the latter a deeper, richer book. Kahneman has a different, more humane take on 'irrationality' and describes it more as a set of heuristics that work well most of the time and in most situations ... but not for all examples.

Anyone interested in how his or her mind works ... or how the mind of the boss or your spouse or your child's mind works ... will get a bang out of both of these, I think. Happy and rational reading!