Author: Matt Gilligan

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Next Time Your Child Tries to Manipulate You, Use Game Theory Against Them

If you need even more proof that humans are born manipulators, look no farther than your average toddler. No one teaches them how to manipulate their parents (or try to, anyway) in order to get what they want.

They somehow just know how to make it happen.

And as they grow, their attempts become inevitably more sophisticated – at least a little.

Don’t worry, parents, we’ve got you covered with: use game theory to thwart their manipulations.

The advice comes from professor Kevin Zollman and journalist Paul Raeburn, and you can find more about it in their book, The Game Theorist’s Guide to Parenting. Below are some of their rules for negating tantrums, deflecting whining, and generally promoting peace in your home.

Force Cooperation

Image Credit: Pixabay

If you’ve got siblings who refuse to work together, Zollman suggests putting the prisoner’s dilemma to work for you. Assign your kids a join task, then give them each the same reward (or punishment) based on their team performance.

It might take time, but the setup will compel them to learn how to make alliances for the good of all.

Don’t Give Them Anything For Free

Image Credit: Pixabay

Instead of handing out privileges like the bigger room, the front seat of the car, or picking where you eat for dinner, make them earn it – they can bid on things that can’t be shared with allowances or extra chores.

Never Make Empty Threats

Image Credit: Pixabay

If your kids sense that you won’t follow through on your threat – or that it might mean making you the parent suffer – they’ll be less likely to see it as credible. So always pick punishments that benefit you, so they know you’ll follow through.

Force Them to Lie

Image Credit: Pixabay

It might sound counterintuitive, but forcing your kid to lie to your face repeatedly creates psychological discomfort they’ll likely want to avoid in the future.

Let Them Have Consequences

You can’t just bail your kids out when things get tough – even if it breaks your heart to let them cry over their own mess. If you swoop in and make it better, all you’re teaching them is that they can get their way by manipulating your emotions, which is exactly what you’re setting out to change.

 

There you go! Good parenting advice, if you ask me, whether you’re familiar with gaming and game theory or not.

If you’ve got a little manipulator on your hands, give these a try and report back!

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All of These People Are Having Really Bad Days

You’ve probably been in this position before. Your day goes from bad to worse and you feel like you’re at your breaking point.

I call it being “on the edge”…and honestly, it happens quite a bit.

But these people are having REALLY bad days…let’s laugh at these pics and then we can feel sorry for them.

1. Congratula-…oh wait…

2. There goes your credit card.

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3. Don’t wear that out in public.

4. A very lonely bag.

5. You need to keep an eye on that grill, buddy.

6. A little help, please?

7. It’s all air in there.

8. Can I have my bike back?

9. The Roomba is gone. Forever.

10. A total disaster.

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11. Goodbye, old friend…

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12. Don’t pick a fight with a porcupine.

13. Not a good place to park overnight.

14. Left the dog alone for too long…

15. That’s not very nice.

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Do you have any photos that sum up a pretty sh*tty day you’ve had lately?

Share them and let’s commiserate in the comments!

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A New Father Wrote a Heartfelt Letter Describing the Feelings He Had While His Wife Gave Birth

Giving birth is intense. There’s pain, a lot of bodily fluids, usually some colorful language, awe, shock, and yeah, plenty of things you can never unsee.

At the end of it, if you’re lucky, you’ve brought a healthy baby into the world, so most people forget the rest of it (in time).

Posted by Lauren Battle on Tuesday, December 24, 2019

This dad never will, though, because he’s written down every thought he had while his wife brought their child into the world.

He posted the tribute to his wife’s miraculous birth of their son on Facebook.

I honestly don’t know how she did it. The pain was so intense, so overwhelming, that even I felt it. Everyone in the…

Posted by William Trice Battle on Sunday, November 17, 2019

It’s a reminder of what a miracle life is, what we all sacrifice to bring it forth and nurture it as it grows, and how important it is that we commit to doing it together.

It reads, in part:

I honestly don’t know how she did it. The pain was so intense, so overwhelming, that even I felt it. Everyone in the room felt it. Yet she pulled through. Her pain was gruesome. Her struggle seemed almost unbearable. I found myself gritting my teeth when she did, tensing my entire body when her contractions hit, and shedding tears along with her. All while realizing that I was merely a passenger, never to truly understand the excruciating pain she was experiencing.

Posted by Lauren Battle on Tuesday, December 24, 2019

He continued:

We all finally get to love and hold the boy that she sacrificed her body, comfort, energy, and self for. My son is an absolute miracle. Babies are absolute miracles. But to me, the greater miracle is his mother, who has shown me what selfless sacrifice really is. What love really is. My wife is the real miracle.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a little tear!

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The Magnetic North Pole of Earth Is Moving Toward Russia

Our north pole has been traveling east from the Canadian Arctic to Russia. At a fast pace too, which is causing some concern on how the move will affect navigation and GPS systems.

Lately, the pace at which the pole is moving has been measured at 25 miles a year, or 40 kilometers. In years past, however, the slide was 34 miles per year, or 55 kilometers.

What’s causing a move like this?

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

Historically, the Earth’s magnetic poles have been known to stray – and even flip from one end of the earth to the other. The poles are there due to Earth’s molten core which moves around as the Earth spins.

Convection currents of molten metal cause huge, moving electric currents, which themselves form a magnetic field around the Earth. This field protects us all from the radiation in solar winds and charged particles coming from the sun.

At this time, the North and South Poles match the magnetic poles, but that hasn’t always been the case. In the Earth’s history, the poles have flipped several times, bringing the magnetic South Pole to the true North Pole and magnetic North Pole to the true south – and then switched back. Scientists have been able to tell not only that this has happened, but also when this has happened by examining rocks that, when they were molten, marked the location of magnetic north.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

Recently, the National Centers for Environmental Information and the British Geological Survey updated the 2020 World Magnetic Model (WMM) with information on how the magnetic north pole has changed and how to anticipate where it’s headed in 5 years. Officially, the North Pole has now crossed the prime meridian.

The WMM is essential for world navigation. The military, geolocation apps and other navigation systems all rely on the model for the official location of the magnetic north pole.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

What about another pole reversal? Well, that’s difficult to predict. According to geological record, the range in time between magnetic field reversals is huge–between 100,000 years to every 50 million years. With that kind of range and the fact that activity in the Earth’s core is hard to measure, the only thing researchers can tell us is that the magnetic north pole is weakening by 10 to 15 percent.

But wouldn’t a pole reversal be weird?

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Walking Bicycle Uses Design Tools From Theo Jansen’s Famous Strandbeest Sculptures

Not too long ago, The Q science channel featured one of their designers who brilliantly constructed a walking bicycle using the same mechanical design developed by Dutch artist Theo Jansen for his Strandbeests. The Strandbeests are a famous set of amazing kinetic sculptures. When the wind is right, the sculptures, made mostly of plastic pipe, appear to walk down the beach using a system of triangles linked together to an axle for legs.

They move so well they almost look alive – hence, “beests.”

Jansen started making his Strandbeests in 1990, and his idea was that they’d “live” in herds on beaches, completely mobile and powered by ocean breezes. He called them artificial intelligence, although they’re not robots. He’s even said he would like for them to evolve to the point they could make decisions and build dunes. He also refers to them animals, though he acknowledges them as machines. After each creature roams the summer away on the beach, it becomes “extinct,” and starts a new life as a museum exhibit.

Videos of the mesmerizing beasts strolling the beach are available to watch online, and you can find instructions on various science sites for how to build your own.

For the walking bicycle, the back wheel was replaced with a specially designed, cut and welded piece (so not made of PVC pipe). This was the same design used in other Standbeests including a walking machine, a walking chair and a Penny Farthing.

It’s entrancing to watch, though maybe not the easiest way to get around.

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A Writing Prompt Inspired Someone to Share a Heartwarming Story About the Cost of Lies

To be the best writer you can be, you must write every day. That writing is like exercise, and even if you don’t feel like doing it, you must if you want to be any good. That one day, you will look at your scribbles and snippets and a story will emerge, like a goddess from a block of marble on which you’ve begun to chisel.

Or something.

If you’re one of those that thinks practice makes perfect (which is usually how it works), daily writing prompts are an excellent way to get your exercise in.

This is how a compelling story about lies started–with a writing prompt on Reddit.

Writing Prompt with all the feels

Someone came up with an opening and it was good.

Photo Credit: Imgur

The narration sucks you in…

Photo Credit: Imgur

The characterization leads us neatly to the central personage and his problems.

Photo Credit: Imgur

Both characters were fleshed out and complex…

Photo Credit: Imgur

As were the conflicts facing them.

Photo Credit: Imgur

The story chugged up a hill of suspenseful set-up.

Photo Credit: Imgur

Then rammed us in the stomach.

Photo Credit: Imgur

Leaving us breathless and wondering about the scars in the people around us, both visible and invisible.

Because behind every scar, there’s a story.

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Reductress Is a Funny Instagram Account You Should be Following

Satire can be very hard to get right. Many try to do it, but very few do it well.

That’s why the Instagram page Reductress is so good.

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and then you’ll laugh some more.

Here’s a small taste of what the page offers. Now go follow them!

1. Does this look familiar?

2. A total psycho.

3. Hahahaha. Hey o!

4. You know you’ve seen a million headlines like this.

5. It’s all Brian’s fault.

6. This is a tricky one.

7. Could it be love?

8. Damn! Did it again!

9. That’s impossible!

View this post on Instagram

#tbt

A post shared by Reductress (@reductress) on

10. A good use of time.

Funny stuff!

Do you have any other suggestions for funny and interesting Instagram accounts we should follow?

Share them in the comments!

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5 Houseplants You Basically Can’t Kill

Do you want to spice up your house? Add some houseplants.

Your thumb is more brown than green, you say?

Not to worry.

Here are five plants that even you can’t kill. Plus, you can buy them online. Put them throughout your living space to let others know you are a Responsible Adult with living plants – and plants (like these) can also do *some* work to clean and detoxify your air.

Scroll through this list of five plants that you simply can’t kill.

1. Snake Plant

You can’t kill this plant. It doesn’t need much water or even direct sunlight. Whenever you think about it – say once or twice a month – water it. In return, this gorgeous West African native will make your air a little bit purer.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

2. Cast Iron Plant

Have a corner in your apartment that literally never sees any sunlight? That would be perfect for the cast iron plant, originally native to China. Also, don’t forget to water it. Kidding. You can totally forget (in fact, water it sparingly).

Photo Credit: Flickr

3. Jade Plant

This one does like sunny spots, so don’t stick it in the dark. But it definitely doesn’t need regular watering – just when the soil feels dry or it starts to look shriveled. Put a small pot of this lucky African plant in your home and reap the benefits.

Photo Credit: Pxhere

4. Aloe

You. Cannot. Kill. This. Plant. Full of vitamins A, C, E, B-12, folate, calcium, magnesium, zinc, etc., etc., it’s amazing for skin and for margaritas.

Photo Credit: Pexels

5. Rubber Plant

Native to Southeast Asia, its sap was once the primary ingredient in, you guessed it, rubber. Now, it makes a great houseplant – especially if you have high ceilings, as they can grow to be very tall. They also have beautiful dark green leaves that complement pretty much any decor.

Photo Credit: Pexels

Psyched now to get some green into your life? These plants are as beautiful as they are hardy. You can’t kill them so find a couple and make your home look good and breathe easier. You’ll also look like an adult that can keep plants alive and that’s always a good thing.

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Learn About the Important Hidden Benefits of Regular Exercise

I am in no way, shape, or form a model of physical fitness, but I will say that I try to go to the gym most days just so I can get my heart rate up and those endorphins flooding my brain. If I do, I just feel better about everything – I get more work done, I’m in a way better mood, and I sleep better, too.

It turns out there are a lot of hidden benefits to exercising regularly, as health psychologist and author Kelly McGonigal expounds upon in her new book: The Joy of Movement: How Exercise Helps Us Find Happiness, Hope, Connection, and Courage. McGonigal argues that there are a lot of great things that come out of exercising besides trying to look better and losing weight – those things can be important goals, of course, but there’s a lot more to it than that.

Exercise

Regular exercise can literally give us hope and a sense of purpose. It makes us happier and gives us greater overall satisfaction in life. And this applies to all kinds of exercise: jogging, swimming, yoga, biking, lifting weights, whatever.

McGonigal says, “These benefits are seen throughout the life span. They apply to every socioeconomic strata and appear to be culturally universal.”

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Here are some of the specifics that McGonigal talks about:

1. Exercise gives us a natural high when our brains release the neurotransmitters dopamine and endocannabinoids. This high can feel similar to the effects of smoking marijuana.

2. The endorphins that flow during exercise help us feel bonded to other people, whether you’re running with someone or doing a group exercise class. You can be a more social version of yourself.

3. Regular exercise can help you fight depression. McGonigal says, “It actually alters what’s happening in your brain in a way that looks really similar to meditation. People report feeling connected to all of life … and they feel more hopeful about life itself.”

4. A big brain boost is in order when you start moving. “If you are willing to move, your muscles will give you hope. Your brain will orchestrate pleasure. And your entire physiology will adjust to help you find the energy, purpose and courage you need to keep going.”

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It’s a new year, so get out there and get yourself in shape! Or at least get moving a little.

Your body and your mind will thank you for it.

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People Share the Weird Things That Creeped Them out When They Were Kids

When I was a young lad, I was always terrified of being shot in the back with an arrow as I ran up the stairs in our house. So I would sprint up that set of stairs as fast as I could like my life depended on it. Every single time.

Clearly, I was a normal child and have now transitioned into a well-adjusted adult.

Okay, maybe not.

AskReddit users went on the record and shared their frightful childhood memories.

1. Freaked out by the peach.

“James and the Giant peach. Not the insects, but the actual peach.”

2. Don’t like that sound at all.

“The sound of a balloon popping i dont know why but that used to absolutely terrify me.”

3. Haunted by ET.

“Fucking ET, the Extra-Terrestrial. Used to give me nightmares that he was trying to stab me with a long butcher knife.”

4. Still fired up about this one.

“China dolls, but it’s not ridiculous and I’m 40 next week and still scared of them.

Right, so they’re toys, yes? So why do their EYES FUCKING MOVE? They can fuck off.”

5. Even the tiny ones…

“Spiders, even the tiny ones. I really have a severe arachnophobia.”

6. Beware of the wolves.

“Imaginary wolves. I grew up in a house in the woods. Our nearest neighbors were a mile away. Whenever I went outside to get something from my moms car or the mailbox or whatever I always imagined that a pack of wolves was on the prowl and if I wasn’t as fast as I could possibly go, they would eat me.”

7. Urban legend.

“Bloody Mary. Where you go into the bathroom, turn the light off, turn a round three times while chanting “Bloody Mary” three times and then look in the mirror and she will appear and scratches will be left on your face.”

8. From beyond…

“I was convinced the martians from Mars Attacks would eventually show up and vaporize us all. You couldn’t convince me otherwise.

My dad would say, “aliens aren’t real.” And I would counter with my paranoid logic, “But how do you KNOW that? You can’t know for sure.””

9. Don’t run in these.

“Courdory pants. When I was 3 or 4, my sister told me that if I wore them and ran, my crotch would catch on fire. I am 31 and still have a strong aversion to courdory.”

10. We’re under attack!

“As a toddler I would watch those trashy ultraviolent action movies they’d play on TNT. It was one of the few times he was ever chill/not screaming or hitting me or my brother, so we were all in.

Then military operations against our house became a very real fear. What if they use paratroopers??!!”

11. Stranger danger.

“The stranger danger stuff. Still waiting to be offer drugs, lol Was offered alchohol when underage, declined because 1. beer is gross and 2. I was watching a sick baby.

Well now as an adult lots of people in my life are strangers.”

12. Scared in general.

“The talking toilet from Look Who’s Talking. Gave me my very first nightmare where I couldn’t talk or run, I could just stare helplessly at this talking toilet, which was giant in my nightmare. I was 3 or 4 I think. For a while I was just scared of toilets in general.

I also remember being afraid of the country being invaded for no particular reason. My mom tried to reason with me that anything can happen, so it’s not worth worrying about. She said a plane could crash into the house at any moment too, but it probably won’t. This reasoning backfired because for a while I was scared of a plane crashing into the house randomly.

Oh and also, when I was 5, I thought a tornado drill was a tornado that could drill through the ground and get you through the floor…….I was a pretty scared child in general.”

13. He’s heeeeeeeere.

“I always thought Big Foot would decide to show up outside of my back yard door late at night.”

14. That makes sense.

“Purple gloves. I knew that if a doctor put on purple gloves, they were about to get a needle or do something that would hurt. I had a lot of anxiety with doctors and doctors offices, probably because I was born premature and spent the first three months of my life in the NICU and dealt with medical problems the first three to four years of my life.”

15. I definitely thought about this as a kid.

“The never ending timeline of eternity in the afterlife (if it exists).”

That brought back a flood of memories from when I was a kid, that’s for sure.

Do you remember the things that freaked you out when you were a child?

Share them with us in the comments! Let’s compare notes on this one!

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