Sunday, August 05, 2018

Why Kamikaze Pilots Wear Helmets???


This was a great read. Its an economist who tries to be funny by answering interesting daily life questions and wonderings. The author is Robert Frank, the Professor of Management and Professor of Economics at Cornell University's School of Management. Just look at the questions he tries to answer and you know its a good read already:
  • Why does a US$500 tuxedo rent for US$90 a day while a US$20,000 car rents for only US$40?
  • Why do female models earn so much more than male models?
  • Why might retailers deliberately hammer dents into their own appliances?
  • Why do the keypad buttons of drive-up cash machines have Braille dots?
  • Why are child safety seats required in cars but not in airplanes?
  • Why are whales, but not chickens, in danger of extinction?
  • Why is there a light in your refrigerator but not in your freezer?
  • Why do 24-hour convenience stores have locks on their doors?
  • Why are newspapers, but not soft drinks, sold in vending machines that allow customers to take more units than they paid for?
  • Why are brown eggs more expensive than white ones, even though the two types taste the same and have identical nutritional value?
My favourite chapter is in relationships where he tries to answer: why it is easier to find a partner when you already have one; and why are there so many dumb blonde jokes when research shows that attractive people are generally more intelligent than others, hence blondes should be considered as more intelligent as they are generally perceived to be more attractive. My other favourite topic was: Why did Kamikaze pilots wear helmets????

The Economic Naturalist
(Why Economics Explains Almost Everything) by Robert H Frank
Virgin Books Publications (UK)

Basic Books (USA) 2007 / 2008

5 comments:

random said...

Why do banks charge insufficient fees when they know there's no money?

Why does a guy that handles your investment called a broker?

Why is a hamburger made from beef?

Why are feet smelly and nose runny?

ah.. life's mysteries..

Chowpiao said...

why do dogs chase after cars they have no intention to drive?

Why can't you get a tan on your palms?

If mars had earthquakes would they be called marsquakes?

Why is it that humans can move their eyes in opposite directions toward the nose, but not away from the nose?

Why is Charlie short for Charles if they are both the same number of letters?

Anonymous said...

Why Kamikaze pilots wear helmets???

Why, I think in all seriousness, they only kill themselves by charging at their enemies when they know their plane is doomed. Otherwise it's just another battle day in the sky and they would need their helmets for protection against impact against the walls of their planes just like a F1 racer would.

Anonymous said...

The helmets of WW2 pilots were soft leather pieces and wouldn't help in a serious crash. I think kamikaze pilots had to wear the helmets because the radio earpiece is woven into the headgear, and even though it's a suicide mission, the pilots still need to talk to wingmen and fighter escorts(experienced veterans, not expendable) to coordinate their attacks.

TK said...

Why hot dog got no dog meat?

Can Muslime eat hot dog?