Archive | Magnus Research

Learn to spell

Not everyone can spell well enough to win a spelling bee. However, almost everyone living in an industrialized society has access to a multitude of resources on spelling. I have known many, many people who thoughtlessly write or type something, never caring enough to ensure their words are spelled correctly, only to say, “I can’t […]

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Building on our reading post, spelling and vocabulary are related in my mind. When one reads, he/she is often exposed to unfamiliar words. And seeing those words surely must help spelling them correctly. But, the point of my post on this topic is that misspelling (and/or using the wrong word – English can get confusing […]

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Multi tasking: When to do it and When not to do it

It seems that, in almost every work environment, people talk about multitasking.  In every field, other than perhaps repetitive assembly lines, it seems that many jobs require doing, or being ready to do, more than 1 task within a given work shift, hour, or minute.  I know mine involves: consulting, marketing, managing staff, strategic planning, […]

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There are times to multitask and times to work on one project until its completion. Think about it. How many of us have ever hired a general contractor or other home renovation person, only to have him work a couple of hours at our house, then leave in the middle of the project to work […]

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Read and read more

In my opinion, it is impossible to read too much, to learn too much, or to broaden my horizons too much. People tend to live in their own small worlds, rarely interacting with others who have different points of view, and as a result, they become staid and dull. People who don’t read, but who, […]

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Reading is an topic on which Melissa and I agree. We read some of the same things, newspapers, but many different things, like our choices in magazines and books. When it comes to magazines, we inevitably mark or save articles from our individual publications for the other to see – the shared interests of being […]

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Can’t Tell Anyone

In a prior post, I lamented how family and friends can’t relate to what Melissa and I do in our trial consulting business. One of the main reasons for their lack of understanding is the extremely high level of confidentiality involved in our work. In order for trial consultants to be able to effectively help […]

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I will begin my part of this post by saying that David’s and my careers, as well as our business, are anything but traditional. In fact, our lives, in general, are far from traditional. When we have worked with marketing professionals, including those who specialize in social media, they quickly become frustrated when we explain […]

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Why Park & Net have been married so long

My eldest brother, Park, is truly a one woman kind of man.  He and my sister-in-law, Jeanette, have been together since they were teenagers and have been HAPPILY married since 1959.  The word “happily” was capitalized in the previous sentence to emphasize that, for Park and Jeanette (or “Net,” as I have always called her), […]

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I might not wonder if the toothpaste was poisoned, but I would wonder what was wrong if I found it ready for me as Melissa describes.  But, that aside, Park and Jeanette are interesting role models in their affection for and dedication to each others.  Even in difficult times, I’ve seen them function as a […]

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No One in Family Gets It

When one chooses a non-traditional career path like Melissa and I have as trial consultants, it is difficult for some family and friends to understand what we do, and why we do it. (Heck, it’s even hard to decide what to call ourselves, as discussed in other blogs; it could be trial consultants, jury consultants, […]

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David’s topic is hilarious to me! Absolutely hilarious! For the most part, my family and friends are relatively unsophisticated people. I love them dearly, but there are few among them who really, truly “get it” when it comes to understanding what I do for a living. David describes his family’s and friends’ incomprehension about his […]

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Margie

Margie and I have been friends since 1971, when we were in 8th grade. Margie is unsurpassed among my friends in the following categories: (1) her outgoing and enthusiastic personality; (2) her commitment to living life in a joyfully happy manner, with as much fun as possible; and (3) her ability to boost my happiness […]

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Melissa is a person with many friends, including many good friends.  Though some come and go, her solid foundation is built on long term friendships.  Eighth grade was a few years ago, so when friendships last so long, they must be strong.  Fundamentally, friendships are based on some mutual connection, that is, they are a […]

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Frequent Flyer Points

When we started our blogging in mid-2013, Melissa and I started writing down a list of topics. The first 150 or so topics came quickly off the top of our heads; this is my #112. As we’ve written the posts over the past few years, topics which seemed timely were added and we have not […]

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Coincidentally, David chose to write this post soon after using hundreds of thousands of frequent flyer points to book flights to and from Greece. The process of using frequent flyer points is an arduous and stressful endeavor: one must begin by finding flights (a long time from the booking date, because frequent flyer points typically […]

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Go For It

There are times to step back, wait and see, or pause before making an important decision. There are other times to throw caution to the wind and just “go for it.” I am usually a cautious, deliberate person who prefers to think about all of my options before deciding on a course of action. Rarely […]

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As Hannibal Smith (George Peppard) liked to say on The A Team, “I love it when a plan comes together.” That’s how I felt after Melissa reported that the presentation at the World Water Parks Association convention was a success. Doing something so last minute is out of character for Melissa for sure. And, logistically, […]

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Gouge

I recently learned a new term, a term that appeared in a Facebook query by a friend (Robert, you know who you are.)  The term is “gouge” – not as in price gouging or destroying someone’s eyes, but it is apparently a term originating in the U.S. Navy which originally meant “the answers to the […]

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I have an excellent vocabulary, however, until I read the title of David’s post, I had never heard of the word, “gouge” defined as “inside information.”  I daresay that, once I finish writing this post, I will never again use “gouge” to mean anything other than its common dictionary definitions of “chisel” or “an excessive […]

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