"Secrets of Mental Math" by Arthur Benjamin & Michael Shermer

After watching an interesting presentation from Professor Arthur Benjamin on the TED.com website who claims to be a mathemagician I was prompted to get a hold of a copy of "Secrets of Mental Math". The book is interesting in that it has forewords by "The Amazing Randi" (aka James Randi) and "The Science Guy" (aka Bill Nye).

I've spent the past month working my way through the parts of this book that intrigued me and must say that the tips and tricks really do work. I'm not the a math nut by nature but something about the video struck me and indicated that I should pickup a copy of Secrets of Mental Math. The good news is that Benjamin and Sherher approach the topic with a light hearted easy to follow style that makes it easy to understand how to perform these calculations in your head. My goal in starting this book was to sharpen my math skills so that I spent less time calculating and more time thinking about what the result of the calculation meant to the situation I was considering.

The only thing that I wish the book focused more on was the ability to retain and remember the products of the calculations you're working on. Typically, the techniques involve simplifying the problem at hand into a series of smaller problems - the only hitch with this is that you can end up getting thrown off course its often hard to remember the interim by-products meaning you need to start all over.

Bottom-line I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone that wants to be sharper on their feet and handle calculations without being reliant on having a pencil & paper or a calculator at hand.

A great experience shopping at Heathrow

An interesting experience based on a purchase at London Heathrow Airport. When I got home with a purchase I discovered that I actually wanted to return my purchase. The interesting aspect when I investigated returns on the BAA website is that they offer a worldwide returns/exchange program. Basically, you ship the item back to BAA's return centre including a receipt for the cost of postage and they process return. I received a separate cheque back in the currency of my choice for the postage and repayment for the goods returned. Overall great customer service on the shopping experience more than I can say about the flying experience out of LHR at times.

Get the best deal on a new fridge and don't leave your house!

I wanted to pass along this tip after purchasing a new fridge but you could use this strategy on any appliance. Here's how I did it:

1. Once you've narrowed it down to the model you want and if you know all the exact specifications I'd recommend shopping via phone.
2. My script went something like this "Hello salesperson X, I'm Y and I'm looking to purchase a refrigerator before the end of the day I was wondering if you were interesting in the opportunity to earn my business.
   
3. Then I'd detail exactly what I was looking to purchase: Brand, Model #, the colour/metal, size in cubic feet, right-hand or left-hand hinge for the door.
4. I'd get the salesperson to provide a quote for the Fridge, Delivery and then I'd go over the taxes on each and have them agree with my final "all-in" price. Next check to see whether they have it in stock and when you'd get delivery.

Overall this was a great experience I ended up at the typical 20% range off MRSP (discounts you can expect range from 20 to 25% depending on time of year, brand and model). Best of all I didn't have to leave home - saved the gas and frustration of driving all over the city. Given the price of gas and the time involved my bidding process took a total of one hour and got to an end result much faster. Yes there may be those that say face to face, belly to belly haggling with a salesperson might yield a greater discount but as with all things in life there is a cost. I think that this is likely the most efficient method and got me the near lowest cost given that we were only buying a single appliance and couldn't piggy-back an order together with family or friends.