Speed Read This!

Earlier this week I was reading a book called The Art of Speed Reading People: How to Size People Up and Speak Their Language [amazon]. It's about the 16 personality types and explains how you can improve communication with someone after figuring out their type. I'm a sucker for relevant-to-real-life psychology (almost) as much as I am for relevant-to-real-life economics so I thought it would be interesting. After taking the test, I learned that I'm an introvert-intuitive-feeler-perceiver (INFP). The subsequent description fit astonishingly well. (I wondered if it was like astrology in the sense that all of the descriptions might fit. Nope. Color me impressed.) However, I also realized that, as an intuitive, I generally focus on the big picture and miss lots of small details. You know, the kinds of details that you have to pick up on to "speed read people." Wonderful.

In all seriousness, I never expected the book to be useful for anything more than entertainment. However, wouldn't it be nice if the book practiced what it preached? Should it not take steps to "speak my language" after it has "sized me up"?

The Chair Table

Also known as "The Most Underappreciated Piece of Art at The Art Institute of Chicago."


Imagine the poor sap who brings this home enthusiastically seeking his wife's approval:
"Honey, I know you've been wanting a nice place for us to eat our meals together in a proper fashion."
"Yes," she responds eagerly while staring at the solitary chair in the corner.
"You'll never believe what I found! It's a chair and a table all in one! A chair table! You just fold it right here and it's a table. Fold it back and, voilà, it's a chair! Combined with the chair we already have, it'll be perfect!"
"Yes, dear, but where will you sit if I'm sitting in the old chair?"
"I'll be sitting in this chair, of course."
"Then where will we put our plates?"
"On the the table!"
"But the table is a chair. And you're sitting in it."
"Then I'll just fold it over, like so, and we have our table!"
"But, then the table is no longer a chair and...."
"I know. Blows your mind, doesn't it?"
"Yes, dear."