I think it was my first class in my first year in the economics Ph.D. program at Yale that I realized I was not the sharpest knife in the room. Recently I have noticed that my smart phone is not the smartest smart phone on the market. Don't get me wrong; my phone allows me to e-mail, talk, text, surf the web, listen to music, send photos, and multi-task. But the latest models do all of those things and more. But before I go out and replace my trusty device, I began thinking about the marginal productivity of a new device. (I could not help throwing in an economic term.) I have to ask myself, will the new device help me increase the number of corporate members in the Council? Will the new device make it easier to assist certified MBEs? Will the new device help be better manage the affairs of the Council? Will the new device allow me to spend less time working and more time playing while simultaneously growing the value of the Council? (Interesting concept - the "value of the Council".) I am not convinced a "smarter" smart phone will make me smarter, or more efficient, but they sure look cool and those ads are really convincing. So I am torn between the productivity question and the cool question. Which is more important? I guess I will let the inner adult in me come out and postpone the purchase of that cool new smart phone, at least until the natural 12 year old in me steps back in the driver's seat where he is so comfortable.
