Framing effects can be very influential, and to the degree that you can think of a task as close rather than distant, you're more likely to actually get it done.

When Americans are asked to rank professions in terms of honesty and ethics, insurance agents routinely end up near the bottom of the list - somewhere between politicians and car salesmen. Generally, insurers are seen as clever hucksters who prey on insecurity and ignorance to sell people what they don't need at prices they shouldn't have to pay.

Developing countries often have hypertrophied bureaucracies, requiring businesses to deal with enormous amounts of red tape.

The Xbox 360 is the best game console ever designed. It's fast and powerful - games look as good on the 360 as on high-end PCs that cost six times as much. It's easy to navigate and has lots of useful secondary features - the ability to play digital video, stream MP3s, and so on.

The value of a currency is, ultimately, what someone will give you for it - whether in food, fuel, assets, or labor. And that's always and everywhere a subjective decision.

Of course, plenty of people don't think that guaranteeing affordable health insurance is a core responsibility of government.

All things being equal, letting people make decisions for themselves will produce smarter outcomes, collectively, than relying on government planners.