why does the OTHER queue always move faster ?

100 essential things you didn't know you didn't know is a clever book by John Barrow. 

The title immediately caught my attention of course : things I did not know I did not know ? The author is teaching in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics in the Cambridge University. He has a real talent to describe the world and life as it is through math principles. How does maths can help us  understand  daily stuff like : how Rugby can help us understand the Theory of Relativity,  the 6 degrees of separation between you and anybody else on earth or why does the other queue is always moving faster.

Everybody has experienced that. After having scrutinized all queues in the supermarket, it appears that you've chosen the slowest one, once more ! 

Why ? 

Simple : just because the slowest lines are the one that have more people in them. In average, just the fact of choosing a line will increase the fact that you have more chances to be in the most crowded line, the slowest one. 

Other point to be considered by Barrow, the fact that even though people are amazed by coincidences, there exist far more non-coincidences that nobody looks at...

Great coincidence ... explained by probability !

Fifty People, One Question: New York from Crush & Lovely on Vimeo.

This morning, like every morning I dig into the dozens of newsletter received every day. I click on some hyperlinks just to get a short idea of what's going on. Intrigued by the site 50 people 1 question I was watching the video (relaxed by the great music of Louis Armstrong) when I nearly fall down from my chair.  Just one hour ago I was thinking, I should send a mail to Janet Borden. I met Janet just some weeks ago during the Paris Photo fair and we had great conversation.

Just there, on this video interviewing 50 anonymous people in the streets of NYC, I could watch Janet from Janet Borden Gallery. 

I love these coincidences, these striking events where randomness brings spice to life. Question is how possible it is ? Is it really luck, hazard ? How rare are these kind of events ?

Part of the answers of these questions may be found in the book of Amir D. Aczel, Chance, a guide to Gambling, Love, the Stock Market & just about everything else (what a great title, no ?). When you don't expect any kind of coincidence (I did not expect to see Janet), the aggregation of causes happens in so many possible ways that a coincidence becomes unavoidable. Aczel calculated the probability to have something in common with the stranger sitting next to you on an airplane is 1,5% (a coincidence is defined as two strangers knowing one person in common). 

I'm flying tomorrow to Madrid and will surely test the probability !

Coincidence : the "No" quote by Richard Avedon

I'm always troubled with coincidence, as I'm fascinated by randomness. Even though most improbable coincidences likely result from play of random events, we always try to look for a hidden meaning...

It happened some days ago, I was visiting the superb exhibition of Richard Avedon in the Musée du Jeu de Paume in Paris and got stuck by a quote from the photographer published between the 1st and 2nd floor :


"I've worked out a series of no's. No to exquisite light, no to apparent compositions, no to the seduction of poses or narrative. And all these no's force me to the "yes." I have a white background. I have the person I'm interested in and the thing that happens between us."



Just a few days after, reading Small is the New Big by Seth Godin (a reallllly great book I strongly recommend), page 152, appears the quote by Avedon. Second shock. That's it !

As S. Godin wrote, and you, do YOU have a NO ?

© 2008 the Richard Avedon Foundation