About the blog

I’ve had the idea to write this blog for a while.  I cannot pinpoint an exact date the idea originated, but I’ve interrupted numerous conversations to state, “this would be a great topic for a blog.”  From conversations over a few beers to sitting in traffic jams to discussions on 20 mile runs, I’ve always found something that can inevitably pique my interest and make me ask question after question.  In essence, I find conversations about numbers, research design, and perceived mundane phenomena invigorating.  I once had a whole table at a restaurant deep in conversation about the history of chairs.  It’s a game I like to play where you take some fact, topic, object, or phenomena and ask “why” – with the only rule being you can’t use your mobile device.  I’ve found that when you ask these simple questions about anything, you inevitably stumble upon a “eureka” moment.   It was these moments I wanted to share with others.  Not for the purposes of persuading them in some way, but in the hopes of teaching (or perhaps imploring) them to do the same – to think critically.  Critical thinking involves asking questions – not simply searching for support for preconceived notions.  In fact, one of the best ways to bolster your own position is to assume that it is wrong and try to defend this alternative stance – question after question.

In a post-truth world, where facts are considered alternative, and the Internet can send us down the rabbit hole of our choosing, we need critical thinking now more than ever.  And Then It Hit Me… is written for the truth seeker, the curmudgeon, and the self-deprecator in all of us who tinker in the details, live in the data, and nourish the truth.

About me

I am a curious nag – I have to know how something works, how something is defined, how something is done and my superhero ability is persistence.  I have a passion for numbers and how we use them to help explain the world around us.  I have a background in statistics and experimental design, an affinity for puns and analogies, and a tendency for sarcasm.  I received my Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology in 2016 and spend my days tending to home improvement projects with my wife, treating my dog like royalty, and running – where I do my real thinking.