Back in the spring of 1980 my school tuck shop underwent a revolution. For many years we lowly eighth and ninth graders were brazenly swindled by the year 11 tuck shop manager Alex and his complicated pricing packages.
I always felt his combination of Curly Wurlies and Flying Saucers into one ‘enticing’ single-priced package was a con. We were right to be suspicious, as I discovered in 1980 when I took over the aforementioned retail emporium. I then instituted the insight of my friend Rajit: “Keep it simple, don’t try to predict anything, and give them what they want.” Alex had been using complexity to hide a monstrous fraud that went towards paying for the BMX Club. You will not be surprised to hear Alex went on to a glittering career, first in fractal mathematics and then hedge funds, running all sor...
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