“Clocky” is a creative product for helping people overcome a particular self-control problem of waking up on time (we refer to it in chapter 2 of Nudge). With “clocky,” a person can set the number of snooze minutes allowed the next morning. With that number runs out, “clocky” jumps off the night stand and moves around the room making annoying sounds. “Clocky,” as its advertisement claims, “is the alarm clock that runs away and hides to get you out of bed.”
Archive for March, 2008
Smoking license
March 28, 2008The British government has been one of the most enthusiastic and innovative advocates of nudges, and of the more general political philosophy, libertarian paternalism. One proposal currently on the table in the U.K. is a smoking license. The license would cost just 10 pounds – about the same as two packs of cigarettes, depending on the brand – but would require a form “made deliberately complex to deter people from applying,” according to the article. One of the rules of a well-designed nudge is that it should be inexpensive to avoid. Is 10 pounds and a complex form cheap enough for smokers?
Watch out for cyclists
March 25, 2008Thank you for visiting the Nudge blog. We have moved this post to our new website. This post can now be viewed at: http://nudges.org/watch-out-for-cyclists/. We apologize for the inconvenience.