It feels like I’m seeing a lot of news coverage about the measles outbreak these days, and instead of spending time being worried about that, I decided to think about something way more pleasant and also equally contagious: fun! I spend a lot of time in airports and I like to watch and notice people’s habits. Human behavior is on full display during the boarding process. Normally I like to watch the gate agent call out which zone is currently boarding and see how many people nudged in front of others to get to the front of the line to board the plane.

Not long ago, I talked about how, while visiting a local optical, I was struck by their lack of ambient music, and the strange effect it had on the atmosphere in the store. It got me thinking about the office where I spent the bulk of my time as an optician, and that got me thinking about how our old office compared to many of the stores I’ve visited. I realized something unique about those places versus my old office: None of them had TVs.