Noer graduated cum laude from Rice University in 1992, the year before he became a Thomas J. Watson Fellow and spent 15 months traveling through Europe and the Middle East studying the history of Santa Claus.
After returning to Forbes.com, he helped create the Forbes Fictional 15, for which he wrote a satiric look at the business practices of Santa Claus.
[1] The Fictional 15 has included Thurston Howell III and Tony Stark among others and continues to this day as more and more characters have been added to the list.
[2] He also edited a variety of features for the site, including a look at the greatest athletic achievements of all time, [3] as well as special reports on communicating,[4] money,[5] and work.
Hours later, it was republished with a counterpoint piece entitled Don't Marry A Lazy Man, by Elizabeth Corcoran, a Forbes senior editor based in Silicon Valley.