The FREAKest Links: Smaller Homes, Free Burritos, and the Price of Death Edition

Bad news for retirees (and others) who want gigantic houses in Boulder, Colo.: local officials may enact home size restrictions. Under the proposal, residents would be allowed to build homes larger than 4,000 square feet only if they agree to invest in the preservation of agricultural or rural land in other regions. (Hat tip: J.C. O’Connell.)

Here’s more on the thin line between incentivizing and compensating blood donors: the Music Saves Lives blood drive is offering backstage concert passes and free Chipotle burritos to people who donate. (Hat tip: Jessica Ross.)

To assist courts in determining damages for the loss of a loved one, British economists Andrew Oswald and Nattavudh Powdthavee have developed a system of assigning dollar values to the deaths of spouses and family members. They reached their conclusions by reviewing British Household Panel Surveys of 10,000 people since 1991. The results? $220,000 for a spouse, $118,000 for a child, $28,000 for a parent, and $2,000 for a sibling.