…nerd via obsessive commitment to customer service for the craigslist community. In 1995, he started craigslist, which serves as a non-commercial community service with classifieds and discussion forums. Craigslist focuses…
This is a guest post by Jeff Mosenkis, a freelance producer with Freakonomics Radio who holds a Ph.D. in psychology and comparative human development. Nazis, Sunken Ships, And a 60…
Gautam Naik provides an interesting and cleverly written piece on the search for a biological basis of violent behavior. If you want to have fodder for controversial cocktail conversation, take…
Promising drugs keep failing in trials. Allegations of fraud have cast a shadow over the field. An expert explains why Alzheimer’s treatments have been so hard to find — and…
…will turn up a wide variety of comments); this Newsday review, by Scott McLemee, which chided the book’s “style of evasive lucidity”; this review in Time magazine, which said that…
Once a luxury good, the soft fiber is now everywhere — which has led to a goat boom in Mongolia. Zachary Crockett tugs at the thread….
…percent lower reservation wage than their white counterparts at a comparable job that demands a comparable skill level. Fryer and his colleagues control for skill level by measuring the job…
…a bit of what he learned from commenters on this blog (including early adopters of the diet), so I’m sure he’s appreciative. You’re more than welcome to comment further here…
…was searching for early human remains on Java and decided to enlist the help of the locals in his search by offering them “ten cents for every piece of hominid…
…harvests data on every person on the planet not living in a cave, why doesn’t the U.S. government mine the data — after all, it has the most computing resources…
…team in the American League. But I feel like I am still misunderstood when it comes to what I have been trying to say about Billy Beane. So I keep…
How does America’s cutest sales force get billions of Thin Mints, Samoas, and Tagalongs into our hands every year? Zachary Crockett finds out in the second episode of our newest…
Is the “cropland bubble” bursting? New search engine uses ranking algorithm to reduce spam. (Earlier) Cardiac arrest fatalities may provide a new kidney source. (Earlier) Students gather data by sniffing…
…there a little Vasco de Gama wanting to plant his flag on a new antique store or dive bar? Maybe the need to strike out and conquer new worlds has…
…most interesting, unorthodox people around — from actresses to athletes, authors to inventors. Here is a preview of Levitt’s new podcast, which premieres August 21st. New episodes every two weeks….
…Contestants in this version of the contest must write computer code to calculate the shortest trip, and then submit that code to the contest website. Contestants can submit as many…
…we were going to be free.”—Sarah Palin 1775: New Hampshire starts the American Revolution: “What I love about New Hampshire… You’re the state where the shot was heard around the…
It began as a post-war dream for a more collaborative and egalitarian workplace. It has evolved into a nightmare of noise and discomfort. Can the open office be saved, or…
…of economists is often – not always, certainly, but often – deeply obtuse. Now, again, this is my problem, having to do with my preferences and my skills. Research economists,…
Stephen Dubner’s conversation with David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group, one of the most storied private-equity firms in history. We spoke with Rubenstein for the Freakonomics Radio series “The…
…no longer tethered to the center or to each other; they had the freedom to disperse in search of cheap land while still being accessible to their suppliers and customers….
The quirky little grocery chain with California roots and German ownership has a lot to teach all of us about choice architecture, efficiency, frugality, collaboration, and team spirit.
There’s a nasty secret about hot-button topics like global warming — knowledge is not always power.
…interesting chapter about the famous search for the ivory-bill woodpecker, long thought to be extinct. (Rosen had written earlier on the subject, in both The New Yorker and a Times…
Have you all played around with Zipskinny? It’s a site that takes data from the 2000 census and lets you search by ZIP code to see demographic information in your…
Why learning to say “I don’t know” is one of the best things you can do.
Distractions are everywhere — including in the operating room. So, what happens if a surgeon loses focus? A tap dancer, a health researcher, and a surgeon help Bapu Jena find…
A new healthcare Web site called iMedix has just been launched, and it could revolutionize the way people take care of themselves. Or it might gum up the works further;…
…a bit of some earlier economics papers I discussed, as well as a comment once made by a grouchy New York Times writer discussing another New York Times writer who…
…do it. Wikipedia has helped you get your research started faster; don’t ruin your experience by using it incorrectly. That said, Wikipedia is looking into new mechanisms to help articles…
