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More Amazon Shenanigans?

…really interesting: I once did an experiment on Amazon by registering a dozen different accounts under different names and email addresses. Then I used each name to click on those…



Further Insight on Book Blurbs

…for blurbs isn’t really consumers at all — it’s bookstore and particularly chain bookstore buyers. Those folks, I am told, want to see endorsements from recognizable (i.e., successful-selling) names, particularly…



Here's the Steelers-Packers Contest Answer

…my thought. – Josh Yes, the Steelers and Packers are the only two NFL teams that derive their names from the historical working culture of their towns. In a league…





What's That Database Worth?

…say by how much. The campaign also has lists of volunteers, including the names of neighborhood team leaders who were the most active supporters. A donor database has names of…






A Freakonomics Roundtable

…really true that names matter for getting a resume callback, but don’t matter for long-term life outcomes. Then this probably implies that names matter a little for first impressions, but…



The FREAKest Links: Little Shop of Kidneys Edition

…the “fame-seeking daughter of Geneco’s owner,” played by Paul Sorvino. We’ve devoted plenty of time to discussing the effects of individual’s names, but what about the names of companies? De…



All Aboard the Gordon Bethune

…other named plane in circulation, the Robert F. Six, which honors the company’s founder. (For those of you who care about first names: according to the Baby Name Wizard, the…






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Episode 121

The Tax Man Nudgeth

Real tax reform may or may not ever happen. In the meantime, how about making the current system work a bit better?

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Episode 137

Who Are the Most Successful Immigrants in the World?

It’s impossible to say for sure, but the Lebanese do remarkably well. Why?

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Episode 2

What Is the Optimal Way to Be Angry?

Also: why do we treat pets better than people?

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Episode 522

Is Google Getting Worse?

It used to feel like magic. Now it can feel like a set of cheap tricks. Is the problem with Google — or with us?…

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Episode 107

Bringing Data to Life

Talithia Williams thinks you should rigorously track your body’s data. She and Steve Levitt trade birth stories and bemoan the state of STEM education….

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Episode 522

Is Google Getting Worse? (Update)

It used to feel like magic. Now it can feel like a set of cheap tricks. Is the problem with Google — or with us? And is Google Search finally…

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EXTRA

Why Quitting Is Usually Worth It

Stephen Dubner appears as a guest on Fail Better, a new podcast hosted by David Duchovny. The two of them trade stories about failure, and ponder the lessons that success…


You will not find any LemonJellos in Malaysia

As reported by the BBC, Malaysia has banned “unsuitable” first names. An excerpt from the article: Parents will not be able to call their babies after animals, insects, fruit, vegetables…



Meet Bill Gates

Dubner recently posted about criminal names in England. The American parallel to that list is one maintained by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The Texas list has information about…




Experimenting with milkshakes?

…On my menu it was called something like “Coffee mocha milkshake” and on my wife’s menu it was “Chocolate Kona milkshake swirl.” The names were better than that, but one…



Editorials Don’t Kill People

…includes a link to a public-records database that lists names and addresses of all members of a certain population. Now, try to imagine which of the following databases might provoke…




In Praise of Ancient Technologies, and Aptonyms

…I love when people’s names are aptonyms — names that correlate with their professions. It seems to happen an awful lot with bird people. There’s John Flicker, president of the…