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Episode 484

“A Fascinating, Sexy, Intellectually Compelling, Unregulated Global Market.”

The art market is so opaque and illiquid that it barely functions like a market at all. A handful of big names get all the headlines (and most of the…

A Freakonomics Contest: The Friendly Skies

…and goggles, leaving customers plenty frustrated. In a bid to allow you some much-needed release, as well as blacken the airlines’ names so that they’ll seize the most loathed industry…




A Literature Wikipedia

…hundred or so authors’ names, a handful of book titles, and a few recommendations as to where to-or where not to-start. I’m writing to ask you please (please) to go…




Somebody hates me $5 worth

…feel enough hatred to want to spend $5 to make that hatred known. The current list of the 10 most hated people includes some well known names (I’ve omitted the…



To Discriminate You Need to Separate

…hair trimmer for $12.99, but in the same catalog offers the identical product, called the Trim-a-Pet, for $7.99. Dr. Leonard’s Dr. Leonard’s Other than the names on the packages and…




Security Overkill, Diaper-Changing Edition

…the start of each school year, it comes via a password-protected Excel spreadsheet. Keep in mind this list doesn’t contain Social Security numbers or bank information — just names, addresses,…



One Reason to Not Use Generic Medicines

…than the more expensive name brands. The episode discusses the various reasons that brand names might be more appealing despite the higher cost. A listener named Mike Dimore has written…




Two further thoughts on the last quiz

…only one and a half econometrics classes under his belt. His econometrics professors must know what they are doing. Andy, if you read this, please post the names of your…



McAfee’s Magic Touch and AC/DC’s Revenge

…Submissions are up around 50 percent over the previous year, with the great majority of the increase accounted for by “no revisions” submissions. Some of the biggest names in the…



Gender and Fender Benders

…the road. It’s our responsibility. –Dan A quick glance at the names on these comments indicates an unsurprising fact: women tend to think they are better (22 of 32 who…



Wanna Buy a Tony Award?

…the category is dominated by well-known vehicles, generally starring famous names (for example, Jude Law in Hamlet, and Al Pacino in The Merchant of Venice). Again, I want to emphasize…



Talent Evaluation is Different in the NFL and NBA

…Griffin III, the two players who led the Heisman vote. After these two, we see names like Ryan Tannehill, Brock Osweiler, Nick Foles, Brandon Weeden, Kirk Cousins, Kellen Moore, Russell…



When Bad Spelling Is Good for Business

As James Altucher reports on his daily blog watch on TheStreet.com, the sale of domain names remains a very big business. This year, Diamonds.com went for $7.5 million, Vodka.com for…






Freakonomics Response #1

…of vulgarity. Or the professed lack of a “unifying theme.” Or the inclusion of first names like OrangeJello, LemonJello, and Shithead, which would surely seem to be no more than…



Yourhighness Morgan

Thanks to the section of Freakonomics that dealt with unusual first names, we regularly get e-mails from readers telling us about a particularly good example. (Maybe we should make such…




FREAK-est Links

…Spain, a new step in dog-waste management: unscooped poop is hand-delivered back to the owner. (HT: Peter Kauss) The power of words and names. (HT: RealClearScience) New study shows that…




Freakonomics in the Times Magazine: Up in Smoke

…And here, as compiled by the Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, are an extraordinarily entertaining index of cocaine street names: For cocaine powder: Badrock, Bazooka, Beam, Berni,…



Susan Athey wins Clark Medal

…the top young economists, but also because I know how old the economists here are with much more precision than at other schools. So apologies to those whose names I…




Tomorrow’s Economists Today

…the book that lists the popularity of names and accompanying average education level of the mother. Like many suburban kids, they are overscheduled. True to the stereotype of Korean-American mothers,…



The Cost of Fearing Strangers

What do Bruce Pardo and Atif Irfan have in common? In case you’re not familiar with their names, let me rephrase: What do the white guy who dressed up as…