Podcast Episodes
Back to Search627. Sludge, Part 1: The World Is Drowning in It
Episode 627
Insurance forms that make no sense. Subscriptions that can’t be cancelled. A never-ending blizzard of automated notifications. Where does all this sl…
11 months, 1 week ago
Should America Be Run by … Trader Joe’s? (Update)
Episode 359
The quirky little grocery chain with California roots and German ownership has a lot to teach all of us about choice architecture, efficiency, frugal…
11 months, 2 weeks ago
626. Ten Myths About the U.S. Tax System
Episode 626
Nearly everything that politicians say about taxes is at least half a lie. They are also dishonest when it comes to the national debt. Stephen Dubner…
11 months, 3 weeks ago
625. The Biden Policy That Trump Hasn’t Touched
Episode 625
Lina Khan, the youngest F.T.C. chair in history, reset U.S. antitrust policy by thwarting mega-mergers and other monopolistic behavior. This earned h…
1 year ago
EXTRA: The Downside of Disgust (Update)
Episode 448
It’s a powerful biological response that has preserved our species for millennia. But now it may be keeping us from pursuing strategies that would im…
1 year ago
624. The Animal No One Loves, Until They Do
Episode 624
To most people, the rat is vile and villainous. But not to everyone! We hear from a scientist who befriended rats and another who worked with them in…
1 year ago
623. Can New York City Win Its War on Rats?
Episode 623
Even with a new rat czar, an arsenal of poisons, and a fleet of new garbage trucks, it won’t be easy — because, at root, the enemy is us. (Part two o…
1 year ago
The Show That Never Happened
A brief meditation on loss, relativity, and the vagaries of show business.
RESOURCES:Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry, documentary (2021)Gen…1 year ago
622. Why Does Everyone Hate Rats?
Episode 622
New York City’s mayor calls them “public enemy number one.” History books say they caused the Black Death — although recent scientific evidence dispu…
1 year ago
621. Is Professional Licensing a Racket?
Episode 621
Licensing began with medicine and law; now it extends to 20 percent of the U.S. workforce, including hair stylists and auctioneers. In a new book, th…
1 year, 1 month ago