Podcast Episodes

57. Strippers

Episode 57

Performing at a strip club can be lucrative, but it requires financial and psychological savvy — and an eye for social trends. Zachary Crockett takes…

1 year, 7 months ago

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56. Snake Venom

Episode 56

Why does treating a venomous snake bite cost as much as a house? Zachary Crockett slithers over to North Carolina to find out.

 

SOURCES:Steve Anderson…

1 year, 8 months ago

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55. Direct-to-Consumer Mattresses

Episode 55

Online companies promised to bring transparency to the mattress-buying experience. Did that work out? Zachary Crockett takes a look under the sheets.…

1 year, 8 months ago

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54. Ghostwriters

Episode 54

Channeling the voices of celebrities can be a lucrative career — one that requires empathy and discretion as well as literary chops. Zachary Crockett…

1 year, 8 months ago

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53. Food Trucks

Episode 53

How did mobile kitchens become popular with hipster gourmands? And just how much money can a popular truck make from a lunch shift? Zachary Crocket d…

1 year, 8 months ago

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52. Little League

Episode 52

Youth baseball — long a widely accessible American pastime — has become overrun by $10,000-per-year, for-profit travel leagues. Zachary Crockett peer…

1 year, 8 months ago

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51. Wine Corks

Episode 51

Why do we use a specific kind of tree-bark tissue to seal up 70 percent of wine bottles? Zachary Crockett takes a sniff and gives the waiter a nod.

 

S…

1 year, 9 months ago

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50. Self-Checkout

Episode 50

Grocery stores have turned shoppers into cashiers. Zachary Crockett runs two bags of chips and a Gatorade over the scanner.

 

SOURCES:Sara Alloy, exper…

1 year, 9 months ago

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Carnival Games (Replay)

Episode 13

Does anyone ever win the giant teddy bear? Zachary Crockett steps right up.

 

SOURCES:Matthew Gryczan, retired journalist and engineer.Elliot Simmons, …

1 year, 9 months ago

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49. Weather Forecasts

Episode 49

With industries relying on them and profits to be made, weather forecasts are more precise and more popular than ever. But there are clouds on the ho…

1 year, 9 months ago

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