freakonomics

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Latest blogosphere posts tagged “freakonomics”

 

• Seniors at the Movies

  
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  (Photo: David Thompson) Our local movie house in suburban London charges £11.90 for a regular ticket, and even seniors pay £8.90 (over $13).  But there is a special for seniors (ages 60+):  Every Tuesday they show a recent movie (e.g., Lincoln is showing on May 21) and charge only £3 ($4.60).  Moreover, you ...
  1 week ago

• What’s a Wall Street Executive’s Wins Produced?

  
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  (Photo: Keith Allison) LeBron James was recently given his 4 th Most Valuable Player award by 120 sportswriters. Well, at least 119 sportswriters agreed LeBron was MVP. Gary Washburn – of the Boston Globe – thought Carmelo Anthony was the league’s MVP in 2012-13 . It doesn’t take much effort to ...
  1 week ago

• One Small Step for Geoengineering — or Is “Ecoengineering” Better?

  
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  (Photo: Province of British Columbia) A reader named R.E. Riker alerts us to the progress of an experimental ocean restoration project (more here ); the ringleader is one Russ George , who has proven controversial . Before your knee jerks in one direction or another, take a look: This summer the crew has ...
  1 week ago

• It’s the Weather, Stupid

  
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  We’ve written in the past about how weather can have a surprisingly strong effect on things like civil war and riots . (Short story: rioters don’t like getting rained on and droughts can start a war.) The political scientist Peter Kurrild-Klitgaard has a new paper on the topic in  Public Choice ( ...
  1 week ago

• What Do Medieval Nuns and Bo Jackson Have in Common? A New Freakonomics Radio Podcast

  
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  (Photo: paddy patterson) Our latest podcast is called “What Do Medieval Nuns and Bo Jackson Have in Common?” (You can download/subscribe at iTunes , get the RSS feed , or listen via the media player above. You can also read the transcript ; it includes credits for the music you’ll hear in the episode.) The ...
  1 week ago

• More on the Google AdWords Controversy

  
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  A reader named Desmond Lawrence writes from London with further commentary on our “ How Much Does Your Name Matter ” podcast — specifically, about Harvard computer scientist Latanya Sweeney ‘s research which found that online searches for people with distinctively black names was 25% more likely to ...
  1 week ago

• Would You Help Your Kids Cheat to Get a Driver’s License?

  
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  A reader named Ari writes from Israel: Recently the Israel Government voted to change the minimum age for getting a driver’s license. Here is a snippet from an article in Ha’aretz (headlined “Israel to Lower Driving Age, but Tack on Period of Mandatory Supervision”):   The earliest age to start ...
  1 week ago

• Font Improvement

  
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  I write all my papers, letters, and exams using the typeface Times New Roman.  As a lunch-table discussion here in England revealed, the University insists on certain typefaces that are dyslexia-friendly, particularly Arial, Trebuchet, and Verdana.  It costs me or any other faculty member nothing to use one of these ...
  1 week ago

• Guns and Peanuts

  
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  Saw this ad for peanuts in the subway this morning. It was doubly jarring. First, because I am not used to seeing the word “peanut” in public unless it is followed by the word “-free,” as in “peanut-free school,” “peanut-free party,” “peanut-free environment,” etc. And second: because the kid in ...
  1 week ago

• A Fascinating, But Costly, Kentucky Derby

  
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  My condolences to anyone who bet my picks in the Kentucky Derby.  Of the four horses I liked, the best finisher was Revolutionary in third place, but even that was unimpressive because he surprised me by going off as the second favorite in the betting.  Just be glad I didn’t post my picks for the entire day’s ...
  1 week ago

• The Right Profile Lives Again (for About 15 Minutes)

  
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  A long time ago, I played in a rock band, called The Right Profile. It was a great deal of fun. We wound up getting a record deal with Arista. Here’s a picture of us with Clive Davis , who was willing to take this picture pretending we’d already gotten a gold record (I’m the guy shaking his hand): But I ...
  1 week ago

• U.S. Suicide Rates Rise

  
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  News reports today  discuss the prevalence and rise of suicide in the U.S. We reported in depth on the topic of suicide in our 2011 hour-long podcast “ The Suicide Paradox .” The episode explores the surprising numbers of suicide (it is twice as common as homicide), the “suicide belt” in America, and ...
  2 weeks ago

• This Year’s Kentucky Derby Picks (And a Brand New Way to Bet on Them)

  
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  (Photo: Velo Steve) Every year I post my picks for the Kentucky Derby.   Last year I actually did well, for a change.  In a twenty-horse field, I picked three horses to do well, and two of them ended finishing first and second. The winner was 15-1.  I also made a correct prediction as to which horse would ...
  2 weeks ago

• What Does That Have to Do With the Price of License Plates in China?

  
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  (Photo: Ole Bendik Kvisber) Bloomberg Businessweek reports that in Chinese cities, the cost of obtaining a license plate (about $6,900 back in 2011 ) can now exceed the cost of a vehicle: Shanghai is one of four Chinese cities that limit car purchases by imposing quotas on registrations. The prices paid at ...
  2 weeks ago

• Does Child Abuse Rise During a Recession?

  
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  How do economic conditions affect the incidence of child abuse?  While researchers have found that poverty and child abuse are linked, there’s been no evidence that downturns increase abuse.  A new working paper ( PDF ; abstract ) by economists Jason M. Lindo , Jessamyn Schaller , and Benjamin Hansen ...
  2 weeks ago

• It’s Crowded at the Top: A New Marketplace Podcast

  
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  (Photo: Metro Centric) Our latest podcast, “Crowded at the Top,” presents a surprising explanation for why the U.S. unemployment rate is still relatively high . (You can download/subscribe at  iTunes , get the  RSS feed , listen via the media player above, or read the transcript .) It features a ...
  2 weeks ago

• The Statistics of Gun Control

  
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  Last week, Stephen Marsh at Wheat and Tares posted about how arguments about Guns and Gays are similar .  Steve specifically said “people post disputed statistics for the harm caused by the parties they wish to regulate or deny. In both cases, those opposing regulation point to contrary statistics showing how ...
  2 weeks ago

• The Statistics of Gun Control

  
  — Authority:
  Last week, Stephen Marsh at Wheat and Tares posted about how arguments about Guns and Gays are similar .  Steve specifically said “people post disputed statistics for the harm caused by the parties they wish to regulate or deny. In both cases, those opposing regulation point to contrary statistics showing how ...
  2 weeks ago

• “Under the Medical Tent at the Boston Marathon”

  
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  That is the title of an essay by  Sushrut Jangi , in the New England Journal of Medicine : Suddenly, there was a loud, sickening blast. My ears were ringing, and then — a long pause. Everyone in the tent stopped and looked up. A dehydrated woman grabbed my wrist. “What was that?” she cried. “Don’t ...
  3 weeks ago

• Running to Do Evil: A New Freakonomics Radio Podcast

  
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  Ted Kaczynski, Federal ADX Supermax prison in Colorado, 1999. (Photo: Stephen J. Dubner, Getty Images) Our latest podcast is called “Running to Do Evil.” (You can download/subscribe at iTunes , get the RSS feed , or listen via the media player above, or read the transcript .) It features a prison interview I ...
  3 weeks ago

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