In the past, most recently in 2013, Coca-Cola has experimented with the idea of vending machines that adjust prices according to the temperature. The idea really bothers some people, but fixed prices that are always the same for everyone haven’t historically been the norm. We may be coming to the end of a weird century-and-a-half experiment with the practice. [More]
planet money
Pizza Math: A 12″ Pizza Is Over Twice As Big As An 8″ Pizza
By 2.26.14
Even if you only vaguely remember taking math in your formative years, you’ll recall calculating the area of circles, maybe wondering what application this could ever have to your future real life. Well, do you eat pizza? Knowing how to calculate the area of a circle in square inches is a very important skill that will serve you well… as long as you like leftover pizza. [More]
Everyone Hates Spirit Airlines, Keeps Buying Tickets Anyway
By 2.20.14
Spirit Airlines is one of the fastest-growing airlines in the country. No, really. Sure, they’re a regular contender in our Worst Company in America tournament, and it seems like everyone who has tried the airline complains about the experience. But many of them can’t resist their rock-bottom fares, and just keep coming back. [More]
8 Things We Learned From Planet Money’s Cotton Seed To T-Shirt Project
By 12.4.13
Have you ever wondered about the people who made your clothes? Not just the people who sew the fabric pieces together, but the people who produce the fabric, transport it from place to place, grow or extract the raw materials, and every other phase of creating a single item of clothing? [More]
The Very Long Journey Of A Cotton T-Shirt Before The Fabric Is Even Woven
By 11.21.13
Over at NPR’s Planet Money, they’ve had a dream for a few years now. That dream: to make a t-shirt for their listeners, and sell it to them. Not just to design and make a t-shirt, but to follow the entire supply chain from the cotton farm to the final silk-screening. This year, they finally achieved that glorious and nerdy dream. [More]
NPR's Pet Toxic Asset, 'Toxie,' Could Become A $75,000 Zombie
By 9.22.11
Back in January 2010, seeking o learn more about the mortgage-backed securities that helped destroy the global economy, the staff of National Public Radio’s Planet Money podcast pooled their money and bought part of a mortgage-backed bond. “Toxie” lasted only a few more months, earning $449 for her owners before so few mortgage payments were coming in that she “died.” Or at least stopped earning money. [More]
Reporters Convert Toxic Assets Into Gold
By 10.15.10
Those crazy NPR Planet Money kids took the money they had left over from their failed toxic asset investment – affectionately known as “Toxie” – and put it all into the next big bubble: gold! For $419 they got one shiny gold coin. In 6 months they’ll sell it, regardless of prices, and in the meantime, report on what happens to it. [More]
