Category: Retired

Posted on

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy - TV Dinner

The way educated women spend their time in the United States and other rich countries has changed radically over the past half a century. Women in the US now spend around 45 minutes per day in total on cooking and cleaning up; that is still much more than men, who spend just 15 minutes a day. But it is a vast shift from the four hours a day which was common in the 1960s. We know all this from time-use surveys conducted around the world. And we know the reasons for the shift. One of the most important of those is a radical change in the way food is prepared. As Tim Harford explains, the TV dinner – and other convenient innovations which emerged over the same period – have made a lasting economic impression. Producer: Ben Crighton Editors: Richard Knight and Richard Vadon (Image: TV Dinner, Credit: Shutterstock)
Posted on

Containers - Episode 5: The America-First Ships

American companies pioneered container shipping, but now the ocean freight business is dominated by foreign firms. Thanks to the Jones Act, a 1920 law, all cargo between American ports must be carried on American-made ships, so we do still have a fleet. But the ships are old and outdated. In episode five, we explore the tragic consequences of this "America-first" trade policy, beginning with the El Faro, which sank in October 2015.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Posted on

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy - Gramophone

“Superstar” economics – how the gramophone led to a winner-take-all dynamic in the performing industry. Elizabeth Billington was a British soprano in the 18th century. She was so famous, London’s two leading opera houses scrambled desperately to secure her performances. In 1801 she ended up singing at both venues, alternating between the two, and pulling in at least £10,000. A remarkable sum, much noted at the time. But in today’s terms, it’s a mere £687,000, or about a million dollars; one per cent of a similarly famous solo artist’s annual earnings today. What explains the difference? The gramophone. And, as Tim Harford explains, technological innovations have created “superstar” economics in other sectors too. Producer: Ben Crighton Editors: Richard Knight and Richard Vadon (Image: Thomas Edison Phonograph, Credit: James Steidl/Shutterstock)
Posted on

Containers - Episode 4: The Hidden Side of Coffee

The coffee world has changed since Starbucks rose to prominence. Not

only has the sourcing of beans acquired wine-like precision, but now

there are many small, local roasters. How'd this all happen? Episode 4

brings you into the infrastructure underpinning third-wave coffee from

a Kenyan coffee auction to a major coffee importer to a secret coffee

warehouse in San Leandro with beans from every coffee-growing nation

in the world. We’re guided by Aaron Van der Groen, the green coffee

buyer for San Francisco’s legendary roaster Ritual Coffee.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Posted on

Crimetown - S1 E13: The Network

A shadowy group of political insiders tries to cover up a crisis. A mobbed-up banker vanishes after embezzling millions of dollars. And one renegade ex-nun saw the whole thing coming.

For a full list of credits, and more information about this episode, visit our website at crimetownshow.com.

Our Sponsors

Mailchimp – More than 12 million people use MailChimp to connect with their customers, market their products, and grow their businesses every day.

Squarespace – For 10% off your first purchase go to Squarespace.com and use the offer code "CRIME" at checkout. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Posted on

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy - Battery

Murderers in early 19th century London feared surviving their executions. That’s because their bodies were often handed to scientists for strange anatomical experiments. If George Foster, executed in 1803, had woken up on the lab table, it would have been in particularly undignified circumstances. In front of a large London crowd, an Italian scientist with a flair for showmanship was sticking an electrode up Foster’s rectum. This is how the story of the battery begins – a technology which has been truly revolutionary. As Tim Harford explains, it’s a story which is far from over. Producer: Ben Crighton Editors: Richard Knight and Richard Vadon (Image: Used Batteries, Credit: Gerard Julien/Getty Images)
Posted on

Containers - Episode 3: The Ships, The Tugs, and the Port

You know you’ve always wanted to ride in a tugboat as it pushes around a huge cargo ship, right? Well, that’s what we do in Episode 3. We go inside working life on the San Francisco Bay to see how brutal competition among shipping companies threatens the viability of the small businesses that ply the waters. Meet a tugboat dispatcher, a

skipper, and the first female captain of an American freighter. It’s a case study in how globalization works and our first look at the challenges the port faces.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Posted on

Crimetown - S1 E12: Mob Justice

A mob lawyer rises to become Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. He promises to leave his past associations behind. But it's hard to part with old friends.

For more information about this episode, and a full list of credits, visit crimetownshow.com. 

Our Sponsors

Mailchimp – More than 12 million people use MailChimp to connect with their customers, market their products, and grow their businesses every day.

Squarespace – For 10% off your first purchase go to Squarespace.com and use the offer code "CRIME" at checkout.

Trunk Club - To get paired with a stylist and receive a personalized trunk of your own, visit trunkclub.com/crimetown.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Posted on

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy - Public Key Cryptography

Take a very large prime number – one that is not divisible by anything other than itself. Then take another. Multiply them together. That is simple enough, and it gives you a very, very large “semi-prime” number. That is a number that is divisible only by two prime numbers. Now challenge someone else to take that semi-prime number, and figure out which two prime numbers were multiplied together to produce it. That, it turns out, is exceptionally hard. Some mathematics are a lot easier to perform in one direction than another. Public key cryptography works by exploiting this difference. And without it we would not have the internet as we know it. Tim Harford tells the story of public key cryptography – and the battle between the geeks who developed it, and the government which tried to control it. (Photo: Encryption algorithms. Credit: Shutterstock)