Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category
Link: http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2016/12/14/505556945/episode-592-bell-wars
Summary: Bells are heard every year at Christmas time, but you would have a hard time distinguishing the difference between the two main companies who make them. Planet Money investigates how two bell companies were at war for decades over who’s bell sounded best. As the war affected the sales, engineering, and legal sides of the business, this fierce competition has an unlikely result.
Original Air Date: December 14, 2016
Length: 19 minutes 28 seconds
Link: http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/02/24/517076055/episode-756-the-bees-go-to-california
Summary: Bee stings hurt, but without bees, fruits and nuts wouldn’t be possible. Every year, millions of bees travel from the east to California to pollinate fields. Planet Money researches this unique business and how efficient trucking bees from Louisiana to California really is.
Original Air Date: February 24, 2017
Length: 22 minutes 54 seconds
Link: https://www.marketplace.org/2017/03/27/tech/farmers-hack-their-equipment-evade-tractor-company-policies
Summary: Farmers are hacking into their own tractors in order to fix them, rather than pay for a dealer to fix it for them. Marketplace introduces this situation and explains why tractor owners aren’t satisfied with this developing market concentration in the repair market and what they hope to do about it. .
Original Air Date: March 27, 2017
Length: 3 minutes 2 seconds
Discussion Question: What impact does forcing tractor owners to go through dealers for repairs do for competition in the market? Who benefits from this system more, the owner or the dealer?
Link: http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2016/04/27/475929464/episode-417-lance-armstrong-and-the-business-of-doping
Summary: Back in the 2000’s, Lance Armstrong and the US Postal Service Cycling team were going all out to win the Tour de France. After the doping scandal was uncovered, the business behind the team was discovered. Planet Money discusses how professional cycling was dominated by doping, and how it was set up like a business.
Original Air Date: April 27, 2016
Length: 18 minutes 25 seconds
Link: http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2016/08/31/492123182/episode-722-the-new-telenovela
Summary: The fourth most watched network in the United States is Telemundo, partly because of its widely successful Telenovelas. Planet Money discusses how one Telenovela changed TV, implemented strong women characters and had a connection to the Mexican drug ring that helped bring down the infamous El Chapo.
Original Air Date: August 31, 2016
Length: 20 minutes 32 seconds
Link: http://freakonomics.com/podcast/chuck-e-cheeses-kid-can-learn-price-theory/
Summary: Chuck E. Cheese’s has a reputation for offering family fun events at an affordable cost. However, is the affordable cost the reason why infamous brawls between parents appear on YouTube? Freakonomics researches Chuck E. Cheese’s price strategy to find out what effect it has on disputes involving police.
Original Air Date: March 8, 2017
Length: 31 minutes 19 seconds
Link: http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/03/01/517985813/episode-513-dear-economist-i-need-a-date
Summary: Love isn’t a word you would normally associate with Economics. Applying the principles of Economics to your relationships seems preposterous. But is it? Planet Money discusses how economics are beneficial to your love life and can help you save on the one cost of love: time.
Original Air Date: March 1, 2017
Length: 23 minutes 13 seconds
Link: http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2014/06/10/320347267/project-eavesdrop-an-experiment-at-monitoring-my-home-office
Summary: New technology has been a great benefit to the global economy, but privacy could be at an all-time low. Planet Money discusses the NSA and Edward Snowden in part 1 and investigates how secure you really are, and whether this is a problem for technology companies in part 2.
Original Air Date: June 10, 2014
Length: Part 1: 7 minutes 47 seconds Part 2: 7 minutes 47 seconds
Link: http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2016/09/21/494927147/episode-555-why-is-the-milk-in-the-back-of-the-store
Summary: There has been a debate for decades as to why the milk is in the back of a store. Consumers say it’s because you have to walk through store, producers say it’s because of ease of access for the delivery trucks. Planet Money researches what the actual answer is by talking to people in the industry.
Original Air Date: July 23,2014
Length: 16 minutes 9 seconds
Link: http://www.marketplace.org/2016/04/08/world/spare-parts
Summary: Several major utility companies are pooling their resources to create a company called Grid Assurance. Grid Assurance is designed to stockpile repair parts to protect against the chances of a grid disaster.
Original Air Date: April , 2016
Length: 2 minutes 6 seconds
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