The Economics of Everyday Things

These glistening round gemstones have come a long way since your grandmother's time, but procuring them is still a lot of work. The world is Zachary Crockett’s oyster.   * SOURCES: * Jeremy Shepherd [https://www.pearlparadise.com/pages/jeremy-bio?srsltid=AfmBOoqUQBmygZYq656YQTB003H8cwcpYxDuu2Osk3lGcL_MT9GcuImC], C.E.O. of Pearl Paradise. * James Brown [https://www.cygnetbaypearlfarm.com.au/our-story/], owner of Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm.   * RESOURCES: * "Pearls Have Acquired a New Luster Among Young Designers [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/05/fashion/jewelry-pearls-demand.html]," by Victoria Gomelsky (New York Times, 2024). * "The Value of Pearls: A Historical Review and Current Trends [https://www.ssef.ch/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-Sato-et-al-Value-of-pearls-GemGuide.pdf]," by Akitsugu Sato and Laurent Cartier (GemGuide, 2022). * "From Single Source to Global Free Market: The Transformation of The Cultured Pearl Industry [https://www.gia.edu/doc/From-Single-Source-to-Global-Free-Market-The-Transformation-of-the-Cultured-Pearl-Industry.pdf]," by Russell Shor (Gems & Geology, 2007).

Youth baseball — long a widely accessible American pastime — has become overrun by $10,000-per-year, for-profit travel leagues. Zachary Crockett peers inside the dugout.   * SOURCES: * Linda Flanagan [https://lindaflanaganauthor.com/], author. * Nick Mackenzie, future New York Yankees shortstop. * R.J. Mackenzie, physical education teacher and baseball dad. * John Miller [https://johnwmiller.org/], journalist and baseball coach.   * RESOURCES: * "The Cost of Youth Baseball Is Getting Absurd [https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-04-20/pay-to-play-youth-baseball-is-running-in-the-wrong-direction]," by Adam Minter (Bloomberg, 2024). * "Perfect Game Sees Prosperity Thanks To New Investments In Youth Sports [https://www.forbes.com/sites/waynemcdonnell/2024/04/04/perfect-game-sees-prosperity-thanks-to-new-investments-in-youth-sports/]," by Wayne G. McDonnell, Jr. (Forbes, 2024). * "How America Sold Out Little League Baseball [https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2022/05/19/catholic-youth-sports-little-league-club-baseball-243016]," by John W. Miller (America Magazine, 2022). * "In Youth Sports, Talent Helps but Money Rules [https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/12/youth-sports-rising-costs/]," by Roman Stubbs (The Washington Post, 2022). * Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids Sports and Why It Matters [https://amzn.to/4b541dW], by Linda Flanagan (2022). * "State of Youth Sports: Parents, Policymakers Better Appreciate Physical Activity, Face Barriers to Help Kids Play [https://www.aspeninstitute.org/news/state-of-play-2022/]," by Jon Solomon (The Aspen Institute, 2022).   * EXTRA: * Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids Sports and Why It Matters [https://amzn.to/4b541dW], by Linda Flanagan (2022).

Where is “the cloud,” anyway? It’s in a bunch of nondescript warehouses all over the country. Zachary Crockett serves up the story.   * SOURCES:  * Chris Kimm [https://blog.equinix.com/blog/author/chriskimm/], senior vice president of global customer care and customer experience at Equinix. * Raul Martynek [https://www.databank.com/about-databank/leadership-team/], C.E.O. of DataBank. * Clayton Rosati [https://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/media-and-communication/faculty-and-staff/clayton-rosati.html], associate professor of geography at Bowling Green State University.   * RESOURCES: * "How Data Center Alley Is Changing Northern Virginia [https://oxfordamerican.org/oa-now/how-data-center-alley-is-changing-northern-virginia]," by Mac Carey (Oxford American, 2025). * "Noisy, Hungry Data Centers Are Catching Communities by Surprise [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/15/opinion/data-centers-ai-amazon-google-microsoft.html]," by Sean Patrick Cooper (The New York Times, 2024). * "As Data Centers for AI Strain the Power Grid, Bills Rise for Everyday Customers [https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/11/01/ai-data-centers-electricity-bills-google-amazon/]," by Evan Halper and Caroline O'Donovan (The Washington Post, 2024). * "Data Plantation: Northern Virginia and the Territorialization of Digital Civilization in 'The Internet Capital of the World' [https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/omgc-2023-0017/html?lang=en]," by Clayton Rosati, Aju James, and Kathryne Metcalf (Online Media and Global Communication, 2023). * "A New Front in the Water Wars: Your Internet Use [https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/04/25/data-centers-drought-water-use/]," by Shannon Osaka (The Washington Post, 2023).   * EXTRAS: * "Why Is It So Hard (and Expensive) to Build Anything in America? [https://freakonomics.com/podcast/why-is-it-so-hard-and-expensive-to-build-anything-in-america/]" by Freakonomics Radio (2023). * Data Center Map [https://www.datacentermap.com/datacenters/].

A new thrill ride can cost an amusement park $20 million or more — but roller coasters attract customers like nothing else. Zachary Crockett must be at least this tall to host this episode.   * SOURCES: * Korey Kiepert [https://www.linkedin.com/in/koreykiepert/], engineer and partner at The Gravity Group. * Dennis Spiegel [https://www.interthemepark.com/dennis-l-speigel.html], owner and founder of International Theme Park Services.   * RESOURCES: * "These two amusement park giants just merged. Rollercoaster fans are nervous [https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/06/business/six-flags-cedar-fair-merger-rollercoaster/index.html]," by Nathaniel Meyersohn (CNN, 2024). * "1,000-foot-tall roller coaster may soon be a reality [https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/1000-foot-tall-roller-coaster-may-soon-be-a-reality/]," by Brady MacDonald (Seattle Times, 2024). * "A Century of Screams: The History of the Roller Coaster [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/coney-century-screams/]," (PBS). * "The Business of Building Roller Coasters [https://priceonomics.com/the-business-of-building-roller-coasters/]," by Zachary Crockett (Priceonomics, 2014). * Roller Coaster Census Report [https://rcdb.com/census.htm]. * The Gravity Group [https://thegravitygroup.com/].   * EXTRAS: * "January 1884: First U.S. Patent for a Roller Coaster [https://www.aps.org/archives/publications/apsnews/200401/roller-coaster.cfm]," by LaMarcus Thompson (Advancing Physics, 2004). * American Coaster Enthusiasts [https://www.aceonline.org/].

It takes a highly skilled stenographer — and some specialized equipment — to transcribe TV dialogue in real time at 300 words per minute. Will A.I. rewrite the script? Zachary Crockett tries to keep up.   * SOURCES: * Doug Karlovits [https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-karlovits-08587110/], general manager at Verbit. * Katie Ryan, live steno captioner at Verbit.   * RESOURCES: * "The Long Case for Machine Shorthand [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/25/crosswords/steno-online-court-reporters.html]," by Sam Corbin (New York Times, 2024). * "Caption This: Why Subtitling Is Big Business Amid the Content Boom [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/subtitling-big-business-content-boom-1235519270/]," by Kirsten Chuba (The Hollywood Reporter, 2023). * "Everyone Watches TV with Subtitles Now. How’d That Happen [https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/why-more-people-use-subtitles-1234875864/]?" by Wilson Chapman (IndieWire, 2023). * "When is Captioning Required [https://www.nad.org/resources/technology/captioning-for-access/when-is-captioning-required/#:~:text=Broadcasters%2C%20cable%20companies%2C%20and%20satellite,emergency%20information%20in%20some%20locations]?" (National Association of the Deaf).