Who decides which snacks are in your office’s vending machine? How much is a suburban elm tree worth, and to whom? How did Girl Scout Cookies become a billion-d...
Behind almost every character you see displayed on a page or a screen, there’s a complex — and sometimes lucrative — web of licensing deals. Zachary Crockett is just your type. SOURCES:Lucas Czarnecki, creative director of Type Network.Gerry Leonidas, professor of typography at the University of Reading.Chantra Malee, co-founder and C.E.O. of Sharp Type.Lucas Sharp, professional font designer and co-founder of Sharp Type. RESOURCES:"What Fonts Are Used by The New York Times?" by Nona Blackman (Envato Tuts+, 2024)."Legendary Type Foundry Monotype Sold to Private Equity for $825 Million," by Suzanne LaBarre (Fast Company, 2019)."Calibri’s Scandalous History," by Ross Arbes (The New Yorker, 2017)."This Was The First Computer Font," by John Herrman (BuzzFeed News, 2012)."Manuscripts and Special Collections," by the University of Nottingham. EXTRA:"Are Our Tools Becoming Part of Us?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
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73. Used Bookstores
Americans throw away 320 million books every year. How do some of them find a second life? Zachary Crockett is just browsing. SOURCE:Francisco Hernandez, owner of Leaves bookstore. RESOURCES:"Reinventing Retail: The Novel Resurgence of Independent Bookstores," by Ryan L. Raffaelli (Harvard Business School Working Paper, 2020).Gravity's Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon (1973).The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison (1970).Leaves bookstore. EXTRA:"Dying Is Easy. Retail Is Hard," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
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Greeting Cards (Replay)
The tradition of sending cards to loved ones was in decline — until it was rescued by a new generation. But millennials have their own ideas about what sentiments they want to convey. Zachary Crockett is thinking of you on your special day. SOURCES:Mia Mercado, writer and former editor at Hallmark.George White, president of Up With Paper and former president of the American Greeting Card Association. RESOURCES:34th Louie Awards - Finalists & Winners, (2022-2023)."Season’s (and Other...) Greetings," by Maria Ricapito (Marie Claire, 2020)."Hallmark Greeting Cards Have Adjusted to the Digital Revolution," by Trent Gillies (CNBC, 2017)."Testimony of Don Hall, Jr. President and CEO of Hallmark Cards, Inc. Before a Joint Hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services and International Security and the House, Postal Service and the District of Columbia" (2010).
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72. Helium
It’s unreactive, lighter than air, and surprisingly important to the global economy. Zachary Crockett goes up an octave. SOURCES:Sophia Hayes, professor of chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis.Phil Kornbluth, president of Kornbluth Helium Consulting.Bo Sears, C.E.O. of Helix Exploration PLC. RESOURCES:"Why Semiconductor Growth Will Drive Helium Demand," by Kitty Wheeler (Technology Magazine, 2024)."The World Is Running Out of Helium. Here's Why Doctors Are Worried," by Caroline Hopkins (NBC News, 2022)."Nothing on Earth Can Replace Helium — and It’s in Peril," by Joseph DiVerdi (The New York Times, 2019).Selling the Nation's Helium Reserve, by the National Research Council (2010)."Discovery of Helium in Natural Gas at the University of Kansas," by the American Chemical Society (2000). EXTRAS:"Is Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade Its Most Valuable Asset?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
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Stadium Names, from The Indicator
How did Florida International University’s new football stadium come to be named after the rapper and singer Pitbull? Adrian Ma and Wailin Wong of The Indicator from Planet Money explain. SOURCES:Scott Carr, director of athletics at Florida International University.Adrian Ma, co-host of The Indicator from Planet Money.Wailin Wong, co-host of The Indicator from Planet Money. RESOURCES:The Indicator from Planet Money
Who decides which snacks are in your office’s vending machine? How much is a suburban elm tree worth, and to whom? How did Girl Scout Cookies become a billion-dollar business? In bite-sized episodes, journalist Zachary Crockett looks at quotidian things and finds amazing stories.
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