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What It's Like to Fail
How one man went from writing jokes for Roseanne to homeless, and how he fought his way back using Craigslist.
Priceonomics Blog
Priceonomics turns data into great stories. We come up with interesting topics, analyze data, and turn the insights into amazing content!
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Visit priceonomics.com → RSS feedOn Hacker News Feb 2012 – May 2021
Society, Policy & Culture 65Tech Industry & Business 41History & Retro Computing 27Life, Learning & Writing 17Career & Management 10Science & Space 7
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A Designer's War on Misleading Parking Signs
The story of a girl who got too many parking tickets, and dared to dream of a better tomorrow.
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Is Every Speed Limit Too Low?
Americans nearly universally speed, and excess speed is a factor in many accidents. But what if higher speed limits made roads safer?
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The Man Who Smuggles Trader Joe’s into Canada
Michael "Pirate Joe" Hallatt and his unmarked white van are Canada's number-one supplier of Trader Joe's items. And, so far, Trader Joe's hasn't been able to stop him.
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Volvo Gave Away the Most Important Design They Ever Patented
In 1959, Volvo invented the 3 point seat belt we use today. Then they gave the design away for all other car manufacturers to use for free.
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Online Dating and the Death of the 'Mixed-Attractiveness' Couple
People tend to date people who are just as attractive as they are. And thanks to the rise of online dating, that is only becoming more true.
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When George Soros Broke the British Pound (2014)
How George Soros made his fortune on a daring bet against the British pound and the Bank of England.
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SkyMall's SkyFall
How does the business of SkyMall work? And what is the dark secret behind the recent merger of SkyMall and Xhibit.
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Porsche: The Hedge Fund That Also Made Cars
The story of how Porsche tried and failed miserably at its hostile takeover of Volkswagen.
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Why Do Tourists Visit Ancient Ruins Everywhere Except the United States?
In 1250, the southeastern United States was home to a city larger than London whose people built 200 huge, earthen pyramids. So why do so few people know about it?
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The Content Marketing Handbook
A 30,000+ word blog post about how to write about information and make it spread. And something new from us: The Priceonomics Data Studio.
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The Mathematical Genius of Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune — one of modern history’s most reviled inventions — was an act of mathematical genius.
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The Invention of the AeroPress
How one inventor went from making Frisbees to one of the world's best coffeemakers.
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When Lobbying was Illegal
Although lobbyists' influence seems inevitable, in the 1800s, several states banned lobbying outright.
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Ranking TV Shows That Got Canceled
What do the TV shows Firefly, Twin Peaks, and Freaks and Geeks all have in common?
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How Mickey Mouse Evades the Public Domain
Every time Disney’s beloved mouse is about to enter the public domain, U.S. copyright law magically changes. Does he deserve special protection, or should he be relinquished to society?
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Why Every Movie Looks Sort of Orange and Blue
Maybe you haven't noticed, but just about every scene in every blockbuster movie has the same color scheme.
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How Breakfast Became a Thing
Do you think breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Then you fell for an ad campaign designed in 1944 to sell more cereal.
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How Police Officers Seize Cash from Innocent Americans
Under civil forfeiture laws, police officers can take money from people with no proof of any wrongdoing, and without filing criminal charges. How does this work, and what happens to the money?
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The Fining of Black America
We analyzed the cities most likely to generate substantial revenues from fines. The best indicator that a government will levy excessive fines? If a large proportion of the city's citizens are Black.
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Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left
UPS engineers map out routes for their drivers consisting of "a series of right-hand loops"
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Evicted in San Francisco
The story of one elderly woman's eviction in San Francisco.
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How an Ad Campaign Made Lesbians Fall in Love with Subaru
It's a popular stereotype that lesbians drive Subarus. What's less well known is that Subaru cultivated that image—and made history in the process.
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The Time Everyone “Corrected” the World’s Smartest Woman (2015)
In 1990, Marilyn vos Savant correctly answered a probability puzzle in her column for Parade Magazine. And then, the world called her an idiot.
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How A Lawsuit Over Hot Coffee Helped Erode the 7th Amendment
In 1992, a woman sued McDonald's because her coffee was too hot. It's considered a prime example of a greedy lawsuit. But the truth is much more complicated.
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The IIT Entrance Exam
This is the story of India's Joint Entrance Examination, the yearly attempt to pick out the ten thousand most intelligent students in a country of 1.2 billion people.
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Everything Is Bullshit: A Book by Priceonomics
Priceonomics wrote a book! We hope you enjoy it.
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