We've all been there: Staring at a screen that prompts you to "leave a tip," and three options to press. How much should you tip for a meal these days? How about a coffee or a hot dog at a baseball game? In this episode, Clare and guest host Brandi Fullwood dig into the data on tipping, and how it impacts workers in restaurants of all shapes and sizes. 

Listen to Brandi's podcast Seattle Eats wherever you're listening to this episode. 

Have a question we should answer on the show? Click here to tell us using our online form, or email the team at [email protected]

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Sources in this episode:

• The Land of the Fee (2021), Throughline from NPR, 2021
• Tipping Culture in America: Public Sees a Changed Landscape, Pew Research Center, 2022
• Average Restaurant Tip Percentages & Tipping Trends in the U.S. (2026), Toast, 2026
• Square Food & Beverage Data Reveals Higher Tipping Rates and Growing "High-Low" Spending Pattern, Square, 2026
• A Critical Exploration of Tipping Practices in the American Hospitality Landscape from a Qualitative Approach, 2024

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When someone says “reading is dead,” is that really true? Reading for fun has taken a big hit, but what’s really going on here? Teo and guest co-host Katie Campbell look at the data on American reading habits to find the answer, and provide tips for aspiring book nerds to get more pages in. Katie Campbell is KUOW’s book club curator. She has read over 51 books this year so far, but who’s counting?

Correction, 9/8/2026: In this episode, we incorrectly state that adult American gamers spend roughly 90 minutes gaming daily. The correct average time per day for gamers is two hours.

Have a question we should answer on the show? Click here to tell us using our online form, or email the team at [email protected]

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Sources in this episode:

• American Time Use Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2003-2026
• American Time Use Survey Report, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025
• The decline in reading for pleasure over 20 years of the American Time Use Survey, iScience, 2025
• A chapter a day: Association of book reading with longevity, Social Science & Medicine Journal, 2016
• Who doesn’t read books in America?, Pew Research Center, 2021
• Book reading habits in the U.S. vary by education, age and other factors, Pew Research Center, 2026

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Getting a college degree is a lot more expensive than it used to be–30% more, after inflation. Everyone has a theory about why that is (Fancy amenities! Lack of state funding! Student loans!) but what does the data say? In this episode, Clare schools Teo on the forces driving college tuition higher, and explains what could bring prices back down to earth. 

Have a question we should answer on the show? Click here to tell us using our online form, or email the team at [email protected].

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Sources in this episode:

• Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid 2025, College Board
• The College Payoff, Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 2021
• College Scorecard
• Decoding the Cost of College, New America, 2018
• Can the Trump administration make college cheaper?, Planet Money, 2026
• Key Changes to Federal Student Loans Made in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Harvard University
• Interview with Beth Akers, American Enterprise Institute 
• Interview with Judith Scott-Clayton, Columbia University
• Interview with Chris Ruhl, Purdue University
• Tuition data from: University of Washington; Western Washington University; Dartmouth College; University of Southern California

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over 2.5 million Americans were forced out of their homes by natural disasters in 2023. As wildfires, hurricanes, and windstorms become routine across the country, homeowners are seeing their insurance premiums skyrocket. This has left many wondering: Is homeowners insurance even worth it anymore? Teo explains to Clare what homeowners insurance actually covers and whether the data says it pays off. 

We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at [email protected]

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Sources in this episode:

• Interview with Angela Giacchetti, Eaton Fire survivor, 2026 
• Interview with Jeffrey Callen, Washington state homeowner, 2026
• Interview with Aaron VanTuyl, communications and media manager, Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, 2026
• Proprietary data, Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, 2026
• Community voices: LA fire recovery report, Department of Angels, 2026
• Property insurance and disaster risk: New evidence from mortgage escrow data, National Bureau of Economic Research, 2024
• Next to fall: The climate-driven insurance crisis is here — and getting worse, Senate Budget Committee staff report, 2024
• Earthquake data call report, Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, 2017
• Study of American homeowners, LendingTree, 2026
• Flood insurance manual, National Flood Insurance Program of FEMA, 2025
• Home insurance rates in America are wildly distorted. Here’s why, New York Times, 2024
• See where home insurance policies were dropped in your state, New York Times, 2024

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every road in the United States has a speed limit, but where do these numbers come from? Do they actually make people slow down? And do lower speed limits make roads safer? In this episode, Clare tells Teo about the origins of speed limits, the science and engineering behind them, and how they fit into the bigger picture of staying safe on American roadways. 

Have a question we should answer on the show? Click here to tell us using our online form, or email the team at [email protected]

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

 

Sources in this episode:

• The first speed limit passed in the United States, cultureNOW
• The first state-wide speed limit, ConnecticutHistory.org
• Statement on Signing the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act, The American Presidency Project, 1974
• I Can’t Drive 55, Sammy Hagar 
• Impact speed and a pedestrian's risk of severe injury or death, 2011
• Literature review of pedestrian fatality risk as a function of car impact speed, 2011
• Speed Limit Information, Seattle Department of Transportation
• Speed Limit Case Studies Report, Seattle Department of Transportation
• Crash Analysis Database, Seattle Department of Transportation
• Road Segment Counts Database, Seattle Department of Transportation
• Interview with Yinhai Wang, University of Washington
• Interview with Venu Nemani, Seattle Department of Transportation
• Interview with Clara Cantor, Seattle Streets Alliance
• Interview with Michael Smith, Seattle Streets Alliance

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Over a million international visitors were expected to come to the U.S. during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But how did forecasters come up with that number almost a year ago? Teo tells Clare about the surprisingly straightforward math and how businesses use that information to (try to) prepare enough beer when the Scots come to town.

We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at [email protected]

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Sources in this episode:

• Interview: Aran Ryan, Tourism Economics, 2026
• Interview: John David, Sports Events and Tourism Association, 2026

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every year, millions of Americans choose to hop on e-bikes because of their affordability, convenience and speed. Motorcycles can take you farther, faster, and have been around longer; so has their dangerous reputation. When you look at the numbers, which is actually more dangerous? Teo explains to Clare what the data says about the unique and shared risks of the two rides.

We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at [email protected]

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Sources in this episode:

• Safety and Injury Prevention Statement, American College of Surgeons, 2025 
• Bike helmet protects a young boy’s brain, UW Medicine, 2025
• Electric Bicycle Injuries and Hospitalizations, JAMA Surgery, 2024
• National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, 2024
• Bicycle Injury at UW Medicine, Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, 2024 
• Exploring Electric Bicycle Safety Performance Data and Policy Options for California, San Jose State University, 2025
• E-Bikes are vehicles, not toys: What parents need to know, Utah Department of Public Safety, 2026
• Select Risk Factors Associated with Causes of Motorcycle Crashs, National Transportation Safety Board, 2018
• Micromobility: Data Challenges Associated with Assessing the Prevalence and Risk of Electric Scooter and Electric Bicycle Fatalities and Injuries, National Transportation Safety Board, 2022 
• Traffic Safety Facts: Motorcycles, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2025 
• Traffic Safety Facts: Pedalcycles, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2025 
• Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2024
• Injury patterns and safety implications for electric bikes compared to mopeds in the United States, Traffic Injury Prevention, 2025
• Interview: Stephen J. Mooney, Ph.D., University of Washington Department of Epidemiology, 2026

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plastic is extremely useful: lightweight, cheap, and flexible enough to make almost anything. That’s why global plastic production has been climbing for decades. All that plastic is making its way into our bodies via tiny particles, and that can’t be good for us…right?

Clare tells Teo what we know so far about microplastics in our bodies, and why the science is more complicated than you might think.

We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at [email protected]

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Sources in this episode:

• The Human Brain May Contain as Much as a Spoon’s Worth of Microplastics, New Research Suggests, Smithsonian Magazine, 2025
• Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains, Nature Medicine, 2025
• Challenges in studying microplastics in human brain, Nature Medicine, 2025
• Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events, The New England Journal of Medicine, 2024
• The Real Truth About the U.S. Plastics Recycling Rate, Beyond Plastics / The Last Beach Cleanup, 2022
• How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled, NPR, 2020
• ‘A bombshell’: doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body, The Guardian, 2026
• Interview with Marcus Garcia and Dr. Elaine Bearer, University of New Mexico
• Interview with Fazel Monikh, University of Padua
• Interview with Tracey Woodruff, Stanford University

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taxes on the wealthy are increasingly popular across the political spectrum in the United States. Democrats in particular have pursued taxes on the country’s highest income earners, including a tax on millionaires passed in Washington State earlier this year. But do high earners simply move to avoid paying those taxes?

Booming host and KUOW economy reporter Monica Nickelsburg wanted to find out. So, she interviewed Cristobal Young: A professor of sociology at Cornell University who researches how wealthy people move, and how much of it is due to taxes. 

Listen to more episodes of Booming in the KUOW app, or wherever you get podcasts.

We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at [email protected]

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many Americans will take on debt this summer for a family trip to a Disney theme park. So why is the happiest place on earth breaking their bank accounts? Teo takes Clare on a fantasy trip to Disneyworld to find out, and see if Clare can have a truly magical experience on a budget. 

We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at [email protected]

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Sources in this episode:

• Disney’s Magic Kingdom Raises Prices, CNN News Room, 2014
• Disney and the Decline of America’s Middle Class, New York Times, 2025
• Can America Afford Disney?, Disney Tourist Blog, 2025
• How Much Disney Can America’s Middle Class Afford in 2025?, Touring Plans Blog, 2025
• The U.S. Economy Depends More Than Ever on Rich People, Wall Street Journal, 2025
• Even Disney Is Worried About the High Cost of a Disney Vacation, Wall Street Journal, 2025
• Why do people keep coming back?, USA Today, 2026
• Consumer Expenditure Surveys, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023
• How Do People Afford Disney?, Reddit, 2026 
• Earnings Report, Walt Disney Report, 2024
• Summer Travel Survey, Bankrate, 2025
• Disney Survey, LendingTree, 2024
• Global Attractions Attendance Report, AECOM, 2023
• The Walt Disney Company, 2026
• What’s The Current Disney Commission Rate For Travel Agents?, Mainstreet Agency Travel, 2026

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.