There are now nearly 12,000 satellites orbiting Earth. What does it cost to put them there, and how do they make money? Zachary Crockett launches an investigation.

• SOURCES:
  • Tim Farrar, president of TMF Associates.
  • Rachel Jewett, managing editor of Via Satellite.

• RESOURCES:
  • "How geostationary small satellites are providing strategic access to space," by Steve Collar (World Economic Forum, 2025).
  • "State of the Satellite Industry Report," (Satellite Industry Association, 2025).
  • "Elon Musk Dominates Space Launch. Rivals Are Calling Foul." by Eric Lipton (New York Times, 2024).
  • "Kessler Syndrome and the space debris problem," by Mike Wall (Space, 2022).
  • "BlackRock Says Satellite Images Can Help Track Chinese Companies," by Lisa Pham (Bloomberg, 2017).

How does a museum place a value on a priceless work of art? And how much does it cost to keep it safe? Zachary Crockett appraises the situation.

• SOURCES:
  • Glenn Lowry, director of the Museum of Modern Art.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Why Climate Activists Are Still Throwing Food and Paint at Famous Artworks," by Tala Ansari (Wall Street Journal, 2023).
  • "The Woman Who Made van Gogh," by Russell Shorto (New York Times, 2021).
  • "The Lillie P. Bliss collection," (MoMA Collection, 1934).
  • "May Belfort," by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (Cleveland Museum of Art, 1895).
  • "Still Life with a Bottle," by Paul Cézanne (Pola Museum, 1890).
  • "The Starry Night," by Vincent Van Gogh (MoMA Collection, 1889).
  • "Portrait of Victor Chocquet Seated," by Paul Cézanne (1877).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Hotel Art," by The Economics of Everyday Things (2025).
  • "The Hidden Side of the Art Market," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).

Performing for passersby takes more than talent. Buskers have to cope with hecklers, civic regulations, aggressive competitors — and uncertain pay. Zachary Crockett passes the hat.

• SOURCES:
  • Brett Dallas, professional street performer.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Differentiating busking from begging: A psychological approach," by Robbie Ho and Wing Tung Au (PLOS One, 2021).
  • "Freeing Buskers’ Free Speech Rights: Impact of Regulations on Buskers’ Right to Free Speech and Expression," by John Juricich (Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law, 2017).
  • Street Arts and Buskers Advocates.

They’ve long been associated with crime and blight. Now, the investors are moving in. Zachary Crockett follows the trail.

• SOURCES:
  • Paul Bradley, president of ROC USA.
  • Blaer Roberts, former chef and mobile home resident.
  • Frank Rolfe, co-owner of Mobile Home University.
  • Cheryl Streberger, retired nurse and mobile home resident.

• RESOURCES:
  • "‘We’re All Afraid’: Massive Rent Increases Hit Mobile Homes," by Abha Bhattarai (The Washington Post, 2022).
  • "Investors Are Buying Mobile Home Parks. Residents Are Paying a Price," by Sophie Kasakove (The New York Times, 2022).
  • "Mobile Home Parks Move From Mom-and-Pop to Corporate," by Jennifer Brown and Kevin Simpson (A.P. News, 2019).
  • "The Cold, Hard Lessons of Mobile Home U," by Gary Rivlin (The New York Times, 2014).
  • "Goldman Alum Gives Up Funds to Become Trailer-Park Mogul," by Anthony Effinger and Katherine Burton (Bloomberg, 2014).
  • "Carlyle Jumps Into Niche Space," by Dawn Wotapka (The Wall Street Journal, 2013).

What goes into creating an episode of The Economics of Everyday Things? And how do shows like this one make money? Zachary Crockett turns the mic on himself.

• SOURCES:
  • Gabe Tartaglia, vice president of podcast and satellite monetization at SiriusXM.
  • Gabe Roth, editorial director of the Freakonomics Radio Network.
  • Sarah Lilley, senior producer of The Economics of Everyday Things.
  • Jeremy Johnston, audio engineer at the Freakonomics Radio Network.
  • Daniel Moritz-Rabson, fact-checker at the Freakonomics Radio Network.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Digital Ad Revenue Surges 15% YoY in 2024, Climbing to $259B, According to IAB," (International Advertising Bureau, 2025).
  • "Cost per Thousand (CPM) Definition and Its Role in Marketing," by Will Kenton (Investopedia, 2024).
  • "Podcast Statistics You Need To Know," (Backlinko).

• APM Music — Licensing

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We send 10 billion of them every day. Where do they come from? Zachary Crockett hearts this topic.

• SOURCES:
  • Jennifer 8. Lee, co-founder of Emojination.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Apple Removes The Gun Emoji, Replaces It With A Squirt Gun," by Carl Franzen (Popular Science, 2021).
  • "Ford’s secret fight for a pickup truck emoji," by Mark Dent (The Hustle, 2019).
  • "The WIRED Guide to Emoji," by Arielle Pardes (WIRED, 2018).
  • "How the iPhone won over Japan and gave the world emoji," by Sam Byford (The Verge, 2017).
  • "About Emoji," (Unicode Consortium).

When security cameras and facial recognition tools fail, law enforcement investigators fall back on a witness's memory and an artist's hand. Zachary Crockett's nose was a little bigger than that.

• SOURCES:
  • Lois Gibson, forensic artist.
  • David Sarni, adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Fighting Crime With Pencil and Paper," by J. David Goodman (New York Times, 2013)
  • "Something Sketchy About Identifying Suspects," by Stephen Owsinski (National Police Association).
  • "Forensic Art Certification Scope and Role," (International Association for Identification).
  • "Forensice Art Composites," (Samantha Steinberg).

How does an industry built on roadside pop-ups make billions of dollars in two weeks of the year? Zachary Crockett gets pyrotechnical.

• SOURCES:
  • Alex Zoldan, vice president of Phantom Fireworks.

• RESOURCES:
  • Phantom Fireworks 2025 Wholesale Price List.
  • "The Explosive Growth Of The Fireworks Market," by Greg Rosalsky, Darian Woods, and Julian Ritchey (NPR, 2023).
  • "Directory of State Laws for Consumer Fireworks," (American Pyrotechnics Association).

Why are these sudsy roadside stops one of the fastest growing industries in America? Zachary Crockett takes a look under the hood.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Private Equity Wants to Wash Your Car," by Miriam Gottfried (The Wall Street Journal, 2022).
  • "California Labor Commissioner Recovers $282,000 for Car Wash Wage Citations," State of California Department of Industrial Relations News Release (2022).
  • "Sgt. Clean’s Future Shines Bright Thanks to Subscription Model, Strong Reputation," by Vince Guerrieri (Crain's Cleveland Business, 2018).
  • "One California Drought Winner? The Local Car Wash," by Lauren Sommer (Marketplace, 2015).
  • Sonny's CarWash College.

Americans take more than 20 billion elevator rides every year — and keeping them safe is an expensive proposition. Zachary Crockett makes small talk.

• SOURCES:
  • Frank Christensen, president of the International Union of Elevators Constructors.
  • Shannon Moore, service mechanic for the International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 8.
  • Brian O'Connell, senior vice president of the Eastern U.S. at Otis Elevators.
  • Stephen Smith, executive director of the Center for Building in North America.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Elevators," by Stephen Smith (Center for Building in North America, 2024).
  • "Elevator and Escalator Fact Sheet," (National Elevator Industry, 2020).
  • "The Evolution of Elevators: Physical-Human Interface, Digital Interaction, and Megatall Buildings," by Stephen Nichols (Frontiers of Engineering, 2017).
  • Lifted: A Cultural History of the Elevator, by Andreas Bernard (2014).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Up and Then Down," by Nick Paumgarten (The New Yorker, 2008).
  • "World's Tallest Towers."