Make Me Smart

What those huge Texas power bills and Bitcoin mining have in common


Listen Later

Texans are being hit with massive electric bills after last week’s winter storm knocked out much of the state’s grid, which is primarily powered by natural gas. You might not know that many of the data centers mining for cryptocurrency in this country also run on natural gas. On today’s Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday, we’re digging into Texas’ unregulated energy market and Bitcoin’s carbon footprint. Plus your questions about stock trading and stonktails.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Can Texans protect themselves from their sky-high energy bills?” from Marketplace

Texas Electric Bills Were $28 Billion Higher Under Deregulation” from The Wall Street Journal

GameStop Mania Highlights Shift to Dark Trading” from The Wall Street Journal

Tesla’s $1.5 billion bitcoin purchase clashes with its environmental aspirations” from The Verge

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on her Bitcoin doubts

A couple pieces on Bitcoin and natural gas

We try your “GameStonk”-inspired cocktails” from “Make Me Smart”

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Make Me SmartBy Marketplace

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

5,432 ratings


More shows like Make Me Smart

View all
Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

32,100 Listeners

Planet Money by NPR

Planet Money

30,666 Listeners

The NPR Politics Podcast by NPR

The NPR Politics Podcast

25,797 Listeners

Marketplace by Marketplace

Marketplace

8,776 Listeners

Marketplace Morning Report by Marketplace

Marketplace Morning Report

934 Listeners

Marketplace All-in-One by Marketplace

Marketplace All-in-One

1,388 Listeners

Marketplace Tech by Marketplace

Marketplace Tech

1,289 Listeners

The Uncertain Hour by Marketplace

The Uncertain Hour

2,175 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

111,948 Listeners

Up First from NPR by NPR

Up First from NPR

56,508 Listeners

The Indicator from Planet Money by NPR

The Indicator from Planet Money

9,532 Listeners

Today, Explained by Vox

Today, Explained

10,282 Listeners

This Is Uncomfortable by Marketplace

This Is Uncomfortable

3,614 Listeners

Short Wave by NPR

Short Wave

6,564 Listeners

Consider This from NPR by NPR

Consider This from NPR

6,381 Listeners

Marketplace Minute by Marketplace

Marketplace Minute

163 Listeners

Million Bazillion by Marketplace

Million Bazillion

3,000 Listeners

How We Survive by Marketplace

How We Survive

1,395 Listeners

Financially Inclined by Marketplace

Financially Inclined

90 Listeners

The Economics of Everyday Things by Freakonomics Network & Zachary Crockett

The Economics of Everyday Things

1,637 Listeners