Words & Numbers Podcast
1) Episode 486: Slavery and Capitalism
In this episode, we discuss public distrust of politicians and the realities behind presidential approval polling before turning to the math of lotteries and why people continue to play despite the od...Show More
2) Episode 485: R.I.P. Heritage Foundation
In this episode, we examine the realities behind universal health care by looking at Canada’s system, wait times, medical tourism, and cases where patients are denied life-saving treatment. We discuss...Show More
3) Episode 484: Geezer Presidents
In this episode, we examine what actually counts as a victimless crime and why the term is so often misused, using examples ranging from seatbelt and helmet laws to drugs, prostitution, and software p...Show More
4) Episode 483: We Love Inequality
In this episode, we look at what happens when artificial intelligence is put in charge of real-world systems, starting with an experiment in automated pricing and what it reveals about incentives, sca...Show More
5) Episode 482: The Evolution of Crime
In this episode, we revisit the debate over restricting social media access for children, responding to listener feedback and examining why parental responsibility alone can’t address the scale of the...Show More
6) Episode 481: California Screamin’
In this episode, we discuss the growing role of humanoid robots in everyday life, why new technologies always reach the wealthy first, and how falling costs eventually make innovation accessible to th...Show More
7) Episode 480: The War on Drugs (Continued)
In this episode, we look at the story of a young boy who found purpose working for the DC Metro and later became a transportation engineer, and we examine a proposal for the U.S. to screen tourists’ s...Show More
8) Episode 479: The NPCs Among Us
In this episode, we look at a series of recent arrests tied to online posts, comparing Britain’s policing culture and firearms laws with American norms and examining how “feeling threatened” has becom...Show More
9) Episode 478: No Socials for Sheila
In this episode, we examine why arts education often maintains higher standards even as liberal arts programs shrink in schools and universities, and what students lose when curriculum narrows to job ...Show More
10) Episode 477: Your Future Self Hates You
In this episode, we open with a look at how news coverage distorts public perception of danger, from shark attacks to terrorism, and why our instincts so often fail to match the data. We analyze the b...Show More