A watercolor of a harbor? A black-and-white photo of a pile of rocks? Some hotels are trying to do better. Zachary Crockett unpacks.

• SOURCES:
  • Melanie Kettring, director of studio design at Best Western Hotels.
  • Jessica Poundstone, visual artist.
  • Gavi Wolf, founder and C.E.O. of Indiewalls.

• RESOURCES:
  • Indiewalls.
  • Best Western.

• EXTRAS:
  • "Used Hotel Soaps," by The Economics of Everyday Things (2023).
  • "The Hidden Side of the Art Market," series by Freakonomics Radio (2021).

Before beef ends up at your favorite steakhouse, it passes through the hands of a trained specialist with an encyclopedic knowledge of bovine anatomy. Zachary Crockett chews the fat.

• SOURCES:
  • Bryan Flannery, co-owner of Flannery Beef.
  • Katie Flannery, co-owner of Flannery Beef.

• RESOURCES:
  • "National Weekly Boxed Beef Cutout And Boxed Beef Cuts — Negotiated Sales," U.S.D.A. Agricultural Marketing Service (U.S.D.A. Livestock, Poultry and Grain Market News, 2025).
  • "Understanding Beef Carcass Yields and Losses During Processing," (Penn State Extension Articles, 2022).
  • "Beef Cow-Calf Production," by Cheryl A. Fairbairn, Lynn F. Kime, Jayson K. Harper, and John W. Comerford (Penn State Extension Articles, 2020).
  • "Major Supermarket Chains Changed How They Label Meat, Surprising Customers and USDA," by Roberto A. Ferdman (The Washington Post, 2014).
  • "What’s Your Beef — Prime, Choice or Select?" by Larry Meadows (U.S.D.A Blog, 2013).
  • "From Calf to Kitchen: The Journey of a Beef Cow," by Dave Eames and Mike McGraw (The Kansas City Star, 2012).

• EXTRAS:
  • "The Future of Meat," by Freakonomics Radio (2019).

How did a little green nut become a billion-dollar product, lauded by celebrities in Super Bowl ads? Zachary Crockett cracks open the story.

• SOURCES:
  • Sawyer Clark, director of asset management at Gold Leaf Farming.
  • Diana Salsa, vice president of marketing for Wonderful Pistachios.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Almond Acreage Decline Prompts Industry Introspection," by Mitch Lies (West Coast Nut, 2023).
  • American Pistachio Industry 2021 Annual Report, by American Pistachio Growers (2023).
  • "California’s Agricultural Water Policies Are Nuts," by Douglas R. Noble (The Gainesville Sun, 2021).
  • "Amid Drought, Billionaires Control a Critical California Water Bank," by Chloe Sorvino (Forbes, 2021).
  • "Wonderful Pistachios Achieves Billion-Dollar Brand Milestone," press release by The Wonderful Company (2020).
  • "Pistachios: The Quirks of Agricultural Trade in a Nutshell," by Andrea Durkin (Global Trade, 2020).
  • "California Pistachios With Perfect Timing," by Mark Blackburn (The New York Times, 1979).

Once a luxury good, the soft fiber is now everywhere — which has led to a goat boom in Mongolia. Zachary Crockett tugs at the thread.

• SOURCES:
  • Myagmarjav Serjkhuu, manager of the Mongolian Sustainable Cashmere Platform for the United Nations Development Programme.
  • Carolyn Yim, designer and owner of Ply-Knits.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Sandstorms and Desertification in Mongolia, an Example of Future Climate Events: A Review," by Jie Han, Han Dai, and Zhaolin Gu (Environmental Chemistry Letters, 2021).
  • "How Sustainable Cashmere Is Reversing Land Degradation in Mongolia," by Mariana Simões (United Nations Development Programme, 2021).
  • "Exploding Demand for Cashmere Wool Is Ruining Mongolia's Grasslands," by Kathleen McLaughlin (Science, 2019).
  • "From H&M to Gucci, Fashion Rethinks Cashmere, Citing Environmental Harm," by Matthew Dalton (The Wall Street Journal, 2019).
  • "2018 Annual Cashmere Market Report," by Marco Spina (The Schneider Group, 2019).
  • "How This Brand Made a Cashmere Sweater for $75 Ethically," by Esha Chhabra (Forbes, 2018).
  • "Pastoral Nomadism in the Forest-Steppe of the Mongolian Altai Under a Changing Economy and a Warming Climate," by D. Lkhagvadorj, M. Hauck, Ch. Dulamsuren, and J. Tsogtbaatar (Journal of Arid Environments, 2013).

Behind almost every character you see displayed on a page or a screen, there’s a complex — and sometimes lucrative — web of licensing deals. Zachary Crockett is just your type.

• SOURCES:
  • Lucas Czarnecki, creative director of Type Network.
  • Gerry Leonidas, professor of typography at the University of Reading.
  • Chantra Malee, co-founder and C.E.O. of Sharp Type.
  • Lucas Sharp, professional font designer and co-founder of Sharp Type.

• RESOURCES:
  • "What Fonts Are Used by The New York Times?" by Nona Blackman (Envato Tuts+, 2024).
  • "Legendary Type Foundry Monotype Sold to Private Equity for $825 Million," by Suzanne LaBarre (Fast Company, 2019).
  • "Calibri’s Scandalous History," by Ross Arbes (The New Yorker, 2017).
  • "This Was The First Computer Font," by John Herrman (BuzzFeed News, 2012).
  • "Manuscripts and Special Collections," by the University of Nottingham.

• EXTRA:
  • "Are Our Tools Becoming Part of Us?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).

Americans throw away 320 million books every year. How do some of them find a second life? Zachary Crockett is just browsing.

• SOURCE:
  • Francisco Hernandez, owner of Leaves bookstore.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Reinventing Retail: The Novel Resurgence of Independent Bookstores," by Ryan L. Raffaelli (Harvard Business School Working Paper, 2020).
  • Gravity's Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon (1973).
  • The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison (1970).
  • Leaves bookstore.

• EXTRA:
  • "Dying Is Easy. Retail Is Hard," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

The tradition of sending cards to loved ones was in decline — until it was rescued by a new generation. But millennials have their own ideas about what sentiments they want to convey. Zachary Crockett is thinking of you on your special day.

• SOURCES:
  • Mia Mercado, writer and former editor at Hallmark.
  • George White, president of Up With Paper and former president of the American Greeting Card Association.

• RESOURCES:
  • 34th Louie Awards - Finalists & Winners, (2022-2023).
  • "Season’s (and Other...) Greetings," by Maria Ricapito (Marie Claire, 2020).
  • "Hallmark Greeting Cards Have Adjusted to the Digital Revolution," by Trent Gillies (CNBC, 2017).
  • "Testimony of Don Hall, Jr. President and CEO of Hallmark Cards, Inc. Before a Joint Hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services and International Security and the House, Postal Service and the District of Columbia" (2010).

It’s unreactive, lighter than air, and surprisingly important to the global economy. Zachary Crockett goes up an octave.

• SOURCES:
  • Sophia Hayes, professor of chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis.
  • Phil Kornbluth, president of Kornbluth Helium Consulting.
  • Bo Sears, C.E.O. of Helix Exploration PLC.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Why Semiconductor Growth Will Drive Helium Demand," by Kitty Wheeler (Technology Magazine, 2024).
  • "The World Is Running Out of Helium. Here's Why Doctors Are Worried," by Caroline Hopkins (NBC News, 2022).
  • "Nothing on Earth Can Replace Helium — and It’s in Peril," by Joseph DiVerdi (The New York Times, 2019).
  • Selling the Nation's Helium Reserve, by the National Research Council (2010).
  • "Discovery of Helium in Natural Gas at the University of Kansas," by the American Chemical Society (2000).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Is Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade Its Most Valuable Asset?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).