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A Year of Running a SaaS “Side Business” at Priceonomics

A year ago we launched a little software side project called Content Tracker. Let’s review data and revenue.

How Statistics Solved a 175-Year-Old Mystery About Alexander Hamilton

What do Alexander Hamilton, Harry Potter, and Bayesian Statistics Have in Common?

The Mathematical Genius of Auto-Tune

Auto-Tune — one of modern history’s most reviled inventions — was an act of mathematical genius.

Why the Father of Modern Statistics Didn’t Believe Smoking Caused Cancer

How the ultimate stickler for correlation vs causation got tobacco wrong.

All the Analytics on Priceonomics Articles Are Now Public

On every article of ours, you can now see the traffic, social sharing, and press mentions. Powered by Priceonomics Content Tracker.

Why Is Interracial Marriage on the Rise?

There are more interracial marriages now than ever. But it’s not primarily because Americans are more progressive.

How Do Mathematicians Cut Cake?

What’s the fairest way to split up an apartment? A divorce settlement? A war-torn country? First, start with a cake.

The Spectrum Auction: How Economists Saved the Day

The airwaves are worth billions, but it took three academics to figure out how to sell them.

The Man Who Got No Whammies

In 1984, a man named Michael Larson won $110,237 on “Press Your Luck” — more than double the winnings of any other game show contestant in history at the time. But his success wasn’t due to luck alone.

The Ad Campaign that Convinced Americans to Pay for Water

Mere decades ago, Americans would have laughed at paying astronomical markups for a liquid that flows freely, and usually safely, from their taps at home.

The Market Failure of First Dates

How to increase your GDP (Gross Dating Potential) in an imperfect market.

Inside the World of Professional Rock Paper Scissors

Rock Paper Scissors really is a sport. But it remains to be seen whether RPS pros can convince the rest of the world that it’s a skilled pursuit.

What Americans Used to Eat

We analyzed old food menus and found that turtle, frizzled beef and shredded wheat were once common to American restaurants. Will french fries one day seem just as out-of-date?

Which Monarchs Were More Belligerent: Kings or Queens?

Think female rulers are inherently more pacifist? Think again.

Can an Algorithm Eliminate the Unfairness of Gerrymandering?

Computers certainly draw prettier voting district maps than people do. But if we actually used them, we might have even less fair elections.