Tuesday's Assorted Links
Home internet service, ChatGPT use, learning Chinese, cottage cheese, and Mount Everest
Hi y’all! Here are five stories from this week that contained some neat applications of economic principles or are related to teaching:
AT&T dropped its 5G home internet service in New York, citing an “uneconomical” state law requiring ISPs to offer $15-$20 service to low-income residents [Ars Technica]
About a quarter of U.S. teens have used ChatGPT for schoolwork—double the share in 2023 [Pew Research Center]
The threat of a TikTok ban drove Americans to Duolingo to learn Chinese [Sherwood News]
TikTok drives astronomical sales for cottage cheese [MSN via The Wall Street Journal]
Starting in September, Nepal will increase permit fees to scale the world’s tallest mountain by 36% [Business Insider]
Last week, Houston and New Orleans faced a rare challenge: clearing snow without owning snow plows. From borrowing plows to hiring them, both cities found temporary solutions—but why not just buy their own? The answer is all about economic tradeoffs.
Houston Doesn’t Own Snow Plows—and That’s Okay
The city of Houston faced an unusual challenge last week: an arctic blast brought four to five inches of snow to a city that rarely experiences much winter weather. For the more than seven million people living i…
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The AT&T bit brings to mind an old saw: "foreseeable consequences are never unintentional"