Podcast
Quartz Obsession
Hosted by Quartz · EN
We’re fascinated by everyday objects and what they can tell us about the global economy. Join us every week as reporters from our global newsroom dig into the most fascinating facets of an object: where it came from, how it got to us, and what it can tell us about the forces that are changing the way we live and work.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Sleep: The dreamiest new industry
Jul 23, 202400:38:39Tap to summarizeThere’s a lot of money to be made in the business of sleep. Take sunrise alarm clocks, fancy mattresses, REM-tracking wearables, and monthly deliveries of melatonin.But should we really be investing this much in hopes of catching a few more Z’s?In the final episode of season 8, we consult a bonafide sleep doctor on the matter and get a physician’s POV on a few questions keeping us up at night:Why is there such a large market for catching some Z’s?Can any of these products actually help us find rest? Why do we need to sleep?What’s happening in our brains and bodies while we dream?The Quartz Obsession is produced by Podcast Fast Track, with additional support from Jason Russum, Amy Perry, Liliana Zapata, Juan Palacios, and Lorena Caro. Our theme music is by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Suguira. This episode was recorded at G/O Media headquarters in New York.
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Strollers: Pushing the limits of childrearing cache
Jul 16, 202400:27:54Tap to summarizeThere are contactless thermometers, the Nose Frieda, co-sleeping. Trends in parenting gear and childrearing practices seem to evolve at faster rates than other sectors, a speed exemplified by a single product: strollers. While we’ve been engineering ways to wheel children around for centuries, stroller manufacturers can’t seem to stop iterating on their models. Strollers have become a status identifier, a repository for parenting anxiety, and an emblem of consumerism run amok. As doctors and experts gather new research and best practices in childcare, strollers exemplify how quickly it’s all changing.Strap into episode 5 and get the latest about this new movement in industrial design.The Quartz Obsession is produced by Podcast Fast Track, with additional support from Jason Russum, Amy Perry, Liliana Zapata, Juan Palacios, and Lorena Caro. Our theme music is by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Suguira. This episode was recorded at G/O Media headquarters in New York.
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Airline credit cards: the high-flying loyalty game
Jul 9, 202400:35:44Tap to summarizeFrom Dubai to Dublin to Dallas and back, air carriers are cashing in on a big business: credit cards. In fact, analysts note that growth in the sector “significantly outpaces the overall credit card industry.” One carrier alone can profit billions from its cards in a calendar year and, in tandem, build loyalty by tying them up in frequent flier programs. Why did airlines build out a business line through these little scraps of plastic? What’s the history of these co-branded cards? How did credit rewards come to make sky-high profits? Fasten your seatbelts and put away your tray tables as the fourth episode of season 8 takes off, with a co-pilot who’s made a business of this business: The Points Guy himself.
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F1: The global race to the future
Jul 2, 202400:28:05Tap to summarizeAs the highest class of international racing for open-wheel, single-seater cars, F1 is worth more than $18B and stands to accelerate even more as a bonafide entertainment business as the Euro-born sport becomes more popular in China, the United States, and other global heavyweights. But F1 also faces its challenges, from new driving tech to adopt to new electrification pressures to confront. In this episode our Jalopnik colleague Ryan King guest-stars to navigate a few high-speed laps around the past, present, and future of Formula One racing.The Quartz Obsession is produced by Podcast Fast Track, with additional support from Jason Russum, Amy Perry, Liliana Zapata, Juan Palacios, and Lorena Caro. Our theme music is by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Suguira. This episode was recorded at G/O Media headquarters in New York.
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EV chargers: The geographic forces driving electric vehicle adoption
Jun 25, 202400:16:17Tap to summarizePowering an electric car or truck is designed for people with private garages or who live in a major city with lots of accessible charging stations. Rural and suburban apartment-dwellers can’t just run cords out their three-story windows to juice up their rides through a 140-volt outlet. That would take days. If we want any shot at transitioning to greener vehicles, how can we turbo-charge access to EVs for everyone?Get all the answers in our second episode of season 8.The Quartz Obsession is produced by Podcast Fast Track, with additional support from Jason Russum, Amy Perry, Liliana Zapata, Juan Palacios, and Lorena Caro. Our theme music is by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Suguira. This episode was recorded at G/O Media headquarters in New York.
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Drug names: The machinations behind the monikers
Jun 18, 202400:15:43Tap to summarizeEver heard of Viagra, Rogaine, or Ozempic? The process for turning a chemical compound into a household name is both a science and an art. In fact, naming a prescription drug can take a manufacturer up to four years, as a set of three monikers per medicine must run the gauntlet of several regulatory agencies.It all starts with determining a drug’s chemical and generic names — both of which involve established rules. After those are settled, the rest is marketing. So how do some drugs become memorable? What global trends dominate drug naming? And what happens when a company gets it wrong?Get all the answers in our season 8 opener.The Quartz Obsession is produced by Podcast Fast Track, with additional support from Jason Russum, Amy Perry, Liliana Zapata, Juan Palacios, and Lorena Caro. Our theme music is by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Suguira. This episode was recorded at G/O Media headquarters in New York.
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The algorithm: Letters of recommendation
Apr 23, 202400:24:15Tap to summarizeBought something you don’t need from an ad? Blame it on the algorithm. Disappointing singles on your dating app? Blame it on the algorithm. Come across a post that hits too close to home? Yep, it’s the algorithm. But what exactly is the algorithm, and when did it start shaping how we live digitally? We track the making of the algorithm — starting with ancient Babylonians and Greek mathematicians — to understand the forces filtering what we stream, shop, and see online today.
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Video game remakes: Revival of the fittest
Apr 16, 202400:27:16Tap to summarizeLove a game, buy a game. Really love a game, buy a new, improved version of that game. The video game industry knows that you don’t even have to be a die hard gamer to get out your wallet for a chance to recapture the thrill of killing that zombie or discovering that master sword. Plus, there are new technologies to consider — new graphics to enjoy, new storylines to flesh out, the possibilities are endless, and the piles of gold coins keep growing.
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Green steel: Structural change
Apr 9, 202400:24:35Tap to summarizeThink of the world’s dirtiest industries and you’re probably thinking along the lines of oil or meat… but the buildings we live in, the bridges we drive on, the cars we drive in, those all involve something pretty nasty. Steel. Traditional steelmaking is a famously dirty process, but we’re here to tell you that there’s a greener way to make the thing that makes all the things.
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VR headsets: We're practically there
Apr 2, 202400:25:52Tap to summarizeWe’ve long associated virtual reality with escaping to someplace more exciting, but the technology has never quite caught up with science fiction’s promise. But VR headsets’ emerging practical applications are a different kind of thrilling — training workers, helping in healthcare, making the workplace less stressful. All of these are reasons to celebrate, and show that VR headsets actually do have a place in every home and office, without being a means to escape them.
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