Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Make a sustaining gift today to support local journalism!

12.9.14: Junkyard Planet, Cell Phones For The 1%, & TV's Best Openers

Paolo via flickr Creative Commons

From Tesla cars to Louis Vuitton luggage to Philippe Patek watches, luxury brands are selling well. How about a $30,000 cell phone? On today’s show, we’ll learn about the new handcrafted cell phone with optional concierge service that’s become a new symbol of conspicuous consumption.

Plus, Junkyard Planet: following the billion-dollar trash trade from American dumpsters to junkyards across the globe.

And, the opening sequence of a television show is an art form unto itself. We'll get a rundown of the best ones.

Listen to the full show and click Read more for individual segments.

Junkyard Planet

WOM12092014A.mp3
Junkyard Planet

Cell Phone For the 1%

  • A cell phone for $10,000? Yes, but is it worth it? Gabriel Roth took one of the newest model in the high end company Vertu's line up, the Aster, for a test drive at one of their upscale boutiques and wrote about the experience and the phone for Fast Company, "The Cadillac Bentley of Cell Phones."
  • You can see a slideshow of the Aster and read more about the features that make it so pricey at this link.
WOM12092014B.mp3
Cell Phones for the 1%

Smart Phones for Eye Health

  • In you lived in sub-Saharan Africa your chances of getting a prescription for a pair of eyeglasses would be almost impossible. There’s only one optometrist for eight million people. But a smart phone can help. The World Vision Report’s Cynthia Graber went there to check out the story.
  • You can listen to this story at PRX.org.

 
TV Opening Sequences

WOM12092014C.mp3
TV Opening Sequences

 

Related Content

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.