Valentine’s Day is this weekend and couples in love are expected to spend in the billions, but spending by singles may have even greater revenue potential. On today’s show, a look at China’s anti-Valentine’s holiday: Singles' Day and how it became the largest online shopping day in the world.
Then, from clamshell razors to electrolysis, humans have gone to great lengths to achieve a smooth, clean shave. We’ll take a look at the history of hair removal, and what it reveals about shifting views of racial and social status in the U.S.
Listen to the full show and click Read more for individual segments.
Singles Day
- Liyan Chen writes about international business for Forbes magazine where we found her article “Happy Singles Day! China’s Anti-Valentine’s Festival Is the World’s Biggest E-Commerce Holiday”.
Graphing the Un-Graphable
What if someone took all that digital information you leave behind, and turned it into an infographic? Our next story, is about a man who did just that, comes to us from Roman Mars of 99% Invisible and producer Nate Berg.
- You can listen to this story again at PRX.org.
The White Album: A Disposable Photo App
- Greg Beck is the creator of the app, the WhiteAlbum, which turns your smartphone into a disposable camera – and we’ll be testing out the app. If you’d like you can join us! We’ll report back with a review in a couple of weeks.
- Here’s the link to download the app from iTunes: WhiteAlbum App
New Hampshire's Tappan Chairs
- North Country reporter Sean Hurley brings us the story of a historic brand of Shaker style chairs made in Sandwich, New Hampshire.
- You can see photos of the chairs and read more at thislink.
Plucked: A History of Hair Removal
- Rebecca Herzig is a scholar, Bates College professor and author of Plucked: A History of Hair Removal.
The Worst Haircut Ever
- Jeff Cohen gets to the bottom of what happened when his five year old decided to give his three year old a haircut. Jeff's daughters are also the stars of a children's book he wrote based on the story: Eva and Sadie and the Worst Haircut Ever.
- You can listen to this story again at PRX.org.
