š ASB Partners Nuggets 7.18.25
This is a short weekly email that covers a few things Iāve found interesting during the week.
Interesting Links/Reads
Many links are sourced from Marginal Revolution (bold and italics are my own to highlight what I found particularly interesting)
California residents who launched fireworks for the 4th of July have tickets coming in the mail, thanks to police drones that were taking note. One resident, for example, racked up $100,000 in fines last summer due to the illegal use of fireworks. āIf you think you got away with it, you probably didnāt,ā said Sacramento Fire Department Captain Justin Sylvia. āWhat may have been a $1,000 fine for one occurrence last year could now be $30,000 because you lit off so many.ā Homeowners who werenāt even present at the property also have tickets coming in the mail due to the social host ordinance.
Here is the source. Elsewhere (NYT):
Hertz and other agencies are increasingly relying on scanners that use high-res imaging and A.I. to flag even tiny blemishes, and customers arenāt happyā¦
Developed by a company called UVeye, the scanning system works by capturing thousands of high-resolution images from all angles as a vehicle passes through a rental lotās gates at pickup and return. A.I. then compares those images and flags any discrepancies.
The system automatically creates and sends damage reports, Ms. Spencer said. An employee reviews the report only if a customer flags an issue after receiving the bill. She added that fewer than 3 percent of vehicles scanned by the A.I. system show any billable damage.
2.Claude for financial services.
3.Golf ball diver nets 100k a year (short video).
4. One Manās Quest to Break a Record for Birthday Freebies
The 38-year-old aquatics manager is part of a proud breed of competitive birthday freeloaders. Each year, they celebrate the big day by trying to get one over on Big Retail. Itās a sprint that requires hours of meticulous planning, careful strategizing and a stamina for sugar crashes.
This year, Svatos was trying to break his record of 35 freebies, set last year.
Americans are obsessed with doing things ourselves. We clean our houses, assemble our furniture and grill our burgersāeven when weād be better off hiring someone else.
I still mow my lawn and cook most nights for my family, even though I work 80 to 90 hours a week, not counting my side hustle as an unpaid driver and sideline soccer coach for my two daughters. Iām an economist, able to think through these decisions rationally, yet here we are.
When Iāve been traveling too much and havenāt seen my daughters, Iāll sometimes take an Uber with them instead of driving, just so we can sit in the back and catch up. To me, thatās money well spent.
But I still hear my friendās voice every time I crank up the mower or change my own oil: You can pay someone to do those things. But you canāt pay someone to build your career, enjoy your kids, laugh with a friend, or recover from a long week.
If Americans put a fair price on their timeāon their short- and long-term health, and their kidsā well-beingāmore households would outsource more DIY projects. We would do well to swallow our pride, hire some help, and buy back our lives.
Mr. Fryer, a Journal contributor, is a professor of economics at Harvard, a founder of Equal Opportunity Ventures and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Adam