Pudgy Penguins, Bored Apes and CryptoKitties — a Noah’s Ark of nonfungible tokens — are the latest trend for people trying to get rich and engage with art in a new way. NFTs might be a fad, but there’s a multibillion-dollar market for them.

Today, L.A. Times business reporter Sam Dean gives us a crash course in what exactly NFTs are and how to think about whether they’re worth your money. And NFT collectors Cooper Turley and Tim Kang tell us why they think the digital tokens could change our lives even if we don’t buy them.

Also: An update about last week’s episode “Our nation’s Haitian double standard.”

More reading:

$69 million for digital art? The NFT craze explained

Who can sell a Wonder Woman NFT? The guy who drew her or DC Comics?

How NFTs could affect sports

Are NFTs worth your money?