Week of February 4th, 2013

3D printing has been used in industry for years. But now the process, which entails building objects layer by layer with plastic filament, is becoming affordable for individuals. And that has spawned businesses.

Are subscription sites like Match.com worth the price? What do people lie about? How important is a person's listed job or salary? Two online dating experts share their views, experiences, and online dating tips.

We imagine what would other cities might look like with Beijing-quality air.

The transportation system for fuel in the U.S. is inadequate, though, so some oil always has to be imported to where it's needed.

Today the White House released a fact sheet on how the sequester could potentially impact jobs, the economy, and the middle class.

As snowstorm 'Nemo' approaches the East Coast, airlines are preemptively cancelling thousands of flights. That means headaches for many travelers, but how does being grounded affect those work in the airline industry?

The White House urges Congress to avoid the ‘sequester’ — with apocolyptic examples of what could happen if it doesn’t. Automakers introduce new diesel models for U.S. drivers. Eve Troeh explains how researchers are trying to persuade taxpayers to save, not spend, their refunds. In Eastern China, air pollultion levels have reached historic levels, but Rob Schmitz looks at business opportunities that have actually brightened amid the smog. As the fight over background checks on gun-buyers heats up, David Gura finds out what it really takes to buy a firearm. And as ‘Nemo’ hits the East Coast, flight attendant Sara Keagle talks about being grounded in the snow.

Researchers to track a TurboTax reminder at the "golden moment" when taxpayers can be motivated to save.

How is snowstorm Nemo affecting the Northeast? One store owner tells us what’s flying off the shelves as people prepare for the blizzard. Also, things are looking up for the housing market, especially if you’re a seller in Omaha, Neb. And just how much would you pay to find love online? There’s a lot of money in membership dues for online dating sites, but are they worth it? Plus, stories on bonds, a new financial literacy app, a push for more manbags, and why you should draw your debt.

Visual artist Kate Bingaman-Burt draws one thing she buys every day to help her be more mindful of her spending habits. Her new book encourages others to do the same.

Americans wasted a total of $121 billion dollars, or an average of $818 each, by sitting in traffic in 2011 according to a new report from the Transportation Institute at Texas A&M. Which cities have it worst?

This week, Marketplace Money and The New York Times team up to tell the story of home ownership in America three years after the housing bubble. View our interactive map and listen to our special podcast.

You don’t have spend big to earn enough reward points for a free trip. But there are risks to getting credit cards just for their bonus points.

the U.S. trade deficit fell in December to its lowest level in three years. Airlines are cancelling flights by the minute as a major winter storm bears down on the northeast — about 3,000 flights have alreday been cancelled today.

On paper, Omaha looks like a pretty great place to live: It's consistently rated one of the most affordable cities in the country. Why is it doing so well?

The nation’s trade deficit plunged in December, likely giving the U.S. economy an unexpected boost to round out the year.

The nation’s airlines are slashing flights by the minute in anticipation of Northeast’s winter weather. United, which has a hub at Newark Liberty International, led the cancellation race; Delta was second.

Why we should boycott 'Nemo' and any other storm name the Weather Channel dreams up.

A banking analyst makes the decision to leave his job at the age of 51, two years after being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.

The British government has ordered the country’s food industry to test all processed beef products after some of the country's biggest food manufacturers have been finding horsemeat in their products.

Jeff Klein, a shop owner in Massachusetts, talks about why customers buy everything from firewood to ice when bad weather makes the news.

How will health care be transformed by smart devices, continuous patient monitoring, and tele-medicine?

Twitter's purchase of the research company Bluefin is about gathering the sort of social media info that can be used to extract more money from advertisers.

The Northeast is expected to be hammered by a winter storm of ‘historic’ proportions. Many are bracing for the worst, but some businesses think ‘snowmageddon’ is ‘snowtacular.’ Over the last few weeks, the UK’s biggest food manufacturers have been finding horse meat in their products, prompting a recall of hundreds of thousands of items from supermarkets. And we talk with a banking analyst who, at the age of 51, has just left his job due to Parkinson’s Disease.

The European Union is taking a hard look this week at its Galileo navigation system — an alternative to American GPS. Galileo is so far costing three times what was projected.

Mindblown Life, a new mobile app, is designed to help young people achieve financial literacy by helping players make tough financial decisions.

Other countries may not be buying as much of our stuff, but our buying more of theirs is an indication of consumer strength.

Select undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens could get hardship waivers allowing them to circumvent bureaucratic hurdles that can separate families for up to 10 years.

When fears about the stock market boiled over during the economic crash, investors turned to bonds. More than a $1 trillion has gone to buying bonds since 2009, but things are turning around again. Are we on the verge of a bond bubble burst?

Most guys, when they go shopping, stuff their wallets and keys in their pockets. Maybe a cellphone. But sometimes you need more than your pockets. Commentator Scott Huler has a suggestion — a man bag.

How can you build credit if you've just moved to the U.S. from abroad? What resources are out there to help with student loans? Author and journalist Carmen Wong Ulrich tackles these questions and more.

Europe has a plan for its own version of the Global Positioning System (GPS), but the over-budget, overdue Galileo system may never actually come into being. Twitter’s purchase of Bluefin Labs might just be all about selling TV ads on your second screen. And the Internet of things is also going to have significant impact on the health care industry. 

Severe air pollution in Eastern China this year has spurred an economic boom for companies making filtration machines, masks, and even clean air 'domes'.

American is emerging from bankruptcy. US Airways needs a big brother. Will the latest deal to create the biggest airline happen this time?

We look at whether the merger between American and US Airways will really shake up the industry. Microsoft goes after Google in the style of a political attack ad. Fashion journalist Kate Betts discusses Fashion Week trends and the economics behind them. Dan Gorenstein previews Steven Soderbergh’s latest film, “Side Effects,” a thriller surrounding pharmaceutical pills. Commentator Afi Odelia Scruggs talks about  the emotional impact of finding out her great great grandfather was worth, as a slave, the same amount in modern dollars as her 10-year-old car. And journalist Charlie LeDuff talks about the city of Detroit’s slow decline and what it can teach the rest of the country.

Designers like Tory Burch target working moms with high fashion at mid-level prices.

Commentator Afi-Odelia Scruggs contemplates her great-great-grandfather as someone's 'personal property.'

For one thing, 63,000 kids would get booted from Head Start.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Charlie LeDuff goes home in his latest book, "Detroit: An American Autopsy."

Stephen Soderbergh's new psychopharmalogical thriller digs into the cozy relationship between doctors and drug companies.

New "Scroogled" campaign raises questions about the efficacy of attack ads in the commercial realm.

A possible merger between American Airlines and US Airways. Half of all Afghans pay bribes. And in Scotland, a 'dream job' offer.

This week, the retailing giant said it will soon offer its own currency, called the Amazon Coin.

American Airlines and US Airways could announce a merger as early as next week, according to the Wall Street Journal and several Dallas-area news outlets.

Half of all Afghans have bribed public officials in the last year and the amounts are growing, according to a report from the UN.

Productivity fell at the end of last year at the fastest pace in two years — about 2 percent.

Chinese women turn to hiring 'fake boyfriends' to make the holidays more bearable.

As President Obama meets with Congress today to discuss immigration policy, the U.S. agriculture industry looks on with hopes for reform.

Timing is everything for the tech giant.

A company called SmartThings sells kits that let you rig 'dumb', everyday objects up to smartphones and tablet computers.

iPad home videos — what's worth recording, where, and how?

Federal regulators may want Wi-Fi Internet connections to get more widespread and powerful, but the government is not giving the service away for free.

A new report from the United Nations finds the cost of corruption increased by 40 percent in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012. President Obama is meeting with House Democrats today to rally support for immigration reform and whether a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants should be contingent on tighter border security. And how productive were we in the last three months of 2012?

Marketplace Tech talks to the CEO of SmartThings about controlling your house from your smartphone or tablet, hears from a mom about iPad etiquette, and learns more about the FCC’s plan for spectrum.  

Many New York and New Jersey residents displaced by Hurricane Sandy face hurdles in returning to their homes of finding housing close by.

The U.S. Postal Service plans to drop Saturday deliveries, except for packages. But don’t expect the 237-year-old service to disappear.

A discovery of a lifetime (at least for the math geeks among us): the largest prime number in the world.

The Postal Service plans to stop delivering regular mail on Saturday. Mathematician Curtis Cooper talks about his discovery of the longest prime number. Thousands of people who had their homes destroyed by Hurricane Sandy four months ago are still living in hotel rooms, rentals or crashing with friends and family. A new startup aims to help those without bank accounts or credit cards pay for stuff online. As Hasbro gets rid of the iron token in its Monopoly game, we look at the innovations behind the iron’s real-world demise. And In the latest installment of Freakonomics Radio, Kai Ryssdal recalls some memories in a conversation with Stephen Dubner — only to find out how deceiving our minds often are.

One reason the board game piece may have been canned is new products like wrinkle-free fabrics have made ironing a thing of the past. Once a staple in every home, many people no longer even own an iron.

Interior nominee Sally Jewell would weigh resource extraction and conservation on public lands.

Boeing remains upbeat about the Dreamliner's future and is confident that despite the safety scares, airlines won't be cancelling future orders for the aircraft.

The entertainment conglomerate wants to collect its own ticketing fees.

It is startlingly easy to create false memories, especially in politics.

PayNearMe is one of many companies finding opportunity in services for millions of people who don't have bank accounts.

Boeing remains upbeat about the Dreamliner's future. What's got stock markets around the world booming? Samsung stakes a claim in Silicon Valley.

Japan isn't the only place where the stock market is booming right now. Markets in the U.S. and even Europe are up as well.

The United States Postal Service plans to announce it is suspending regular Saturday letter delivery in an effort to save money.

The CME Group will move wheat trading from Kansas City to Chicago in June.

Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas is happy to admit he's a tech geek. The musician, producer, philanthropist now has the title Director of Creative Innovation at the chipmaker Intel.

What’s causing global stock markets to approach new records? Starting this summer, for the first time since 1856, you won’t be able to trade wheat in Kansas City. In 2011, borrowers defaulted on almost a billion dollars in Perkins loans, federal loans for the lowest-income students, and now some schools are going to court to get their money. And finally, Hasbro will announce which one its famous Monopoly tokens it plans to retire.

News came today that former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner plans to write a book. Twitter took the opportunity to think of titles.

The giant Korean manufacturing company will create a huge research center and venture capital fund in Silicon Valley.

Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas is a tech geek. He’s also predicting what the future might look like thanks to the Internet of things — the idea that networked objects, like your car and the road, will one day talk to each other. And Samsung has just set up shop in Silicon Valley with a new one million square foot space and a plan to innovate further into the hardware.  

The fax is a relic in many workplaces. But when it comes to signing up football recruits, coaches gather round the fax machine…waiting.

For the author of "Data: A Love Story," finding her perfect match was as easy as…creating the right matrix.

At Coca-Cola, there's no such thing as a simple glass of orange juice.

Yale and other universities are suing graduates who did not pay back Perkins low-income student loans because the funds for new loans come from former students paying back their debts.

Dell has reached a $24 billion deal to take itself private, but what will the company do with that money? The Justice Department is suing Standard & Poors over its bond ratings in the lead up to the financial crisis. Wednesday is the big day high school football recruits send letters of intent to the universities they plan to attend and play for — and at the center of the process: the semi-antiquated fax machine. Dan Gorenstein reports on the rise of the survivalist industry. And Kai Ryssdal talks to author Amy Webb about how she devised her own algorithm for dating and found the perfect match.

The Justice Department files suit against S&P and its rating of mortgage-backed securities, citing the band Talking Heads in complaint.

For one of the long-term unemployed, a very happy ending.

The U.S. government is suing Standard & Poor's. A check in on the business market in Boise, Idaho. And, Muzak gets a name change.

Founder Michael Dell, equity firm Silver Lake Partners, and Microsoft are taking the Texas-based company off the market in an effort to make the company more agile, and hopefully, more profitable.

In a lawsuit filed late Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice claims the credit rating firm Standard & Poor’s knew some $4 billion worth of mortgage-backed securities were risky.

As he completes his final months as President of University of California, Mark Yudof joins us to reflect on the state of higher education and the future of online learning.

Francois Hollande gives his first speech to the European Parliament as head of state.

Despite the gaming rage, sales of video games are down. Is that because of fatigue or the onslaught of mobile devices and their casual games?

Boise burger-and-Idaho-fries entrepreneur expands his business as joblessness contracts.

A new study says big signatures are evidence of narcissism, which in the executive capacity can be detrimental to corporate health.

Workers at the major Apple supplier in China will soon have a new union that represents them. Formerly, the union was controlled by management.

The company that makes  the iPhone, iPad, Kindle and a host of other electronics is beefing up its union. Foxconn has been under pressure to improve worker pay and conditions and announced this week that it is enhancing its labor union. The maker of the video game Grand Theft Auto reports earnings today. And finally, he ran the University of Minnesota, the University of Texas, and since 2008, he’s been the President of the University of California. Mark Yudof joins us to discuss higher education, online learning, and his legacy.

President Obama's Chief Technology Officer, Todd Park, talks about what exactly America's CTO does — and announces a second round of the Presidential Innovation Fellows program.

President Obama’s Chief Technology Officer, Todd Park, talks about what exactly America’s CTO does — and announces a second round of the Presidential Innovation Fellows program. Also, a debate over whether the FCC should be involved in paving the way towards more free WiFi for all of us.  

Some American cities tried this and ran up against a buzz saw of opposition from companies that sell Internet service.