Paying for everyday things with smartphone apps

Given the number of empty seats on display during the typical pro sports event, arenas seem to be having a pretty tough time selling tickets. Still, one economist says arena box offices should consider a buy-back strategy so that they could sell the same ticket not just once, but multiple times. The emergence of secondary ticket sales sites such as StubHub and SeatGeek has caused havoc—and a fair amount of bad PR—for venues that host sporting events with lackluster demand.

Given the number of empty seats on display during the typical pro sports event, arenas seem to be having a pretty tough time selling tickets. Still, one economist says arena box offices should consider a buy-back strategy so that they could sell the same ticket not just once, but multiple times. The emergence of secondary ticket sales sites such as StubHub and SeatGeek has caused havoc—and a fair amount of bad PR—for venues that host sporting events with lackluster demand.

Want to see the Phoenix Suns play the New Jersey Nets on Monday night at the Prudential Center in Newark? Worried about getting a ticket at the last minute? Worried about getting a ticket you can afford at the last minute? Well neither are a problem.   

Facebook and Pinterest don't own the social commerce space. Other players, from daily deals site Groupon to Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, have also tried to leverage social ingredients to boost retail sales, drive user engagement, and build brand loyalty.

You’ve probably never heard of “Purple Pricing.” But you’ll like that it gives you a chance to snag sports tickets below face value, without resorting to haggling, scalping, or timing the market right. At Northwestern University, a “Purple Pricing” experiment has been launched—purple being the college’s color—in the form of a curious online auction. The men responsible for the idea are Jeff Ely and Sandeep Baliga, both economics professors at Northwestern who operate the Cheap Talk blog.

You’ve probably never heard of “Purple Pricing.” But you’ll like that it gives you a chance to snag sports tickets below face value, without resorting to haggling, scalping, or timing the market right. At Northwestern University, a “Purple Pricing” experiment has been launched—purple being the college’s color—in the form of a curious online auction. The men responsible for the idea are Jeff Ely and Sandeep Baliga, both economics professors at Northwestern who operate the Cheap Talk blog.

What smartphone apps are worth spending money on? Asked on Twitter by @MadonnaPatricia The short answer: lots of them. For all the embarrassment of free riches on mobile-software bazaars such as Apple‘s App Store and Google‘s Play, I’m never chagrined when I plunk down a few bucks for something that makes me more productive. Instead I feel smart. And I know that investing in good stuff boosts its long-term viability.

3D printing is all the rave in the tech world right now. Printers made by companies like Makerbot bring consumer's ideas to life by crafting clothespins in a pinch, jewelery for a night out, or even an iPhone case. But what if you could draw something out of thin air with no computer or software?