bobsullivan.net

Consumer and cybercrime news

THE RED TAPE CHRONICLES

Technology has hidden side effects -- we reveal them here

  • About Bob
  • Gotchas / Consumer
  • Cybercrime / Privacy
  • Podcasts
  • Bob Sullivan music
Home2014May

Month: May 2014

No Picture
Getting Unstuck

It’s the wages, stupid: Consumer spending down because Main Street left behind by Wall Street

May 30, 2014 Bob Sullivan 0

There is still something rotten in Denmark. And in our economy.  Yes, the housing market has stabilized and the “headline” unemployment number seems under control.  (We’ll get back to that in a moment.) But signs of a fragile economy are everywhere, if you know where to look. A big one [Keep reading]

No Picture
Privacy

Snowden is sexy, but this is the privacy invasion that should scare you

May 29, 2014 Bob Sullivan 0

How do you think the big computers in the sky see you? Are you “Rural Everlasting” or a “Mobile Mixer?” Are you a “Married Sophisticate,” a “Senior Product Buyer,” a “dog owner,” and “winter activity enthusiast,” “Bible Lifestyle” or an “Affluent Baby Boomer?” Maybe you are “Financially Challenged,” or “Plus [Keep reading]

Gotchas / Consumer

What it feels like to get a call saying the IRS is sending you to jail (it’s a scam)

May 28, 2014 Bob Sullivan 0

Lauren Oak was watching her own young children, babysitting her infant nephew, and caring for her wheelchair-bound father when the phone rang and brought on the scariest moment of her life. “They said they were from the IRS, that I owed $16,000, that a warrant had been issued for my [Keep reading]

No Picture
Money and Life

Facebook manager throws stones at journalists from glass house

May 27, 2014 Bob Sullivan 0

During Memorial Day weekend, a Facebook product manager named Mike Hudack published a sarcasm-dripping rant about the state of media, and the failure of new entrants into the marketplace.  (“Personally I hoped that we would find a new home for serious journalism in a format that felt Internet-native and natural [Keep reading]

Getting Unstuck

Failing slowly, the just noticeable difference, and how cruise control steers you off the road

May 23, 2014 Bob Sullivan 0

“Driving is not about getting the car going in the right direction. Driving is about constantly paying attention, making a little correction this way, a little correction that way.” Kent Beck, creator of Agile programming. The nice thing about co-authoring a book is that someone else writes half of it. [Keep reading]

No Picture
Privacy

Facebook adds ‘option’ to know what you’re watching and listening to

May 22, 2014 Bob Sullivan 0

When you see the word “optional” attached to a new Facebook feature, watch out.  And when you see that word in the headline of a blog post announcing the feature, you should really watch out.  That means Facebook is so worried whatever this new thing is will spook people that [Keep reading]

Money and Life

Women in tech: A new ‘voices’ project

May 21, 2014 Bob Sullivan 0

Just when you think it’s safe to have gender workplace discussions, Jill Abramson gets fired by the New York Times and stirs up a really big hornet’s nest.  I don’t pretend to know very much about gender issues, but having spent 20 years writing about an incredibly male-dominated (technology) field [Keep reading]

Gotchas / Consumer

Medical bill nightmares unfairly sink credit scores, says consumer agency

May 20, 2014 Bob Sullivan 0

STORY UPDATED with Fair Isaac announcement that it will change scoring formula. Surprise medical bills hurt consumers’ credit scores more than they should, the Consumers Financial Protection Bureau said today.  Not only is it unfair, it’s bad business.  Unpaid of late paid medical bills aren’t a great predictor of a [Keep reading]

No Picture
Money and Life

Is it a good idea to loosen mortgage lending standards now? What could go wrong? (And who really benefits?)

May 19, 2014 Bob Sullivan 0

Here we go again. I laughed, I cried and I felt like it was 2006 all over again while reading the financial press this week cheerlead administration steps designed to “ease mortgage credit.” I write about money a lot, and I hear from a lot of mortgage brokers and real [Keep reading]

Getting Unstuck

Americans brainwashed, now think stress is good for them

May 16, 2014 Bob Sullivan 0

Use email outside of work, and odds are 1 in 2 that you experienced a lot of stress yesterday. Maybe that’s no surprise, but it’s still more evidence that your smartphone might be killing you. Even worse: It’s killing you softly. People who work outside of work *think* their lives [Keep reading]

Posts navigation

1 2 3 »

Sign up for my Substack

Search

About me

BOB SULLIVAN is a veteran journalist and the author of four books, including the 2008 New York Times Best-Seller, Gotcha Capitalism, and the 2010 New York Times Best Seller, Stop Getting Ripped Off! His latest, The Plateau Effect, was published in 2013, and as a paperback, called Getting Unstuck in 2014. He has won the Society of Professional Journalists prestigious Public Service award, a Peabody award, and The Consumer Federation of America Betty Furness award, and been given Consumer Action’s Consumer Excellence Award.

Bob Sullivan

bobsullivan.net
Privacy Policy / Proudly powered by WordPress Theme: MH Magazine.