In the 1970s Sci-fi movie Logan’s Run, viewers are let in on a dirty little secret about a Utopian society — everyone gets killed at age 30. Sure keeps labor costs down. America hasn’t quite become Logan’s Run, but we seem to be tilting that way. It’s no secret that [Keep reading]
Have you ever grabbed your smartphone on your way to the bathroom? Yes, I know you have. All the evidence you need that we are all too dependent on our smartphones. For most of us, that’s a First World problem. But for a surprisingly large segment of the American population, [Keep reading]
I’ve described the many flaws in Ubernomics before, and you’ve about sexual assault allegations. Here’s a new Uber problem that users should understand. A Colorado man has been arrested and accused of returning to a passenger’s home after dropping her off at the airport to burglarize the home, seemingly because [Keep reading]
Payday lenders would face a new set of restrictions under rules being proposed Thursday by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The rules include requirements that lenders ensure borrowers have the ability to repay the loans, and limits to the number of times consumers can renew the loans. The proposal covers [Keep reading]
It’s fun to watch the wireless carriers struggle to keep their prices sky-high while still dipping into the “low end” of the market. It’s quite a contorted two-step. It requires downgrading certain phones and services, or otherwise hampering them from working at full efficiency to make a low-value product, but [Keep reading]
Even for researchers experienced at examining technology that might be invasive, this warning was alarming: “Your location has been shared 5,398 times with Facebook, Groupon, GO Launcher EX and seven other apps in the last 14 days.” The warning was sent to a subject as scientists at Carnegie Mellon University were studying [Keep reading]
A couple of years ago, I started hearing from consumers who said their cars were wrongly repossessed by a bank named Santander. I knew Banco Santander from spending time in Spain, but as I researched these claims, I was surprised to learn of Santander’s rapid expansion in the U.S., driven [Keep reading]
PUBLISHED DEC. 9, 2011 — The accusations are as outrageous as they were plentiful: Hundreds of “robocalls” — in one case, 800 to a single person — to collect auto loan debts; illegal repossession of cars from active duty military deployed overseas; late fees assessed three years after the fact [Keep reading]
They might not be hiding listening devices in our cheese, as overly paranoid Rob Lowe frets in the famous TV commercial. But they are hiding microphones in our cities. Perhaps I’m being Overly Paranoid Bob Sullivan, but I’m unconvinced we’ve had a decent public conversation about this. On St. Patrick’s [Keep reading]
It has been gnawing at me for a while. Why are are most professional sports leagues hurting for offense? After all, we live in the age of spreadsheets and video cameras. Every athlete has access to hundreds of angles on every action they take on the field, or in the rink. [Keep reading]
Bob Sullivan