Bob Sullivan
GeekWire
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Past articles by Bob:
SolarWinds hack: What we know, and don’t know, so far
I keep hearing this from people I respect: It’s hard to overstate how serious the SolarWinds hack is. So, yes, it seems to be the Big One. I suspect we’ll be hearing about the damage for years. → Read More
Coronavirus could be a tipping point (finally) for telecommuting
Since the 1973 oil embargo, and the nearly concurrent coining of the term “gridlock,” Americans have mused about telecommuting as the solution to many modern ills. When high-speed Internet began making its way into homes in the late 1990s, telecommuting seemed on the verge of a breakout. Why waste… → Read More
Marriott’s Starwood breach: What should you do? That depends on who, and why
It’s easy to focus on the big number associated with the Starwood breach announced by Marriott International on Friday — 500 million accounts compromised. But I’m focused on a much smaller number: four. As in, hackers had access to Starwood networks for four years. In the world of “advanced… → Read More
6 ways your vote could be hacked during the midterms
We know every vote counts, but will your vote actually be counted? Or will it be hacked? I’ve spent the last several months reporting on election hacking for my podcast Breach, and I’ve learned a lot: Mostly that vote “hacking” is a much broader problem than people realize. While lots of attention… → Read More
Not saving enough? There are ways to nudge yourself into better savings habits
Americans aren’t saving for the future. Again. The personal savings rate, which had risen sharply in the wake of the Great Recession, is falling, fast. People are spending more than they are earning, so there’s nothing left to save at the end of the month. → Read More
Tired of long airport lines? For biometric screening company Clear, frustration is a sales pitch
“Skip the lines! No wait times,” yelled the Clear salespeople swarming beleaguered fliers at Sea-Tac airport last week. The standard passenger security screening line wound far down the usual hallway. Travelers who approached slumped their shoulders when it came in view. But all around this… → Read More
High housing costs could unify America by forcing moves from Blue counties to Red counties
Americans are fleeing expensive coastal cities, which tend to vote for Democrats, and migrating to cheaper, smaller places in the middle of the country, which tend to support Republicans. Some think this trend could be the key to healing some of the political divisions roiling America’s politics. → Read More
Millennials spend huge amounts on rent, using up 45% of income made by age 30
Millennials do make more money than any other generation before them, but they’re also said to be spending more on things that are not necessarily essential, like Uber rides, pricey coffee or eating out. → Read More
Starbucks picked an odd time to force WiFi customers to cough up personal data
With all the sensitive news about Facebook and privacy hovering menacingly over the Internet this week, it seems an odd time for Starbucks to begin “forcing” consumers to register so they can connect to WiFi. But that’s indeed what’s happening to coffee drinkers around the country. Many are sipping… → Read More
Cities to Consider When Renting and Buying
Find out where the best places are to rent and buy are and what works best for you. → Read More
Commentary: ‘We don’t need net neutrality, we have a free market,’ and other lies
Standard Oil committed many sins on the way to infamy, and Teddy Roosevelt’s s**t list, but a big one was “vertical integration.” Rockefeller’s people… → Read More
Renting homes is overtaking the housing market. Here’s why
Why are people more inclined to rent than to buy? Let's take a deeper look at the rise in rentals and how it affects the housing market. → Read More
Facebook, Twitter and Google grapple with a new reality as Russia revelations continue to mount
We’ve come a long way since Mark Zuckerberg famously said that it was “crazy” to think fake news on Facebook influenced the 2016 election. How far? Not… → Read More
The KRACK attack: Is all WiFi unsafe now? No, not really. But you’d better patch
;v=Oh4WURZoR98 Belgian researcher Mathy Vanhoef announced some rather brilliant research on Monday which… → Read More
Where are Millennials moving? The answer may surprise you
A combination of factors — sky-high home prices chief among them — have sent Millennials across the country looking for alternative places to settle down. → Read More
The FBI's secret weapon against lottery and romance scammers
Victim specialists help thwart the small army of clever romance and lottery scammers, who trick elderly Americans out of millions every year. → Read More
Equifax hack, one week later: What really happened, and what you should do to protect yourself
I can tell from the email I’m getting — and, honestly, from friends calling me and even stopping me at church— that you still have many questions about the… → Read More
Household spending: 7 surprising facts about food prices
U.S. families are spending much less overall on food than they did a generation ago. Food now eats half as much of the family budget than it once did. → Read More
Don’t be the next Anthony Scaramucci: Email prankster’s hoax shows how all of us are vulnerable
It was easy to impersonate White House officials like Jared Kushner and Reince Preibus or even Eric Trump. It fooled plenty of people who should have known… → Read More
All along eclipse ‘zone of totality,’ small towns make big bets to cash in on total darkness
(I’ve just spent a month driving back and forth across America, with Rusty, as I do every summer, visiting small towns with big dreams. This summer is… → Read More