Some shoppers waiting in checkout lines are so absorbed with smartphones that they become resistant to manipulation aimed at provoking impulse buying.

The article insults our intelligence by pretending that we are all suckers both for marketing and for portable phones. I don't know about you, but I resist them both pretty well. Nonetheless, I linked to the article because it has an interesting point about advertising.

Let's pass laws to ban retail stores (and hotels) from using computers from using sensors to recognize anything about their customers except that they are shoplifting, and from interfering in any way with communication to their computers. There is no reason these companies should be allowed to do whatever they wish to people.

Subcontracting food service to Sodexo cheats students, soldiers, whoever has to eat it — and the public too.

Two FISA court judges separately asked the Department of Justice to investigate NSA officials for misleading the court. But there was no investigation.

I suppose they used their influence to avoid one.

A double-blind study found that wearing magnets fails to reduce the pain of arthritis.

The fact that so many people believe the magnets help them testifies to people's tendency to be misled by cures. I suppose ancient Egyptians were quite convinced that their magic amulets reduced the pain of arthritis.

US citizens: Tell Obama you support his refusal to bow to Republican threats over the debt ceiling.