Richard Pryor was a Genius

OK, it wasn't exactly Richard Pryor but the character he played in Superman 3 that was a genius.

For those of us that had the displeasure of actually watching Superman 3, you may recall Pryor's character makes a boat load of cash shaving a penny off from millions through, if I recall, rounding errors or something. Who would have guessed he'd predict the future of banking, cell phones, gasoline prices, electricity, and any number of other industries.

The banking and credit card industry is the best obviously, just look at all the fees they have and penalties you pay. Oh, and don't let a bill be late by a day or they'll wack you $30 or $40 bucks despite the fact that you actually mailed it in time or worse, paid it online before the due date but they choose not to debit it for 3 days.

Look at what happens when you cash or deposit an out of town check. The banks get to hold on to YOUR money for 5 days in many cases! That was understandable when your check had to be sent by plane from one place to the other to get the funds. That is ancient history now. When you deposit a check, it should be in your account immediately if not at least by the very next day.

I've decided that I'm going to open a chain of hotels and charge $19.99/day for the best rooms. Of course, I'll charge $5 per flush of the toilet, $50 to get a key, $25 to turn on the TV, and every flick of the light switch will be $10. Mixed in with all those extra taxes and fees they already charge, no one will ever notice.

I wish I'd paid more attention to Superman 3 when I first saw it. I'd have realized the wave of the future was charging pennies to millions instead of dollars to few. The one thing I couldn't have foreseen is that no one would have been able to do anything about it.