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What is this "iPod"? A PD I lead a surprisingly low-tech existence. Largely, this due to wagmoko; she’s never quite realized that this isn’t 1980 anymore (of course, her mother has never quite realized that this isn’t 1950 anymore, and is still unreconciled to the fact that she has to push buttons on her telephone, instead of using a dial like Somebody intended). I recall wagimoko’s first encounter with a gas station credit card reader. We were driving to a friend’s house, and she said, "I’m getting low on gas". "Well," I responded, "get off the highway at the next exit; I know there’s a gas station there. I’ll fill your tank for you". We pulled the car in front on the pumps; I got out (this was a few years ago, when getting in and out of a car wasn’t such a big deal for me), swept a credit card through the reader, pressed the requisite buttons, and filled the tank. I then got back in the car and said, "OK, let’s go." "Wait", said wagimoko, "you didn’t pay!" "Sure I did; didn’t you see me put my card in the reader?" "You mean you can pay without going into the office?" Hon, that’s been possible for about 10 or 15 years now. Of course, if she has a choice, she buys her gas (and everything else relating to cars) at a little downtown garage where they have only two pumps and the owner comes out the office to handle them. John "Akatsukami" Braue Friday, March 01, 2002 |
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