Upon further consideration

I have previously written about use of self checkout, and my finding it a generally acceptable alternative in the implementation being used by the supermarket Albertsons.

No more do I find it acceptable. I ran out of patience with the Albertsons system when it developed a very easily triggered tendency to go into an error loop that can only be stopped by manual intervention by the clerk who minds the self checkout stations.

How does this error loop occur? For example:

• I remove an item from the bagging area (because that area is getting too crowded) when it is supposed to be OK to remove items from that area.
• The station's audio prompts start complaining about "Item unexpectedly removed from bagging area. Return item to bagging area." (Or something similar.) I return the item.
  
• The audio prompt then starts complaining about "Unexpected item in bagging area." I remove the item.
• The audio prompt returns to complaining about "Item unexpected removed from bagging area...."
• And so on and so forth ad nauseum until the clerk intervenes.

Bah. I don't have the time to waste. I've quit using the Albertsons self checkout system until and if they bring in something else entirely.

I still don't have experience with other self checkout systems to comment on them.

License Plate Watch 21

Seen today in a Fashion Valley mall parking structure on a Mercedes-Benz I parked behind: "BEEN2OZ". (I'm assuming the reference is to Australia.)

Fun with your brain

Try doing the actions described in this comic.

I don't know if everyone gets the result that is described, but I do, every time. Very disconcerting, to say the least!

License Plate Watch 20

Seen today on a Mini Cooper convertible: "DWEEB"

License Plate Watch 19

Seen today on a Mini Cooper that was painted all black: "LTL DETH"

Star Trek meets Monty Python

This is simply the funniest video I have seen in I don't know how long: A near perfect blending of the song "Knights of the Round Table" from Monty Python and the Holy Grail with clips from the original Star Trek series. Brilliant, simply brilliant.

Temper, temper

I've been vaguely aware from news sites that people having been camping out in lines at stores for days in order to be among the first to get their hands on the new Sony Playstation 3 when it officially goes on sale this Friday (November 17).

A little earlier today I went shopping for a new land line phone and drove to a Best Buy store that is fairly near me to look at what they had. As I drove in, I saw there was one of these lines at this store, and there were two San Diego Police Department cars in it's parking lot, with what looked like four officers watching the line and talking with store personnel.

Seeing that police presence definitely made me wonder what was up. So, I just checked the local newspaper's site, and I see there had been fighting in the line earlier today.

All I can say is:

1. I have no interest myself in video gaming. As a result of that:
2. I can not imagine why people would wait in line for days to get their hands on gaming consoles. But:
3. I'm not entirely surprised passions among those who do want to wait in such lines would rise to the point of tempers being lost.