20 ms·

was posted here sometime ago: The door refused to open. It said, "Five cents, please." He searched his pockets. No more coins; nothing. "I'll pay you tomorrow,

by lkozma 5y ago

was posted here sometime ago: The door refused to open. It said, "Five cents, please." He searched his pockets. No more coins; nothing. "I'll pay you tomorrow," he told the door. Again he tried the knob. Again it remained locked tight. "What I pay you," he informed it, "is in the nature of a gratuity; I don't have to pay you." "I think otherwise," the door said. "Look in the purchase contract you signed when you bought this conapt." In his desk drawer he found the contract; since signing it he had found it necessary to refer to the document many times. Sure enough; payment to his door for opening and shutting constituted a mandatory fee. Not a tip. "You discover I'm right," the door said. It sounded smug. From the drawer beside the sink Joe Chip got a stainless steel knife; with it he began systematically to unscrew the bolt assembly of his apt's money-gulping door. "I'll sue you," the door said as the first screw fell out. Joe Chip said, "I've never been sued by a door. But I guess I can live through it." (Philip K. Dick: Ubik)

goda90 5y ago
It's either micro-transactions, or mandatory ads: https://old.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/rcka8s/new_chinese_toilet_paper_dispenser_requires_you/ https://old.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/rcka8s/new_c...
- irrational 5y ago
  Or do without.
  - Loughla 5y ago
    In terms of the remote start, yes, you can do without. But how long until BASIC functions become subscription service? Like electronically locking doors, or some other such nonsense? Once money finds a path, my belief is that the path gets widened.
    - NikolaNovak 5y ago
      Exactly; as well, in some situations (cold Canadian Winter with an infant etc), remote start is higher priority than remote doors, or electric windows, etc. "Basic" function vs "Luxury" can get awfully relative awfully fast...
    - jopsen 5y ago
      > Once money finds a path, my belief is that the path gets widened Maybe, but it does go the other way too... I used to pay per sms :) Disruption can happen... with cars it'll probably happen when all cars are self driving, rented per trip, and yes, maybe we'll still spend more money on cars -- but we'll probably also use transportation more.
- Aerroon 5y ago
  I think I would prefer lootboxes. With lootboxes once you get the fob it's yours to keep, rather than having to keep paying for it.
thatguy0900 5y ago
Reminds me of "drink a verification can" greentext https://www.reddit.com/r/4chan/comments/1ggg4u/please_drink_a_verification_can/ https://www.reddit.com/r/4chan/comments/1ggg4u/please_drink_...
- Y_Y 5y ago
  We can do better than a link to a Reddit thread with a screenshot of some text. I found this on GameFAQs slightly modified from the original and posted the day after, on 2013-06-16. -2018 -wake up feeling sick after a late night of playing vidya -excited to play some halo 2k19 -"xbox on" -... -"XBOX ON" -"Please verify that you are "annon332" by saying "Doritos™ Dew™ it right!" -"Doritos™ Dew™ it right" -"ERROR! Please drink a verification can" -reach into my Doritos™ Mountain Dew™ Halo 2k19™ War Chest -only a few cans left, needed to verify 14 times last night -still feeling sick from the 14 -force it down and grumble out "mmmm that really hit the spot" -xbox does nothing -i attempt to smile -"Connecting to verification server" -... -"Verification complete!" -finally -boot up halo 2k19 -finding multiplayer match... -"ERROR! User attempting to steal online gameplay!" -my mother just walked in the room -"Adding another user to your pass, this will be charged to your credit card. Do you accept?" -"NO!" -"Console entering lock state!" -"to unlock drink verification can" -last can -"WARNING, OUT OF VERIFICATION CANS, an order has been shipped and charged to your credit card" -drink half the can, oh god im going to be sick -pour the last half out the window -"PIRACY DETECTED! PLEASE COMPLETE THIS ADVERTISEMENT TO CONTINUE" -the mountain dew ad plays -i have to dance for it -feeling so sick -makes me sing along -dancing and singing -"mountain dew is for me and you" -throw up on my self -throw up on my tv and entertainment system -router shorts -"ERROR NO CONNECTION! XBOX SHUTTING OFF" -"PLEASE DRINK VERIFICATION CAN TO CONTINUE"
  - thatguy0900 5y ago
    Well, it's not a greentext without the green text.
  - exo762 5y ago
    Greentext, as the most relevant form of art.
dls2016 5y ago
Similar: Libertarian Police Department https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/l-p-d-libertarian-police-department https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/l-p-d-libertari...
- dharmab 5y ago
  Also, Private Police by Fry and Laurie https://youtu.be/vLfghLQE3F4 https://youtu.be/vLfghLQE3F4
  - mdp2021 5y ago
    In the sketch, the "client" states that he called the police and all he could get was on-hold music. I am afraid one can inform the international public: in some countries, this is exactly what happens, since years.
    - rightbyte 5y ago
      There are two cops were I live. I guess they don't always pick up. Or do you mean 911?
      - mdp2021 5y ago
        Yes I meant the equivalent of 911.
  - LAC-Tech 5y ago
    In 2021 the real government funded police would have zero interest in hearing about that kind of crime - assuming UK police are anything like police here. So this seems like a bit of an improvement :)
- betwixthewires 5y ago
  I saw this as a greentext macro a while back. I wonder where it came from originally.
bluepaper 5y ago
Finished reading Ubik just the other night - the paying for every little thing was haunting, almost claustrophobic with this passage about the door (amongst other things - fantastic book though)
- KingFelix 5y ago
  Its brilliant!
johnorourke 5y ago
Honorary mention also of Cory Doctorow's Unauthorized Bread short story: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/unauthorized-bread-a-near-future-tale-of-refugees-and-sinister-iot-appliances/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/unauthorized-bread-a-...
- lapetitejort 5y ago
  And of course the 4chan greentext "Please drink a verification can": https://imgur.com/r/4chan/dgGvgKF https://imgur.com/r/4chan/dgGvgKF
winternett 5y ago
Many other car makers do this too. My Volvo has a remote start feature installed (that I paid for in buying the car) that is not accessible without enrollment in a (pretty much useless otherwise) monthly subscription service. It's flat out criminal considering that I could have just bought the device with a remote at Auto Zone for 1/4 of the price (that also doesn't allow the auto maker to track/log each time I use it and where I am when I use it).
- Loughla 5y ago
  Yeah - not sure why Toyota is getting hammered for this. Subaru does this as well. You can get app enabled remote start from your phone, if you buy their subscription service. I love Subaru, but that is a trash system.
  - lastofthemojito 5y ago
    That feels like apples-and-oranges to me if you're talking about a smartphone app feature. A smartphone app has to be regularly upgraded to pay nice with new OS versions, has to have back-end servers, etc. Toyota is disabling remote start functionality between the key fob and the vehicle if the vehicle doesn't have a subscription. I'm not surprised a smartphone app requires a subscription but I am surprised and disappointed that a feature on a car's key fob does.
    - 14 5y ago
      I too am highly disappointed in Toyota here. A remote start is something you can buy at any auto store and have installed by a mechanic for a couple hundred bucks. Will they block people from going that route now? They charge such a premium for their cars and this just seems petty.
      - michaelmrose 5y ago
        The logical next step would be to ensure that you can't do that in the name of security or if you CAN do it then the "partner" that sells that service has to pay more than you would for the privilege of being allowed on the "platform".
phkahler 5y ago
Reminds me of this tragic but true story about a man and his dog that died in a Corvette because the door failed to open electronically. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/06/11/texas-man-dog-die-trapped-corvette/71053474/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/06/11/te... If your car door uses electricity to open, you best know what to do when that system fails. Death should not occur due to failure to RTFM for a door.
- silisili 5y ago
  Wait what, do Corvettes not just unlock and open when you pull the handle? Every vehicle I've ever owned, from the 80s to now, manual or electric lock, the front doors both open when the handle is pulled, locked or not. If this isn't the case, I'm almost inclined to consider that criminally negligent.
  - jasonpeacock 5y ago
    In my 2021 Honda CR-V this is a configurable option - you can decide which behavior you want. For example, you don't want your kids to open the doors while you're driving. Or you don't want a car-jacker to reach through the window and open your door.
    - bumby 5y ago
      How is it configured? Electronically or through a switch on on the door jamb?
      - jasonpeacock 5y ago
        Electronically, through the settings in the touchscreen panel on the dash. These are not child locks, but rather set the behavior of the door latch when the door is locked.
        bumby 5y ago
        Does it have a fail-safe configuration if electricity is lost like in the examples above? If not, the ability to change configuration may not actually mitigate the failure mode
servytor 5y ago
Unrelated, but one of my favorite quotes from PKD is this one from Now Wait for Last Year: --- “All right," Eric agreed. "If you were me, and your wife were sick, desperately so, with no hope of recovery, would you leave her? Or would you stay with her, even if you had traveled ten years into the future and knew for an absolute certainty that the damage to her brain could never be reversed? And staying with her would mean-" "I can see what it would mean, sir," the cab broke in. "It would mean no other life for you beyond caring for her." "That's right," Eric said. "I'd stay with her," the cab decided. "Why?" "Because," the cab said, "life is composed of reality configurations so constituted. To abandon her would be to say, I can't endure reality as such. I have to have uniquely special easier conditions." "I think I agree," Eric said after a time. "I think I will stay with her." "God bless you, sir," the cab said. "I can see that you're a good man.”
- dr-detroit 5y ago
  Chilling when you think of all the demi humans that "walk" around in 2021 with those big plastic smiles.
- ameen 5y ago
  Thank you for sharing this. I've often wondered how some folks deal with misfortune, take it in stride and work through them than abandon all hope for an easier route. Perseverance and Endurance are a rarity in today's society.
  - BobbyJo 5y ago
    > Perseverance and Endurance are a rarity in today's society. No, they're just quiet.
    - nataz 5y ago
      This comment needs to be internalized by everyone who has ever worked in a collaborative environment, or God forbid manage a team of people. For all the hard charging, 10x programer, I am a builder let me work folks out there...Empathy is hard to learn, but you'll be a better person for it. I promise.
KingFelix 5y ago
Just had a conversation about this exact idea. Such a brilliant book
csours 5y ago
Reading Ubik was a real trip for me. Highly recommend.
kps 5y ago
> Joe Chip got a stainless steel knife; with it he began systematically to unscrew the bolt assembly Joe clearly doesn't have an Apple door.
epberry 5y ago
This feature does not prevent you from unlocking the car. Just pointing your key at your car outside your building and turning it on in the cold.
gentleman11 5y ago
My wife and I need a new car sometime soon. Is there a company that makes cars that are reasonably reliable but that are without anti features like tracking, electronic everything, bs parts replacement costs due to ip, features you are locked out of via software, subscriptions, software preventing you from working on the car without a special license, ads, etc? Look at the ways software is making the world a better place…
- seanp2k2 5y ago
  According to plenty of preppers, the 12V Cummins Diesel trucks were the last great EMP-resistant vehicles https://dieselresource.com/diesel-resources/2nd-generation-5-9l-cummins-specs/ https://dieselresource.com/diesel-resources/2nd-generation-5...
- amelius 5y ago
  This is like buying a dumb TV, and is probably close to impossible.
  - onlyrealcuzzo 5y ago
    What's wrong with 2017 Kia Optimas?
  - MonaroVXR 5y ago
    Here you go, there are more, search on the website. https://www.cdw.com/product/samsung-678u-series-55-4k-uhd-led-hospitality-tv/5364487 https://www.cdw.com/product/samsung-678u-series-55-4k-uhd-le...
    - amelius 5y ago
      "This item was discontinued on June 17, 2021"
- MonaroVXR 5y ago
  Older cars to be honest.
- 5y ago
manquer 5y ago
I have seen the this happen in real life with housing startups many of them use mobile apps for unlocking doors in India - nestaway [1] or Zolo[2] and others, including unscrewing the lock Doors won't unlock if rent is not paid on time, sometimes it is not even delayed rent payments, the company will charge you frivolously for something and you will be locked out unless you resolve the payment dispute i.e. talk to support to waive/rescind the charge or pay for it, and that goes as well as talking to any support to revert a charge. [1] https://www.nestaway.com/ https://www.nestaway.com/ [2] https://zolostays.com/ https://zolostays.com/
- JetAlone 5y ago
  Nestaway's website is a real window into the dystopia. It's kind of refreshing to have a panopticonic nightmare conveyed by an aesthetic other than alegria for once.
- ClumsyPilot 5y ago
  "Doors won't unlock if rent is not paid on time" Need to bring back public floggibg for whoever came up with this
Jenda_ 5y ago
There is a Soviet children's book with the same topic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunno_on_the_Moon#Lunar_capitalism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunno_on_the_Moon#Lunar_capita...
mensetmanusman 5y ago
This reminds me of the Charlie card for using the subway in Boston: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kacASNARakQ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kacASNARakQ It has fun history, apparently they were going to introduce a nickel tax to get off the subway, so the legend is that Charlie never got off, because he didn’t have a nickel.
- ArteEtMarte 5y ago
  Nearly happened to me on the Tokyo subway. Train from Narita to Tokyo, couldn't find a way to get out of the system in Shibuya.
charcircuit 5y ago
This wouldn't be a problem if it just charged your credit card. I do think it should be a cheaper. $0.005 would be a more reasonable price. I would definitely pay $0.1 a day to use all my doors. Maybe like my front door since its more heavy duty would be a $0.05 / use door.
QuercusMax 5y ago
Highly recommend Ubik; I read it in part because I saw this quote, which isn't necessarily a good reflection of the actual content of the story. A little surprised nobody's adapted it as a movie yet.
matheusmoreira 5y ago
This sort of stuff used to be the nightmarish imaginations of cyberpunk authors. Now it's reality. Extremely disturbing. It's getting to the point I'm starting to think technology is detrimental to human dignity.

by lkozma 5y ago

goda90 5y ago

It's either micro-transactions, or mandatory ads: https://old.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/rcka8s/new_chinese_toilet_paper_dispenser_requires_you/ https://old.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/rcka8s/new_c...

irrational 5y ago
Or do without.
- Loughla 5y ago
  In terms of the remote start, yes, you can do without. But how long until BASIC functions become subscription service? Like electronically locking doors, or some other such nonsense? Once money finds a path, my belief is that the path gets widened.
  - NikolaNovak 5y ago
    Exactly; as well, in some situations (cold Canadian Winter with an infant etc), remote start is higher priority than remote doors, or electric windows, etc. "Basic" function vs "Luxury" can get awfully relative awfully fast...
  - jopsen 5y ago
    > Once money finds a path, my belief is that the path gets widened Maybe, but it does go the other way too... I used to pay per sms :) Disruption can happen... with cars it'll probably happen when all cars are self driving, rented per trip, and yes, maybe we'll still spend more money on cars -- but we'll probably also use transportation more.
Aerroon 5y ago
I think I would prefer lootboxes. With lootboxes once you get the fob it's yours to keep, rather than having to keep paying for it.

thatguy0900 5y ago

Reminds me of "drink a verification can" greentext https://www.reddit.com/r/4chan/comments/1ggg4u/please_drink_a_verification_can/ https://www.reddit.com/r/4chan/comments/1ggg4u/please_drink_...

Y_Y 5y ago
We can do better than a link to a Reddit thread with a screenshot of some text. I found this on GameFAQs slightly modified from the original and posted the day after, on 2013-06-16. -2018 -wake up feeling sick after a late night of playing vidya -excited to play some halo 2k19 -"xbox on" -... -"XBOX ON" -"Please verify that you are "annon332" by saying "Doritos™ Dew™ it right!" -"Doritos™ Dew™ it right" -"ERROR! Please drink a verification can" -reach into my Doritos™ Mountain Dew™ Halo 2k19™ War Chest -only a few cans left, needed to verify 14 times last night -still feeling sick from the 14 -force it down and grumble out "mmmm that really hit the spot" -xbox does nothing -i attempt to smile -"Connecting to verification server" -... -"Verification complete!" -finally -boot up halo 2k19 -finding multiplayer match... -"ERROR! User attempting to steal online gameplay!" -my mother just walked in the room -"Adding another user to your pass, this will be charged to your credit card. Do you accept?" -"NO!" -"Console entering lock state!" -"to unlock drink verification can" -last can -"WARNING, OUT OF VERIFICATION CANS, an order has been shipped and charged to your credit card" -drink half the can, oh god im going to be sick -pour the last half out the window -"PIRACY DETECTED! PLEASE COMPLETE THIS ADVERTISEMENT TO CONTINUE" -the mountain dew ad plays -i have to dance for it -feeling so sick -makes me sing along -dancing and singing -"mountain dew is for me and you" -throw up on my self -throw up on my tv and entertainment system -router shorts -"ERROR NO CONNECTION! XBOX SHUTTING OFF" -"PLEASE DRINK VERIFICATION CAN TO CONTINUE"
- thatguy0900 5y ago
  Well, it's not a greentext without the green text.
- exo762 5y ago
  Greentext, as the most relevant form of art.

dls2016 5y ago

Similar: Libertarian Police Department https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/l-p-d-libertarian-police-department https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/l-p-d-libertari...

dharmab 5y ago
Also, Private Police by Fry and Laurie https://youtu.be/vLfghLQE3F4 https://youtu.be/vLfghLQE3F4
- mdp2021 5y ago
  In the sketch, the "client" states that he called the police and all he could get was on-hold music. I am afraid one can inform the international public: in some countries, this is exactly what happens, since years.
  - rightbyte 5y ago
    There are two cops were I live. I guess they don't always pick up. Or do you mean 911?
    - mdp2021 5y ago
      Yes I meant the equivalent of 911.
- LAC-Tech 5y ago
  In 2021 the real government funded police would have zero interest in hearing about that kind of crime - assuming UK police are anything like police here. So this seems like a bit of an improvement :)
betwixthewires 5y ago
I saw this as a greentext macro a while back. I wonder where it came from originally.

bluepaper 5y ago

Finished reading Ubik just the other night - the paying for every little thing was haunting, almost claustrophobic with this passage about the door (amongst other things - fantastic book though)

KingFelix 5y ago
Its brilliant!

johnorourke 5y ago

Honorary mention also of Cory Doctorow's Unauthorized Bread short story: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/unauthorized-bread-a-near-future-tale-of-refugees-and-sinister-iot-appliances/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/unauthorized-bread-a-...

lapetitejort 5y ago
And of course the 4chan greentext "Please drink a verification can": https://imgur.com/r/4chan/dgGvgKF https://imgur.com/r/4chan/dgGvgKF

winternett 5y ago

Many other car makers do this too. My Volvo has a remote start feature installed (that I paid for in buying the car) that is not accessible without enrollment in a (pretty much useless otherwise) monthly subscription service. It's flat out criminal considering that I could have just bought the device with a remote at Auto Zone for 1/4 of the price (that also doesn't allow the auto maker to track/log each time I use it and where I am when I use it).

Loughla 5y ago
Yeah - not sure why Toyota is getting hammered for this. Subaru does this as well. You can get app enabled remote start from your phone, if you buy their subscription service. I love Subaru, but that is a trash system.
- lastofthemojito 5y ago
  That feels like apples-and-oranges to me if you're talking about a smartphone app feature. A smartphone app has to be regularly upgraded to pay nice with new OS versions, has to have back-end servers, etc. Toyota is disabling remote start functionality between the key fob and the vehicle if the vehicle doesn't have a subscription. I'm not surprised a smartphone app requires a subscription but I am surprised and disappointed that a feature on a car's key fob does.
  - 14 5y ago
    I too am highly disappointed in Toyota here. A remote start is something you can buy at any auto store and have installed by a mechanic for a couple hundred bucks. Will they block people from going that route now? They charge such a premium for their cars and this just seems petty.
    - michaelmrose 5y ago
      The logical next step would be to ensure that you can't do that in the name of security or if you CAN do it then the "partner" that sells that service has to pay more than you would for the privilege of being allowed on the "platform".

phkahler 5y ago

Reminds me of this tragic but true story about a man and his dog that died in a Corvette because the door failed to open electronically. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/06/11/texas-man-dog-die-trapped-corvette/71053474/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/06/11/te... If your car door uses electricity to open, you best know what to do when that system fails. Death should not occur due to failure to RTFM for a door.

silisili 5y ago
Wait what, do Corvettes not just unlock and open when you pull the handle? Every vehicle I've ever owned, from the 80s to now, manual or electric lock, the front doors both open when the handle is pulled, locked or not. If this isn't the case, I'm almost inclined to consider that criminally negligent.
- jasonpeacock 5y ago
  In my 2021 Honda CR-V this is a configurable option - you can decide which behavior you want. For example, you don't want your kids to open the doors while you're driving. Or you don't want a car-jacker to reach through the window and open your door.
  - bumby 5y ago
    How is it configured? Electronically or through a switch on on the door jamb?
    - jasonpeacock 5y ago
      Electronically, through the settings in the touchscreen panel on the dash. These are not child locks, but rather set the behavior of the door latch when the door is locked.
      - bumby 5y ago
        Does it have a fail-safe configuration if electricity is lost like in the examples above? If not, the ability to change configuration may not actually mitigate the failure mode

servytor 5y ago

Unrelated, but one of my favorite quotes from PKD is this one from Now Wait for Last Year: --- “All right," Eric agreed. "If you were me, and your wife were sick, desperately so, with no hope of recovery, would you leave her? Or would you stay with her, even if you had traveled ten years into the future and knew for an absolute certainty that the damage to her brain could never be reversed? And staying with her would mean-" "I can see what it would mean, sir," the cab broke in. "It would mean no other life for you beyond caring for her." "That's right," Eric said. "I'd stay with her," the cab decided. "Why?" "Because," the cab said, "life is composed of reality configurations so constituted. To abandon her would be to say, I can't endure reality as such. I have to have uniquely special easier conditions." "I think I agree," Eric said after a time. "I think I will stay with her." "God bless you, sir," the cab said. "I can see that you're a good man.”

dr-detroit 5y ago
Chilling when you think of all the demi humans that "walk" around in 2021 with those big plastic smiles.
ameen 5y ago
Thank you for sharing this. I've often wondered how some folks deal with misfortune, take it in stride and work through them than abandon all hope for an easier route. Perseverance and Endurance are a rarity in today's society.
- BobbyJo 5y ago
  > Perseverance and Endurance are a rarity in today's society. No, they're just quiet.
  - nataz 5y ago
    This comment needs to be internalized by everyone who has ever worked in a collaborative environment, or God forbid manage a team of people. For all the hard charging, 10x programer, I am a builder let me work folks out there...Empathy is hard to learn, but you'll be a better person for it. I promise.

KingFelix 5y ago

Just had a conversation about this exact idea. Such a brilliant book

csours 5y ago

Reading Ubik was a real trip for me. Highly recommend.

kps 5y ago

> Joe Chip got a stainless steel knife; with it he began systematically to unscrew the bolt assembly Joe clearly doesn't have an Apple door.

epberry 5y ago

This feature does not prevent you from unlocking the car. Just pointing your key at your car outside your building and turning it on in the cold.

gentleman11 5y ago

My wife and I need a new car sometime soon. Is there a company that makes cars that are reasonably reliable but that are without anti features like tracking, electronic everything, bs parts replacement costs due to ip, features you are locked out of via software, subscriptions, software preventing you from working on the car without a special license, ads, etc? Look at the ways software is making the world a better place…

seanp2k2 5y ago
According to plenty of preppers, the 12V Cummins Diesel trucks were the last great EMP-resistant vehicles https://dieselresource.com/diesel-resources/2nd-generation-5-9l-cummins-specs/ https://dieselresource.com/diesel-resources/2nd-generation-5...
amelius 5y ago
This is like buying a dumb TV, and is probably close to impossible.
- onlyrealcuzzo 5y ago
  What's wrong with 2017 Kia Optimas?
- MonaroVXR 5y ago
  Here you go, there are more, search on the website. https://www.cdw.com/product/samsung-678u-series-55-4k-uhd-led-hospitality-tv/5364487 https://www.cdw.com/product/samsung-678u-series-55-4k-uhd-le...
  - amelius 5y ago
    "This item was discontinued on June 17, 2021"
MonaroVXR 5y ago
Older cars to be honest.
5y ago

manquer 5y ago

I have seen the this happen in real life with housing startups many of them use mobile apps for unlocking doors in India - nestaway [1] or Zolo[2] and others, including unscrewing the lock Doors won't unlock if rent is not paid on time, sometimes it is not even delayed rent payments, the company will charge you frivolously for something and you will be locked out unless you resolve the payment dispute i.e. talk to support to waive/rescind the charge or pay for it, and that goes as well as talking to any support to revert a charge. [1] https://www.nestaway.com/ https://www.nestaway.com/ [2] https://zolostays.com/ https://zolostays.com/

JetAlone 5y ago
Nestaway's website is a real window into the dystopia. It's kind of refreshing to have a panopticonic nightmare conveyed by an aesthetic other than alegria for once.
ClumsyPilot 5y ago
"Doors won't unlock if rent is not paid on time" Need to bring back public floggibg for whoever came up with this

Jenda_ 5y ago

There is a Soviet children's book with the same topic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunno_on_the_Moon#Lunar_capitalism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunno_on_the_Moon#Lunar_capita...

mensetmanusman 5y ago

This reminds me of the Charlie card for using the subway in Boston: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kacASNARakQ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kacASNARakQ It has fun history, apparently they were going to introduce a nickel tax to get off the subway, so the legend is that Charlie never got off, because he didn’t have a nickel.

ArteEtMarte 5y ago
Nearly happened to me on the Tokyo subway. Train from Narita to Tokyo, couldn't find a way to get out of the system in Shibuya.

charcircuit 5y ago

This wouldn't be a problem if it just charged your credit card. I do think it should be a cheaper. $0.005 would be a more reasonable price. I would definitely pay $0.1 a day to use all my doors. Maybe like my front door since its more heavy duty would be a $0.05 / use door.

QuercusMax 5y ago

Highly recommend Ubik; I read it in part because I saw this quote, which isn't necessarily a good reflection of the actual content of the story. A little surprised nobody's adapted it as a movie yet.

matheusmoreira 5y ago

This sort of stuff used to be the nightmarish imaginations of cyberpunk authors. Now it's reality. Extremely disturbing. It's getting to the point I'm starting to think technology is detrimental to human dignity.