• Mar 3, 2006

    Usability of ATMs

    Bank of America has had the a very ugly user interface for its ATMs for years. It is text based and while usable, it just isn't pretty. Several years back they changed it into a snazzy graphical interface and then for some reason, pulled it from the ATMs. I actually went into the bank and complained. I wasn't the only one that complained. However, one thing that has bugged me for years is that after you put in your card, you had to select between English or Spanish. Don't you think they could store the 1 bit of information in the system what I selected last time? While they still don't remember the preference, they now don't make you choose on a separate screen; instead after you enter your PIN you press the English confirmation or the Spanish confirmation button.

    Would a prettier user interface help? I don't know, but I thought the pictures were neat. Maybe they reverted in order to comply with the ADA act (the ATM do have a headset jack for visually impaired people).

  • Mar 2, 2006

    I hate waiting

    I ordered a Garmin Forerunner 305 from gpscity.com on Feb. 21 knowing that the units wouldn't be shipping from Garmin until about March 1. Well, I'm now in line as they fill the backorders. The wait is killing me! I'm very impatient and can't wait for my new toy. (I went into software as I wanted to see the results of my work quickly.) Hopefully I'll have it in a few weeks.

  • Feb 26, 2006

    Cash vs Credit

    It seems that these days very few businesses besides gas stations charge a different price for cash vs. credit. I know that there is a cost to accepting credit cards (transaction fee and percentage of sale), but companies consider it a cost of doing business and absorb the cost. Years ago when I started accepting credit cards for NotfiyMail, I too realized this and if I wanted to get more customers, I'd have to accept credit cards and charging different prices would not sit well with customers. It would seem that either gas stations are on a super slim margin or just want to milk customers. There are 2 gas stations near my house; for a long time neither accepted credit cards, so I always got cash before going (they charged a $0.35 convenience fee for ATM transactions). Then one of them starting accepting credit cards for the same price as cash. Well, the second station started accepting credit cards at a different price (6 cents higher), so the station I was going to just started doing the same thing. This really annoys me, but it won't stop me from going there as the bank is in the same shopping center so I can get cash and it is convenient.

  • Feb 24, 2006

    My tax dollars hard at work

    I tend to use the phrase "my tax dollars hard at work" when describing wasteful spending of tax dollars. Today's paper gave me another opportunity to say this. San Diego is looking to build a bigger airport and has selected some military sites (currently in use) as options where they would be dual use (military and civilian). They have done this despite the fact that the military has said absolutely no. The airport authority has paid a consultant to come up with ways that the airport could be dual use. If the military said no, is there any chance it will happen?

    Personally I don't want a larger airport; I like our airport as it is convenient and easy to use. In addition, one of the top sites is Miramar Marine Corps Air Station which is much closer to my house; this could increase flight noise near my house, but will definitely increase traffic. During the annual Miramar air show, traffic was backed up to my exit on the freeway which is about 10 miles from the entrance to Miramar. This was on a weekend without the normal commuting traffic. I can't imagine what it would be like to get to the proposed airport during the week.

    I wish someone would pay me a lot of money to come up with completely unrealistic ideas for a new airport.