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Sorry, we replaced that old technology, “see-through glass”

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Re: Sorry, we replaced that old technology, “see-through glass”

#121

Everyone's complaining about ads. But just like on the web, ads aren't the problem, tracking is. https://twitter.com/RunDaltonRun/status/1408578486046887939 This thing is for tracking what you look at, and is supposed to help the store figure out how to "optimize" their shelf.

There's also the unnecessary use of untrusted JavaScript that sites pull in from their ad networks.

A few years ago I tried running without ad or JavaScript blocking at work. That lasted a few weeks until the day I got an JS driven redirect to a porn site from a work related search result. I have no sympathy for the clowns who imposed this garbage on the world.

Re: Sorry, we replaced that old technology, “see-through glass”

#122

A boring dystopia indeed. One day someone will be hunched over on a sidewalk, dying of thirst, and a patrolling Nestle®-branded drone senses (using state-of-the-art machine learning "customer needs" technology) his predicament. The drone hovers there projecting a holo-ad about Nestles hot product "Nectar of Life" which is just water from the region's last remaining aquifer cut with brackish water from the coast. The…

Shades of both Philip K Dick and Frank Herbert here. This is one of the best SF short stories I've read for a while.

“Please drink verification can.”

The sad thing is, we engineers are building this dystopia. Maybe even fellow HN readers. Our next JIRA ticket in the queue is to shove another ad onto another previously unmonetized surface. Many of us are actively bringing about this world!

The engineer who built this grocery screen was probably highly compensated for it. The biz guys who just hi-5'ed each other for "crushing it" are too, and the entrepreneur is probably already a millionaire. Everyone's making money by being part of the problem.

Re: Sorry, we replaced that old technology, “see-through glass”

#123
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's dystopian crap, I want nothing to do with it. This is what the future looks like though. Welcome.

"I assert X is inevitable" isn't a valid argument. > This is what the future looks like Is it though? Is it impossible for us to stop? Or is this premature defeatism?

I know I personally would just avoid any store with these, I already hate the fast food animated Menzies where they rotate between menu and ads and I don’t go to those places

Re: Sorry, we replaced that old technology, “see-through glass”

#124
post #104
post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except that moving inventory, and to a lesser extent generating repeat business, is more critical than ancillary ad revenue. If The screens don’t work or the ads aren’t effective, and I don’t open the door to get those high-margin also-bought drinks than they definitely do not achieve the store’s goal.

The shoppers are already in the store, presumably to buy from their list. Now the store gets a cut of an ad and the profit from the sale it makes. The digital delivery is going to be amazing for A/B testing of ads because they are going to have near immediate feedback. It's pretty clever in a dystopian hellscape kind of way.

Counterpoint: all else being equal, I'd rather not have these because I think they'd be annoying, so if one of my local grocery stores were to install them I would then give more of my business to the other (largely interchangeable) ones going forward.

You're right that I wouldn't rage quit and leave without doing my shopping the first time I saw these, but I also might not be back. Sure, I'd learn to live with it if every grocery store were to get on board, but in that scenario not having them would become a major competitive advantage.

Re: Sorry, we replaced that old technology, “see-through glass”

#125
Here's a thought experiment. Imagine those screens weren't on the coolers themselves, but on a wall nearby. And coolers were just coolers, let's say horizontal ones with frozen stuff you can't clearly see at a glance. How much more do you like it this way and why? What's the difference? There's still a camera and it probably records you.

Re: Sorry, we replaced that old technology, “see-through glass”

#126
post #7

Hopefully the prices are at least up-to-date. I oftent skip buying items if their prices aren't listed.

That alone is a huge benefit of this. Lack of clear pricing is such a big problem, keeping labels up to date - it's a labour intensive problem and 'labour' is a primary cost input for retail.

Of course, this aside from the actual sneaky things that they do.

If they don't jam these things with ads or confusion, I think it's going to work out well.

Re: Sorry, we replaced that old technology, “see-through glass”

#127
The year is 2050 and your dingy old toaster has finally given up it's last crumbs. You hop onto Amazon in hopes of finding a suitable replacement as there's no longer any box stores you can travel to. Dumb appliances have been phased out and newer internet connected appliances have taken over. It's better for the consumer they claim.

Not wanting an overtly fancy contraption you pick a no frills unit that includes a touch screen along the side. A few hours later it arrives. Setting it up was almost as easy as your old one. Plug it in, enter your wi-fi password, and a credit card to start your free pro trial of the monthly subscription service that tweets at you when the toast is done. It says you can cancel at anytime but it requires a 5 day waiting period. It also requires access to your contacts.

Tired and just wanting your toast you agree. You insert two slices of white bread and press the big red GO button on the touch screen. An electrical motor whines from inside the toaster at it begins to retract the toast into itself. There's a few seconds of silence as the toaster slowly heat ups. While awkwardly standing there you notice the touch screen flickers and begins to display a buffering icon. An ad for I Can't Believe it's Not Butter begins to play. To make matters worse you can't even ignore it by looking away due to a small tinny sounding speaker playing the company's jingle.

This is your new morning routine.

Welcome to the future.

Re: Sorry, we replaced that old technology, “see-through glass”

#128

The year is 2050 and your dingy old toaster has finally given up it's last crumbs. You hop onto Amazon in hopes of finding a suitable replacement as there's no longer any box stores you can travel to. Dumb appliances have been phased out and newer internet connected appliances have taken over. It's better for the consumer they claim. Not wanting an overtly fancy contraption you pick a no frills unit that includes a t…

[deleted]

Re: Sorry, we replaced that old technology, “see-through glass”

#129

In the '90s I was in a technology based art class at CMU. An artist talked about a project they wanted to do: a music streamer, but it would use GPS to know it's location, and play music from the local culture, to keep you connected to your surroundings. Another student said: "You mean, a radio?"

An app-based solution using GPS, local DJs, and music that was royalty-free by local musicians (aiming to get recognition, live shows, and sell merch) could be a huge hit...

Re: Sorry, we replaced that old technology, “see-through glass”

#130

The year is 2050 and your dingy old toaster has finally given up it's last crumbs. You hop onto Amazon in hopes of finding a suitable replacement as there's no longer any box stores you can travel to. Dumb appliances have been phased out and newer internet connected appliances have taken over. It's better for the consumer they claim. Not wanting an overtly fancy contraption you pick a no frills unit that includes a t…

This made me sad.
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