141–150 of 347 posts
We built a startup. You scan a QR code, that sends a text message. If you have a saved card, you pay in the text thread by replying 'pay now', if not you get a link to save a new card. No apps required. Hoping that with enough adoption, it will obviate the need for experiences as bad as this.
My rear camera doesn’t work, am I screwed?
But hey, it could be even worse . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG6KA6V4T7w
A 6 minute video weighting at about 150MiB for "explaining" what can be summarized in a couple sentences of text is another particular version of hell.
In other words: Fuck Google and their ad bullshit.
Huh, I haven't had to pay for parking in a decade. I hate phones, and modern tech.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Free walking on public sidewalks is also theft, following the same logic. Or sitting in place for a little too long.
They'll tell you that as a human you have every right to use public space but as soon as you get inside a vehicle you turn into Hitler.
I don't have a cell phone. What should I have done in this situation?
Without a cell phone I would be more concerned about other things than the parking lot, such as how people contact you when you are out?
Maybe Musks' 'everything app' vision is going to work after all.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's not even the UI or the tech stack ... it's that it's tech at all. Am I required to own a smart phone now to park? Am I required to have a credit card to park? Idea: 1) Park without paying 2) Get towed 3) Sue the living shit out of the municipality so that they shut down modern parking meters.
Today, I literally spent 10 minutes downloading, installing, creating an account, and adding payment methods to an app so I could pay $0.40 to park for 30 minutes because the meter didn't have a coin slot and the credit card reader was broken. I was going to a local store to buy something. Amazon will probably get my business next time.
I see we've hopped out of the frying pan and into the fire.
I. Hate. Technology. I hate working in this field. I hate how unprofessional every company is, from the largest to the smallest. I hate how incompetent all the engineers are. I hate how no business I have ever worked for has ever trained its workers on anything but how to fill out a time sheet. I hate all the blog posts about inane technical details. I hate how people start building a solution to a problem they're no…
Periodically I joke around with my family that when I retire (I'm 49 now, so it's not all that far away), I'm never touching another computer again. Ever. Each time I make that joke, it's a little less joke and a little more of an actual plan.
Anyone who works with such software at work (like SAP) knows it's UX is garbage and it's not for them. But now the same model is being foisted on the masses.
But hey, it could be even worse . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG6KA6V4T7w
Street parking, a universal hassle, is especially problematic in Chicago due to the infamous Chicago parking meter deal. This deal permitted a private company to take control and revenue from all 36,000 of the city's parking meters. In return, the city received a lump sum of $1.16 billion. However, this arrangement has led to numerous financial and political challenges that won't conclude until 2083.
The root of this decision can be traced back to the 2008 financial crisis when Chicago was grappling with a significant budget deficit. Mayor Richard M. Daley, in an attempt to address this, chose to privatize the parking meters without adequate analysis. Surprisingly, the city's aldermen approved this deal by a vote of 40 to 5, despite having limited time to review the terms. These aldermen have since faced criticism for their apparent lack of due diligence.
The beneficiaries of this deal, Chicago Parking Meters LLC (a consortium formed by Morgan Stanley, Allianz Capital partners, and The Sovereign wealth fund of Abu Dhabi) saw immense profits. This was largely due to stipulations in the agreement that increased parking rates, ensuring a steady rise in revenue. Furthermore, the city now finds itself in a position where it has to pay penalties whenever it undertakes any actions that could potentially dip into the company's profits. This has amounted to Chicago paying the company over $75 million since the deal's inception.
Additionally, this arrangement severely restricts the city's urban development endeavors. For instance, adding bike lanes or implementing other urban reforms now comes with the caveat of compensating the company for any possible lost revenues. An attempt to challenge this by claiming the company held an illegal monopoly was dismissed in court twice. The courts deemed that while the deal might not have been the wisest choice, it wasn't illegal. So, due to the financial pressures of the crisis, Chicago ended up making a deal that has permitted financial institutions to reap substantial profits from city property for an extended period.