Disney's $1B Bet on a Magical Wristband • Hacker News Board

Re: Disney's $1B Bet on a Magical Wristband

#81

Post by woodchuck64 » Tue, Mar 10, 2015, 4:56 PM UTC

ssully wrote: post #73

evan_ wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Simple is kinda this.

Yup. My phone usually notifies be of a transaction before a teller even hands back my card. This actually came in handy about a year ago when my number got stolen. I was sitting at my desk and heard my phone vibrate twice in quick succession. It showed 2 charges at a grocery store in Florida (I am in Chicago). I immediately put a block on my card through Simples app and notified Simple about the fraudulent charges. I…

Wow. My cards seem to have no more than a 6 month max-time-until-fraud despite extreme care, so I'm sold on this.

Re: Disney's $1B Bet on a Magical Wristband

#82

Post by boothead » Tue, Mar 10, 2015, 4:57 PM UTC

Isn't this really a bet on turning all of your data into streams and moving to do everything in real time? If it is, I whole heartedly agree!

Re: Disney's $1B Bet on a Magical Wristband

#83

Post by adnam » Tue, Mar 10, 2015, 5:04 PM UTC

"Be Our Guest, here's your food tray". They spent all this time, effort and money on technology but give people a tray to eat off. Why not just put bowls on the floor FFS.

Re: Disney's $1B Bet on a Magical Wristband

#84

Post by scott_karana » Tue, Mar 10, 2015, 5:05 PM UTC

bnycum wrote: post #76

I recently got back from my second trip to Disney World in which I had a Magic Band, the first time it was still test phase and had lots of kinks. This time around it worked flawlessly. To get into the park it requires you to scan your fingerprint as well, to buy anything with a credit card linked to your account or use your dining plan requires your pin number. Other than that it's pretty much tap and go. The crazy…

Wait, they fingerprint you?! Wow. Is that part opt-out at all?

Re: Disney's $1B Bet on a Magical Wristband

#85

Post by fourstar » Tue, Mar 10, 2015, 5:06 PM UTC

bnycum wrote: post #76

I recently got back from my second trip to Disney World in which I had a Magic Band, the first time it was still test phase and had lots of kinks. This time around it worked flawlessly. To get into the park it requires you to scan your fingerprint as well, to buy anything with a credit card linked to your account or use your dining plan requires your pin number. Other than that it's pretty much tap and go. The crazy…

You are scared because you are being tracked in a theme park that Disney controls... Odd type of paranoia.

They've been tracking people for years (I grew up going to Disneyland and my sister worked there), with cameras, so this is nothing new -- it's just updated technology.

Personally, I think it's cool and interesting.

Re: Disney's $1B Bet on a Magical Wristband

#86

Post by quandrum » Tue, Mar 10, 2015, 5:10 PM UTC

scott_karana wrote: post #84

bnycum wrote: post #76

I recently got back from my second trip to Disney World in which I had a Magic Band, the first time it was still test phase and had lots of kinks. This time around it worked flawlessly. To get into the park it requires you to scan your fingerprint as well, to buy anything with a credit card linked to your account or use your dining plan requires your pin number. Other than that it's pretty much tap and go. The crazy…

Wait, they fingerprint you?! Wow. Is that part opt-out at all?

Yes, you can opt out of going to Disneyworld.

Re: Disney's $1B Bet on a Magical Wristband

#87

Post by sp332 » Tue, Mar 10, 2015, 5:12 PM UTC

mbrock wrote: post #39

Neal Stephenson wrote about Disney in "In the Beginning was the Command Line": "Americans' preference for mediated experiences is obvious enough, and I'm not going to keep pounding it into the ground. I'm not even going to make snotty comments about it--after all, I was at Disney World as a paying customer. But it clearly relates to the colossal success of GUIs and so I have to talk about it some. Disney does mediate…

Linux, which is right next door, and which is not a business at all. It's a bunch of RVs, yurts, tepees, and geodesic domes set up in a field and organized by consensus.

Well that's not even metaphorical. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF4NjbIEbW8#t=64s (should skip to 1 minute in)

Re: Disney's $1B Bet on a Magical Wristband

#88

Post by bnycum » Tue, Mar 10, 2015, 5:13 PM UTC

scott_karana wrote: post #84

bnycum wrote: post #76

I recently got back from my second trip to Disney World in which I had a Magic Band, the first time it was still test phase and had lots of kinks. This time around it worked flawlessly. To get into the park it requires you to scan your fingerprint as well, to buy anything with a credit card linked to your account or use your dining plan requires your pin number. Other than that it's pretty much tap and go. The crazy…

Wait, they fingerprint you?! Wow. Is that part opt-out at all?

Not that I'm aware of, I didn't try. They haven't requested my daughter scan her fingerprint at ages 2 or 3, don't know what age that starts at though. During the testing phase the finger print wouldn't always work 100% of the time, they'd get someone over with basically a tablet with an RFID scanner to let you in.

Re: Disney's $1B Bet on a Magical Wristband

#89

Post by quandrum » Tue, Mar 10, 2015, 5:15 PM UTC

ssully wrote: post #73

evan_ wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Simple is kinda this.

Yup. My phone usually notifies be of a transaction before a teller even hands back my card. This actually came in handy about a year ago when my number got stolen. I was sitting at my desk and heard my phone vibrate twice in quick succession. It showed 2 charges at a grocery store in Florida (I am in Chicago). I immediately put a block on my card through Simples app and notified Simple about the fraudulent charges. I…

Yeah, not as scary as a stolen credit card, but my Simple card was used by a bar tender to pay someone else's tab.

I was able to correct the mistake before anything else happened because I knew before the receipt had printed that the card had been used.

Re: Disney's $1B Bet on a Magical Wristband

#90

Post by intopieces » Tue, Mar 10, 2015, 5:15 PM UTC

woodchuck64 wrote: post #63

smoyer wrote: post #33

I always wanted my kids to have a wristband that's tied to my credit card - good thing there's nothing they'd want at Disney World! Sarcasm aside, we always get a big wad of cash when we go on vacation (and especially to Disney World). It's almost impossible to track your spending if you follow the normal pattern of pulling out your credit card ... this wrist band (in my mind) is to make sure you don't realize what y…

Hmm... there's a real need for a credit or debit card app that tracks real time charges. I know authorization holds go through immediately (while actual transfers may take a day) and aren't always the same as spending (i.e. car rentals typically issue an authorization hold at time of rental for more than cost), but, in principle, that should be enough to keep track of likely cash flow in realtime. I'd like to see a b…

Google Wallet does this. They sent me a notification in the application, as well as an email that confirms when the charge clears. It also allows me to pay for my lunch through a coworker by sending them money through the app.