Sorry, we replaced that old technology, “see-through glass” • Hacker News Board

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

#331

Post by aaron695 » Sat, Jun 26, 2021, 10:43 AM UTC

jollybean wrote: post #118

There's way too much cynicism here and a lack of insight as to how consumer retail works. 'Privacy invasion' aside there's a lot of obvious benefits to this. 1) Impactful Displays - this will increase sales. In your local coffee shop, going from the static nice pictures, to 'active displays' unambiguously generates more attention. It's a little bit like having 'nice photo' menus vs 'empty menus' for regular dining. O…

> There's way too much cynicism here

If you sold this as AR using expensive glasses everyone is a believer.

> Easy pricing changes.

Prices that change by the hour, or as stock runs low is an interesting idea. Corporate could bring in a hourly special. Corporate has total brand control. Corporate can pull items by hiding them if said company doesn't want to pay for peak. The camera can give you personal specials.

The power is in corporate control. The weakness is the complexity you mention.

I suspect the cameras might be the what's really going on. Camera's by themselves wouldn't be acceptable. Comes with fancy screens though...

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

#332

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Jun 26, 2021, 10:43 AM UTC

cout wrote: post #325

Am I alone in thinking that maybe this is a good idea? When someone opens the door in one of those cabinets, glass doors always cloud up. Then I have to wait and wait for it to be clear again, and in the meantime, some other customer will often come by, open the door, and grab something, and I have to wait all over again for it to defog. I do see a lot of opportunity for abuse, but I also see a lot of potential.

[deleted]

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

#333

Post by biermic » Sat, Jun 26, 2021, 10:50 AM UTC

burnt_toast wrote: post #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 t…

So I just hit up Amazon and found this: https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Cooking-R180-High-Speed-St...

Not sure if we have to wait until 2050

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

#334

Post by Mountain_Skies » Sat, Jun 26, 2021, 10:53 AM UTC

jasonhansel wrote: post #184

burnt_toast wrote: post #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 t…

Later, when it's discovered that the toaster occasionally catches on fire, users are encouraged to pay $9.99 per month for "Toaster Plus," which causes an alarm to play before the fire starts, so that you know to get the extinguisher. Then they let you customize the alarm noise, so that you can choose how to be alerted of the future house fire. Soon, companies get rich selling $3 "toaster fire ringtones." Eventually,…

Toaster Plus sounds a bit like Xerox's "Scorch Eliminator" from the 1950s, which was a small fire extinguisher for when the photocopier overheated.

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

#335

Post by b112 » Sat, Jun 26, 2021, 10:59 AM UTC

extrapickles wrote: post #282

buu700 wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Makes sense. As I said, all else being equal I'd rather not have these. Presented with a situation like Kindle devices, in which the ad-supported item is cheaper, the choice is a little harder. Thinking more about the product, there's probably also a long-term vision wherein it becomes more useful than it is today. e.g. maybe it automatically handles tracking quantities and greys out the item photo when it's out (and…

You can buy eink shelf labels that have radios in them for the self updating pricing and promotional pricing features. Not sure if they make ones that can handle being in fridge/freezer though (condensation is huge problem in those environments).

I've heard of these, but never seen them in use (Quebec). Probably due to risks, as local law says (when using barcodes, without prices on each prooduct):

Rules of the Accurate Pricing Policy If the pricing error involves a product that costs $10 or less, the product is given to the customer free of charge.

If the pricing error involves a product that costs more than $10, the merchant must sell the item at the advertised price and give the consumer a $10 discount.

If the same pricing error occurs for identical products during the same transaction, the merchant must sell each product at the advertised price, but the $10 discount only applies to one product.

Mistaken updates, or hacking, could be quite costly. Maybe this risk is just perception, but...

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

#336

Post by swiley » Sat, Jun 26, 2021, 11:04 AM UTC

burnt_toast wrote: post #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 t…

Man at that point I'd just make my own and keep a fire extinguisher handy. Making stuff hot with electricity isn't exactly rocket science.

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

#337

Post by 3np » Sat, Jun 26, 2021, 11:08 AM UTC

jbay808 wrote: post #258

3np wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

WiFi password? Even by 2035ish it’d come with integrated mobile data so the user won’t have to worry about ensuring it has consistent network access to the mothership.

So I noticed this week that my Canon printer was able to connect to my "secure" Wi-Fi during its initial setup without at any point prompting for a password. How worried should I be? Did it steal the keys from my computer?

That... sounds really really odd. Are you sure you (or someone else in your household) didn’t put in the key at some point? How did you notice that it connected? Which model number? What kind of WiFi security?

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

#338

Post by vharuck » Sat, Jun 26, 2021, 11:08 AM UTC

buu700 wrote: post #124

jcims wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

We've grown up and shopped in a time without these. But the long game is different. If these become ubiquitous or even just common, I'd bet few people care after a couple generations. For example, imagine how ugly telephone poles were to people when first built. But I, having grown up with them everywhere, don't even notice them. They're background noise.

Of course, I'm not thinking this ad-glass company is really playing a long game. They've just happened to move a piece earlier than most.

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

#339

Post by brailsafe » Sat, Jun 26, 2021, 11:18 AM UTC

Anonashtonian wrote: post #246

brailsafe wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why it's important to try and negotiate for as much salary as you can, no matter what you do. Companies are lighting cash on fire all the time, they can afford it.

This. Once you see how the company spends money and how much they pay and effort they spend to hire an average skilled developer... It's empowering. Unfortunately lots of companies have just accepted high turnover rates and move forward. Imo they only do this because quantifying turnover costs is hard.

I agree, but I also meant literally whatever you do, because there are so many people who will work for 20 years never intentionally trying to increase their salary.

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

#340

Post by bellyfullofbac » Sat, Jun 26, 2021, 11:32 AM UTC

DenverCode wrote: post #260

bcrosby95 wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

2 years later, Amazon discontinues updates on the toaster. No one notices, but it still toasts. 8 years later, people hack them and cause them to burn down some houses. Of course, it was the owner's fault - they were running a discontinued toaster that wasn't receiving software updates anymore.

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