NCR Corp. relocating to Midtown, bringing 3,500 to 4,000 jobs into the city (how much, transportation)

[kayoticworld]

Originally Posted by Airforceguy

Not really related to NCR's relocation to Midtown, but still kinda cool....
New NCR Corp. invention could end grocery store checkout lanes - Atlanta Business Chronicle

I generally embrace technology, but this is a little scary. Cameras/face recognition software tracking you and watching everything you put in your cart. Thru face recognition can automatically charge you. We are one step removed from just scanning you fingerprint to pay for everything. I guess its inevitable though given how fast things are moving. Convenience at the cost of what? Reminds me of the Minority Report.....

[Mishap]

Originally Posted by kayoticworld

I generally embrace technology, but this is a little scary. Cameras/face recognition software tracking you and watching everything you put in your cart. Thru face recognition can automatically charge you. We are one step removed from just scanning you fingerprint to pay for everything. I guess its inevitable though given how fast things are moving. Convenience at the cost of what? Reminds me of the Minority Report.....

They can already do much of this...the cameras are already pretty much there for loss prevention. Comes in pretty clear and facial recognition has been around for years. You can't get through any large retailer w/o showing up on a dozen HD cameras. Nobody's really looking at all the footage unless there's an issue but you can't expect any privacy in public in the first place. Time to get some prepaid cards and ordering Amazon through some dummy corps.

That said, NCR and other companies like IBM have been trying to figure this out for 10-20 yrs now. Camera/sensor technology is now cheap/ubiquitous enough but I don't think this isn't something they haven't had pieces of for years.

[kayoticworld]

Originally Posted by Mishap

They can already do much of this...the cameras are already pretty much there for loss prevention. Comes in pretty clear and facial recognition has been around for years. You can't get through any large retailer w/o showing up on a dozen HD cameras. Nobody's really looking at all the footage unless there's an issue but you can't expect any privacy in public in the first place. Time to get some prepaid cards and ordering Amazon through some dummy corps.

That said, NCR and other companies like IBM have been trying to figure this out for 10-20 yrs now. Camera/sensor technology is now cheap/ubiquitous enough but I don't think this isn't something they haven't had pieces of for years.

I realize this technology is already out there, but what scares me is what some unethical company could do with this combination and information. Let's say you walk in a grocery store every Monday at 2pm. The cameras captures and bills you for everything you buy. They start to notice a pattern of you buying brand x cereals every Monday at 2pm. Then being that everything is all connected anyway brand y starts sending you emails and coupons to buy their cereal every Monday instead(being that your info is sold) " Oh, but this Monday he walked in with another person.....who is she and now let's build a profile on her unknowingly? How is it that they are here at 2pm on a Monday anyway? Do either of them have a job, self-employed? By the way what did they drive up in? Looks like she is pregnant....could be good for the supermarket to capture her as a customer." It's a slippery slope and I'm just thinking in terms of the most innocent situation. But you are right, the technology is already here in one shape or form. Ie...Kroger plus cards, smartphones, apple pay and Google wallet. We choose to be a part of those ecosystems or not. I just don't like the possibity of the combination all together to the detriment of the consumer and their privacy with no choice. I should be allowed a certain amount of privacy when going grocery shopping. People are not commodities unless one chooses to be.

[Mishap]

^You assume ethics are involved in business decisions? That's where you'll go wrong. There's only what's legal/illegal and they have money for white shoe law firms to tell legislators what that should be. If a company can appropriate information provided by you, it will up to the limit where you refuse to do business with them.

NCR isn't looking to build some nefarious personal profile on you...it's clients already have that (see link below). It's merely trying to streamline the most challenging and expensive part of any in-store shopping experience...checkout. Retailers can already read you like a book w/o knowing what you look like...in part by having a login to sites like this one. Amazon ads here are always updated with your latest browsing history.

Having worked in retail, telecoms, and financial services...they know far more about you than watching your actions in your stores could ever say. In the grand scheme of customer analytics, NCR isn't going to be the one that outs the affair or the love child. The retailers are already there so good luck avoiding it.

How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did - Forbes

[kayoticworld]

Lol.... Maybe ethical was the wrong choice of words. I was not suggesting NCR was planning to do unethical things with our profiles. I actually respect the company a lot. Just that the possibility of what could be done whether it was NCR or some other company. Nothing is ever sold to us as what it later turns out to be. Everything is about convenience and safety, well at least that's how they try to appeal to us anyway. No one ever talks about the other side of it.

Interesting link you provided. I can't say I'm really surprised though. Thus my hesitation to giving them even more access. I found the statement below disturbing. Yeah I know it happens but the manipulation is crazy. Next they'll start connecting different profiles and being that our Tvs are getting smarter; feeding these adds directly to it. I know it's already in the works.....just like you stated with your browser and Previous viewed items.

“Then we started mixing in all these ads for things we knew pregnant women would never buy, so the baby ads looked random. We’d put an ad for a lawn mower next to diapers. We’d put a coupon for wineglasses next to infant clothes. That way, it looked like all the products were chosen by chance.

“And we found out that as long as a pregnant woman thinks she hasn’t been spied on, she’ll use the coupons. She just assumes that everyone else on her block got the same mailer for diapers and cribs. As long as we don’t spook her, it works.”

[kayoticworld]

Like I said I realize it already happens, but let's just say for argument sake the facial recognition sees you looking at washer and dryer set at a home improvement store. You decide not to buy it. As it stands now the home improvement store knows nothing about your interest in that particular set until you purchase it. With the facial recognition they see you milling about and can put a face with a potential buyer. And from there all the other stuff I said above. I know we got off topic.

[cqholt]

Invest Atlanta OKs bonds for NCR relocation - Atlanta Business Chronicle

The Invest Atlanta Board of Directors unanimously passed four resolutions that will cover $260 million in planned investment initially and $54 million for anticipated future growth.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Invest Atlanta OKs bonds for NCR relocation - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Wonder what the actual cost is to Invest Atlanta. What is the interest rate they are giving to NCR and how that compares to the market rate.

[Tryska]

is it time to be concerned about Spring Street traffic?

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by Tryska

is it time to be concerned about Spring Street traffic?

No, it is a very wide (too wide) roadway. Plus not everyone will be driving, there will be people using alternative transportation.