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Through no fault of my own (I like to think), I'm basically living the life of a hermit at the moment... Honestly, I think some university should be studying me, since they don't allow solitary confinement studies due to their "cruelty"... Maybe they'd even pay me for it???
But, barring that, feel free to ask me any questions you may have.
Yes, I am curious (interested) and have a few questions. Did you make a conscious decision to adopt "the life of a hermit"? Or was it more of a natural progression following your instincts? Would you mind describing your current life? For example, how often and under what circumstances do you come face-to-face with other people? How much time typically goes by that you don't see anyone at all? When you were younger (adolescence and young adulthood) did you already have and recognize your preference for "the life of a hermit"?
I hope you don't think I'm too nosy, but you did invite questions and I offer no condemnation, only genuine interest and curiosity.
"Liking" self-checkout lines does not make one a hermit. But seeking them out as a means of avoiding the face-to-face encounter with a cashier is something else entirely. I often use self-checkout at Home Depot because there is usually no wait for it, whereas the cashier positions normally have a line. I don't see the use of self-checkout per se as some sort of litmus test.
Tongue in cheek comment. My laziness outweighs my hermitness, if there is such a word.
Fixable problems. The 2 solutions I have heard/read the most about are smart carts that know what all your items are as you add them to your cart and AI scanners that look at a 3D picture of the item and figure out what it is if there isn't a bar code or it doesn't scan. The most common issue I have had with them is when you buy a really small package of something like parsley it doesn't detect that you bagged it. A camera with smarter software could fix that also. Anyway, I think within 5 years we will see some stores with systems that are nearly perfect; it will take much longer to be widespread though.
I like the self check out because I can bag my groceries the way I like to have it done. Freezer items together, no soap with the cereal, etc. Also, I can scan, look to see if I got the price I was expecting, and bag. I can't keep up with everything if someone starts checking me out and another person is bagging while I am unloading my cart. And I hate it when the bagger pulls my cart out from under me and the next person unloading is banging me with their cart while I am trying to pay.
maybe I am a hermit.
did I mention the narrow aisle leading up to the cashier and how I hate being in between two loaded carts, knowing/feeling that I am trapped?
Fixable problems. The 2 solutions I have heard/read the most about are smart carts that know what all your items are as you add them to your cart and AI scanners that look at a 3D picture of the item and figure out what it is if there isn't a bar code or it doesn't scan. The most common issue I have had with them is when you buy a really small package of something like parsley it doesn't detect that you bagged it. A camera with smarter software could fix that also. Anyway, I think within 5 years we will see some stores with systems that are nearly perfect; it will take much longer to be widespread though.
That's a situation where those smart carts are probably the best answer. It notifies you that it didn't scan a code when you put it in and you point at the sign (in one I was reading about anyway, the developer was using Kinect) and then it knows what it is.
I just wanted to add that I am pretty sure I am a hermit and not claustrophobic because I don't mind being in a small space. I just don't want to be in a small space with other people.
Smart carts sound good but the regular carts are expensive and they get rough treatment, at least where I shop. Is the price of the technology going to be added to my grocery bill? My self scan has pictures of the produce
I just wanted to add that I am pretty sure I am a hermit and not claustrophobic because I don't mind being in a small space. I just don't want to be in a small space with other people.
Smart carts sound good but the regular carts are expensive and they get rough treatment, at least where I shop. Is the price of the technology going to be added to my grocery bill? My self scan has pictures of the produce
The idea is that they would save money by employing less people. The bags would likely go in a different cart to roll out in the parking lot or it would be "ruggedized". Oddly enough, some of the biggest hurdles are social, not technological. One is acceptance of the new tech and the other I briefly referenced earlier - here in the US we have something called the "Protestant Work Ethic" (applies to more than just protestants; it's just that the early settlers who instilled the value were largely protestant). People don't like it if some people get taken care of if they don't work. That's kind of a problem already as there isn't enough work to go around and it will only get worse. Not going to go off on that tangent, but it is a real impediment to implementing automation.
I don't use self service checkout as a protest. They take jobs.
I use them because they take jobs. I want those employees to find more productive jobs than to do what a machine can do.
But I don't use them much because they have too many bugs in them. When their quality improves, I will use them all the time. On the other hand, the ones at some stores are better than at others. Some of them are always complaining that I didn't put the item in the bag, even though I did. And some of them have no way to cancel an item. They have ways to enter info manually, such as that you're weighing a particular item that's sold by weight. But if you enter the wrong item from ambiguous choices, some systems have no way to correct such errors. Within the next few years or so, they should get most of their bugs worked out. Then I expect to see half or more of the checkout lanes being self service at most stores. People will be forced to use them or stand in line for the few remaining live checkout clerks.
I don't feel like I have to leave the house as some of my friends do. They go stir crazy. But once I am out and about, I try to be nice and talkative to people I encounter. I don't go up to them and yap, but I don't ignore them.
Oh, and I don't mind lines at the grocery store. Gives me time to catch up on forums and other things on my smart phone.
My mom was a party animal and my dad was a quiet contemplative person. I'm a mix.
I refer to it as the "Self Abuse Lane". You never get all the items to scan and someone has to come over and fix it.
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