NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME?

---

Many of these checkout devices, common in grocery stores, are clearly not RFPT. Self checkouts are cheap substitutes for a real life checkout clerk that knows the item codes, most of the sales, and can help with bagging.  These devices are anything but convenient and usually a reluctant option because store management has fired many real clerks to save money.

‘HELP IS ON THE WAY’ is one of the most common screen alerts experienced when using self checkouts. Other common shelf checkout design and use issues include the following:

1. The bagging scale protests when you use your own bags (e.g. “an unidentified item has been placed in the bagging area”)
2. The bagging scale can’t detect a light weight but scanned birthday card (e.g. “please place purchased item in bagging area before proceeding)
3. A bar-code can’t be scanned and an item lookup mandates a minimum of 10 screen drill-downs requiring embarrassingly intimate knowledge of the product.
4.  Some items are too big (e.g. broom) to be scanned w/o inflicting injury to self or bystanders
5. Individual product savings or discounts often aren’t tabulated until the end of the transaction. How does this make sense and why would this be thought convenient

While you fumble with item lookup screen and the bagging station alerts shoplifters brazenly careen their carts filled with pilfered laundry detergent over your toes in self designated express checkout lanes.

Other than being impressive for virtue signaling, EVs (Electric Vehicles) are not yet RFPT. One of the stated advantages of EVs, according to the government, is reduction of fossil fuel use.  However, electricity, as an alternative fuel, only realizes this advantage if such electricity is not derived from fossil fuels (like coal). So far, solar and wind are not reliable or significantly better as an ecological energy source. Solar and wind won’t be RFPT until fuel storage options (currently batteries) and the overall ecological impact of solar and wind is less than that of nuclear energy. EVs are therefore intrinsically linked to the not RFPT state of solar and wind energy.  The dearth of charging stations and cold winter temperatures that erode inflated driving ranges have highlighted the folly of EVs for all but single day (going to and from work) use and recharging with home solar in an predominately sunny, low cloud location.

Blast from the past, "we will grow corn to fuel our vehicles!”  Other than being good for the corn growers' association and government overseers, this was a related not RFPT ecological boondoggle.  

Apple’s Vision Pro goggles were released for sale on Ground Hog Day, interesting is it not? Reportedly, there were lines for blocks when Apple stores opened to purchase (~$3500) these special googles.  Are these goggles RFPT? Or might they be more like the fad of veggie burgers and the other ‘beyond meat’ products? Unlike either overpriced EVs (whose sales were and still are heavily dependent on taxpayer subsidies), or overpriced meat alternatives marketed to a small population segment (that’s either vegetarian or believes healthy and good tasting food always are coexistent truths), the goggles may now be RFPT and beyond. Perhaps this additional separation from the real world will be found to have some unforeseen negatives, much like the overuse and addiction to social media. Evidently, even after a well publicized and faddish product launch, it is the beyond animal products that many consumers desire additional separation.  Maybe the goggles would help consumers better like the beyond meat products. If one can currently spend over $3K for a supplemented reality experience, then the artificial meat experience should be affordable. 

Honestly, well designed roundabouts are a welcomed traffic management tool. Though roundabouts are not new, they’ve not been common in many US cities.  Now they are more common, and that has highlighted two NOT RFPT issues.  Issue one, US drivers are slow on the round about use learning curve.  It is believable that the general rule of ‘yield to traffic already in the roundabout’ may be interpreted by a slow learner that no more than one vehicle can concurrently occupy even the largest of roundabouts. This of course stops the traffic. The second issue is many municipalities, in leu of installing million dollar traffic signals, are inserting miniature roundabouts. These minis are a downright dangerous free for all. In the best of scenarios minis only act as an intersection speed bump. Near misses and crashes also stop the traffic, but that’s okay because many cities detest car traffic anyway.