Sam's Club Photo Rant

Which only proves that a little technology - in the hands of simpletons - is a BAD thing

 

Tom

Oh cah-rist, I wouldn't even bother with the drive anymore. Unless you're a public figure there, intimately involved (Well, not THAT way, but you know what I mean) in local politics, who could give one rat's a*** what the locals think?

Remember one thing: the locals could care less if it drives you and your missus insane dealing with them. They may even get off on it!

So, stick with that mail order routine. Maybe consider a move somewhere a bit more sane (IF I had been given that bill for sewer/water improvement, I would have used a comment that rhymes with Duck Shoe, thrown a match to the house, and walked away)

So don't feel guilty about not frequenting local stores

jay

 

Copyright laws were miodified several years ago to say that anyone who produces a copyrightable product owns the copyright. For instance, if I write a personal letter to our son, that copyright belongs to me. But here's the catch -- I can't do anything about it if someone takes my letter and misuses it in some fashion. I must have filed with the federal copyright office in order to be protected legally; I must have proof (through the federal copyright filing) that I created the letter. Now, Sam's/Walmart lawyers undoubtedly are knowledgeable, but I would think that challenging them with what I have noted might return dividends. Probably won't help with the photo drone, which is where the issue lies. And it won't help get Tom's wife's pictures on the walls in a timely fashion. But it's something to remember.

 

As Efusco said, this is also untrue for graphic art.
Again, the copyright holder makes it easier to prove that they are the original producer of the art, but it is not necessary. You can prove it to a court through other documentation, negatives, even sworn testemony of others.
You are correct that the original creator bears the burden of proof, but that burden is no where near the burden of proof we normally think of when we look at criminal cases.

 

:frusty:

My head hurts.

Can't we talk about dating, gravity, vegan "catnip," or sheep instead?

 

How about robots? Anybody wanna talk about robots instead?

 

I thought we were talking about robots - the kind that work at Sam's Club or K-mart. They are slowly being replaced by the machines that they originally were programmed to operate.

 

NOW you're talking!

 

As an interesting aside, whenever possible, I always use the "self service" line at a big box store. For some reason, it's rarely busy at all, maybe folks fear the technology

I really like being able to quickly get what I need, zip through the self-checkout, and get the hell out of there.

Did I mention I really HATE shopping?

 

Yes, but unfortunately, some of the overconfident folks are starting to use them and clogging up the works when they cannot follow the procedure.

I think this is a man thing. My GF used to spend 3 hours in Mervyn's without actually buying anything (they filed for bankruptcy a few months ago, I wonder if my GF was partially responsible?). I go into JC Penney to buy a pair of pants every 5 years or so, I walk directly to the shelf, find the correct size (the same as last time) carry them to the cashier, pay, and I'm out in 10 min tops.

 

I wish a trap door would open up and SPLASH drop them into the tank with the sharks. I've only witnessed the overconfident/clueless folks once so far: they sat there scratching their head until the nice assistant came over. They forgot to touch the screen "Touch here to start"

Oy

I might "browse" a sporting goods store, a surplus parts warehouse like Princess Auto

PRINCESS AUTO

maybe rarely a car dealership. But otherwise I'm like you, race in, get what I need, race out.

 

I used to think I was really smart doing my Christmas shopping that way. I'd phone around, find the stuff I wanted, and ask them to put it on hold for me. Now, I do everything online and have it shipped to work. The stupid thing with that is, I miss all those nights out...um...'shopping.' :redface:

 

Aren't they like lemmings, except they run longer, and are even a bigger P.I.T.A. and I ain't talking bread!

 

Hmmm that has *never* happened to me. I've come to realize that most industrial-quality embedded machines appear to *like* me, perhaps they sense that for many years, I used to lay-on-hands and heal them

I've only had one glitch that I can recall. I swiped my credit card, and ...

"Please swipe again"

Huh. Swiped again

"Please swipe again"

Hmmmm. Swiped again

"Verify card is swiped correctly"

Hehehe I had the card upside down. My own fault

Are you absolutely POSITIVE you're not a Malfunction Magnet?

All kidding aside, the quality of self-checkout aisles depends on large part on the programming that goes into them. GIGO ....

 

Or perhaps red leaf lettuce is evil and out to get us. I honestly can't recall ever eating it, how does red leaf lettuce compare to the normal green variety?

You can tell I'm not quite a master chef ...