Nope! The only exits from the parking garage have barriers, and the only way to get the barrier to lift is to insert a validated parking ticket. And, the only way to pay/validate that ticket is via a machine that–bizarrely–requires you to use that app.
There must be human employees somewhere, but none were in evidence anywhere, either when I entered or when I exited. The “scrum” of people lined-up at the one working machine was quite long, and everyone was getting really riled-up at the ridiculous and convoluted way that you had to pay.
A nearby movie theatre parking has similar problem, makes it difficult for parking customer to pay the parking fee. On one occasion I went to the movie, and they gave me a little ticket giving me free parking. But I didn’t exit the parking garage until 15 minutes after the free parking had expired, so I ended up at the exit with the machine saying I still owed $3, which I didn’t have. I discovered all I had to do was to get out of the car and press a button labeled “up” on the machine that controlled the security arm. A fail-safe is probably required for the machine to comply w/ fire safety code.
If it does, I would advise NOT doing it, no matter how tempting it might be. The presence of security cameras virtually everywhere nowadays pretty-much ensures that those gates are being monitored by cameras, and everything that takes place there is electronically recorded in case an incident of that type takes place.
I really doubt that there are many people left in The US who don’t have–at least–a basic cell phone.
During the pandemic, most MD offices required patients to “check-in” upon arrival via cell phone. If someone is running late for an appointment or a meet-up, texting the other party is very helpful–to everyone. Anyone who ever travels far from his/her home would be very foolish to be w/o a cell phone, in case of the need for road service or emergency assistance.
As to a Smartphone, I think that they easily pay for themselves with their multiple functions. When I go hiking, the pedometer function keeps track of the distance that I covered, as well as the count of calories that I expended. My phone can even be used to check my heartrate. When I am shopping for… let’s say… an appliance, while I am standing in one store, I can easily compare the price of that appliance at other stores, without wasting gas and time to drive to the other stores.
If you have a car accident, being able to easily take pics of the damage to both cars can be extremely helpful later, if the other party makes claims that could be refuted by photographic evidence.
And, if someone’s car lacks a factory GPS system, using an app such as Waze on a Smartphone is an excellent way to find a destination which is not familiar to you.
I will be the 1st to admit I am not a fan of the crap, wait, I mean engineering marvels that the new cars all have, but man would I be screwed without my smartphone…
Yeah I just paid over $700 to be able to read and change one of my house thermostats with my cell phone. One of three but very nice in the winter if you are a thousand miles from home and want know if your furnace is working. Of course you still have to call a guy to go fix it.
I was given a 2023 loaner to use yesterday while my timing belt was changed. I went for a ride and It had that lane departure feature, so if you hit a solid white line, the steering wheel would vibrate and force you back. I’m not sure I’m a big fan thinking about if it was slippery out and trying to get you to make an abrupt wheel change. Maybe great in fog, I dunno but I think mainly for folks driving around in a fog.
Geese, deleted my own post. Must have hit the wrong button. Just trying to change apple selected during to driving. And apple want to buy Disney? I vote no.
I remember back in 2008, I was working as an HVAC installer, and my employer at the time had installed a new furnace, air conditioner, cased coil, and line set in a custom home under construction. The house was located in a gated community which had the double gates–slow-moving metal hinged gates, and a fast-moving wooden arm gate that came down after each vehicle to prevent following someone in.
The general contractor went under and failed to pay the bill, and my employer felt that because the house had not yet been sold to a homeowner, he could legally repossess his equipment, and he told me and another man to go collect his equipment.
When I attempted to enter the development, the contractor gate code did not work, so I decided to tailgate someone in. As I passed through the gate, the arm came down, which cracked the windshield, and the impact with my truck tore it off. It was really cool to see.
We collected the equipment and drove back to the shop. My boss was upset about the windshield, but he didn’t make me pay for it, and I don’t know if anything happened over the broken gate, but I never paid for it.
You don’t have sell the equipment. If you do work on a house and don’t get paid you simply file a lien. Can’t be sold and no bank will lend money on it until the liens are satisfied.
I have that feature in my current car. The salesman said he had driven a similar car from Sacramento to Auburn (which is about 40 miles uphill on I-80 with some significant curves close to Auburn) without ever having to touch the steering wheel. After I took delivery, I tested this on a straight 4-lane rural road with no traffic on it. It kept going from one side to the other in increasingly severe actions until the dash said to manually steer the vehicle. So, I call BS on the salesman’s story. And yes, it doesn’t like you to change lanes with its input, although in non-emergency situations it seems to be cancelled by using the turn signal.
What make and model is that vehicle?
In “normal” driving, my car provides a tiny bit of corrective steering. But, if I engage Cruise Control, its control of the steering is incredibly accurate, with obvious actions to keep the vehicle in the center of its lane, and such good tracking of the white line on the right side of the road that it takes curves appropriately.
If I take my hands off the steering wheel for more than 30 seconds, I get a message that this feature will be cancelled if I don’t immediately place my hands back on the wheel.
The pot calling the kettle black? The Mozilla foundation isn’t exactly innocent when it comes to their browser Firefox. They maintain a partnership with Google search. At least it doesn’t send back everything typed in to the address bar like Chrome does. At one time Apple Safari disabled 3rd party cookies by default. That significantly reduces cross site tracking, and it is the reason why many sites still work with 3rd party cookies disabled.
Apparently the Mozilla foundation hasn’t revewed any Android phones. That would exceed anything that a car does.
