surprisingly and enjoyably whizzy modern Stuff

[brixtonbrood]

1. Bank cheque paying in machines where you just put in your card (no pin), feed in the cheque, and it reads the amount and gives you an instant receipt. I don't know what it was about filling in the old paying-in forms/envelopes, but it irritated the hell out of me, and I would have put it high up the list of "Come the Future this will be abolished" list.
2. Wide gates in almost all tube stations this year! I could have done with them three years ago when I had pushchairs, but they're just as handy when you're trying to shuffle underage kids through the gap.
3. M&S citrus flavoured non-alcoholic brewed hop-based thing. Surprisingly addictive, in a non-alcoholic lemon-flavoured beer sort of way and what's really nice is that they do a four pack as an option in their posh meal deal instead of a bottle of wine (you could also pick a couple of bottles of elderflower fizz).
4. Argos online reserve and collect system. Yes I know this sounds really really dull, but it's actually very cool because you just find what you want, tell them your postcode, and they then give you a list of nearby stores which have it in stock - you pick one, they put it aside for you and then text a reservation number to your mobile. What's good about it is that it never asks you for a password, credit card number or even name - it's completely stripped down. With the disappearance of Woolies it is by far the easiest way for me to buy kids' birthday presents at short notice.
5. Ooglies on CBBC has zombie vegetables inhabiting the compost bin!

Not exciting or whizzy but still a Good Thing is that Pret a Manger have finally put calorie values on all their sandwich price labels. This is a good thing from my POV not because I'm on a diet, but because it should introduce selective pressure to keep the calories per sandwich down, which means that they might stop randomly putting slices of horrid cheese into otherwise tempting sandwiches (the many people I know who think they overdo the mayo will also probably benefit).

Other nominations for ways in which the Future is living up to expectations for a change are appreciated, but all mentions of iP****s, or their ap*s are strictly forbidden.

Comments

[celestialweasel.livejournal.com]

What is wrong with mentioning apes? I don't know where I would be without my killer robot monkeys.
I am quite impressed by
a) the ability to charge up PAYG mobile phones from cash machines
b) although it was irksome that my phone stopped working and needed the firmware upgrading, I was quite impressed that it worked first time (more or less, obviously the installer failed to work when I didn't run it as administrator and didn't tell me, but very little software does that properly so I don't hold it against them).
c) the ticket machines in Italian railway stations
d) the ability to get cash out anywhere with debit cards
e) the avocado and hummous from the local Budgen. Unlike most 'guacamole' sold in the UK it didn't have cream in it.

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

I've started looking at sandwich calories to see what's heighest, what will keep me fuller for longer. I'm always surprises that egg and especially cheese do better than chicken.

[pmcray.livejournal.com]

Surely that is not so much calories as bulk? If you want the heaviest sandwich, full of touch to breakdown raw vegetables.

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

Vegetable sandwiches? Well I might have cress with my egg.

[pmcray.livejournal.com]

Some kind of rice salad with crunchy vegetables and pulses?

[jinty]

I would second the ability to get cash out anywhere in the world, pretty much. It still feels amazing to be able to do this.

[pmcray.livejournal.com]

As someone you doesn't like cheese, I'd be be very glad to see the back of PaM's random slice of cheese game. What's that all about? If filling A is good then filling A plus a slice of cheese must be better?

[smallbeasts.livejournal.com]

YouTube for shaky videos of cute baby animals whenever required. Add kitten wars for guaranteed cheering up of grumpy children.

The Argos reserve and collect system is indeed brilliant. Woolies now exists on the internet if we are organised enough to think about buying the present the day before it's required.


(and we won't mention the Ocado a*p on the iP****, though it is the best thing ever)

shameful admission

[brixtonbrood.livejournal.com]

actually that last thing is the one thing that's really tempting me to the side of Shiny but probably evil telecommunications. Anything that shiny must be evil, surely, and I have a mobile telephone - it's six years old but it makes telephone calls without being plugged into anything! and surely that's wizardry enough - but on the other hand I do love my Ocado.

Youtube is fantastic for toddler bribing - and beyond, Tiny will still do anything if promised access to films of Lego Titanics being sunk, or glimpses of Toonces, the Cat Who Could Drive a Car (obscure SNL sketch).

[cleanskies.livejournal.com]

The Nationwide auto-cheque paying in machine gives you a receipt with a little scan of the cheque in question on it. C'mon Barclays, you're slacking!

Ikea rational light-weight blinds system. Kvartel? Kevertal? Erm... Photos will arrive!

The roomba still gives me a giddy thrill. Internet in my pocket on a budget mockberry. My eight-year womb jewellery. Proper exotic spice mixes. Being able to buy a gift-wrapped silver dinosaur from Selfridges, if I want to.

Oh, and texting. I never get over that.

... and then there are the things that used to be wretched. Mostly things made of fabric. Tights! When did they get good?

[zengineer.livejournal.com]

Also electric bicylces that will travel at 15 mph even up hill and will go 50 miles on a charge. Excellent for urban commuting.