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Build Your Own Wireless Beer Pitcher Monitoring System
Willy K. writes "Technology comes to the rescue when disaster strikes and your pitcher runneth dry. These Cornell students have rigged up beer pitchers that wirelessly advertise to the central serving station when they are empty, prompting alert wait staff to bring another round." Add a few steins and you're all set.
is an automated system to refill it!
In combination with this earlier pizza story from tonight, this should make for an interesting evening!
Background: 28/M/Bi-Sexual; Owner of a Linux company; MBA Harvard 2003; B.S. Comp Sci MIT 2000
This is probably the most useful "college student" invention post I have seen on the front page of Slashdot in a long time. As a former bar manager this would be something I would purchase with very few refinements. If this ever goes past the "gee thats neat stage" and becomes a real product it could be a must have for numberous establishments.
Please do not let scientific accuracy interfere with the intended humourous/interesting/insightful value of this comment
it's called living in Vegas. The only place where "last call" even exists are in "family" establishments.
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
The server station consists of an LCD and an array of control buttons that reset the meter, change the table number, and reset the pitcher count. So now I need an engineering degree just to serve beer?
I'm not denying that their idea works, it just seems there is probably an easier (or at least cheaper) way.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
As a former ham (still got the license, but haven't done anything with it in years), it's kinda depressing to see that they don't even know what amateur radio is -- which led them to illegally use the 70-cm UHF band, thinking "amateur" meant "do whatever you want".
They needed a frequency in an unlicensed or research/experimental band.
I recognize the fact that I'm in college and don't tend to spend a lot of money on food so I over tip (sometimes the amount of the meal) when the (usually) waitress does a good job. At places like Chili's or Ruby Tuesday's a plate usually doesn't go much over $7. 15% is barely a $1.00. She does pretty much the same amount of work regardless of how expensive my plate is so I usually don't tip less than $5. I've also worked food service so I know what the job is like.
This is nice for personal parties when there's a lot going on but it's not encouraging to patrons who busted their ass all day and now get to watch the waitresses or whoever sit in the back getting paid to watch the beer indicator.
When I worked as a host for birthday parties at a kid's pizza place, the pitchers where the excuse to keep myself visible to the parents and active in the party in order to get a larger tip. You fill the pitchers before they become empty and while you're doing that you talk to the parents and see what else you can do for them.
In the food business that's the way it works. The more involved with the customers you are, the better the tip. So although a nice novelty, it could have a negative impact on the tip for those who use it to try to make their job "easier."
Ben
Work Safe Porn
This is michael posting. Shouldn't this article be under YRO? I mean, think of the privacy applications of having a device monitor your beer consumption. Frankly, this is pretty frightening, and, though I may be putting on my tin foil hat here a bit, I think it's safe to say that this is another drastic setback for modern privacy rights.
I had but a simple dream, to destroy all humans.
From their web page: "The FCC sets aside frequencies between 420 MHz and 450 MHz for Amateur use, thus we are complying with the standard by transmitting our signal at 433MHz." IAHRO (I'm a ham radio operator - for 46 years.) It is fine to transmit on 433 MHz IF they have an FCC license and the transmitter identifies it's call sign at the proper interval. Otherwise, it's not legal.
Amateur radio does not mean unlicensed. Getting a license is very easy. Check with your local ham radio club for details or visit http://www.arrl.org/
"Do the Right Thing. It will gratify some people and astound the rest." - Mark Twain
...as real pubs don't have wait staff, they have bar staff who you ask for a new jug/pitcher from when and if you need one. If y
The most annoying though is guys in the toilet in some bars that are there for the sack of tips. I mean really I know how to wash my hands, and dry them to. The're only reason as far as I can see is to basically squirt soup on my hands and after washin my hands to dry with paper towels, and then for me to give a tip for a task I could have completed in half the time if I had done it by myself. In fact I consider very tacky for a bar to do this, it insults the intellgence and cleanliness of its clients.
Well, I guess that's definitely a step forward from the (now) antequated "Plug-in Beer Pitcher Monitoring System." Sure, you can get around the bar if you bring an extension cord, but don't spill your beer on any open leads. Drunk geeks make excellent ground connections.
When things get complex, multiply by the complex conjugate.
In some states mercury tilt switches are illegal because of thier applications in bomb making. No joke.
Now this is a solid Slashdot story. None of this duplication bullshit, none of this silly Microsoft vs. Linux garbage. True technology by geeks for geeks. News for nerds that matters.
"Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
I think we all wish our lab partners were as hot as this chic!!!
Now we know the true intentions for the beer pitcher project!
*shameless pickup line* Hot chic...if you read this, email me!!!! I like beer too!
The same problem can also be solved by measuring capacitance of the glass across the remaining fluid. (I don't really understand this, but I'm believe it's fairly simple.)
The article references this, in fact.
http://www.merl.com/projects/iGlasswareFunny how your post is so familiar.