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IBM Granted "Paper-or-Plastic?" Patent
theodp writes "On Tuesday, IBM was granted US Patent No. 7,407,089 for storing a preference for paper or plastic grocery bags on customer cards and displaying a picture of said preference after a card is scanned. The invention, Big Blue explains, eliminates the 'unnecessary inconvenience for both the customer and the cashier' that results when 'Paper or Plastic?' must be asked. The patent claims also cover affixing a cute sticker of a paper or plastic bag to a customer card to indicate packaging preferences. So does this pass the 'significant technical content' test, IBM'ers?"
This isn't 1984. This is commercialism at its worst. They can charge you $1 for the "green" "enviro" bags which may be green in colour but are not good for the environment. It's called a scam. They had a problem: People were claiming that the use of plastic bags was a significant contributor to the environment (and I'm not saying this claim isn't true). They solved it creatively. Charge people for bags that are less environmentally friendly and don't bio-degrade, claim that they are enviro-friendly and paint anyone who questions it as the devil, then go back to the government and claim you're doing your part. Hell even try to claim concession for producing the new bags. I've even had more than one girl at the checkout be rude to for daring not to come with or buy enviro bags. She literally said "Doing your bit for the environment I see". I told her they weren't but didn't argue much. What I felt like saying was "get back to your minimum wage job you stupid drone and stop lecturing me on the environment".
Here in Australia you can still get the pastic bags in most places, but they are usually so thin they break. I bought a pair of 100 DVD spindles from Officeworks (similar to OfficeMax) about a week ago. I got across 2 city streets before they split. I went back and exchanged those spindles. I often come home with dogfood and/or softdrink where the checkout person has loaded over 4 kilos into one flimsy thin bag. Unsuprisingly they constantly break. I want to know how the occupational health and safety nazis can encourage the use of inadequate bags like this. These bags are accidents waiting to happen. I've had things fall on my foot on at least a couple of occassions. I've had cans of dog food fall and roll into the parking lot just moving these bags from the trolley to the car.
There's no rhyme or reason to it anymore. Once the environment card is played, all common sense and all actual logic goes out the fucking window.
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
And your country has eradicated individual rights. Don't be shocked when the laws suddenly shift from what you agree with to what you do not, but it is too late to do anything about it.