March 18, 2014--03/17/2014 07:13:35 PM
Talk about being under surveillance.
We drove to the Fort Lauderdale Airport to pick up a friend and planned to park in the close-in hourly garage. Just as we were approaching it I remembered that we could bypass the traditional entrance by using a special lane for cars that have a Sunpass, an electronic device that also allows cars to speed by toll booths on the Florida Turnpike. No need at the garage's Sunpass entrance to slow down, stop, open the window to reach for a parking ticket, all the while letting in a carfull of hot and humid air. And on the way out, I remembered, it would as well be automated. No need again to stop to pay cash and get change from the attendant.
"It worked!" Rona said as I glided in. But ever the skeptic she added, "Now if it works just as well on the way out, I'll be impressed."
We picked up our friend and indeed it did. We were able to avoid waiting in the cashier's line with a half dozen others as they crawled forward to the booth, enviously watching us zip through.
About 45 minutes later we were back at our place and I went right to the computer to see if there was any news from Ukraine or if they had finally managed to locate the missing Malaysian Airlines jet.
No news on either front, but waiting for me in email form was a parking receipt from the airport.
"Look at this," I said to Rona.
She looked over my shoulder. "What would anyone want that for?"
"Maybe to see if we were overcharged or for our records?"
"I suppose," Rona said, not sounded very convinced. "I'm tired. Let's go to bed." Which we did.
The next morning, this morning, I looked more carefully at the receipt. Yes, there was a way to calculate if we were overcharged (it appeared that we hadn't been) and, yes, if I were inclined to keep records of these kinds of things--if I was traveling on business--I would want to print it out so I could be reimbursed.
But what about the section of the receipt marked Entry and Exit Information?
We drove to the Fort Lauderdale Airport to pick up a friend and planned to park in the close-in hourly garage. Just as we were approaching it I remembered that we could bypass the traditional entrance by using a special lane for cars that have a Sunpass, an electronic device that also allows cars to speed by toll booths on the Florida Turnpike. No need at the garage's Sunpass entrance to slow down, stop, open the window to reach for a parking ticket, all the while letting in a carfull of hot and humid air. And on the way out, I remembered, it would as well be automated. No need again to stop to pay cash and get change from the attendant.
"It worked!" Rona said as I glided in. But ever the skeptic she added, "Now if it works just as well on the way out, I'll be impressed."
We picked up our friend and indeed it did. We were able to avoid waiting in the cashier's line with a half dozen others as they crawled forward to the booth, enviously watching us zip through.
About 45 minutes later we were back at our place and I went right to the computer to see if there was any news from Ukraine or if they had finally managed to locate the missing Malaysian Airlines jet.
No news on either front, but waiting for me in email form was a parking receipt from the airport.
"Look at this," I said to Rona.
She looked over my shoulder. "What would anyone want that for?"
"Maybe to see if we were overcharged or for our records?"
"I suppose," Rona said, not sounded very convinced. "I'm tired. Let's go to bed." Which we did.
The next morning, this morning, I looked more carefully at the receipt. Yes, there was a way to calculate if we were overcharged (it appeared that we hadn't been) and, yes, if I were inclined to keep records of these kinds of things--if I was traveling on business--I would want to print it out so I could be reimbursed.
But what about the section of the receipt marked Entry and Exit Information?
Entry Information
------------------
Transaction Date : 03/17/2014 07:13:35 PM
Plaza : FLL - Palm Hourly Entry
Lane : 12
Exit Information
------------------
Transaction Date : 03/17/2014 08:20:12 PM
Processed Date : 03/17/2014 08:20:13 PM
Plaza : FLL - Main Exit Plaza
Lane : 05
Amount Charged* : $4.00
Do I really need to know that I entered at 7:13 PM? Much less at 07:13:35 PM? It was important for me to know how many seconds after 7:13 I entered the garage and then exited 12 seconds after 8:20 PM?
I was impressed, though, to know that it took only a hundredth of a second to complete the transaction.
I also thought that the next time I picked someone up at the airport there would no longer be a human cashier. I suppose this represents progress.
And I guess this is just another example of living in a Big Data world.
Wouldn't it be good, I also thought, if we had as much data about that lost Malaysian plane? When and where it exited? That would be something worth working on.
Labels: Automation, Big Data, Fort Lauderdale, Malaysian Airplane, Sunpass
posted by Steven Zwerling at
5:20 AM
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