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Several food trucks have sprung up in my neighborhood that seem to have an even better impromptu system. You walk up to the window, they hand you a small device and send you back to your car. When your device lights up, you go to the pickup window. There is no line at all.

I don't know how many hundred dollars it cost them to buy a couple dozen devices or how much it costs to wipe each one down and put it back under the infrared/anti-cootie lamp each use. But there are orders going out the window about every 2 minutes and no customers within 50 feet of each other.



I assume these are the same devices some restaurants use to tell you when your table is ready?

Honestly, I'd prefer to be texted - no need to pass around a hot potato.


And I prefer not to give my telephone number. I guess it is better to set up a display for the ready order numbers and/or an announcement.


that's why we need to stop treating phone numbers as personal identifiers... nobody in the world would dream of using IPv6 addresses as personal identifiers

to this point you (everybody, really) should have a burner phone number


web apps can send you notifications or do you also prefer not to give your IP address?




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