Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Diebold ATM Crashes, Dispenses Tunes - Not Money
A Diebold Opteva 520 ATM crashed on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University on Wednesday, and then rebooted without bringing up the ATM software, alarming financial institutions and Americans concerned about e-voting alike.
As it turned out, the resulting Diebold PC was not particularly functional, even though it had Windows XP running. The main criticisms that students had were 1) the lack of Internet connectivity and 2) lack of a keyboard. However, students were able to use the Character Map program to enter text, enabling the text-to-speech program to intone "What, do you think I'm made of money?" to potential customers. This fulfills the expectations raised for this device, which Diebold claims "will deliver the next generation of services to financial institutions and ATM users, including new opportunities to enhance customer relationship management (CRM), marketing and advertising applications" (news release).
The Windows Media Player was set up to loop Beethoven and Talking Heads for the further amusement of customers. Americans who would like to have secure, verifiable elections in their own country were less amused, since Diebold is also a leading proponent of electronic voting machines.
Clearly, these new ATMs, with their greater (dys)functionality are bringing us closer to the Lucky Dragon ATM of William Gibson's 1999 novel All Tomorrow's Parties. These ATMS really had a business attitude; if you messed with them, they would mist you down and then electrify themselves.
Thanks to ATM Media Player (Gizmodo) who brought us the original story Diebold ATM Crashes (Midnight Spaghetti). Don't forget to take a look at the Diebold Opteva 520 ATM website; it has a nice multimedia presentation that asks the haunting question "What if your ATMs were so smart that they could repair themselves?"
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 3/19/2004)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 3 )
Related News Stories - (" Work ")
Swedes Get 'Chipped' With Vaccine Passports
'Employees above a certain level were implanted with advanced microprocessors...' - William Gibson, 1984.
Meetings To Be Recorded And Scored For Body Language
'Jedrik was reworking the simulation model of Broey which she carried in her head.'
Would You Get 'Chipped'? Michigan May Ban Employers
'Employees above a certain level were implanted with advanced microprocessors...' - William Gibson, 1984.
Workplace Monitoring Hell, I Mean, Tool For Safe Distancing
'And here is the weirdest part -- I never see another employee the entire day.' - Marshall Brain, 2002.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Wearable Energy Harvester
'... he had tightened the chest to gain maximum pumping action from the motion of breathing.'
Drones Participate In Buddhist Rites
'...a prayer wheel swung into view and began spinning at a furious pace.'
Anna Indiana AI Singer-Songwriter
'She is a personality-construct, a congeries of software agents'
Video Manicuring ala Schismatrix
'The program raced up the screen one scan line at a time'
'Feel the AGI' OpenAI Leader Now OpenWorship
'And are all the people willing to be governed by a machine?'
NASA Tests Prototype Europa Lander
Why have legs if they don't walk around?
Tailsitter Drone Aircraft For SAR
'...it was so easy for me to remain motionless in midair.'
Forward CarePod The AI Doctor's Office
'It's an old model,' Rawlins said. 'I'm not sure what to do.'
Mika The Robot-Boss
'the robot-boss was busy at the lip of the new lode instructing and egging the men on to greater speed...'
Yamaha Motoroid 2 No Handlebars Self-Balancing Motorcycle
'He rode the bike with an intense lack of physical grace...'
San Francisco Autobus
'THE autobus turned silently down the wide street...'
Should Your Car Decide If You Can Drive?
'Okay. Maybe the car was right...'
Lucid Dreams On Demand From Prophetic and Card79
'the peeper did not operate by virtue of its machinery alone, but by the reaction of the brain and the body of its user...'
Honda UNI-ONE Hands-Free Wheelchair Follows 100 Year-Old Design
'Noiselessly, on rubber-tired wheels, they journeyed...'
EBS-260 Handjet Free Hand Dot Matrix Printer
'McKie held a chalf-memory stick over the dusted surface.'
Sensitive, Soft Robot Skin
'...tinted material that had all the feel and appearance of human flesh and epidermis.'
