[Noisebridge-discuss] So disappointing...

[Shannon Clark]

A low tech idea:

Sell punch cards for say $10
(price everything perhaps in $1 increments)

Then have a punch for people to mark off when they take a drink.

The advantages:

- money up front/in advance, probably directly to Mitch at meetings

- still honor system and easy enough for people to buy each other drinks

- a punch probably can be found (or hacked) to make a noticable noise  
when used

Disadvantages:

- still probably need to take cash for people who are just stopping by

- asks people for a larger purchase ($10 vs $1 ten times)

Anyway a low tech idea.

Shannon

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 5, 2009, at 12:41 AM, Christie Dudley <longobord at gmail.com>  
wrote:

> Oh!  I like the barcode idea.  And the sound.  We were talking about  
> having some sort of RFID system or something, but since folks have  
> been talking about barcodes already, I think there might be some  
> motivation in that direction.  (I maintain that I'm lazy, but Andy  
> points out that people are notoriously bad at keeping track.)  An  
> advantage of using a bar code reader is we could use codes already  
> on the cans and bottles.
>
> I'll see what I can do about making a more visible sign.  I confess  
> even I have trouble reading it sometimes down there.
>
> Interesting point about the cash theft.  I guess that thought didn't  
> even cross my mind.  It's pretty appalling to think that someone  
> would steal everyone's money directly, but I guess it could happen.   
> But at least until we can come up with an excessively technical  
> solution to a simple problem, then I'd like to have plenty of cash  
> on hand.  $50 in 1's is a little excessive though.
>
> And when is sticking LEDs on something that can be programmed via  
> the web not fun?  Oh, wait, that would require a...  I'll just avoid  
> that, um, discussion right now.  hmmm... what about twitter?  If  
> Michael Shiloh can come up with a twitter to Morse code python  
> plugin, we could come up with something for LEDs I'm sure.
>
> Christie
>
> On Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 12:06 AM, Paul Böhm <paul at boehm.org> wrote:
> things that have helped drink payment morale at metalab:
>
> 1) making prices MORE visible (having the list on the refrigerator
> where you have to kneel to read them is not good enough),
> 2) having payment make a noise (so if someone gets a drink, you know
> you should have heard a noise before they come back to the
> table/couch, or you can politely remind them)
> 3) putting up a picture of an eye saying smtn along the lines of
> "Protip: stealing from friends is not cool.' (see
> http://fridge.metalab.at/)
> 4) putting up a container and getting a few people to be responsible
> for emptying the cash into that container when too much accumulates.
> only the treasurer should be able to empty that central container.
> reason: though less likely (if people are cool - and we are
> excellent), cash theft is worse than people not paying for drinks.
> 5) putting LEDs on the fridge that can be programmed via the web
> (well, that didn't really help, but it was fun - again see
> http://fridge.metalab.at/)
>
> that said, having the money around isn't a longterm solution we've
> noticed. current metalab consensus is to go with prepaid barcode cards
> or something along these lines and play a oneup supermario sound
> whenever someone pays. the implementation is like 95% done - i don't
> know why this never got finished. if someone wants to play with it, i
> can summon the code (very pretty web interface with supermario gfx and
> stuff - just needs a database backend).
>
> enki
>
> On Wed, Mar 4, 2009 at 1:54 PM, Christie Dudley  
> <longobord at gmail.com> wrote:
> > I did an accounting of the monies taken in thus far for the drinks  
> we
> > restocked.  As anticipated, the new drink selection is pretty  
> popular.
> > Restock was Friday evening, and with what's missing, we should  
> have taken in
> > well over $100.
> >
> > We didn't.  We only took in about 3/4 of what we should have, just  
> for
> > what's missing, not counting the stuff that was leftover from  
> before the
> > restock (which is gone too).
> >
> > Now, I hate haranguing people about this, but I find it really  
> depressing
> > that with all this attention I've been bringing that this is the  
> best we can
> > do.  I have to ask:  Is there any reason why people aren't  
> paying?  Are the
> > prices not clear?  Do you find the prices too high?  Do you think  
> there's
> > something wrong with the system?
> >
> > If you have issues, by all means bring them up.  Even if you have  
> just heard
> > reasons people have given for not paying, it'd be good to get them  
> on the
> > table so we can get them resolved.  Please don't depend on your  
> friends to
> > buy for you when they believe they're supporting Noisebridge  
> instead.
> >
> > Christie
> >
> > --
> > Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err.
> > ~ Mohandas K. (Mahatma) Gandhi
> >
> > If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell  
> people what
> > they do not want to hear.
> > ~ George Orwell
> >
> > Freedom is the will to be responsible to ourselves.
> > ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Noisebridge-discuss mailing list
> > Noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
> > https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss
> >
> >
>
>
>
> -- 
> -- 
> Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err.
> ~ Mohandas K. (Mahatma) Gandhi
>
> If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people  
> what they do not want to hear.
> ~ George Orwell
>
> Freedom is the will to be responsible to ourselves.
> ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
>
> _______________________________________________
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> Noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
> https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss
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