Ok, folks – I pose a challenge to the geekdom out there. How to disable, permanently, these obnoxious speaker boxes that are attached to every friggin’ gas pump I’ve been to in the last 6 months. The MUTE buttons are worn out (“dimple collapse”) so you gotta sit there and listen to the bloody things go on, incomprehensively, about worthless crap inside the stores. It was some brilliant marketer’s idea – I can hear it now “We need to bring people into the store from the pump, ’cause that’s where the profits are. ” I know a few out there think it’s a great idea. Muzak was bad enough, but, it was in the distance, and didn’t drown out your cell phone or NPR on the car radio. And next it will be video, where we’ll need a different solution (I am so absolutely sick of TV everywhere I go – yes I own a universal TV-off keychain. ) And finally, Google Gas Pumps will surely be next.
How about an opt-out feature where I can pay you five freakin’ bucks for a year of peace and quiet? It’s unlikely. Nielsen media reports a 70% brand recall for gas station TV. Damn, that’s good. But I wonder how many are remembering the brand so they can avoid any product annoying them at the gas pump. “Never, ever buy friggin’ Dr. Pepper again.”
So I call out to you, the Hardware Gods of the Interweb….
I figure if we can mess with the electronic voting systems, we should be able to fk with these things a bit.
So, electronics wizards, how do you disable them without opening them or beating them with an object or getting electrocuted (and starting a large fire.)
Electronic pulse?
Handheld High Output Laser?
Freon-freeze+ gentle tap?
Secret series of keypresses? (that would be ideal!)
All ideas welcome.
Required Disclaimer, Of COURSE I am not condoning vandalism in any shape or form. This is just an academic discussion.
Comments on this entry are closed.