Monday May 09, 2005

I noticed two small changes during my latest business trip to the Bay area.

First, when I paid for gas using my credit card at a Chevron station in Newark, I was prompted to enter my zip code at the pump. I'm hoping this was some sort of security check (either a local check using the info on my magstripe or a remote one as part of the transaction authorization) rather than just a demographic survey by the local gas station.

And, second, I was greeted by name when I got out of my car in the Avis rental lot. I correctly deduced that the check-in person had used his hand-held check-in device to access my record by entering my license plate number. It was a nice personal touch. When I asked him about it, he speculated it wouldn't be long before the lot would be wired to sense cars as they enter and automatically read their identity, mileage, fuel level, etc.