npr.org

just_another_person , to Technology in A supermarket trip may soon look different, thanks to electronic shelf labels

No way this benefits the consumer.

lowleveldata ,

It makes you feel cool?

Etterra ,

Of course not. It lets their office or even corporate computers change the prices in real time whenever they feel like it. Hypothetically, you could pick something off a shelf where the digital signset $3, and by the time you walked it up to a register, it cost $4. It's like changing the price of something in a shop simulation video game after the customer has picked it up, and now they have to pay $9,999.99 for a bag of potato chips.

ThePrivacyPolicy ,

And my country has price laws where tagged prices have to be honoured (I forget all the technicalities of the policy) - so if something scans up wrong, what stops the employee at service from changing the shelf price to reflect the wrong one while another employee walks over to verify with me? It would need a nefarious intent, which most minimum wage shop employees could care less about, but it's a theoretical that could happen, especially on higher price items.

paraphrand ,

Surge pricing on Surge.

chaospatterns ,

That would be illegal. I worked on the software deployment of these devices in a store. If we increased the price, we'd automatically give the customer the lowest price in the last several hours.

The other problem was they were extremely low powered and low bandwidth and it would have killed the battery to update more than a few times a day.

Monument ,

So you’re saying there’s going to be a big influx of cash into small battery research and improving efficiency for tiny screens/low power WiFi?

litchralee , (edited ) to micromobility - Ebikes, scooters, longboards: Whatever floats your goat, this is micromobility in Like to bike? Your knees will thank you and you may live longer, too

[2,600 men and women, with an average age of 64 years old] were surveyed about their physical activity over their lifetime. As part of the study, researchers took X-ray images to evaluate signs of arthritis in their knee joints.

The study can not prove cause and effect, given it was an observational study that assessed osteoarthritis at one point in time.

Credit where it's due, the editor has written a headline which actually comports with the merits of the study, not overstating the benefits of cycling on elderly knee arthritis. And the author takes care to do the same. The article also discusses the risks specific to elderly cyclists, and identifies the aspects of cycling which are low-impact.

Overall, an informative read.

ms_lane , to World News in Paris wants an AC-free Olympic Village. Team USA and others aren't so chill with it

the Athletes' Village will be cooled by a system of water pipes running beneath the floorboards.

Cool, like underfloor heating but in reverse. If it works well, of course.

Officials aim to keep the rooms at between 73 to 79 degrees Fahrenheit

Nice 26c is fine.

Officials ... will also provide fans.

oh, so it doesn't work...

Viking_Hippie ,

No no, they'll provide FANS to serve as butlers. Fetch the odd cool drink, ice cream or condoms. That sort of thing

goferking0 ,

Idk if they tested enough to work out if it will be able to keep up with all the screwing they will happen

Blackmist ,

26C is way too hot for me to sleep properly.

Imagine training your whole life for one Olympics where you're at peak performance, then having it fucked up because organisers decided to do this performative nonsense.

No wonder half the teams are bringing air con.

r_deckard ,

Underfloor heating is great. Underfloor cooling without some form of dehydration will lead to condensation, moisture, and mould.

TheFriar ,

Not to mention, hot air rises up from the floor. Cold air…doesn’t.

englislanguage ,

Therefore they need ventilators

TheFriar ,

Or run the piping in the ceiling?

ms_lane ,

Indirectly they are, since they're multistory buildings.

RIP to the top floor.

stephen01king ,

Why would having fans means it doesn't work? I use fans along with AC to make the cold air distribution faster, doesn't mean my AC is not working.

tobogganablaze ,

If you're running an AC and the room is still at 24°C+ I would say it's not working.

stephen01king ,

If the AC was set to 26 °C, you're expecting the temp to be below 24 °C? What are you even talking about?

ms_lane ,

You're not wrong, but if you're setting to 26c and still need a fan, you should just set it lower.

I personally run 27c in summer and don't need an additional fan.

stephen01king ,

Yeah, but we're talking about an underfloor cooling system here. They don't really have a way to distribute the cold air like air-conditioning systems do. So in the Olympic village's case, a fan should be needed.

BastingChemina ,

I disagree, a fan is way more economical and ecological than the AC.

So you should put the fan first and if the fan is not enough then you put the AC on. Especially if it's a ceiling fan that is almost completely quiet.

Chocrates ,

79f is not exactly chilly, circulating air makes it feel more comfortable.

ms_lane ,

It's not exactly hot either though, after being in 35+c sun, it's pretty chill.

For reference, my aircon is set to 27c in summer (still comfortable, but cost effective) and 18c in winter (WHO minimum recommended house temp, any less is a health hazard - also for cost effectiveness - electricity is expensive)

Chocrates ,

I hear you, but 79 is "hot" if you are used to be in 70 degree ac. They will get used to it of course but athletes don't want to have to get used to it.

tal , (edited ) to World News in Paris wants an AC-free Olympic Village. Team USA and others aren't so chill with it
@tal@lemmy.today avatar

Hidalgo, who is against countries bringing their own units, stressed earlier this year that Paris organizers would not change course.

“I think we have to trust science on two counts,” she said. “The first is what scientists are telling us about the fact that we are on the brink of a precipice. And secondly, we have to trust the scientists when they help us to construct buildings in a sober way that allows us to make do without air conditioning.”

France has the highest percentage of nuclear power of any power grid in the world and its electricity is generated emitting a very low level of carbon dioxide.

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/carbon-intensity-electricity

According to this, France emits about a seventh the carbon dioxide per unit of power generated as the US does. We can use seven times as much electricity in Paris as back in the US and still have about the same carbon dioxide emissions.

Chocrates ,

Just because it is less damaging in France doesn't mean it doesn't have a carbon impact.

nova_ad_vitum ,

Life has a carbon impact. Forcing this burden disproportionately on athletes while spectators (not to mention corrupt IOC officials) enjoy hotels with AC is ridiculous.

thoro ,

Kinda seems like we should just listen to the French then

MisterD , to World News in Paris wants an AC-free Olympic Village. Team USA and others aren't so chill with it

Tldr: the rooms will have pipes INSIDE the floors to cool rooms between 73-79F.

What about the humidity?

Cold floors + humidity = slippery wet floors

_edge ,

Don't think that's ever been a problem anywhere close to Paris climate. It's not that humid and it's not that hot. The difference between inside and outside climate is not that extreme.

And if humidity is a problem, you are dealing with mold, not actual wet floors. That is if the buildings are not well engineered and it would show in the long run, not during the gamee.

SpiderShoeCult ,

Condensation shouldn't be an issue as long as you're not cooling below the current dew point.

However, after experiencing one of these underfloor cooling systems once, I can say that the biggest issue is that cold air tends to be heavier and thus stay down. So in order to cool the entire room, not just the layer of air right above the floor, you need something to move the air, which is probably why they're providing fans. Either that or you can just lie on the floor all the time...

Floor heating works because warm air rises. I never understood why 'floor' cooling wasn't piped through the ceiling, instead. There are probably some engineering or heat transfer issues there, though.

GreyEyedGhost ,

Heating/cooling works better with a heat sink, such as concrete. Water is also heavy, so laying it on top of the floor is far easier than suspending it from the ceiling. Also, in many places you will want to both heat and cool, and running heating and cooling in different locations costs up to twice as much. The easiest solution is to move the air, so fans do just fine.

MisterD ,

I've seen a video where they did have cool pipes in the ceiling of a big building or skyscraper.

johan ,
@johan@feddit.nl avatar

I have this system at home and it's great. Similar climate to Paris and never a problem.

SomeoneSomewhere , to World News in Israeli Supreme Court rules that the military must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men

I didn't realise it was possible to hate every side of an argument this strongly.

JackGreenEarth ,
@JackGreenEarth@lemm.ee avatar

I feel the same way about arguments between big corporations.

TropicalDingdong , to Technology in A supermarket trip may soon look different, thanks to electronic shelf labels

Imagine walking down the aisle, normal day, no thoughts about the prices or any of that.

Then one day you walk down the aisle but this time you forgot your phone in the car.

Different prices. Then some one walks is coming close from the other end of the aisle. The price changes. They walk past, nonplussed. A few seconds later, it switches back.

Catoblepas ,

The year is 2047. Individually tracked pricing algorithms determine prices for each customer. I am the local water man, who everyone pays a small fee to go buy clean water, because my high volume of purchases means I get a slight discount. In only 34 more years I can pay off my 8th grade education and start thinking about a down payment on a double sleeping pod.

dust_accelerator , (edited )

In 2291, in an attempt to control violence among deep space miners the New Earth Government legalized no-holds-bared fighting.

Liandri Mining Corporation, working with the NEG, established a series of leagues and bloody public exhibitions.

The fight's popularity grew with their brutality.
Soon, Liandri discovered that the public matches were their most profitable enterprise.

The professional league was formed;
a cabal of the most violent and skilled warriors in known space,
selected to fight in a Grand Tournament.

Now it is 2341, 50 years have passed since founding of DeathMatch. Profits from the Tournament number in the hundreds of billions.

You have been selected to fight in the professional league
by the Liandri Rules Board. Your strength and brutality are legendary.

The time has come to prove you are the best-
to crush your enemies-
to win the Tournament.

Catoblepas ,

This is basically Ballmasterz 9009, if you like weird adult cartoons (made by the same guy that did Superjail).

Jode ,

BALLL MASTAZ

iiGxC , to Health - Resources and discussion for everything health-related in Other countries have better sunscreens. Here's why we can't get them in the U.S.

Steven Goldberg, a retired vice president of BASF, said companies are wary of the FDA process because of the cost and their fear that additional animal testing could ignite a consumer backlash in the European Union, which bans animal testing of cosmetics, including sunscreen.

fucking good, there should be a backlash against companies doing animal testing. It's fucked up and archaic, and it's time for it to end. The FDA needs to update and end the violence

dogslayeggs , to World News in Paris wants an AC-free Olympic Village. Team USA and others aren't so chill with it

It's one thing to have hotels in the city do this for the millions of tourists, but to force this on the highest performing athletes trying to achieve peak performance at the absolute most important competition of their life is kind of shitty. It's a two week event for about 11,000 people. I'm pretty sure the AC from that doesn't put a dent on the AC from the rest of the tourists from the event or the tourists throughout the year in freaking Paris.

nova_ad_vitum ,

The emissions from ACs for 2 weeks likely isn't close to the emissions from all the construction they did just to host . The whole thing is ridiculous. The corrupt IOC officials watching from box seats and staying in 5 star hotels are all going to have AC.

liam070 , to Technology in A supermarket trip may soon look different, thanks to electronic shelf labels
@liam070@sopuli.xyz avatar

If it’s hot outside, we can raise the price of water and ice cream.

Exploiting human suffering for profit. We will all burn with a smile on our faces and a semi-cold water for the price of a small car in our hands.

dudeami0 ,
@dudeami0@lemmy.dudeami.win avatar

Semi-cold? That's extra, you'll be lucky to afford it. The affordable water been sitting out on the pavement for a few weeks.

Truck_kun ,

All companies that plan to have dynamic pricing, please let me know.

I've already stopped going to Wendy's; I'd love to add you to the list of places never to patron again.

WeLoveCastingSpellz ,

if you hsve a list I would love it if you cpuld share it with me

SnotFlickerman ,
@SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

You can just assume it is every US company because it is.

This stuff doesn't happen in a vacuum.

CEOs talk to each other about this kind of shit and plan together.

Just like how "AI" has been shoved into fucking everything by everyone even though it is useless and makes a lot of people upset.

Expect all of them to do it so you don't have a choice and they all did it to "stay competitive with each other."

Making sure there isn't another option is one hundred percent part of industry plans.

Just like how trying to replace fast food workers with automation and touch screens has been in the works since the 80's at least. The tech is just finally cheap enough is all.

theneverfox ,
@theneverfox@pawb.social avatar

They actually use consultants like McKinley, who are the coordinating force behind a lot of the obviously self-destructive decisions companies are making in lockstep

Truck_kun ,

I have no actual list outside my head.

atm, Wendy's because of their plan for dynamic pricing based on how busy they are, and 'my local KFC', because in 2017 I had to wait 50 minutes for my order (for 2), and they gave away the last of something I ordered to someone who came in like half an hour later, and they weren't going to be making more. (that and KFC is way over priced for their standard menu if you aren't getting some kind of 'deal')

rwhitisissle ,

I love how reality manages to combine the most comically exploitative parts of cyberpunk fiction with literally none of the intense, vibrant, or interesting parts. It's just a dull, gray, sexless, post-industrial dystopia with ugly cars, chronic obesity, and fentanyl addiction. And now surge pricing.

Banzai51 , to Politics in Supreme Court says Trump has absolute immunity for core acts only
@Banzai51@midwest.social avatar

If we needed any more proof we're not a democracy anymore...

Powderhorn ,
@Powderhorn@beehaw.org avatar

That ship sailed with Bush v Gore.

lvxferre , to Technology in German parliament will stop using fax machines
@lvxferre@mander.xyz avatar

I agree with the move; it reduces the unnecessary waste of time, space, and material. While some things should have physical copies, not everything needs to.

Regarding the "AI" part: the author is simply highlighting that BRD is sticking to really old technology, in a world going further steps beyond. Don't think too hard on that.

Mouselemming , to World News in Israeli Supreme Court rules that the military must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men

I don't know enough to say this but I can ask it: If being ultra-orthodox exempts you from service, doesn't that provide an incentive to become ultra-orthodox? So will this cause more people to fall out of ultraorthodoxy? Or is there no joining involved, just being born into it?

Tryptaminev ,

Anyone with a Jewish mother is considered a Jew and can choose to life the religion to that extent. However i am quite sure you will need to have made the decision and devoted your time to the necessary studies years before military service for the exemption to be granted.

Think of it this way. Any christian can decide to move to a monastery as a priest or nun. But if he wants to do that not to get drafted he should do that a bit earlier than the draft date.

Mouselemming ,

I expect a lot were raised as such by their parents/community, which isolates them from society as a whole. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out once they get exposure to other mindsets. And gurls.

Ibaudia , to Not The Onion in Trump posted a video on Truth Social calling the country a 'unified reich' if he wins
@Ibaudia@lemmy.world avatar

According to the OP that Trump's media guy reposted, the "unified reich" text was just a part of the stock template he used.

Extremely funny if true.

nilloc ,

I wonder what the “template” had as a headline before the replaced it with MAGA?

Deutschland Uber Alles?
Hitler Wins?

I bet they wouldn’t want to admit what attracted them to it.

cultsuperstar ,

The news was saying thr Teump campaign said I'm the video was created(?) posted by a supporter and Trump's media guy reposted without really looking at it lol

bradorsomething ,

It would have looked so much better in Unified Reich Sans.

lnxtx , to Technology in A supermarket trip may soon look different, thanks to electronic shelf labels
@lnxtx@feddit.nl avatar

Looks like the US is like 10 years behind the Europe.

But if I understand correctly those electronic shelf labels will be remote controlled. IoT?

Oisteink ,

They are - and they’re e-ink based so power lasts a long time. I’ve not been to a store that don’t have them in many years.

They’re great - always showing the correct price/ amount, and it’s less hassle for the store to change.

As long as you have a free market and not a coordinated one it will work out great for you guys too

nolefan33 ,

As long as you have a free market and not a coordinated one it will work out great for you guys too

Ah, so we're fucked

Oisteink ,

Aren’t they already in use by some stores? M

Maybe most of this is just circus to keep you worried?

The thing I don’t like about them is the BT tracking/detection. Not seen any system with the capability to track individuals, but it will show heat maps of where people spend time and clump up. This comes “free” as it’s usually zigbee or similar radios that are used, and these support BT

nolefan33 ,

Yeah, I'm not actually that worried. I've seen these in use at hardware stores for quite a while now. It's just useful to assume that Walmart is planning to fuck you over. That's a good point with BT though, many of the kind of microcontrollers that would be used for this sort of thing offer BT connectivity as well.

SaltySalamander ,
@SaltySalamander@fedia.io avatar

They're definitely in use by Best Buy

BearOfaTime ,

They've been in use in the US in other retail outlets for about as long.

I suppose there was little rationalization for them in grocery stores until recently. Keep in mind grocery stores are massive chains, largely stocked by vendors - the store doesn't own a huge portion of the product, they rent out space to vendors.

So there's probably also the interaction between vendor and the chain - how the pricing update is managed.

Maybe someone more knowledgeable about how grocery works could chime in. I only have a cursory understanding. I wonder what their It systems look like, how they integrate/communicate with vendor systems.

catloaf ,

I used to work for a company that did contract work for retail and grocery stores. For the most part, there isn't a whole lot of direct integration, unless you're talking about the huge chains and huge suppliers. Buyers make an order, that order gets tracked, shipped, added to inventory, and placed on the shelf.

Walmart is so huge and so nickel-and-dime that I'm sure they track and update prices based on a variety of factors, much like how Amazon does their micro-pricing stuff.

SaltySalamander ,
@SaltySalamander@fedia.io avatar

the Europe

lazynooblet ,
@lazynooblet@lazysoci.al avatar

Highly likely English isn't their first language

Thorry84 ,

I prefer to think of it like there is some fake Europe wannabe out there and the poster wanted to make sure people knew he was talking about the real Europe.

Halcyon ,
@Halcyon@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

There is, it's called UK.

pushECX ,

Several years ago, I contracted for a short time as a software engineer for a team within Walmart that was working on an in-house digital label solution. It was pretty cool as it was all custom hardware running Android. I think the project probably could've been run better, though. I'd guess that's part of the reason they have taken so long to deploy some type of digital label solution, and ultimately went with a third party product.

JohnEdwa , (edited )
@JohnEdwa@sopuli.xyz avatar

Technically IoT, but usually these systems use a hub that uses some other tech to connect to the labels as wifi is really power hungry, even if you just wake up every once in a while to ask for updates, and you don't want 10000 wifi iot things polluting the bandwidth.

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