solar penguin wrote:
I'm starting to get a theory that some people are just
magically lucky when it comes to new hi-tech gadgets. The equipment
just always works _perfectly_ for them, while the rest of us have to
struggle with all sorts of errors and failures and crashes and bugs and
breakdowns.

Of course, the magically lucky elite have an unfair advantage over the
rest of us -- and they don't even know it. That's why they see no
problems in forcing us to use the advanced technology that works for
them, even though we would be _much_ better off sticking with older,
more reliable technology that we're comfortable with.

Oysters are just one example of this. But the problem's everywhere!

Based on my experience of living in London, commuting in London using
Oyster, and being surrounded by friends and colleagues who do the same,
the people for whom Oyster works fine nearly all the time
encompasses... err... all of them, while the people who are cursed with
errors and failures and crashes and bugs and breakdowns are... two
people on Usenet.

(the only problem I've had with Oyster was forgetting to renew my
season ticket, not touching in at Finsbury Park because you don't need
to if you have a season ticket, being stopped by inspectors while
changing trains at Green Park and PF-d £20 for using PP without
touching in. Which was more my fault than Oyster's anyway...)

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org