So there I was, changing from the Picc to the Circle at King's X on
Friday, and I made to go through that little set of gates that's a
short cut between the Pic/Vic/NL ticket hall and the passage to the
Circle/H&C/Met lines -- you know the ones, just past the plaque to the
victims of the 87 fire. The ones where tourists inevitably stop,
confused, while us hardened commuters try desperately not to barge on
past.

Anyways up. Bloke in front of me had an Oyster card, which he slapped
on the machine's oyster plate, and it dutifully opened up and let him
through. I stepped up to the oche, slipped my paper technology
one-day travelcard into the approprate slot, and in it went. The gate
immediately switched to its No Exit mode and stayed switched, with my
card somewhere in the bowels. No bleeps, no sign of a problem, just
shut.

After a moment's exercise of my right to free speech, I walzed away to
attract the attention of a member of staff. He opened up the gate,
revealing my ticket perched just inside the entry slot in the rubber
conveyors, wound it through and handed it back to me. I slapped it
into the adjacent machine -- no probs, and off I went. The card
performed perfectly all day thereafter.

Now. Is it purely coincidence that the machine spasmed immediately
after getting an Oyster meal, or is there a bug there? I've never had
this problem before, and I've never seen anyone use an Oyster card
before. Just one of those things -- OR SOMETHING MORE?

(fade grams, roll credits)

R