BART ticketing and people who obey the rules

Today was my third-to-last visit to Vodafone. I turned in my computer, keycard, and emptied my cube, office supplies back to the supply room and all the documents to my successors, and a few things to carry home with me. I still have two more visits there to make: one next week for our final team lunch and farewell, and another to sign the paperwork that will give me my severance package, and promise I won't reveal any proprietary information (of which I have none) after I leave.

Took BART home, as always, and on the way out realized I didn't have enough left onto he ticket to get out of the station (the new gate machines they just installed aren't any more reliable about printing the current amount on the tickets, or about anything else for that matter, but they did cost a lot to purchase and install). So I go to the "addfare" machine to add the reminding $1.50 that the ticket was short. Only to discover that the new addfare machines only accept ones and fives. Of course, all I have is a ten. I ask the couple that's standing at them if they have change for a ten, only to learn they're in the same position I am. Can't get out. So we all head over to the agent's booth, but of course, there's no agent around. The agents on BART, I've discovered, are prone to very frequent and very long breaks. When I've needed one in the past, I've waited upwards of twenty minutes. I didn't feel like waiting that long today just to give them a dollar fifty, so I just opened the emergency gate, ignoring the squeal of the alarm. I held it open and turned back to the couple who was following me, and see them both standing still, staring in horror. You'd think I was holding the bloody corpse of their friend rather than a gate. "Well, there's no legal way out," I point out, but they would have none of it. Looking at each other, they then turned and positively fled as I dropped the gate and walked away, bewildered.

Yep, I broke the law. I robbed BART of $15.0 they might otherwise have had if I'd stayed and panhandled for change for another hour or whatever. The couple obeyed the rules, as posted at the gate. I wonder if they're still there.

Why I love the Japanese

Thanks to reynard52 for the link:
I don't mean to give into racial stereotyping or anything, but who else would do this: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/engineering/pyramidcity/interactive/interactive.html

(no subject)

I am:

57.18624% - Extreme Geek

According to this test:

http://www.innergeek.us/geek.html

It would probably be higher except for the fact that I don't collect anything.

I'm actually almost an anti-collector, my ideal goal being to eventually own nothing. Not that I want to live in a cave and raise sheep or anything, but with just a bit more technology, and a whole hell of a lot more money, I can foresee a point where I don't actually own anything that's not embedded in my body. Use, yes, even rent, but not own.

Looting in Iraq

Apparently, it's still going on.
I haven't seen this mentioned in any of the news articles dealing with it anywhere (big surprise there), but what is the state of the Iraqi police departments?
Somehow, I doubt that we're allowing armed Iraqi citizens to walk around the streets, even if they're in uniform. I wonder how long the Smithsonian would last if we were invaded by a foreign power that disbanded all the protection infrastructure we currently have in place and everyone knew was only guarding our oil wells themselves? Hell, I'd probably head down to Circuit City myself...