On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:10:02 +0000, Clint Sharp wrote:

This requirement to "weigh" items that don't need weighing

The requirement to weigh everything is to stop you nicking stuff, the
machine knows how much an item should weigh and it stops until it can
see that weight on the platform before you can scan the next item.

So I have to handle each object twice? Once to scan and place on
platform, then again to take off platform and place on conveyor so I
can put the next item on? This is progress?

course, the obvious scam is to show it a cheap tin of own brand product
(beans for instance) and put the equivalent weight premium brand product
in the bag.

I suspect the Tesco ones are (trying) to be a bit more clever. They
complain about "unexpected item" and there are what look like little
cameras looking at the conveyor. I suspect it can tell the difference
between Tesco Value beans and Heinz...

Which then begs the question why not just have a conveyor onto which
you place the goods, that then trundles the goods through a scan/ID
area? Conveyor could have regular marks down it on which each item
should be (more or less) placed.

I'm all for technology and it helping but I detest technology for
technologies sake or technology that is "the tail wagging the dog".
Zooming windows and animations as they are changed/opened/closed look
pretty for the first couple of times but then just become a PITA as
you have to wait for them. Or lists that "helpfully" move about,
normally just as you are about to click on the one you want. Or
scrolling that doesn't scroll the contents of the sub-window the
mouse is over.

--
Cheers
Dave.