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Today I decided I'd use some of my large pile of change-jar coins to pay my way on the DART. Since they've got a 20-coin "rule" on the manned window, I figured I'd feed my coins to the machine. Which, er, broke. With a message like "can't display template 82" or thereabouts. It eventually timed out whatever it was doing, but would not allow me to insert more coins, so I cancelled the transaction and tried again, this time with less coins. And I broke it again. And the third time, I used more high-denomination coins and less of the crappy 5¢ ones, and got my ticket just in time for the arriving train - because otherwise I'd actually have taken a picture to capture the moment, and possibly have taken the time to figure out exactly how many coins break the system. Seriously, though. I wrote vending machine logic in college, in FORTRAN, as part of my college girlfriend's project. It's not hard. Getting it this badly wrong is pretty dumb.
Irish Rail says this evening's Cork-Dublin service is not running "due to operational problems associated with drivers not covering absences". Way to describe the problem clearly. I hope the drivers who failed to show up have a happy Christmas at home, given that they've made sure some people won't.
I screwed up my timing somewhat yesterday such that I was left with just enough time to get to the commuter rail station in order to make it into town on time to meet Johnathan Vail. The catch was that I had all of 60¢ in my pocket, and the train fare is €1.70. So I rummaged in the change bin and came up with the difference in 5¢ pieces.
At the station, I put down my money. The ticket guy, of my own age or younger, looked at it, looked at me, and said, "what's that?" "1.70", I said. He then went off on a hissy fit about the sign over the counter which said something along the lines of maximum of 20 coins per transaction; I counted out and said I had 24, and I had no other cash on me, and I was going into town so I could get hold of more cash (a little white lie, but). Guy had a real inferiority complex to go with his little hitler complex; he made some random noise about me laughing at him as I was putting down my money. Boy, was I laughing at him in my head. But I ate crow, and said, no, I was laughing at myself for not having any other change.
"are you sure?" he asked.
Moron.
"Yes", I said, ignoring all the possible replies my brane was feeding me. At this point a queue had built up, so he made a big show of counting the coins (hey shit-for-brains, I already counted them in front of you while you were busy swinging your dick around) and then gave me my ticket.
As it turns out, Johnathan's bus was late so I could probably have taken the time to get money from a cash machine, but then I'm sure Jerkoid would have complained about taking large-denomination notes. If I hadn't been on a pressing schedule, I'd have taken a little time to ridicule his petty little assholery.
Pfft. Fucking JERK.
At the station, I put down my money. The ticket guy, of my own age or younger, looked at it, looked at me, and said, "what's that?" "1.70", I said. He then went off on a hissy fit about the sign over the counter which said something along the lines of maximum of 20 coins per transaction; I counted out and said I had 24, and I had no other cash on me, and I was going into town so I could get hold of more cash (a little white lie, but). Guy had a real inferiority complex to go with his little hitler complex; he made some random noise about me laughing at him as I was putting down my money. Boy, was I laughing at him in my head. But I ate crow, and said, no, I was laughing at myself for not having any other change.
"are you sure?" he asked.
Moron.
"Yes", I said, ignoring all the possible replies my brane was feeding me. At this point a queue had built up, so he made a big show of counting the coins (hey shit-for-brains, I already counted them in front of you while you were busy swinging your dick around) and then gave me my ticket.
As it turns out, Johnathan's bus was late so I could probably have taken the time to get money from a cash machine, but then I'm sure Jerkoid would have complained about taking large-denomination notes. If I hadn't been on a pressing schedule, I'd have taken a little time to ridicule his petty little assholery.
Pfft. Fucking JERK.
