There are line-waiting services in Washington DC that charge $35 an hour; some college punk stands in line, swapping out at the last minute with whatever busy Congressmen ponied up the cash.
This system may finally be supplanted by a little clever code-writing and an object we all carry, the cell phone. CellQ has come up with a system for amusement parks where would-be riders join "virtual queues" with their mobiles, then roam the parks to their content; when their slot on the desired ride is open, they get a buzz.
Yes, we know, the technology is not terribly different from the pagers they hand out at the Cheesecake Factory, but we're so sick of waiting in line--have you been to a New York City post office?--that we're really hoping this one takes off.
via red ferret
Comments
If I live five minutes from the doctor's office, it seems crazy that I should sit there waiting for nearly an hour.
Just send me an SMS a few minutes before my turn, and I'll be there.