Skip to main content

Seen at the Gas Pump


 

While pumping gas at the Shell Station on Snowden River Parkway (the one near BJ’s and Michael’s) I saw something I had never seen before.  The little screen on the gas pump was showing me TikTok videos.

Really?

Yes, those little screens are not new. I’ve seen them featuring news headlines and entertainment news. Possibly other things? I can’t remember. I’ve never found them all that compelling. What is the purpose? 

Is it an opportunity for advertisers to sell us more things while we are stuck at the pump? Is it to entertain us because we are completely unable to be alone without own thoughts for the time it takes us to fill the tank? 

Has it really come to that?

There is nothing inherently wrong with airing TikTok videos. It was merely one of those moments in life that remind me that I am getting older, I guess. “What will they think of next?” I don’t drive much these days, so trips to the gas station are not as frequent as they used to be. Perhaps the next time I go I’ll find they’ve monetized those videos and I’ll be prompted to click a screen to pay for the Ultimate Video Experience for Just One Dollar More.

For two dollars they’ll turn the dang video off for you. So you can be alone with your own thoughts.

Let’s have some fun with this. Send me your best - - serious or silly - - ideas for what you think should be on those gas pump screens. Some suggestions to get you started:  

  • Stand up comedy 
  • Calming nature scenes with music
  • Local news: and I mean Columbia/HoCo news
What do you think?



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...
1 comment
Read more